university of manchester dissertation word count

Dissertation

This section provides information on the dissertation component of Alliance Manchester Business School’s Postgraduate Taught Masters Programmes. You should read this section carefully in conjunction with the details specific to your programme. In particular, My Student Support contains important information about plagiarism, assessment, and personal mitigating circumstances.

Please also refer to the following University documents for further policy information with particular emphasis on plagiarism and academic malpractice:

• Plagiarism and academic malpractice - Guidance for students
• Procedure for handling academic malpractice cases

The library provides a number of resources useful for writing your dissertation, including workshops and drop-in sessions.

Dissertation calendar 2024-25

Please note that your supervisor(s) should give you further information regarding exact dates for meetings and deadlines for submitting written work etc.

• Please refer to the AMBS dissertation handbook

AMBS MSc Student Guidance on Dissertation Ethical Approval

Key information:

• You cannot begin any data collection until you have received formal ethical approval or had confirmation from your supervisor that your dissertation topic is ethically exempt.
• If you collect data without ethical approval or miss critical approval deadlines, there can be consequences such as having to change your dissertation topic late in the summer, or in severe cases, receiving a mark of 0 for your dissertation. Please engage with the process and if in doubt, always ask your supervisor or contact  [email protected]  for support as soon as possible.
• All students undertaking a dissertation or research project will need to use the  Ethics Decision Tool   and  submit an Ethics Statement Form to determine whether there is ethical risk to be approved.
• Students will be emailed when the Ethics Statement Form is available in April – May, depending on the programme of study. Programme-specific deadlines can be found below.
• Only students who require ethical approval as determined by the outcome of the Ethics Decision Tool and Ethics Statement Form will need to submit an  ERM application  as the final step. Only when you have received formal approval via the ERM system can you begin data collection.
• Only students studying on MSc HRM/IHRM and MSc Business/Organisational Psychology are permitted to travel outside the EU/EAA for data collection purposes. This is because traveling outside the EU/EAA increases the ethical risk to ‘medium’, which is only permitted for these specific programmes. All other MSc programmes must either be ‘ethically exempt’ or require ‘low-risk’ ethical approval and therefore data collection is restricted to the UK or within the EU/EAA.

Step-by-step guide you need to follow:

• Use the  Ethics Decision Tool  to help determine whether your project requires ethical approval and save the results. By this point, you should have already agreed a dissertation topic and title with your supervisor. 
• Submit an Ethics Statement Form by your programme specific deadline, attaching the outcome the Ethics Decision Tool at the end of the form. Your submission will be automatically sent to your supervisor.
• Liaise with your supervisor toensure the ethical risk identified by the tool and form is appropriate and accurate based on your topic and plans for data collection. In some cases, your supervisor may at this stage confirm that your dissertation is ethically exempt.
• If ethical approval is required (either i) low-risk or ii) medium-risk for select programmes*), submit an ERM application by your programme specific deadline. Attach your Participation Form and/or Consent Forms , where applicable. Do not wait until the deadline to submit yourERM applicationas this will delay approval. Please ensure that you complete the application accurately to avoid having to make corrections.
• Once you have final approval via the ERM system, you will receive email confirmation and you can now begin data collection.

*Only MSc HRM, MSc IHRM, MSc Business Psychology and MSc Organisational Psychology are permitted to carry out dissertations that require medium-risk ethical approval.

Programme Specific Deadlines:

*For students who require ethical approval, if you do not receive ethical approval via the ERM system by this deadline, you will be required to change your dissertation topic to one that does not require ethical approval. Please submit your application as early as possible to avoid this.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We urge students to be cautious when using a chatbot or AI tool within their learning. Chatbots and AI tools can be useful, but there are a number of risks associated with using them. Please ensure that you are aware of what is permissible use of AI for each assignment. You can utilise AI to generate ideas, key themes, and plan your assessment but not to write your assessment.

Do not use AI to generate text, or partial text for use in your assessment unless the assignment brief explicitly states that this is permitted, otherwise use will be deemed academic malpractice. This is academic malpractice because the words and ideas generated are not your own and not an accurate reflection of your learning. Further to this, the words and ideas generated by the chatbot or AI tool may make use of other, human authors' ideas without referencing them, which is plagiarism.

Where a chatbot or other form of AI has been used, make sure you acknowledge that use. Information on how to cite can be found on the Library Help FAQ webpage .

Some units, for example those on AI and technology, permit the use of AI. However, they require you to sign a code of conduct which must be adhered to. Make sure you understand and follow these codes. If you are unclear on what is permissible, speak to the unit lead.

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• Thesis, Viva, and Corrections
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Thesis, Viva, and Corrections ¶

All PGRs must produce a thesis, which describes in full detail the wider context of the research field including a literature review, the motivation for the research, the research which was carried out, an evaluation of the results, and a discussion of the contribution made to the field by the research and what should be done in the future. This needs to be submitted by three days before the end of the fourth year. For the relevant University policies, see ‘Policies’ Chapter.

There are two formats in which the thesis can be produced: traditional format and alternative format. Traditional format is probably what most people imagine a thesis is like, a very substantial report presented as a self-contained exposition. The alternative format thesis “… allows a postgraduate doctoral or MPhil student to incorporate sections that are in a format suitable for submission for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.” Presentation of Thesis Policy 2 . The alternative format thesis is often thought of as a collection of publications, with a short commentary associated with each one, tying the works into a unifying thread, or “thesis”.

Which you use is a decision you will need to make with your supervisor .

The advantages of the alternative format thesis are that if you already have several papers, you can more easily produce a thesis out of them. Also, if you have plans to write several papers, you can write your thesis in such a way that it will be easier to facilitate these plans, because writing the thesis will be build around writing papers. The papers can be submitted after the thesis.

The disadvantage of the alternative format is that it is less widely used in the UK, so many supervisors and examiners may be less comfortable with it.

A Q&A on the Alternative Format Thesis 1 can be found here . Note that it says in Section 4,

“…it may not be until year 2 or 3 that you feel you are in a position to use the alternative format.”

but it says in Section 5 that a request must be made in writing by the end of year 2. Thus, if you are considering using alternative format, apply for it by the end of year 2 . You can revert to traditional format without asking permission formally.

Plagiarism ¶

All PGRs should make sure they are familiar with what the university expects from its PGRs. All PGRs are also required to complete a plagiarism course.

In view of the serious consequences of plagiarism and academic malpractice, it is essential that all PGRs familiarise themselves with the accepted format for referencing work in their discipline, and that they start using the accepted form as soon as possible.

Ignorance of the proper format, or ignorance of the definitions of plagiarism and academic malpractice used by the university, is not a valid defence against a possible claim of plagiarism or other instance of academic malpractice.

Writing Advice ¶

Whichever format you choose, you must give yourself sufficient time to produce the thesis. You must know yourself, and how quickly you are able to write. Six months is a minimum time for most people. Some may need nine.

Be sure to leave enough time in your planning to write the thesis. Most people take between 6 and 8 months, depending on how quickly they write and how much of the writing already exists in papers and reports. Your supervisor can give you advice on how to write the thesis. It’s a good idea to use the LaTeXstyle 3 file for University of Manchester Thesis format.

