sbu m.a. thesis style book feb 2013

8/10/2019 SBU M.a. Thesis Style Book Feb 2013

1/27

ENGLISH LITERATUREM.A. THESISSTYLE BOOK

Feb 2013


2/27

1) M.A. Thesis Proposal

An M.A. thesis proposal (not more than U2000Uwords) includes the followingsections:I. General OverviewII. Statement of the ProblemIII. Significance of the Problem

IV.

DelimitationV. Approach and MethodologyVI. Literature ReviewVII. Tentative OutlineVIII. Definition of TermsIX. Works Cited UGeneral Overview:The target author(s) and the criti c(s) of the proposal should be introduced in thissection. The biographical account and historical framework should be dealt withsufficiently and pertinently. It is quite essential to localize the author and the critic,that is to say, provide an account of the literary, theoretical and philosophical trends to

which they belong. It is possible to give a plot summary of the l iterary texts here. Note: It is better to divide General Overview into sections based on the

author(s) and critic(s) UStatement of the Problem:This is basically the what-ness of thesis, and the expansion of thesis title. Bringingquotations from the literary and critical texts can help you illuminate the problem.

Thus, exempli fication of the problem can be deemed as the key to a well-establishedresearch problem. Keep in mind that you are not supposed to elaborate on thetheoretical terminology and framework of the proposal here; the Approach andMethodology section serves this purpose. So use as many theoretical jargons as you can

without bringing them much into li ght. Note: Incorporate some discussion questions you are going to address in your

thesis. Based on the answers to these questions you will compose the Conclusion,so avoid haphazard questions. USignificance of the Problem:Here you should give some convincing reasons that this research is worth beingundertaken. You should specifically explain how this thesis could contribute to humanknowledge. UDelimitation:

Here you draw the main borderlines regarding your theoretical area, literary textsyou are going to study, etc. In order to limit the scope of theory, you can simply list or

name the theoretical concepts extrinsic to your work. There is no need to explicatethem.

U

Approach and Methodology:In this section you introduce your main approach or approaches by explaining

your theoretical framework. Based on this framework, you should also introduce astrategy of reading in order to achieve coherence. The reading strategy configures thethree main chapters of the thesis in a way that the theoretical concept of each chaptercorrelates to the concepts in the succeeding chapters.

ULiterature Review:In Literature Review you are supposed to write the gist of the books and articles (majorsources) you have read so far and feel that they could be helpful for the course of your

research. In this section you should indicate the significance and relevance of thesetexts to your argument. Needless to say that compiling a list of relavant and significant

works is a work in progress.


3/27

UTentative Outline:

This comes in the form of an outline (titles for the main chapters with sub-headingsfor each chapter). Do not forget that the thesis outline you suggest in your proposal istentative. The outline will inevitably change through the research.

UDefinition of Terms:You are supposed to define any jargon terms here if you hav e any. They should bealphabetically ordered.

Note: Bold the term and put a colon after it.

UWorks Ci ted:At this stage of your research, the bibliography of your proposal should have at least 15sources (including the primary sources). The materials you have read and yet notreferred to should also be included in the bibliography.

Steps in Formulating Thesis Question

i. Thesis Scope or Ideaa) A

thesis idea is often a very broad subject that relates to a field ofstudy. The thesis idea can be manipulated in many different

ways in order to uncover a specific thesis topic. Students shouldbegin their theses with the thesis idea and then narrow the ideadown to one particular topic that falls under the broader idea.

ii . Thesis Topica) The thesis topic is a narrower subject than the thesis idea.

However, just like the idea, the topic can be further refined to aseries of sub-topics.

iii. Thesis Questiona) A

thesis question is an inquiry about a particular topic thatresults in a specific assertion (thesis) about that topic. They arebrainstorming tools. Thesis question is often confused withactual theses, but athesis question is only the stepping-stone toa thesis. A true thesis will not exist in question form, but indeclarative form, meaning the thesis must be a statement thatasserts rather than a question that asks. Therefore, it issometimes easier to develop a thesis in response to a question, asit is typically easier to pose questions than it is to makeassertions.

b)

Should be open-ended: An open-ended question is one that canbe responded to in many different ways and requires some depthto truly answer, as opposed to a close-ended question, whichtypically has one, finite answer. So, to develop a thesis questionon any topic, all a writer must do is start asking and answeringopen-ended questions. Typically, the more detailed thesisquestions result in better theses.

c) Should invoke thought (Innovation).d) Should be clear and concise, without too many variables.e) Should introduce a new concept with or ahead of its

zeitgeist.

f)

Should give a solution to thesis Problem or Gapg) Should be feasible: How long will it take to address the

dissertation research question? Do you have the


4/27


5/27

M.A. Thesis Format

CoverIt is used on the cover of the thesis. The same page should be used in Persian as theback cover of thesis. See Sample Sheets 1 and 2.

