Guidelines for Written Component

Guidelines for Written Component of Masters Thesis/ Project[1]<= o:p>

Each Masters Thesis/ Project must demonstrate a mature understanding of its subject, and be a logical and articulate presentation of the chosen topic. There is no minimum or maximum page length. The written component of each thes= is/ project should contain the following items.

1. Cover page

= This shows the title of the paper, the author's name, the institution, and the d= ate the paper is completed.

2. Signature page

= Your final submission (for the archive) will include the signature page.

3. Table of contents

= List the contents (introduction, chapters, appendices, references) with page numbers. Use descriptive titles for the chapters. (This list gives the reader a brief idea of the topics covered.)

4. Introduction

= This section would include some of the following:

&m= iddot; = a statement of the problem or topic to be discussed

&m= iddot; = some historical background or some perspective on the problem<= /span>

&m= iddot; = an explanation of the structure of the paper - what topics wil= l be covered in each chapter, how the discussion will develop (for example, R= 20;…a special case is considered first followed by a discussion of the general th= eory and applications…”)

&m= iddot; = a discussion of the labeling systems and special notation

&m= iddot; = assumptions about the background of the reader (for example: &= #8220;… familiarity with statistics (or topology, or basic algebra) is assumed̷= 0;”)

5. Preliminary material

The chapter (or chapters) = dealing with preliminary material will= be expository in nature, and quite terse. Contents should include major theore= ms and definitions (formally presented - including numbering) and text that wi= ll provide the reader with a good overview of the material covered, including = the reason for the theorems, definitions, concepts included. (Why are they necessary? What is the connection to other areas? What are the natural questions that arise?)
Material (theorems, definitions, explanations) quoted from any reference mu= st be credited in the proper form.

6. Main Section(s)

= This constitutes the body of your work. Be conscious of the reader, providing examples and exposition between the definitions and theorems.

As a guide to writing this section, consider whether your text addresses on= e or more of the following questions:

What is the purpose of this defini= tion?
What does this theorem or definiti= on really mean?
What is the power of this theorem?=
What is the crux of the proof of t= he theorem?
How is a certain lemma used to pro= ve this theorem?
Is this theorem a step towards a m= ajor result or is it the major result?
How does one apply this theorem?
Why are the hypotheses of this the= orem so important?
Is this theorem the strongest poss= ible result?
Does the converse of this theorem = hold?

= Material (theorems, definitions, explanations, diagrams, etc.) quoted from any refer= ence must be credited in the proper form. Include a conclusion in which you summarize the contents of the paper or the major result. If possible, indic= ate some consequences of the major result or areas of investigation which would follow your work.

7. References (bibliography)

All references used in the preparation of the material are to be cited (whether or not there are speci= fic citations in the paper). See the templates provided for the appropriate for= mat.

8. Appendices, as appropriate

= Particularly long and not particularly insightful proofs, code for algorithms, relevant other data - tables, charts, computer printouts - that should accompany the paper but are not part of the main text should be placed in appendices.