Thesis Guidelines
Theses must be in compliance with format and style standards as outlined in this documentation. Questions about the interpretation of these regulations or their application should be addressed to the thesis supervisor.
Style Guide References
For amplification of points in this section, consult the official MAME academic style guide, Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertation. If points differ from any rules in the MAME Thesis Handbook, the handbook takes precedence.
Please note: Previous theses are not necessarily models to be followed due to the differences in material, changes in rules and policies, and revisions in the various editions of style manuals. The student is responsible for writing and editing the thesis document. Matters of structure, content, and length are decided by the student and the thesis supervisor. All references and documentation must be complete.
Format
All pages of the thesis are to be of one size (8 1/2 inch x 11 inch), one reproduction process, and one type of paper unless prior approval of variances is granted by the thesis committee. Text and illustrations may appear on only one side of page.
Standard typing practices (whether done on a typewriter or word processor) must be observed throughout, including matters of spacing following punctuation marks.
Use only black toner to ensure a sharp, high-contrast black-on-white copy.
The typeface must be a standard, serif bookface type, e.g., Times, Times New Roman, Palatino, New Century, or Courier, produced on a laser or liquid ink printer. Script typefaces are not acceptable. It is recommended that students with questions about their choice of typeface or printer bring a sample to their thesis supervisor early in the writing process.
Italics are used as a substitute for underlining book titles or foreign terms and are to be used consistently. Consult Turabian for headings styles.
Paper and Reproduction Processes
Final copies of the paper should be produced by laser printer, or photocopy on good quality, twenty-pound weight paper. Use of a high-quality recycled paper is encouraged.
Corrections
Corrections cannot be made with ink or pencil. In the case of replacement pages in reproduced copy, the same duplication method and paper must be used for corrected pages. Crossouts, strikeovers, raised or dropped letters, piled-up letters, extra spaces, and insertions are considered typographical errors and must be eliminated. Adhesive tape (non-reflective transparent) can be used in the construction of pages only if the paper is to be photocopied and the copies do not show evidence of its use.
Margins
The margins for each page - front matter, text, reference material - must be no narrower than the following, measuring from the edge of the paper to the type:
Left (binding edge) 1 1/2 inch
Right 1 inch
Top 1 1/4 inch
Bottom 1 1/4 inch
Wider margins are acceptable if used consistently. Text alignment should be left justified with a ragged right. Holes are not permitted in any of the margins.
Typing may extend a single line below the bottom margin in order to complete the last line of a paragraph, chapter, subdivision, table, or figure.
Spacing
The text of the paper must be double-spaced throughout. Long quotations must be indented and single-spaced. Footnotes to text are single-spaced. Tables may be double-spaced or single-spaced, depending on the layout on the page. Single-spacing can be used for tables, titles, headings, and figure captions. Reference entries may be single-spaced, provided that each entry is separated by a double space. Consult Turabian for spacing guidelines.
Pagination
Front Matter pages are to be numbered consecutively in lower case Roman numerals beginning with "ii" on the first page of the Abstract, which follows the Signature Page. The Title Page is considered "i" but the number is not placed on the page. Neither the copyright page nor the Signature Page is counted or numbered. All numbers are centered without punctuation 3/4 inch from the bottom of the page.
Text and Back Matter pages are numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, beginning with the number 1 on the page following the Front Matter. Numbers are placed without punctuation in the upper right-hand corner, 1 inch from the right and 3/4 inch from the top of the page.
If a musical manuscript is included, page numbers may be hand-lettered using a lettering guide so that the numerals are neat and uniform.