Title PageIt is the same as the cover page.It is the opening page of the thesis. It should appear inPersian at the end of thesis.

In the Name of GodThis page should appear in Engli sh at the beginning and in Persian at the end of thesis.

DedicationThis page should appear in Engli sh at the beginning and in Persian at the end of thesis.

AcknowledgementsYour thesis should include a page in which you acknowledge the help, direction, adviceand supervision of the thesis.

AbstractAn abstract is a brief, accurate, and comprehensive summary of the contents of the thesis withoutadded interpretation or criticism. It allows readers to survey the contents of the thesis. Inpreparing the abstract, it is important to keep the sentences short and simple bycovering with just one topic each and excluding irrelevant information. After finishingthe whole content, re-read the thesis and note down salient points, including the natureof the problem, objectives, approach and methodology, results, conclusions andsuggestions for further research. Do not put anything which was not present in thetext, or repeat the title. Do not cite any references, figures, or tables in the abstract. Ifthere is a need to cite references, the sources should be provided in bracket in theabstract.

An abstract mainly includes:

1. Problem/purpose of the thesis2. Methodology3. Conclusions

An abstract should be:1.Accurate: An abstract should reflect correctly the objectives and contents of the

thesis. Do not include information that does not appear in the body of the thesis inthe abstract. It is suggested that the author compare the abstract with the headings ofthesis outline in order to verify the accuracy of the abstract.

2.Self-contained: Define all unique terms, abbreviations, and acronyms in theabstract. Include names of the authors (initials and family name) and dates ofpublication in citations of other publications.

3.Conci se and specific: Each sentence should be as informative as possible,especially the lead sentence. Make it brief. The total length of the abstract should notexceed 300 words, in two or three paragraphs. Begin the abstract with the most


6/27

important information but do not repeat the title. It may include the purpose of theresearch, the results and conclusions.

4.Coherent and readable:Write clearly. Here are some suggestions as to writeclearly:

Use verbs rather than the noun equivalents. Use the active rather than the passive voice, but without personal pronouns

(I or we).

Use the present tense to describe results without continuing appli cabili ty orconclusions drawn.

Use the third rather than the first person. Describe the main findings concisely and summarize the conclusions.

Write with a non-specialist style in mind. Use past tense for what was found.

Include as much as possible the key words from the text in the abstract. Avoid unfamiliar terms, acronyms, abbreviations, or symbols; or define

them if there is no choice. Avoid citing references unless the reference inspired the researcher to

investigate further.

Table of ContentsThe contents should list the chapter headings, sections and subsections of the differentchapters along with page numbers of each. It should be possible to get a completepicture of the thesis by looking at the contents. While the contents cannot be as briefas listing only the chapter headings, it need not be as elaborate as to list all paragraphtitles within subsections. It is preferable to include the chapter, section and subsectionheadings only in the contents with appropriate page numbers.

Note: It should be numbered. The heading, Table of Contents, should be centered.See Sample Sheet 4.

ChaptersChapters are given descriptive titles that indicate their content and role in the thesis.Chapters have their own introductions and conclusions, which relate them to eachother and to the development of the thesis as a whole.Note: The first page of each chapter should not be numbered.

The opening page of a chapter should start from the middle of the page.The title of each chapter should be centered. See Sample Sheet 5.

U

IntroductionThe first chapter of the thesis i s the Introduction. An Introduction should contain thefollowing sub-headings in order:

General BackgroundThe ArgumentLiterature Rev iew (optional)Thesis OutlineApproachand MethodologyDefinition of Terms

General Background:This section deals with biographical account, historical context,

theoretical context, etc.The Argument:Here, the researcher expands on what was suggested as the Statement of

the Problem and the Significance of the Problem in the proposal. What isgoing to be proved is supposed to be put forward directly in this section.


7/27

Literature Rev iew :The major sources used could be introduced here if your supervisordecides that they should be introduced first. Major sources are the books(literature or criticism) or articles that the thesis is strongly dependent on.In some theses, it will be appropriate to concentrate the review of the literatureand extended general discussion in introductory and concluding chapters, inother works, the review and discussion should be distributed throughout thethesis.

