Presentation

Spacing

An A4 template should be used with a left-hand margin of not less than 40mm and other margins not less than 20mm. Spacing throughout the body of the text should be 1.5, with single spacing used for quotations and footnotes. It is recommended that you justify the left margin only.

Font

It is recommended that you use a font to the equivalent size of Times New Roman, point 12. Students with visual impairment may use a larger font.

Page numbers

Pages should be numbered consecutively throughout, including appendices.

Headings and subheadings

Wellington (2015, pp.284-289) contains a useful discussion on how many ‘levels’ of headings to include. This is also something you should discuss with your tutor/ supervisor since matters of structure are very much dependent upon the type of writing research you have chosen to undertake. As a general rule, it should be immediately evident to your readers what level of heading is being used at any given time, for example:

Level 1: Chapter Headings

(bold, point 13, underscore + two line spaces underneath)

Level 2: First Level Subheading

(bold, point 13 + one line space underneath)

Level 3: Second level subheading

(bold, point 12, no line space underneath)

You can, of course, also make use of italic and capitals (though the latter should not normally be used below the level of chapter heading, if at all). Whatever you choose, type your list out and keep it by you during your writing-up period so that you can ensure consistency throughout.

Illustrations

Any illustrations should be on A4 paper. Any illustrations should be on A4, with a left-hand margin of not less than 40mm and other margins not less than 20mm.

Organisation

Before submitting your work you should check with your tutor/supervisor on the organisation of your material and the arrangement of footnotes and bibliographical references. Please take account of the following:

(i) Contents Page

The list of contents should be on a separate page and should show, on the right hand side of the page, the number of the page on which each chapter or part begins. (Be sure to check this carefully before submission if you do any last-minute re formatting.) Separate lists should be given of tables, maps and illustrations.

(ii) Quotations

If longer than two lines of typescript, quotations should be left-indented and single spaced; in this instance, quotation marks should not be used. Shorter quotations should not be indented but must be placed in single quotation marks. Double quotation marks should be used only for quotations within quotations and direct speech. When quoting from a book or article the page number should be included as well as the name of the author and date of publication (e.g. Smith, 2001, p.12).

(iii) Statistics

Generally, statistics, especially in the main body of a dissertation, should be presented in the form of tables. Graphs and diagrams, correctly constructed, are also effective in allowing comparisons to be made. Where tables are used they should be simple and, above all, the computations should be accurate. Each graph, diagram and table should be given a separate heading. Where these are reporting findings, they should be footnoted with the sources of information. Each table etc should have a clear heading and should contain all the information necessary for someone to re work the data. The raw data and details of the calculations should normally be presented in appendices; where the same statistical procedure has been used for several tables, only a sample calculation need be given. (Check with your supervisor if you are in any doubt about what to include.) In an empirical, qualitative dissertation, a separate section will be devoted to the results of the investigation. This will consist of tables together with sufficient information to aid their interpretation. Tables should be numbered consecutively in that chapter, e.g. in Chapter 3, Tables should be numbered 3.1, 3.2, etc.

(iv) References in the text

The School of Education accepts ‘author-date’ systems of referencing. These include Harvard, APA and Chicago.

Detailed guidance can be found in The School of Education Referencing Guide which is available on MOLE.

(v) Footnotes

You may wish to occasionally expand on various points throughout the dissertation but, instead of doing so in the text, use a footnote (which you do by putting a number in superscript at the appropriate point in the text). Any footnotes you have in a chapter can then be listed either at the end of the chapter or at the end of the dissertation under a section headed ‘Notes’. You should only use footnotes where absolutely necessary. Use them only if you feel it is important to expand on a point but where it would interrupt the flow of your argument to include it in the text. Ask your supervisor for advice if you are in doubt about any of this.

(vi) Reference List

The reference list should normally be placed at the end of the dissertation and precede any appendices. It should include all the literature you have referred to in your text. You should not include sources which you have consulted but not actually referred to in the text. The School of Education accepts ‘authordate’ systems of referencing. These include Harvard, APA and Chicago. Detailed guidance can be found in The School of Education Referencing Guide which is available on MOLE.

(vii) Appendices

Include here any additional material which is necessary for the reader's full understanding of the text. You should not include anything which is not relevant and you should not think that you must have appendices. If you do use them, remember to explain clearly in the text how the reader is meant to use the appendices. If you are in any doubt, consult your supervisor on the inclusion of appendices.

Students completing a dissertation should also ensure that their submission includes:

(i) Title Page

The title page should show:

  • the title in full
  • your name in full
  • the following statement:
  • Dissertation submitted in part requirement for the [insert name of degree, e.g. MA in Early Childhood Education] of the University of Sheffield
  • the month and year of submission.

(ii) Abstract

An abstract should follow the title page.