MEMO: M.S. Master’s Project Submission Guidelines
FROM: Dean Cornog
RE: M.S. Master’s Projects, March 2008
The deadline for submitting your finished Master’s Project is Monday, March 24, at 10 a.m.
Only those who have received a formal extension from your faculty adviser and the Dean of Students Office have permission to miss this deadline. All projects must be submitted to the DOS Office team who will be stationed in the Stabile Student Center that morning. You will be required to sign your name on the Master’s Project submission log when you turn in your final project.
For those of you with an early deadline or who wish to submit your final project early, the DOS office will begin accepting final Master’s Project submissions as of 9 a.m., Monday, March 10 (with Yahaira Alonzo at the desk outside the offices of Deans Sreenivasan and Huff). Ms. Alonzo will be taking submissions during spring break ( 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F).
Your submitted project must conform to the following requirements, so follow these instructions carefully:
1. You must write a first-person narrative of how you discovered, researched and reported your story. This will help future students see what goes into the making of a successful master’s project. This “P.S.” should be included with all copies of your Project, and should run no longer than 1,000 words. If confidentiality is a concern, before submitting the library copy, your narrative may be redacted or disguised to conceal specific, identifying information about individuals. For example, you may use “my main character” or “the protagonist” (or similar) instead of someone’s name. Include a copy of this narrative with all copies. If confidentiality is a concern and the above suggestion does not work, then withhold the “P.S.” from the library copy.
Note: the true identity and contact information for all of your sources must be disclosed to your adviser and included on the source list that you submit to your adviser.
2. Print three copies of your manuscript, or a verbatim broadcast script, double-spaced on one side of white paper, leaving a 1½- inch margin on the left-hand side and a 1-inch margin on all other sides. Do not use photographic paper as it does not meet preservation guidelines for library materials. Projects submitted on photo paper will be returned to the author in exchange for a plain-paper copy.
3. You should submit a complete source list for your project. If you are not certain about the best way to cite a source, consult with your adviser. Be aware that source lists and your entire project, including the “P.S.” portion, will be available for reading and copying by all Journalism School library visitors. (Columbia University Libraries does not provide copies of master’s projects or theses via its interlibrary loan service.) As noted above, if you have confidentiality concerns with sources (i.e. names, phone numbers, personal addresses, etc.), you are responsible for removing the source list from the library copy.
4. Pages must be numbered. Do not put any sort of binding on the project, and do not staple the pages.
5. Include a separate title page with the following information: Your name, class year, the title of your project, the name of your master’s adviser, and, at the bottom of the page, add:
Copyright
(Name of Student)
(Year)
6. Put each copy in a new 9 x 11 ½ envelope. Label the front of each envelope with your name, your class year, the title of your project and the name of your adviser for the Master’s Project. Please be certain to clearly label the library copy.
7. Submit all three copies to the DOS Office team in the Stabile Student Center on March 24. One copy will be returned to you with your instructor’s comments; another copy will be reserved for the library, and the third copy will be kept by your adviser.
* Students submitting a Radio or Television/Video Project should
include:
- Two copies of your script
- For Television, two copies of your project on DVD, plus a
videotape copy if your adviser requests one - For Radio, two copies of your project on audio CD. In addition,
provide your adviser a copy of the .wav file (i.e. the final mix
“bounce,” on a data CD.
For all projects, please make two copies, labeling all DVDs, CDs, tapes, and accompanying materials with complete project information (author(s), title, adviser). Indicate whether CDs are data or audio. The Technical Staff can assist television projects in making the DVDs from the final, edited tape. Be sure to give them plenty of advance notice if you need their assistance.
* Students submitting a New Media project should include:
- A cover page with your names, topic and URL, and a copyright statement.
- A printout of each of your individual pages (even if some go beyond the margins - and black-and-white only, please).
- A printed essay about how you approached your story, with tips for future students. In most cases, your “about us” should suffice (print it out separately if it does work as the “P.S.” described above).
The library cannot store computer disks, and does not have the facilities for viewing their contents. A hyperlink will be made from the Masters Project Index web page to the project itself.
You will be expected to submit the materials above AND upload your final websites to the servers by 10 a.m. on Monday, March 24.
8. If you are submitting your master’s project earlier than the deadline, you must submit all copies to the DOS Office (to Yahaira Alonzo at the desk outside the offices of Deans Sreenivasan and Huff). You must also inform your adviser of the date you submitted the project.
9. Keep a copy of your project for yourself. Neither the Journalism School nor the Journalism Library is able to provide on-demand copies of your work. You are expected to keep usable copies of your Master’s project for future reference. For print projects and transcripts, a hard copy is the best option.
Please note, the DOS Office is closed from Friday at 5 p.m. till Monday at 9 a.m. If you cannot come to the school during business hours, you may mail your three copies to: Melanie Huff, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 2950 Broadway, Room 207C, New York, NY 10027. Please note that they must arrive by Monday, March 24.