Do not feel that you need to write it in order; start with the easiest parts first. Usually the technical sections on the research done by you are the easiest, because you know them well. The literature review may be next easiest. The introduction is usually the hardest to write, and many advise that it be written last.

The University COVID 19 Statement below can be included.

COVID Statement ¶

Acknowledging the impact of COVID-19 on postgraduate research programmes: guidance for PGRs, Supervisors and Examiners on inclusion of a COVID-19 impact statement with theses submitted by PGRs at the University of Manchester.

The University of Manchester recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic, and consequent closure of our campus (18 th March 2020) and national and international lockdowns, has directly or indirectly impacted the work of many of our postgraduate researchers (PGRs). Although the campus began re-opening from mid-June 2020, some researchers will be disrupted until all campus research facilities are open, and operational at adequate capacity, fieldwork can resume safely and/or personal circumstances become more manageable.

Many of our PGRs have been/will be able to accommodate the disruption to their research plans by changing the scope, phasing or design or their project; others have/will have circumstances that necessitate an extension to programme or to the thesis submission date.

We encourage PGRs who wish to make their Examiners aware of the impact COVID-19 has had on their research plans and thesis to prepare an Impact Statement for consideration during the examination process.

The University recommends that Examiners take the Impact Statement into account when assessing the thesis, and PGR at viva, albeit without compromising standards as set out in the University’s ordinances and the QAA’s expectations of doctoral outcomes , which emphasise that doctoral degrees should be awarded based on the quality, rather than quantity, of research undertaken and the candidate’s acquisition of intellectual and practical competencies.

Examiners should use their academic judgment when deciding whether, as set out in the Examinations of Doctoral Degrees Policy , the following criteria have been met:

the candidate possesses an appropriate knowledge of the particular field of learning within which the subject of the thesis falls; the research which is reported in the thesis contributes a substantial addition to knowledge; the results of the research show evidence of originality and independent critical judgement; the thesis is presented in a lucid and scholarly manner; the thesis and the work reported in it are the candidate’s own;

whilst bearing in mind that they should judge the ‘ substantial addition to knowledge ’ in relation to what can be reasonably expected within a period of study (3, 3.5 or 4yrs FT) that has been conducted in the context of disruption caused by COVID-19.The Impact Statement should include the following information:

Details on how disruption caused by COVID-19 has impacted the research (for example, an inability to collect/analyse data as a result of travel restrictions/restricted access to labs/additional caring and health responsibilities - 500 words maximum); A description of how the planned work would have fitted within the thesis’ narrative (e.g. through method development, development of analytical skills or advancement of hypotheses - 500 words maximum); A summary of any decisions / actions taken to mitigate for any work or data collection/analyses that were prevented by COVID-19 (500 words maximum).

PGRs are encouraged to discuss the statement with their supervisory team before submitting the statement within the thesis presented for examination and should refer to section 6.3 in the Presentation of Theses Policy for details.

Thesis Writing Advice ¶

Sage advice from Prof Bill Buchanan OBE, PhD, FBCS - Professor at Edinburgh Napier University:

