• SECTION I: STYLE
• SECTION II: SUBSTANCE
Getting Started with Style
Style
Guides
Components of the Project
Title
page
Copyright
page
Acknowledgements
Table of
Contents
List
of Tables and List of Figures
Preface
Text
Chapter
headings
Subheadings
Citing
References
Tables
Reference
Notes
Reference
List
Appendixes
Preparing the Manuscript
Text
Production
Print Quality
Making
Corrections
Symbols
Margins
Spacing
Indentation
Pagination
Length
Getting the References Right
Direct
Quotes
Indirect
Quotes & Paraphrasing
Footnotes
& Reference Notes
Personal
/ Professional Interviews
Preparing
the Reference List
Submitting the Final Document
Paper
Requirements
Binding
Requirements
Audio-visual
Submissions
Number
of Copies
Before you begin writing, it is important for you to choose a style
manual. This manual does not cover many of the canons of style of the English
language because these are contained in numerous standard reference works.
You may wish to discuss with your advisor which style book is best for
you. Once you adopt a style, follow it consistently. Nothing confuses a
reader more than trying to figure out where something came from that wasn't
there just a minute ago.
The guidelines offered in this manual are to help ensure that the project
is presented according to the conventions of scholarship. However appealing
the special features of Desktop Publishing may be for designing manuscripts,
do not use these features to alter the conventions outlined in this manual.
Some useful guides are listed below:
1. American Psychological Association. Publications Manual of the
American Psychological Association. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological
Association, (latest edition).
2. Campbell, William G. Form and Style in Thesis Writing. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, (latest edition).
3. Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers,Theses,
and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, (latest edition).
4. St. Martin's Style Manual (latest edition).
The form of the title page of the Master's project is given in Appendix
A of this manual. The candidate gives his or her full legal name. Initials
may not be used to stand for given names. The title page is counted as
the first page of the study, (lower case, Roman numeral i) however, the
actual pagination is omitted. (All prefatory material appearing before
the text uses lower case Roman numerals.)
Copyright Page
The copyright page is optional. If it is included, it immediately follows
the title page. The copyright notice is centered on the page and the pagination
would appear on the page as "ii".
Acknowledgments
Some candidates may wish to include acknowledgments. The acknowledgments
are optional and offer the candidate the opportunity to thank all those
who offered support and guidance during the preparation of the project.
The acknowledgments are signed with the candidate's initials. Pagination
continues with lower case Roman numerals, either "iii" or "ii".
Table of Contents
The Table of Contents lists the chapter titles and every heading. Each
title and heading is stated in the exact words which appear in the text.
The headings are typed with double spacing between all entries. When a
heading is too long to be typed on one line it may be continued on the
next line. Subheadings are given graduated indentations. All titles and
headings are listed on the left side of the page, the corresponding page
numbers are listed to the left and a line of dots connecting the two (see
Table of Contents for this manual). The Table of Contents uses lower case
Roman numerals.
List of Tables and List of Figures
After the Table of Contents comes the List of Tables. The List of Tables
is a separate page that lists the number, exact full title and page of
every table found in the text and appendixes. The List of Figures follows
the List of Tables and provides the title and page number for each figure,
chart or illustration contained in the text and appendixes. The List of
Tables and List of Figures both use lower case Roman numerals.
Preface
Some candidates may wish to include a preface to their study. The preface
is optional and offers the candidate the opportunity to share any background
notations related to the study. The preface uses lower case Roman numerals.
Text
The text, or body of the Master's project is divided into chapters.
Following the text is a comprehensive Reference List or Bibliography which
gives the full citation of all sources cited in the text. Appendixes are
found after the Reference List. The text uses Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3),
beginning with the first page of the first chapter.
Chapter Headings
Each chapter begins on a new page. The title is centered and located
towards the top of the page with the text beginning four spaces below.
The number of each chapter is given in capital Roman numerals and its title
is in capital letters, like this:
Chapter II
or like this:
Citing References: Quotations, Footnotes, etc.
All ideas, concepts, statements of others mentioned or quoted in the
study must be given full and proper reference citation. Failure to do so
is a serious matter. Plagiarism of scholarly material may result in the
rejection of the Master's project and eviction of the candidate from the
Master's program.
Given the seriousness of citing references, more extensive discussion
and guidelines for reference citations are provided in a separate section
in this manual. (See "Using References".)
Tables, figures,
charts and illustrations
The recommendations of the style manual selected by the candidate should
be followed in preparing tables, figures and other graphic materials. Tables
and figures must have the 1 1/2-inch left margin. They are numbered consecutively
throughout the study (including any in the appendixes).
