PREPARING YOUR MASTER'S PROJECT:
A Manual of Style & Substance
R.S. Zaharna, Ed.D.
Contents
Acknowledgements
This manual is designed to help you prepare your project. While the content
and approach of Master's projects vary widely, the style and elements of
high-quality, original works of scholarship all share clearly defined criteria
and standards. This manual outlines those standards.
The manual is divided into two sections. The first section details
the conventions of style common to scholarly works. The second section
focuses on content and lists those components critical to serious research.
Combining style, substance, and power of one's ideas, is the goal of a
Master's candidate and the achievement of a successful one.
The format for the style section has been adapted from the Manual of Style,
Office of Doctoral Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University (September
1984). The inspiration for the substance section was provided by the students
of 17.735 Fall Semester 1990. The theme of "style plus substance" is based
on the motto of the Public Relations firm of Burson and Marsteller. The
match that lit the flame for the manual was Sue Roschwalb.
1992 - update: I have added a new section on organizational formats
for different types of studies. 17.735 Fall 1991 -- this was your inspiration.
My special thanks to Liat Jehassi for all her help.
1999 - update: We are on the www. I have adapted the manual
to enable you to access the information you will need to prepare your thesis.
Technology keeps making life simpler -- and more complex. I hope
that this helps. My special thanks to Denise Brinker for making this
technology work.
rz
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zaharna@american.edu
Last updated January 12, 2000.