Say up-front what the problem is, what other people have done, and how you have added to it. The Introduction chapter is the most important chapter of all, and you need to grab the reader, and tell them what the problem is, and how you have solved it. If the examiner understands the thesis after the Introduction, you are half way there. I’ve read a few thesis’ where I had no idea what the point was until I actually got to the end, and the contribution was revealed on the last page. This is a major gamble, as some readers may give up before that point, and not know the end contribution. Be fair on the reader and tell them the contribution, and keep telling them. Get rid of those typos! You wouldn’t believe the number of PhD thesis’ I have read that have a typo in the very first line of the thesis. A reader becomes annoyed if they have to keep correcting typos, and the more annoyed the reader, the more time they are taking away from actually reading the content. Try and start off on a good footing, so that the Abstract and Introduction chapter have been read over several times - typically talking them out loud. If possible get someone else to read the Introduction, and see if they understand what the point of work is. Bad grammar shows bad practice and a weak supervision. Part of doing a PhD is learning how to write and present ideas, and how to review and edit. One of the most important things that you learn in a PhD is how to write, so that others can understand your ideas. A good part of this is for supervisors to get involved reading the work, and in giving detailed feedback. It is often a good idea for supervisors to mark up early drafts with red pen, so that PGRs get an idea on the amount of checking and editing that is often required. Superlatives are not very good! A PhD is a scientific study, and the usage of superlatives should be avoided, along with weak words like “big” … “the measure gives a very big number”. If a number is large, define what large actually means, as everything is relative. Significance matters. I’ve read thesis’ that draw a graph, and then gives me values of 10 decimal places, and then to be told that there is an importance of one thing to another. But is it significant? If I move from 100.01254632 to 100.1263241, is that a massive change and why do we need so many decimal places? Every measurement has an accuracy, and this should always be included in the presentation of the values. Examiners want to know the significance of something, and if it isn’t significant, then just tell them. One table tells much more than a whole lot of numbers. Again I’ve read so many thesis’, where the writer continually presents a whole series of numbers and graphs, and where they could all be moved into an appendix, and compiled into a single table (or graph). A good supervisor should be able to spot how to collapse lots series of tables into a single one, as they often have to do it for papers. Many PGRs rely on drawing graphics for presenting trends whereas tables are often better, especially in defining changes within the figures presented. A great tip is to normalise values, and show how the values vary between each other. Relative values are often easier to understand than absolute ones - remember too that most values have units, and that units matter. I’ve quizzed many PGRs on whether they are talking about Mbps or MBps - there’s a difference of eight in there! Draw some pictures. There is no place for trivial graphics and clip art in a PhD thesis, but there is a place for the abstraction of complex ideas, especially in the introduction. There no real need to just copy the graphics from others, as they should come from the ideas inspired by the writer. I’ve read quite a few thesis, where the text just goes on and on. Break the text up every now and then, and give the reader something to ponder over. Break up and but keep a narrative. There’s a careful balance here. If you keep your sections short, it becomes to “bitty”, and if you make them too long, they become long and unwieldy. I personally read whole sections in a single sitting, and try and take in the ideas, and I won’t move on until I understand it. A long section, especially where there are no sub-sections, often introduces too many concepts which can make it difficult to read. I normally recommend a maximum of a page and a half of text before there should be a break (such as a sub-section break). Long paragraphs are not a good thing as it becomes difficult to take in all the concepts introduced. Try, if possible, not to make them too short, but not too long. A paragraph that goes on for half a page is probably too long, and one that has only two sentences is probably too short. Along try and avoid too many sub-sub sections, as it becomes difficult for the reader to put it all into context. Avoid using the words of others too much. A thesis is written by the writer, and it is their words. A long series of indented text items of quoted material becomes fairly generic, where you get little of the sense of the thoughts of the writer. If you must reference others, pull it out, and indent. Be precise. A PhD thesis should be a scientific document which abides to certain standards for the articulation of ideas. It is always sloppy to see a candidate writing 9*6^3, where the “*” is a sloppy way of writing a multiply symbol (x) and ^ should be “to the power off”. If it’s an equation, it should be pulled out of the text, and a proper equation editor should be used, with a proper numbering system for the equation. Every diagram and table should be referenced in the text. I have read many thesis’ (typically drafts) where the writer just assumes that the reader knows how a diagram or table should integrate with the narrative. Every figure and table should thus be referenced in the text, so that the reader knows when to look at it. If possible don’t break up your narrative with a diagram, and move it a little later on, as long as it is after then text which is referring to it. Don’t ever put a diagram in the text before it is actually referred to, as the reader is left confused as to why the diagram is there. Be critical of yourself and others. One of the key things within a PhD is the ability to critically appraise the work of others, both for the strengths and weaknesses of their work, and also of the candidate’s work. I often circle the first signs of critical thought in a thesis. If it happens on Page 50, there’s a problem in not being able to critically appraise work. Along with this some candidates can think that everything is perfect with their work, and that it addresses every single problem in their field. Try to always define both the strengths and weaknesses your own work, and identify how these could be improved. The scope of the impact should never be overestimated, but also not underestimated. If you’ve developed something that completely changed something, be up-front and tell the reader. Most of the times, be honest to say that you are just enhancing something a little bit. A thesis is not a diary! I have read so many thesis’ which are basically just a chronological flow of their research. You can often spot this as the literature review runs out of references which are up-to-date. I have read several thesis’ where the latest reference in the literature review is two years ago, and it points to the fact that it has not been updated since it was initially written. A literature review should be written for the thesis, and many parts of the original literature can be dumped, and replaced with newer references which fit in with the contribution. Focus the literature review on the contribution. One literature review of PhD thesis I read was almost 200 pages long, and my head was spinning at the end of it. It covered so many points, and few of them actually went anywhere in the following chapters. Try and focus the literature review on covering the 4 or 5 key concepts involved in the thesis, and not in the research project. A good supervisor can often spot redundant sections, and advise for them to be cut. If the thesis is still the same by taking something out, there’s no need for it to be there, as every paragraph and every word should count, and be carefully crafted as part of the whole story. Make sure the aim is “of the thesis, and not “of the initial research project”. Many thesis’ start with “The aim of this research project is …” which often is a sign that the original project aim has not changed in the writing of the thesis. Overall the aim is the aim of the thesis, as the research project has finished. Every should be written from a point-of-view that the work has finished, and this is the write-up. Get the flow right. A strong flow of literature, method, build and evaluation helps the flow of the thesis, and where you often see references to literature tailing off as the thesis develops. I’ve seen some thesis’ where there are whole chapters that lack any form of reference to other work. This is poor practice as a PhD thesis should show how every aspect of the work fits in with the work of others. I like to see a reference to other work in the introduction of a chapter, as it shows some key influences for the work. I personally don’t like an introduction that says “Section 1 says this, and Section 2 says that, and Section 3 says something else”, as I can see from the table of contents what the contents are. If possible the reader should tell the reader what is likely to be revealed and what the significance is. A reinforcement of the main drive of the work also helps to bring the focus onto the main contribution of the work. If you don’t know it … don’t say it! This one seems so obvious, but you won’t believe the number of times that you ask in a Viva about the detail of a paper, and the method used, and for the answer to be that they don’t actually know what it does. You always increase your exposure to probing if you include things you don’t quite understand, so dump them (if they are not a core topic). Explain it simply. There’s nothing nicer for an examiner when the candidate takes a complex idea and gives their own viewpoint on it, in a simple way, using new material. It shows that they can articulate complex ideas in a simple way. The standard test for any thesis is that a 14-year old child should, at least, be able to read it, and understand some of the key concepts in it. Show that you love the subject and that it is relevant. Three years is a long time, but the sustainment of interest is a key part of the work, so try and show that this is an important topic and that your thesis is exactly what is required, and in the impact that it could have. Again the Introduction chapter is a great place to grab the reader, and show how important the work is. If possible try and find something that has just happened in the news in the introduction that shows how important your work is. The Introduction chapter, at least, should be readable by all, and where, at the end of it, most readers would want to read on, as it sounds so interesting. Make your thesis a sandwich. With a good thesis, we open with the Introduction and close on the Conclusions. The bit in-between justifies what you have opened with and the conclusions should show what you have uncovered to justify your argument. The same goes for each chapter, where the introduction (half a page, typically) shows what you’re going to tell them, and the conclusion confirms it. Do not make conclusion into a summary, as the reader has no time to read summaries, and just wants you to conclude the most important things that go forward (and so they can dump all the other things that you covered). If possible say why you are not taking some things forward in the conclusions (and justify using the work of others, if possible). Don’t just pick without reviewing and justifying. There is no justification in a thesis for picking something just because it is easy to get. If possible all the things that are selected have at least been reviewed, and a sensible solution is selected (and justified). Try always to select a few competing methods and tools and put them against each other. Validate before Evaluate. You won’t believe the number of Vivas that I’ve done where I’ve asked if they validated their system or software before they went onto evaluating it. So “How do you it takes 5 milliseconds to get from here to there?, the wrong answer is “… because the package said it was 5 milliseconds”. Good experimenters will do “fag packet” calculations, to estimate things and know the limits of what they expect. I always like to see validation tests within the test data, so that the researcher knows that their system is working correctly. There’s nothing work in finding there is a bug in your results, after you have published them … so always have a sanity check. Get that scientific method. There are so many occasions in a thesis where you have no idea what a graph is telling you, as the axis’ are not numbered properly, or where they are poorly scaled. If the variation is between 990 and 1000, don’t draw a graph which goes from 0 to 1000. Work out what the graph is trying to say, and pick the graph type (eg pie chart to show significant of one method against another) to show this. Must be based on a method and be repeatable. There must be a method in the processes used, and designed in a scientific way. Along with this the thesis should outline the procedure in a repeatable way, so that someone else can perform the same evaluation and get the same results. So candidates should always say to themselves… “Is there enough information for someone to build the artefact?”, “Is there enough information to repeat the experiment?”, and “Do I have the data that the examiner can look at, in order to verify the evaluation?” Evaluate your method against others. The standard method to show a contribution is to take your method and evaluate it against other competing methods. The best approach is to use the best competing method and show an improvement. This can sometimes be difficult, so, at least, there is an evaluation against other methods. Showing an improvement is obviously a good thing, but there is often nothing wrong with an evaluation which shows a negative impact, especially if it is backed-up with a strong critical appraisal. Be fair and honest with your experiments. Often an experimental procedure is selected to benefit your own method. If possible be fair on all the methods and do not bias your approach to your one. It does no harm to show weaknesses and downsides to your own contribution, as it gives you a chance to critically appraise and show how future work could improve things. Your experimental procedure and the associated data collection should be repeatable and verifiable, so don’t delete that data you have gathered. If possible, know your examination team. While the thesis should stand-alone you should also know your examination team before the Viva, so avoid patronising them with background theory which they know inside-out, or provide some background which might help the examiners to understand the area. Often an examiner, as part of the Viva, will give advice on moving things between the core material and appendices, in order to address the target audience for the thesis. Show that you are now an expert in your area. People expect those with a PhD to be an expert in the area of study, so make sure you know your core principles in the subject area. If you are doing a cryptography PhD read around the subject, and know the core principles of the most important methods. For me, anyone doing a PhD in electrical engineering, for example, should know Ohms Law, and the same should go for other subjects. Use appendices. Many PhD thesis’ are full of material that is irrelevant to many of the key arguments, and writers are often too sensitive about removing material. If you can, put unrelated material in an appendix, and just refer to it. As a measure, if any material doesn’t help your core arguments, then remove it, as you are wasting the reader’s time. Quality is better than quantity. Some of the best thesis’ I read have been relatively short and sharp, but where the quality is high. A good eye for moving material in appendices is important and helps the examiner. For some reason, candidates like to produce a thick thesis, and they think that the more pages there, the better the material. This is often the opposite, and a thesis written with self-contained papers for chapters - which link together - are often the best in their presentation. Define published work. A key part of PhD study is the dissemination of the work, especially with peer reviewed. The examiner often needs to know what has been published. Watch those unreliable references. In a PhD thesis, the references should be credible and verifiable references, and references to industry-focused white papers or general Web pages cannot be trusted providing credible viewpoints. Look for small-scale to large-scale experiments. A good researcher will often start small scale and prove the principle, and then look for a large-scale experiment. The sign of small experiments, along with a large-scale experiment which properly evaluates the methods presented, is a good sign of a strong research ethos. Few abstracts are actually any good in first draft. For some reason most PGRs struggle to write an abstract, and often it is written more as an introduction rather than a distilled version of the thesis. Remember that the abstract is the first thing that the reader reads, so if it is not focused on presenting the whole of the thesis, you have missed an opportunity to get the reader on your side. If possible an abstract should be a page in length, and outline the problem, the contribution, the most significant methods, the thing that has been designed/modelled, what has been evaluated, and what the most significant result is. Conclusions should conclude the whole thesis. Often the thesis just verifies aims and shows the significance of the results, but it should also recap the key parts of the literature and the other chapters. Mind those commas. Commas seem to be a dying breed, but are there to help speak directly to the reader. Try and read out loud, and if there’s a slight pause, add a comma. End on a high! Don’t spoil your thesis, by adding another chapter after the main contribution. Leave the reader on a high, and get them into the Conclusions, and leave the stage. I’ve read a few thesis’ where the last chapter is a real let-down, and contributes very little to the overall focus of the work. If you want, put your lovely new models in an appendix, and refer them in the main chapters, but try and finish the main chapters with the answer to the question posed at the start. The last dot of the last main chapter cements the argument, so don’t run on into something else that you just happens to be which you are currently looking at, as just feel your thesis isn’t thick enough yet! Sign post your work. Remember the thicker the thesis, the longer it takes to read, and if it doesn’t get to the point, the more annoyed the reader becomes in actually showing how you have addressed the problem and your main contribution. The more focused the thesis, the shorter time it will take to understand it, and the happier the examiner will be when they are reading it. Add pointers to “wake up” the reader and tell them that they really should read this bit … as I’m telling you something important. Guide but stay on the academic track. Guide them through difficult areas, and allow them to learn from your love of the topic and your new insights, but stick to well-defined academic principles for writing a thesis … such as not adding your own opinions in literature review parts. Leave your thoughts for the conclusion section with a chapter. Try not to hint that you’ve solved every problem in the area, and rely on showing your contribution on the back of others, including within the main conclusions. Be humble. Show that you are humble in your writing and respect (and know) the most important people in your area (including your external examiner), and that you want to be an active part of your community, and help them. The PhD is not an end-stop, but shows how you will work in the future … either in academia or industry. So just because you are off to a job in industry, doesn’t mean that your research career ends at the graduation … you have standards and methods to set for others to follow.