Thesis Outline:A brief account on each succeeding chapter should be written here. Oneor two paragraphs for each chapter should be enough.

Approach and Methodo logy :In this section the method and approach of the researchshould be explained. The usual method of research in humanities in general andliterature in particular is library based (with the use of electronic sources).Literary approaches refer to the following: Historical-Biographical, Formalistic(New Criticism), Psychological, Psycho-analytical, Mythological (Archetypal),Structural ist, Post-Structuralist, New-Historicist, Deconstructive, Feminist,Sociological, Reader-Oriented, Narratologist. Based on your approach you needto introduce a Reading Strategy. A Reading Strategy is the explanation of the

steps you take when studying your literary texts.Depending on the nature and the significance of the theoretical framework, themehod, and the approach, it may come within the introduction as indicated hereor might need a separate chapter.

Definition of Terms:If there are any jargons used in the research they could come underthis heading. These could include technical terms used in linguistics, psychology,film studies, sociology, philosophy, etc.

U

ConclusionThe last chapter of the thesis is the Conclusion. A Conclusioncouldcontain thefollowing sub-headings in order. Your supervisor might give you other suggestions forthe Conclusion:

Findin gs and ImplicationsSuggestions for Further Research

Findin gs and Implications:Here, the researcher explains what the results of the researchare in concrete form. He/She will answer the discussion questions and comes up

with conclusions based on these answers in the form of impli cations of theresearch.

Suggestions for Further Research:This section could provide some guidelines for furtherstudies of the subject to which the present research could act as a background.

UNumber of ChaptersAn M.A. thesis should contain an Introduction and a Conclusion plus three mainchapters. Total number of chapters will add up to five.

U

Length of the ThesisThe thesis should be between 18000 and 25000 words including Works Cited andAppendices.

Supervision Your Supervisor (Briti sh) or Thesis Advisor (American) (Ostad-e-Rahnama) is

the main person guiding you throughout your research. You are supposed to check


8/27


9/27


10/27


11/27

Quotation with an ellipsis at the end:He claims the play is not about Hamlet or his abili ty in acting a part. . . .

Quotation with an ellipsis at the end followed by a parenthetical reference:He claims the play is not about Hamlet or his abili ty in acting a part . . . (28).

Quotation omitting a whole sentence or more, or a paragraph is indicated by fourperiods; however the four periods must be preceded and followed by grammaticallycomplete sentences:

In his book Shakespeare and Lies, Sam Spade claims, The play is not about Hamletor his abil ity in acting a part in a convincing manner. . . . Many of Shakespearesplays have been similarly misinterpreted (20).

Omission of a line of verse is indicated by a line of spaced periods of about thesame length of a complete line of the poem.

In Worcester, Massachusetts,I went with Aunt Consueloto keep her dentists appointment

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .in the dentists waiting room.(Elizabeth Bishop, In the Waiting Room, lines 1-5)

Quotation with an ellipsis at the end:

In Worcester, Massachusetts,I went with Aunt Consueloto keep her dentists appointmentand sat and waited. . . . (1-4)

Punctuation Commas, periods, and question marks should come straight after the preceding

word with no extra space in between. Short quotations come within double quotation marks in the text without any

change in the font size or shape. Each bibliography and endnote entry ends with a period.

Punctuation with Quotations

Quotations are preceded by a colon if they are formally introduced and by a comma orno punctuation if the quotation is an integral part of the sentence.

Hamlet had a big problem: He could not act (25).Hazlitt thought the problem was that Hamlet could not act (25).He, according to Hazlitt, could not act (25).

Parentheses and Square BracketsAll references should be given parenthetically. Use square brackets for parentheses in

parentheses, for added material in quotations, and for information missing in cited

works.

Works Cited


12/27

In bibliography you do not give any page number except in the case of articles thatyou state the first and the last page of the article.

As a general guideline, your bibliography could contain at least 30 sources. Theproportion of articles to books should be nearly equal. In other words, you need tofind relevant books along with significant articles for your research. Obviously, thequality and the number of the sources are eventually determined by the supervisorand the reader.

Type the entries in single space with one extra space between each entry. Indent thesecond or third line of each entry if there are any.

The following samples based on MLA style should cover most of your needs.

Type of Document (MLA) Works Cited

Book Smith, John.Milton s Style. New York: Random House, 1999.