Tables are listed numerically by number, title and page number in the
List of Tables. Figures are similarly listed in the List of Figures.
Uniform page size is preferred, but oversized tables or charts may
be folded in from the right, provided that the 1 1/2- inch left margin
is maintained. Small illustrations must be mounted carefully and neatly
on 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper of the same quality as that used for the text.
Because scotch tape and ordinary glue may deteriorate with time, rubber
cement is recommended for mounting illustrations. Computer out-put paper
is not acceptable. Computer materials must be reproduced on acceptable
paper.
Because not all reproduction facilities may have color capabilities,
the candidate should try as much as possible to develop differentiation
schemes in black and white.
Reference Notes
Some candidates may have reference notes. Reference notes come after
the text. They provide the full citation of the work along with a brief
commentary about the work and why it was cited. (For a more complete discussion
of Reference Notes see the section on "Getting the References Right".)
Reference List (Bibliography)
Immediately following the reference notes is the reference list. The
reference list provides a complete citation of all works mentioned or quoted
within the study -- including text, footnotes, tables, charts, and appendixes.
Only those works actually cited in the study are included.
References are listed alphabetically by the author's last name. Breaking
the references into categories (i.e., books, articles, films, etc.) is
not advisable because not all readers may be familiar enough with the sources
to know which category to look under.
There are many different styles for listing the references. Once the
candidate has adopted a style, she should follow it consistently. (See
"Using References".)
Appendixes
Immediately following the reference list are the appendixes. Appendixes
make auxiliary material (i.e., sample of survey questionnaire, statistical
copulations, promotional material, etc.) available to the reader. Not every
study requires appendixes.
If appendixes are used, they are designated as Appendix A, Appendix
B, Appendix C, etc. Each appendix begins on a new pages, is homogeneous
in context and is headed with a letter and a short descriptive title. The
pages of the appendixes are numbered as a consecutive part of the pagination
of the study. The letter designation of each appendix, full title and page
number appear in the Table of Contents.
Justified right margins and hyphenation are not recommended. Both have
been shown to slow the reading time.
Spacing
Typing is only on one side of the paper, do not submit double-sided
pages. The text is double spaced throughout. Single spacing is used in
indented block quotations three or more lines in length. Footnotes and
bibliographic entries may be single spaced, but double spaced between such
items.
Spacing for chapter titles:
1 1/2 inches above a chapter number
Double space between chapter number and title
Quadruple space below a chapter title
Spacing within a chapter:
Triple space above and below a centered heading
Triple space above a side heading
Double space below a side heading
Indentation
The first line of each paragraph is uniformly indented 5 spaces throughout
the study. All block quotations are indented 5 spaces and the first line
of such quotations are indented an additional 3 spaces (See Appendix B).
Pagination
All pages of the study must be assigned a page number -- including
prefatory material, graphs, figures, charts, tables, illustrations, bibliography
and appendixes. The candidate must check the accuracy of the pagination
of all copies.
Use small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv) for the prefatory material
(i.e., title page, acknowledgments, table of contents, preface) and Arabic
numbers (1, 2, 3) for the text (i.e., chapters, reference notes, reference
list, appendixes). The title page counts as page i, but the number does
not appear on the page itself. The first prefatory page after the Title
Page is numbered ii. Continue with the small Roman numerals throughout
the prefatory material.
Length
There is no set length for any study. Length is usually determined
by content and subject to the advisor's approval. For example, while an
average chapter may be about 15 pages, the literature may be considerably
longer and the methodology shorter. It is important, however, that you
don't use gimmickry or gadgetry to vary the appearance of length. This
includes changing margins or type size. Again, length is not a factor,
readability and consistency are.
A critical component of any piece of scholarship is the use of scholarly
or professional sources. It is important because it demonstrates the candidate's
ability to conduct research and to analyze the ideas of others. Most important,
by citing other sources, the candidate is able to illustrate how his ideas
fit into the existing knowledge on the topic and how his study may, in
fact, expand the boundaries of our knowledge. Thus, using references is
critical. The problem that candidates can encounter is in not citing sources.
All ideas or concepts -- other than the candidate's own -- must receive
full and accurate citation. Direct and indirect quotations taken from written
materials or professional interviews, use of specialized terminology or
concepts, and paraphrasing of ideas or arguments all need source citations.
In order to avoid allegations of plagiarism, a candidate must (a) research
his topic thoroughly, and (b) give full and accurate credit to the original
source of an idea or statement.
There are several different styles for providing citation. The two
most popular for communication studies are "APA" (which stands for the
American Psychological Association style) and MLA (Modern Language Association).