Submission ¶

You must submit your thesis within three years and six months (allowing for any interruptions or extensions that you may have been granted). When you are ready to submit your thesis you need to complete a Notice of Submission Form not less than six weeks before submission.This form is available in eProg in the Examination Summary section. You will also need to read Regulations for the Presentation of Theses and Dissertations. Giving notice of submission triggers the process of appointing the examiners, who are then expecting the thesis to arrive on time.

If a thesis is not submitted before the end of the programme or submission pending period, you will not be able submit your thesis without exceptional circumstances.

You must submit an electronic copy of your thesis no less than 3 days before your final submission deadline. You must submit two hard copies to the Faculty Graduate Office by the deadline. The electronic and hard copies must be identical.

If you wish to submit a thesis more than 3 months before the end of your programme (or 6 months if part time) you will require a permission of your supervisor and the University. If you are granted permission to submit early then you will still be required to pay full fees for the degree period for which you originally registered.

Using eProg for everything. You first need to submit a notification that you are ready to submit within 6 weeks - a submission ‘window’ will then be opened. You can then submit at anytime within that six weeks. If you do not submit you have failed.

Open access: submit and share your research

‌Once you have submitted your thesis you should consider how you will share your research more widely. Making your outputs OA can provide important  benefits  to you as a researcher, to the research community, and the wider world.

University of Manchester Postgraduate research students are required to share journal articles and peer-reviewed conference proceedings under the institutional  Publications Policy . Making these outputs Open Access (OA) is also required by Research England in order for papers to be eligible for submission to the REF, and many research funders require OA for these outputs too. Use the  Library deposit form in the Open Access Gateway  to submit your papers for deposit to ensure they are made OA as required.

If you wish to ask a general question about Open Access, you can contact the Library’s OA team using the Open Access enquiry form or via email: uml . openaccess @ manchester . ac . uk

The Thesis Defence (Viva) ¶

You will need to defend your thesis in an oral examination which is often called a ‘viva’ (for viva voce). You will typically have two examiners comprising either (i) an internal examiner (a member of academic staff from Manchester who has expertise in your research area) and an external examiner (a member of academic staff from another university or another suitably-qualified and research-active expert), or (ii) two external examiners and an internal independent chair. The internal examiner or independent chair will arrange the date and time of your oral examination. There may also be an independent chair when one of the examiners lacks experience in examining doctorates and in other situations.

In the oral examination you will be examined orally on the content of your thesis and its wider context. After the examination the examiners will make a recommendation to the Faculty PGR Degrees Panel on the outcome of the exam. The examiners may communicate what their recommendation is to you, but it should be clear that this is unofficial and the final decision is made by Faculty.

The outcomes are:

recommend the award and no corrections are necessary.

recommend the award subject to minor corrections being completed.

refer: the thesis is satisfactory in substance but defective in presentation; allow resubmission without the need for a further oral examination.

refer: the thesis is satisfactory in substance but defective in presentation; allow resubmission and require a further oral examination.

refer: the thesis requires further research to be done; allow resubmission and require a further oral examination.

award MPhil on the basis of the thesis presented.

award MPhil on the basis of the thesis presented, subject to minor corrections being completed.

reject, but invite the candidate to revise and resubmit the thesis for the degree of MPhil within six months. A candidate will be permitted to resubmit on only one occasion. A fresh examination of the thesis will be required and may include a further oral examination.

no award be made to the candidate and no resubmission be permitted.

The most common outcome is A(ii). Normally minor corrections required under A(ii) must be completed within 4 weeks of the result being communicated to you by the Faculty PGR Degrees Panel. Likewise with the outcome C(ii) the minor corrections required for award of MPhil must be completed within 4 weeks.

PGRs with outcomes B(i)–B(ii) and C(iii) normally have up to six months to resubmit their thesis (in the latter case for MPhil). PGRs with outcomes B(iii) have one year to resubmit their thesis. A resubmission fee is charged.

