MEMO: M.A. Master’s Thesis Submission Guidelines
FROM: Dean Cornog
RE: Master’s Thesis
Your completed Master’s Thesis is due in the Dean of Students office by 10 a.m. on Monday, April 20. You will be required to sign your name in the thesis submission log.
Your submitted thesis must conform to the following requirements, so follow these instructions carefully:
1. Print your manuscript, or broadcast (verbatim) script, double-spaced on one side of white paper, leaving an inch-and-a-half margin on the left-hand side and at least an inch on the other three margins. Photographic paper does not meet preservation guidelines for library materials, and theses on photo paper will be returned to the author in exchange for a plain-paper copy.
2. You should be aware that source lists (and your entire thesis, including the P.S. portion, described below in point number 6) will be available for all library users. If there are confidentiality issues with sources (i.e. phone numbers, personal addresses, etc.), students are responsible for removing the source list BEFORE submitting the library copy. If you are not certain about the best way to cite a source, consult with your adviser.
3. Do not put any sort of binding on the thesis, and do not staple the pages. The pages must be numbered.
4. Include a separate title page with the following information: Your name, class year, the title of your thesis, the name of the faculty member(s) who supervised it and, at the bottom of the page, add:
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Arts in Journalism
Copyright
(Name of Student)
(Year)
5. Hand in two copies–the original and one copy. The original will be reserved for the library, and the second copy will be used in judging the M.A. thesis prize. Please e-mail or give a hard copy to each of your advisers (whatever your advisers prefer). See #s 8 and 9 below for special digital/new media and broadcast thesis instructions.
6. You will need to submit a short, first-person account of how you discovered, researched and reported your story. This “P.S.” should run no longer than 1,000 words. The narrative will help students in the future see what goes into the making of a successful Master’s Thesis. (Include a copy of the narrative with all copies.)
7. Put each copy in a new 9 x 12 envelope. Label the front of each envelope with your name, your class year, the title of your thesis and the name(s) of your adviser(s) for the Master’s Thesis. Please be certain to clearly label the library copy.
8. Digital/new media theses: The paper copy of the thesis should include a printed cover page with name, topic, and URL, and a copyright statement. You should include a printed source list and the postscript described above in # 6. Include two hard copies (again, one for the library, one for the thesis judging). All content and source code must be uploaded to the Columbia server. If you are using software such as Wordpress, you need to have it hosted by Columbia. Also, your videos and other multimedia need to be on Columbia servers, even if you are already hosting your content on external servers such as YouTube, blip.tv, etc. The library cannot store computer disks, and does not have the facilities for viewing their contents. A hyperlink will be made for the Master’s Thesis web page to the thesis itself.
9. For broadcast theses on audio tape, CD or DVD: please make two copies, label the tapes/discs, the covers and the cover spines with complete thesis information (author(s), title, adviser). Also include two printed copies of your script (these should include the title page mentioned in point # 4, above), and e-mail a copy to each of your advisers. Include the postscript and source list as described above.
10. If you are submitting your Master’s Thesis earlier than the deadline, you still have to submit the copies to the Dean’s Office. You must also inform your adviser and the office of the Dean of Students of the date you submitted the thesis.
11. Keep a copy of your thesis 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 Thesis for future reference. For print theses and transcripts, a hard copy is the best option.
