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.

In Philosophy, these are the word counts for each degree:

• MA by Research: 20,000 to 30,000 words

• MPhil: 40,000 to 60,000 words

• PhD: 60,000 to 80,000 words

• PhD by Distance Learning: 60,000 to 80,000 words

NB: The word count does not include the bibliography, but does include footnotes, appendices, and anything else that's not a bibliography.

Referencing

In preparing the final manuscript of your thesis you will need to follow a recognised style guide. The usual ones for philosophy are Harvard or MLA. If your work (as is slightly more common in philosophy now) presents or reviews scientific data the American Psychological Association style (APA) may be suitable. If you are in doubt, or think that some other style is better suited to your work, discuss the issue with your supervisor.

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