Viva Format ¶

Following the relaxation of national COVID restrictions on 19th July 2021 vivas can now be held either entirely in-person, remotely via video link, or a hybrid approach can be adopted whereby one or more members of the examination appear via a video link.

As the PGR this is pretty much your choice - although we suggest you discuss it with your supervisory team and make sure the examiners are happy with the choice before the agree to whichever ‘flavour’ or viva is chosen.

Viva Advice ¶

Further advice from Prof Bill Buchanan OBE, PhD, FBCS - Professor at Edinburgh Napier University:

Be ready to defend, up to a point. You are unlikely to ever win with a debate with the External Examiner, as they typically have the experience to know when they are right. The Examiner does want to see you putting up arguments against theirs, and not bend. A strategy is often to debate the case, and try different routes of explanation, but then to take on their advice for any changes that would be required. Draw it out and keep it simple. Drawing diagrams and abstracting is a great way to explain your ideas, so wherever possible try to draw an abstraction to show a key point. Try not to over complex things, as they examiner is often looking for you to article complex ideas in a simple and understandable way. The simplest things are often the most difficult to explain. Many candidates go into a Viva thinking they will get probed on the complex areas of their work, but end up having to justify an extremely simple concept, that they have taken for granted. An examiner can often spot a weakness in some fundamental areas and probe around that, in order to see how the candidate thinks through a problem. So candidates should also try and be well versed on the fundamentals areas, especially when it involves maths. Know your examiners. Every examiner is different, and they have their own style. Some go from page to page, others read generally around significant parts of the work. They will generally have expertise in certain areas, so try and understand their motivations in their research, and some of their specialities, as they are likely to draw on these for questions. Don’t leave it too long for the Viva. The best time for a Viva is straight after you’ve written your thesis, so try and don’t leave it too long for the Viva, as you will forget a few things. Stay calm and enjoy. It is your opportunity to lock horns with an expert in their field, so enjoy it, as you’ll probably never have the chance to do something like this in your career. Be humble. A PhD is a long road, and you learn along that road. The end result should setup you up for the even longer road ahead, but you now have all the tools to be ready for a career in research. None of us truly knows the formula for a successful PhD, but the methods applied by examiners and supervisors have stood the test of time, and do actually result in something that can contribute to the body of science. Remember that you are standing on the shoulders of giants. A key thing is knowing whose shoulders you are standing on, and help the others who could stand on your shoulders. Enjoy your time! And finally, for a bit of advice, have a look at Ralph Merkle’s time. He invented key exchange while an undergraduate, but his professor rejected his ideas because he didn’t articulate them properly, and Ralph then tried to publish a paper on it, but it was rejected because he had no literature in the paper. So, try and write well … and perfect the art of speaking directly to the reader, and also follow the rules of research that have been laid down over the centuries, and you’re halfway there.

Corrections ¶

Once you have had your viva you will typically get corrections. Once you have completed the corrections, they send a PDF copy of the corrected thesis directly to the internal examiner for approval.

Once the examiner is happy the corrections have been completed, they need to fill out the Corrections Sign Off Form on eProg. Once that’s been completed, we can open a Final Submission Window for you to submit in eThesis. Once received and acknowledged, We can then produce an award letter and complete yout studies on Campus Solutions.

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=15216

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=7420

http://studentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/resources/latex/MUThesis/

• MyManchester
• Faculty StaffNet

• Biology, Medicine and Health Doctoral Academy

Journal format thesis submission

Submission of a thesis in journal format (formerly known as alternative format) may be appropriate for a PhD, MD or MPhil. It is an increasingly popular choice and provides students with experience of writing in journal paper formats.

If you think that your thesis would be appropriate for a journal format submission the first step is to discuss this with your supervisory team.  You no longer need approval from the Doctoral Academy to submit in this format. 

A thesis in journal format comprises sections that are in a format suitable for publication or dissemination. These can be published or submitted papers of chapters that are written as journal papers but not yet or even ever to be submitted. Apart from the inclusion of such materials, the journal format thesis must conform to the same standards expected for a standard thesis.

Any work submitted within the journal format thesis must be substantially different from any work which may have previously been submitted for any degree at this or any other institution.

One of the major considerations for submitting in journal format is the level of contribution that you have made to the journal papers to be included in the thesis (where published or submitted papers are used). It would be expected that you will have taken the major role in ALL aspects of production of the papers including: data acquisition, analysis and writing the paper.

As with standard doctoral/MPhil thesis, examiners should satisfy themselves that the journal format thesis meets the requirement of the doctoral degree as prescribed in the appropriate regulations and policies. The fact that a thesis contains material that has been published or accepted for publication does not guarantee that the examiner will recommend the award for which the candidate is being examined.

Approval for submission in journal format

In order to submit a thesis in journal format you should have the approval of your supervisory team. It is not necessary to request approval from the Doctoral Academy. You will be asked to indicate the format of your thesis during the examination process when completing your Notice of Submission Form.

Your supervisory team is best placed to advise on how to structure a thesis in journal format.

The work must constitute a body of publication tending towards a coherent and continuous thesis, rather than a series of disconnected publications. As such, any publications should be adapted and integrated within the structure of the thesis. Any sections of the thesis which are published or in publishable format should be clearly identified.

You should use the introductory section of the thesis to explain and justify in full the nature and extent of your contribution and the contribution of co-authors and the other collaborators to the publications presented. A significant proportion of the researched materials should be derived from original research undertaken after the date you initially registered with this University.

The number of papers included in the journal format thesis may vary according to discipline and is not prescribed, but should reflect the quantity, quality and originality of research and analysis expected of a candidate submitting a standard thesis.

The Faculty Exams Team will be able to identify PhD theses in journal format that are available in the library for your reference. Please contact [email protected]  if you require any further information.

Example structure

It is essential that the journal format thesis includes detailed and critical analysis of the work and methods used, since sections formatted for publication/dissemination may not already include this level of detail. The structure of the journal format thesis should include the following:

• rationale for submitting the thesis in an journal format and an account of how the thesis format has been constructed;
• context of the research¹ which should incorporate sections/chapters defining the rationale of the investigation and the strategy employed during the research as demonstrated in the thesis;
• review of previous research including sections summarising and synthesising previous research in the field of investigation;
• methodology detailing the methods employed during the research and a detailed critique analysis of those methods and the information they provide;
• presentation of results and their analysis in a format suitable for presentation in a peer-reviewed journal and/or in conventional thesis chapters as in the standard PhD thesis;
• summary/conclusion drawing together the various outcomes of the work into a coherent synthesis and indicating directions for future work;
• references and appendices should be included as in the standard PhD thesis.

Co-authored papers

Materials included in the journal format thesis may include those which are solely and/or partly authored by the student and may be already published, accepted for publication, or submitted for publication in externally refereed contexts such as journals and conference proceedings. You should use the introductory section of the thesis to explain and justify in full the nature and extent of the candidate's own contribution and the contribution of co-authors and other collaborators to the publications presented.

Formatting issues

Students should ensure that they have read the guidance on the presentation of a thesis which outlines how to include offprints of published material.