The APA simply has the author's name and date of publication next to the
idea being referenced. The MLA entails writing footnotes for each citation.
Additional examples of various reference citations are provided in Appendixes
B and C. Candidates are also encouraged to secure copies of either the
APA or MLA style manuals.
Direct-Quotes
Direct quotations are the verbatim statement of another set off by
quotation marks. Direct quotes must be absolutely accurate and must use
the exact words, spelling and punctuation of the original even if they
are faulty. The reference citation of each quotation must state the exact
page or pages quoted. A short quotation, about two lines or less of typescript,
is incorporated into the text and set off by quotation marks. The citation
immediately follows with the author's name, year of publication, and page
number in parentheses -- then, the period.
A direct quotation of three or more typewritten lines is single spaced.
All lines are indented five spaces and the first lines of paragraphs are
indented an additional three spaces. Quotation marks are not used at the
beginning and end of the blocked quotations. A period comes at the end
of the quote. Immediately following, is the author's name, year of publication,
and page number in parentheses. No period. (See Appendix B.)
Indirect Quotes and
Paraphrasing
The candidate may substitute a direct quote with a rephrasing of another
author's main idea. Paraphrasing is often preferable to long direct quotes
simply because the main idea may be presented clearly and quickly. Direct
quotes are usually shorter in length and are reserved for reinforcing a
main idea or sharing the force of an author's argument.
When the candidate makes mention of the work or idea of another scholar
it is important to provide citation. This is usually done by putting the
scholar's name and year of publication next to the idea or work being credited.
(See Appendix B.)
Footnotes and Reference
Notes
A candidate may wish to supplement the text with additional relevant
commentary by using either footnotes or reference notes. Footnotes are
typed at the bottom of the page on which reference is made to them, and
all should lie about the 1-inch bottom margin.
A candidate may opt to use reference notes, which occur at the end
of the study itself, instead of at the bottom of each page. Although references
are cited in footnotes and reference notes, all are repeated in the consolidated
reference list.
Personal/Professional
Interviews
A candidate may wish to take advantage of the vast wealth of information
offered by the many knowledgeable and experienced professionals in the
field of public communication by conducting interviews. Personal and professional
interviews are reliable sources of information so long as the candidate
conducts them in a scholarly fashion.
First, the candidate needs to prepare in advance for the interview.
The candidate may prepare a list of potential sources to interview and
review this list with his advisor. Once interviewees have been selected,
the candidate may contact them, preferably in writing, and provide the
interviewee with a brief overview of the study and focus of the interview.
The candidate will want to prepare a list of possible questions for
the interviewee. If possible, the candidate may review these questions
with her advisor before the actual interview. With the interviewee's permission,
the candidate may wish to tape the interview.
Ideas and quotes taken from the interview are cited in the text the
same as written sources. The interview is listed in the reference:
Doe, John, Executive Vice President, Creative Images, Inc., Personal
interview, Washington, D.C., July 18, 1990.
Preparing the Reference List
All reference sources cited in the text are listed in alphabetical
order by the author's last name in the consolidated reference list. Works
not cited in the text are not included. All written (e.g., books, articles,
reports), visual (e.g., posters, graphic designs), audio (e.g., personal
interviews, musical recordings) and audio-visual (e.g., television programs
or commercial, films, etc.) materials must be included in the reference
list.
Because the reader may not know whether a source comes from a written
or audio-visual source, it is best to prepare one consolidated list of
all the materials. It is important that references be accurate, complete,
and consistent in form. The style should follow the recommendations of
the adopted style manual. Sample of reference list is provided in Appendix
C.
Paper Requirements
The same quality and weight of paper must be used throughout each copy
of the study and abstract. Corrasable, onionskin paper, or xerographic
paper are not acceptable. The following are minimum paper requirements
for final copies of the Master's project and abstract:
16 lb. white bond,
25% rag or cotton content paper, or
24 lb. linen ledger
paper
Binding Requirements
The final copy of the Master's project should be submitted in a black
binder. Colored binders, covers, or printing of any kind are unacceptable
for a Master's project. The candidate's last name, title of project, and
year of completion should be clearly visible on the binder or cover.
Audio-Visual Submissions
Some candidates may have audio-visual or other media as part of their
Master's project. Video and audio tapes must be in a hard, plastic cassette
case. Both the tapes and the cases should be clearly labeled with the candidate's
name, project title and date of submission.
Number of Copies
Two final copies of the Master's project are required. Photocopying
may be used to prepare the copies provided the candidate obtains a high-quality,
high contrast reproduction. The copies should meet the minimum paper requirements
and binding requirements.