PGR thesis preparation

Writing your thesis

Whilst the responsibility for the writing, preparation and submission of the thesis rests with you as the student, it is expected that supervisors will read and comment on drafts, with a view to enabling you to produce a thesis which is coherent, well-documented and written in good English.

It is your responsibility to decide when to submit, taking into account the supervisor's advice.

Word limits guidelines

The guidelines on thesis length for research students in the Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences are:

  • MPhil 40,000 words

  • PhD 75,000 words

Please note that the above guidelines exclude footnotes, bibliography and appendices (this is different to the general guidance in the Departmental Style Guide).

The History style guide offers useful advice on presentation as well as guidelines about referencing and bibliographies.

If your research involves human participants i.e. through interviewing you will need to submit an ethics application before you begin this element of your research.

It is important to be aware of the University's guidelines and how to avoid the use of unfair means.