Students can also ask the Exams Team in the Doctoral Academy office for guidance on presentation and formatting issues. Please contact [email protected]  if you require further assistance.

The incorporation of publication-style chapters in the thesis will inevitably lead to some duplication since each publication-style chapter will have self-contained components that will overlap with parts of the other sections of the thesis. As a result, such a thesis might well be expected to be longer than a standard doctoral/MPhil thesis on the same topic.

The maximum length of the journal format doctoral thesis should not normally exceed 90,000 words of main text, including footnotes and endnotes.

The maximum length of the journal format MPhil thesis should not normally exceed 60,000 words, including footnotes and endnotes.

¹This is as expected for a standard thesis but it is essential that this format of thesis includes detailed and critical analysis of the previous work and methods used because the sections formatted for publication/dissemination may not cover these aspects in the depth expected of a PhD thesis.

Further information

• Journal Format Theses - Guiding Principles for Students and Staff (PDF, University login required).
• Essential information
• Thesis submission

SBS Handbooks 2016-17 Archive

University of Manchester

Faculty – Assignment Word Count

Assignment Word Count (including the dissertation)

In accordance with the University  Policy on Marking :

Each written assignment has a word limit which you must state at the top of your first page. It is acceptable, without penalty, for you to submit an assignment within a range that is plus 10% of this limit. If you present an assignment with a word limit substantially exceeding the upper banding, the assignment will be marked but 1% will be deducted from this mark for every 100 words over the limit given. In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception: ·    All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly page or reference list. ·    All words that form the actual essay. ·    All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves. ·    All in-text (that is bracketed) references. ·    All directly quoted material.

Certain assessments may require different penalties for word limits to be applied. For example, if part of the requirement for the assessment is conciseness of presentation of facts and arguments. In such cases it may be that no 10% leeway is allowed and penalties applied may be stricter than described above. In such cases the rules for word count limits and the penalties to be applied will be clearly stated in the assessment brief and in the submission details for that assessment.

• ← SMS – General Information – Communication with Students
• Faculty – Guidance for Presentation of Taught Masters Dissertations →

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

How to write a research proposal

If you wish to study for a Manchester PhD, you may need to submit a research proposal with your application. This is crucial in the assessment of your application and it warrants plenty of your time and energy.

Your research proposal should:

• demonstrate evidence of intellectual purpose and originality;
• show that you are capable of communicating your ideas clearly, concisely and coherently;
• define the topic you are interested in and show good awareness of the research context.

Typical proposals range between 1,000 and 1,500 words; however, we advise you to consult with your School for specific guidance on word count.

Structuring your research proposal

Please check with the relevant School for the specific conventions and expectations of your research proposal. The following are general considerations that we deem important:

• Create a clear working title for your research project.
• Introduce your proposal, identifying the subject for research in terms of theoretical issues and relevant empirical applications, and highlighting why you wish to pursue this project.
• Review  the relevant literature and theories relating to your proposed research area, showing that you clearly understand the key arguments that have been developed and the ideas and findings of key researchers working on the topic. This should demonstrate your familiarity with the subject area, and your ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Summarise the central aims and questions that will guide your research.
• Outline  the research methods you will use, explaining how you will conduct your research. What form will the resources take? Where are they located? Will there be any problems of access?
• Indicate your project strategy and timetable. What are the main project stages? What would the annual completion expectations be? What are the perceived challenges, and how will these be overcome?
• Explain why your proposed  project is important. How will your research make an original contribution?
• Include a bibliography highlighting the key references that will support your research topic.

Before submitting your research proposal

Contact an academic member of our staff to discuss your research proposal and key objectives before you submit your formal application. This will enable you to fine-tune your proposal and check that we can identify a suitable supervisory team for you.

Find out more about choosing a suitable supervisor .

Refining your proposal

When you submit your research proposal for application purposes, you will not be committing yourself to the precise detail or methodology. Once we accept you onto a PhD programme, you can refine your original proposal following discussions with your supervisory team.

Dissertation

BSc in Management/Management (Specialism), International Management and International Management with American Business Studies students may elect to do a 40 credit Management dissertation, BMAN31500, in their final year.

IM and IMABS students who elect to take BMAN31500 Dissertation are encouraged to choose an international topic as this is a good link between their studies abroad and the final year courses.

The dissertation is available to BSc Management (Accounting and Finance) specialism students but will not count towards the 60-credit specialism requirement as students are permitted to take 40 credit project courses - BMAN31000 Financial Analysis of Corporate Performance or BMAN30190 Empirical Finance providing all pre-requisites are met. Supervisors will not be available from the Accounting and Finance Division.

Undertaking a dissertation provides a valuable introduction to carry out independent research. It is a good opportunity to study a key issue faced by a business and develop your analytical skills. If you are still in doubt, please take a look at the following information.

Students who intend to take BMAN31500 Dissertation in their final year are required to have passed BMAN24410 Research Methodology in their second year.

Why should I do a dissertation in my final year at AMBS?

Doing a dissertation may sound formidable, but it needn’t be.

Indeed it’s true that you will need to work hard and be self-disciplined, and time management skills are a “must”.

However, the most important point is that by doing a dissertation, you can take ownership of your personal development. Here are some answers to your concerns regarding embarking on a dissertation:

Can doing a dissertation make me more attractive in the job market?

Certainly it can. Actually, dissertations are far more likely to be discussed in a job interview than a normal course.

An advantage is that researching and writing a dissertation will enable you to enhance a wide range of skills, including; project planning, project management, market analysis, time management, and possibly, skills to communicate managers and/or customers in a real business world, which you may develop through fieldwork interviews for your dissertation.

Another advantage is that you will be able to obtain a good knowledge of a specialised area by doing a dissertation. You may already have a career plan or be interested in a specific industry or even a post. Then, doing a dissertation in a related area will put you in a very strong position.

How many words do I need to write?

As a rule-of-thumb, a dissertation should be around 12,000 +/- 10% words.

Students often try to write (or unintentionally end up with) a longer dissertation. However, the length per se is not a good indicator of quality – and quality is what matters most; it will be demonstrated through clear and well-structured arguments, well-focused literature review, rigorous methods, in-depth analysis, etc.

So, please try to write within the suggested length mentioned above. Although there is no penalty to a shorter/longer length than that, it is advisable that you focus on the quality, rather than a (longer) length.

Please bear in mind that having your dissertation too-long (or too-short) could often be a negative factor in your mark, because it could indicate that you were not able to organise your research within a relevant length neatly.

How much support can I get during my dissertation period?

You dissertation work will be guided by your chosen supervisor on a regular basis.

However, it is essential for you to take the initiative. Remember, a dissertation is fundamentally your work, not a joint venture with your supervisor.

Your supervisor will provide you with guidance/suggestions/comments. It is up to you how and how much you take them into account.

How self-disciplined should I be?

Although you have an academic guide (i.e., your supervisor), regarding other aspects of dissertation, you DO need to be self-disciplined and self-managed. There is no excuse for missing deadlines, computer-related troubles, printer errors, binding delays etc. etc. You need to plan your work carefully in view of contingencies, and take responsibility for it.

As your dissertation is worth 40 credits, your independent work on this should represent 400 hours over the course of the two semesters. Students are expected to arrange regular supervision meetings in semester 1 and semester 2, and dates and times for these should be arranged directly with your supervisor. The purpose of these supervision meetings is to check on your progress, offer support and advice and help develop the structure of your work.

