Thesis Content and Style

The University has detailed guidance about the style, formatting and sequence of material standards for your thesis. Further information about how to format your thesis can be found linked below.

Since 2019, the University of York has required its PhD postgraduate researchers to submit an e-thesis, rather than a hard copy, printed thesis. This means that you should take particular care to ensure that your thesis is accessible and easy for anyone to read. Guidance on making your thesis accessible has also been created by the Postgraduate Research Administration (PGRA) and can also be found below.

Language Requirements

It is important that your work should be comprehensibly written in clear, idiomatic English. If you are not a native speaker of English, you are advised to ask a native speaker friend to read it through for idiomaticity. It is essential that students make themselves aware of the level of support which is acceptable, as set out in the University Guidance on Proofreading and Editing.

You must also pay careful attention to such editorial matters as correct spelling, typographical errors, and the numbering of examples and sections. Do the numbers run in sequence? Do cross-references in fact refer to the correct sections? Check that references in the text match the bibliography precisely.

Recommended Style Conventions

For the general format of your document, please follow guidelines below:

• Set paper size to A4

• Set line spacing to 1.5 throughout the document

• Use extra space between sections

• Use a 12 point font throughout the document (including title, headings, and notes)

• Use a simple font (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri)

• Set top, right, and bottom margins to 2.54 cm

• Set alignment to left (do not justify text)

• Number all pages serially.

A useful, simple style for headings of sections and subsections is the American Psychological Association (APA) style. Alternatively, you may use numbered section and subsection headings, for example:

1. Introduction

2. Theoretical background

2.1 Theory 1

2.2 Theory 2

3. Data

The numbered style is particularly recommended for theses. Note that other formatting requirements (e.g., for margins) apply to dissertations and theses which are bound.

For cited forms (i.e., in-paragraph linguistic examples), numbered examples, and glosses and translations, the department uses the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) style. The Research Training Seminar, which all research students are welcome to attend, provides training on how apply these conventions correctly.

Referencing

The Department uses the APA referencing style for in-text citations and bibliographic references. Additional information about APA style can be found at Purdue University's OWL website.

Do not use ibid. or op.cit. for recurring references, but repeat the full form given above. You may, however, omit the author’s name if the second reference is within the same paragraph and there is no possibility of confusion.

Length

The University has not imposed a universal maximum length on theses. It does, however, encourage Departments to have length guidelines and the Graduate School Board in Language and Linguistic Science adopted the following:

• MA by Research: Up to 25,000 words

• PhD: Up to 80,000 words

• MPhil: Up to 60,000 words

These word limits exclude references and appendices.

In addition to online guidance on preparing and formatting your thesis, the University also offers courses to help you through Information Services and through BRIC.