How can I get the very best out of my dissertation?

A dissertation is worth 40 credits . This means you will need to do a lot of work. However, the potential rewards are enormous if you approach the whole process in a professional manner.

One strong point is that your dissertation supervisor will be one of your referees, and if you work on your dissertation enthusiastically and professionally, your supervisor is most likely to provide you with a glowing reference.

Another benefit is related to your CV. You can make a strong statement in practical and analytical skills, which you will have advanced through doing a dissertation (and at the end of the day, you can evidence your skills by your dissertation!).

Your dissertation will be the biggest project you do at University. The more effort you put into it, the more you will gain from it - definitely. Good luck!

Submission of Dissertation Proposal: No later than 3:00pm on Monday 9th October 2023

Please submit the form via Turnitin:

• Dissertation Proposal Form

Submission of a Progress Report and an Ethics Form: Friday 8th December 2023

A progress report should be submitted to your supervisor directly at the beginning of December. The progress report (normally a 1000-1500 word document) describes the objective of your dissertation and the progress you made during the first semester, e.g. a literature review, methodology, and a plan for your fieldwork/data collection etc.

You are also required to follow a process to confirm whether or not you need ethical approval for your research. For further details about this process please see download the Ethical Approval Procedure (link coming soon).

Deadline for submitting the completed dissertation: No later than 12noon on Tuesday 7th May 2024.

Full course description

• Download our full course outline

Useful contact information

Dissertation Coordinator Dr Masakatsu Ono (Bob) Email: [email protected]

The Curriculum and Programmes Team Email:  [email protected] Telephone: 0161 306 3402

Management/Mgt. Specialism Programme Director Matthew McCaffrey

Finding a supervisor

In BMAN31500 Dissertation, it is your responsibility to find a supervisor. Your supervisor must be a member of academic staff at Alliance Manchester Business School.

What you need to do

1. Take a good look at the following link and find a member(s) of staff whose research interests broadly match your chosen topic.

Academic members of staff are grouped into four divisions. Please look into the staff lists under the heading “Our divisions” on the following link:

• Alliance MBS Academic Staff Directory

2. Contact an academic member(s) of staff in person; introduce yourself, explain your dissertation topic, and ask if he/she is available to act as your supervisor.

3. Once your prospective supervisor has agreed to be your supervisor, you must fill in a dissertation proposal form . You must submit the proposal via Turnitin no later than 3:00pm on Monday 9th October 2023 - if you do not find a supervisor before this date you may have to make alternative course choices .

4. The responsibilities of you and your supervisor

Problems with finding a supervisor

Please remember that for BMAN31500, it is your responsibility to secure a supervisor. The coordinator cannot undertake the task of finding a supervisor for you. However, if you encounter any problems, please contact the course coordinator or the Head of each research division as soon as possible. Remember - if you do not find a supervisor by Monday 9th October 2023 you may have to make alternative course choices, as you may not be able to continue with the dissertation.

If you change supervisors at any time during your dissertation, you must inform the dissertation coordinator and the UG Team.

Help with writing

As an undergraduate student, researching and writing a dissertation may seem like a huge task. The secret of writing a good dissertation, however, is not that difficult. Below you will find information to develop your ideas and convey them in a structured and logical way. Good luck!

• eScholar - Start to finish: Dissertations

Please also note the Reference and Plagiarism section of this Online Handbook

Presentation of Dissertation

Here you will find a  style guide for your dissertation

Background readings

• Bailey, S. (2006) Academic writing: A handbook for international students (2nd ed.)
• Creswell, J.W. (2009) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches
• Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., & Jackson, P. (2012) Management research
• Monippally, M. & Pawar, B.S. (2010) Academic writing: A guide for management students and researchers
• Saunders, M. et al (2009) Research methods for business students
• Yin, R.K. (2003) Case study research: design and methods.

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• The University of Manchester Library
• Search theses

Postgraduate research theses contain ‘a wealth of data… which can shed light on very interesting areas’ (The British Library, 2014).

You can find theses submitted by University of Manchester postgraduate research students from the late 19th Century to the present day using the Library Search box above. Or try the Advanced Search for more options (select 'Theses' from the drop-down list for ‘Material type’).

Follow the links below for more information about accessing theses submitted by Manchester researchers, as well as theses from authors all over the world.

Access to British Library EThOS - March 2024

Access to British Library EThOS  is currently unavailable due to a major technical outage affecting several of their online services.

View news and updates on the British Library website

Manchester eTheses

Doctoral theses submitted from 2010 onwards which are currently Open Access are available to view via the University’s Research Explorer.

eTheses submission

Supporting Postgraduate Research Students, Supervisors and Administrators with the submission of electronic theses.

Search ProQuest for digitised pre-2010 Manchester doctoral theses, as well as over four million theses and dissertations from institutions around the world.

Theses Library Guide

Consult our Theses Library Guide for guidance on how to locate and access theses from UK and International institutions.

• Access resources
• Search Special Collections
• Search books
• Search e-books
• Search databases
• Search journal articles
• Subject guides
• Search digital collections
• Search open access resources
• Search reading lists
• How to access Library Electronic Resources
• Resources for alumni and visitors

In this section

• Graduate Program-Specific Contacts
• Doctoral Dissertation Policies and Procedures
• Master’s Thesis Policies and Procedures
• Thesis and Dissertation Release and Embargo Options

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines & Deep Blue Archiving

• Graduate Studies Forms
• Three Minute Thesis Competition
• Graduate Student Appreciation Week

The purpose of these Formatting Guidelines is to make all dissertations and theses legible, accessible, preservable, and uniform in presentation. The steps you take now to format your dissertation and thesis will improve the file for future readers.

See The Mardigian Library’s  Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation with Microsoft Word  for video tutorials designed to help you get most of the formatting of your thesis correct the first time. It is recommended that you use the dissertation/thesis template available in this guide which has most of the guidelines already incorporated.

For questions about formatting beyond what is covered in these resources, please check with your dissertation or thesis advisor.

File Format

• Submit the dissertation or thesis as a PDF file

Structure/Accessibility

Techniques for creating accessible documents, including adding alternative text for images, can be found on this  website.

Set Document Title:  Set the document title (note: this is a document property, not the filename) as your dissertation or thesis title.

Set Document Language

Set the Language of Parts (Quotations, Sections) That Are Different from the Main Language (required if applicable)

Use Correct Headings:  Use appropriate heading levels for section and subsection titles. Use “Heading 1” for main section titles (e.g. a Chapter), “Heading 2” for subsection titles (e.g. a Chapter section), and so on.

Create Lists, Columns, and Other Structures by Using the Appropriate Structural Element.  Do not use space bar, tab, or enter to arrange text in apparent tables, lists, or columns.

Images, Figures, Tables, Media

• Include descriptive alt text for all images and figures to convey the meaning and context of a visual item in a digital setting (do not use images of tables.)
• Use at least 2-inch top margin on the Title Page.
• Use 2-inch top margin on the first page of every chapter and major section (Acknowledgements, List of Figures, Bibliography, etc.…)
• Use at least 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, right) on all pages. 

Text, Fonts, Color, Spacing

• Use a legible font, size 12 point, black color for all body text. Recommended fonts include Times or Times New Roman (serif fonts) or Arial (sans-serif font). Images and text within images may be in color.
• Headings may be visually different than body text (bigger, bold) and no bigger than size 16 point.
• Font size for footnotes, endnotes, captions, tables, figures, and equations may be smaller than the body text and no less than 9 point.
• Text in the Front Matter that links to a location within the dissertation or thesis (from the Table of Contents, for example) should not be underlined or outlined as hyperlinks.
• Use embedded fonts to ensure all font information in your document is secured in your PDF.
• Use either 1.5-line or double-line spacing throughout for all body text. 
• Use single-line spacing for text in tables, lists, footnotes/endnotes, figure/table legends/captions, and bibliographic entries (with a blank line between each citation or entry). 

Numbering and Page Numbering

• Number chapters consecutively and name them as follows: Chapter [#] [Title of Chapter]. For example, Chapter 1 Introduction. 
• Include the chapter number and name as a heading on the first page of chapter and in the Table of Contents.
• Number all tables, figures, appendices, etc. consecutively and name them as follows: Table [#] [Caption/Title/Legend]. 
• Tables, Figures, etc. may be numbered simply using whole numbers throughout the document (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3) or by combining the chapter number and table, figure, etc. number per chapter (Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, Figure 3.1). Choose one system from an appropriate style guide and use it consistently.
• Include a List of Figures, List of Tables, etc. in the front matter if the dissertation or thesis includes more than one figure, table, illustration, appendix, etc. (required if applicable)
• List of Figures (or List of Tables, List of Illustrations, List of Appendices, etc.) includes the title of each, its caption/title/legend, and page number on which it begins.
• Include page numbers in the front matter, centered in the footer, using lowercase Roman numerals, beginning on page ii (the first page after the Identifier/Copyright page).
• Include page numbers in the dissertation text and following sections, centered in the footer, using Arabic numerals, beginning on page 1.

Components of the Dissertation and Thesis

Include the following components, in the following order. All required components must be included.

Use the page numbering conventions given below. Every section below starts on a new page with 2-inch top margin.

Title Page (required)

No page number. No page count.

• See the section below for details of component requirements.

Frontispiece (Illustration or Epigraph) (optional)

Identifier/Copyright Page (required)

• No page number. Start page count here.
• See section below for details of component requirements.

Dedication (optional)

• Page numbers required. Start lowercase Roman numerals (starting with ii) here.
• Acknowledgments (optional)

Page numbers required. Lowercase Roman numerals.

Preface (optional)

Table of Contents (required)

List of Tables, List of Figures, etc. (required if applicable)

• List of Tables required if there is more than one table, etc.

List of Illustrations/Photos (required if applicable)

List of Appendices (required if applicable)

List of Abbreviations, List of Acronyms, List of Symbols (optional)

Abstract (required)

Dissertation or Thesis Text (required)

• Page numbers required. Start Arabic numerals here.
• Appendices (optional)

Bibliography or Reference section(s). (required)

Page numbers required. Arabic numerals. Insert at the end of each chapter, or the end of the dissertation/thesis, in the format preferred by the discipline.

Title Page Components

Include the following components on the title page, in the following order. Begin each item on a new line.

• At least 2 inch top margin on Title Page. 
• Complete dissertation  or master’s thesis title, centered, and capitalized in title case. 
• Your author name should match your legal name or preferred name in Wolverine Access
• You may use initial(s) for middle name(s).
• The following text, including line breaks, centered and single line-spaced. 

A dissertation (thesis) submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Name of Degree (Name of Program) in The University of Michigan-Dearborn YEAR

• The text, “Doctoral Committee  or Master’s Thesis Committee:” left justified. 
• List chair or co-chairs first (in alphabetical order by surname if more than one) with “Chair” or “Co-Chair” after their titles and names.
• List other committee members in alphabetical order, by last name.
• Professor rank (e.g., Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Emeritus Professor) or title (e.g., Dr.)
• Complete full name
• Affiliation, if not affiliated with University of Michigan (e.g., name of university, college, corporation, or organization)

Identifier/Copyright Page Components

Include the following components on the identifier/copyright page, in the following order. Begin each item on a new line, centered.

• Your full legal name (Required)
• Your @umich.edu email address (Required)
• Your ORCID iD (required only for PhD candidates)

ORCID iD is a unique digital identifier that you control and that distinguishes you from other researchers.

• ORCID iD profile URL (Recommended)
• Copyright notice. (Recommended)

Copyright notice notifies readers that you hold the copyright to this work and when it was established.

Use the following format: © Full Name YEAR

Final Formatting Checks

Before submission, double-check the following:

• All numbered series (pages, chapters, tables, figures, etc.) are consistently formatted and consecutive throughout the document.
• All entries in the table of contents and lists match contents as titled/ordered in the dissertation text.
• References/Bibliography entries are complete and match the formatting preference of your discipline.

Thesis or Dissertation Embargo

The thesis or dissertation is submitted as public evidence of your scholarly research and accomplishment. A thesis or dissertation and abstract is normally made publicly available upon degree conferral when it is deposited electronically in Deep Blue. If a student wishes to postpone public release of the final product, also called an embargo, the student should discuss this option with his or her faculty advisor. It has always been the university's expectation that every dissertation and abstract will be released upon conferral of the degree. Only in specific circumstances may release of a thesis or dissertation be deferred, and then only for a limited period of time. The student is responsible for requesting an embargo.

Embargo forms can be found at:  "Thesis and Dissertation Release and Embargo Options”

Deep Blue Archiving 

Required for doctoral dissertations and highly recommended for Master’s Thesis. The final pdf document of your dissertation or thesis must be submitted electronically to the Mardigian Library. This digital PDF will be the copy of record and will be archived in  Deep Blue . Deep Blue is a digital repository that is part of the University of Michigan Library. 

To submit your document, you need to provide:

• Your ORCID iD  
• Keywords that describe the subject, concepts, theories, and methods used in your document, to help others find and retrieve your document
• A copy of your thesis or dissertation in PDF format
• Optional – up to two supplementary files (no larger than 50 MB each), such as an audio file, spreadsheet, or a software program

To maintain the usability and appearance of your document, please review the  Best Practices for Producing High Quality PDF Files , available on Deep Blue.

If you have supplemental materials (such as data) that should also be made publicly available and associated with your dissertation or thesis, consider reaching out to  [email protected]  for help determining whether these should be deposited into one of the Deep Blue repositories.

Once your document is submitted to Deep Blue by the library, you will receive an email containing the DOI and a URL to access the document. It will also be added to the Mardigian Library catalog and made available on Google Scholar. If no embargo is requested, it may take three to four weeks for your document to become available.

Submit Final Thesis/Dissertation to Deep Blue

More support.

• Library Guide to  Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation with Microsoft Word  and Video Tutorials.
• UM IT accessibility guide for  creating accessible documents .
• Guide for  embedding all fonts in PDFs generated with LaTeX or PDFLaTeX .

Contact your  subject librarian  for assistance on a wide range of topics including literature searching, citation management, and much more.

Download the Formatting Checklist

Office of graduate studies.