Book two authors Smith, John, and Jane Marshall . Milton s Style. New York:Random House, 1999.

Book more than twoauthors

Smith, John et al. Milton s Style. New York: Random House,1999.

Book revised edition Smith, John. Milton s Style. 2nd ed. New York: RandomHouse, 1999.

Book edited Smith, John, ed. Milton s Style. New York: Random House,1999.

Book no author The Literate Life: Exploring Language Standards. Urbana:National Council of Teachers, 1997.

Book in volumes Smith, John A., and Jane Ann Marshall , eds. Dictionary ofMilton. Vol. 3. New York: Random House, 1999.

Book translated Smith, John. Milton s Style. Trans. Jane Marshall. New York:Random House, 1999.

Work fromcollection/anthology

Smith, Tom. Humour in Milton. Milton Encyc lopedia. Eds.Smith and Marshall. New York: Random House, 1999: 25-80.

Journal article Marshall, Jane. Metaphor in Milton. Poetry Yesterday26, 12(August 1998): 50-65.

Journal article twoauthors

Marshall, Jane, and John A. Smith. Metaphor in Keats.RomanticPoetry 29, 6 (1991): 342-365.

Journal article withmore than two authors

Marshall, Jane, John A. Smith, and Jack Danvers. GothicImagery. SymbolistWeekly 73 (1971): 88-98.

Journal article on-line Marshall, Jane. Metaphor in Milton. Poetry Yesterday 26(1998). 15 Jan. 1999. Web.

Magazine article Smith, John. Milton for Politicians.New sweek7 Dec. 1980:50-51.

Newspaper article Marshall, Jane. Life of Mi lton. The New York Tim es10 Feb.2001: 1, 15.

Thesis/Dissertation Smith, John. A poli tical study of Milton. Diss. UniversityOf Maryland. 1985.

Web site professional Nichols, Wendalyn. Sensitive Language. [email protected]. Random House.com. Web. 2000.

Web site personal Guerrero, Donna. La Profesoressa: Trav el in Italy.Geocities.com.Web. 14 Jan. 2000.

Discussion list or listserver posting

Smith, John. Miltons use of foreign pronunciation. On-line posting. 20 Jan. 2000. Milton Society Listserve. Web. 14Feb. 2000.


13/27

E-mail Marshall, Jane. Miltons language. E-mail to J. Smith, 19March 2000.

Two or more works byone author

Costello, Elaine. Random House Dictionary of Language. NewYork: Random House, 1994.---. Sign ing : How to Speak Silently. New York: Bantam, 1995.

Ci ting an entire website Felluga, Dino. Surv ey of the Literature of Eng land. Purdue U,Aug. 2006. Web. 31 May 2007.

A tweet Brokaw, Tom (tombrokaw). SC demonstrated why all thedebates are the engines of this campaign. 22 Jan. 2012, 3:06a.m. Tweet.

Interview conducted byyourself

Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000.

Published interview Gaitskill, Mary. Interview with Charles Bock. MississippiReview 27.3 (1999): 129-50. Print.

Speeches Stein, Bob. Computers and Writing ConferencePresentation. Purdue University. Union Club Hotel, West

Lafayette, IN. 23 May 2003. Keynote Address.Painting, sculpture,photograph

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo delPrado, Madrid.

Film The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey,Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, andBenecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film.

Film on DVD, CD, etc. Ed Wood. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, MartinLandau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette. Touchstone,1994. DVD.

Digital Files (PDFs,MP3s, JPEGs)

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Moon light Sonata. Crownstar, 2006.MP3.

Video games Sid Meiers Civ ilization Rev olution. Firaxis Games. Take-TwoInteractive, 2008. Xbox 360.

Citing Sources in the TextThe most common style of reference in MLA is by authors last name and pagenumber. As a general rule, if the source is mentioned in your sentence, the name is nolonger necessary. All references will refer to the alphabetical list of sources in thebibliography at the end of the thesis. The following are some of the most commonformats. For further information refer to the MLA Handbook.

Reference source not mentioned in your sentence:Medieval Europe was a place of raids, pillages as well as markets and fairs(Townsend 10).

If the entry in your bibliography contains more than one writer with the nameTownsend, provide the writers first initial in your reference (A. Townsend 10). Ifthey share the same initial, provide the full first name.

If two or three names begin the entry, give the last name of each person listed:(Townsend, Johnson, Marshall xiii). If more than three: (Townsend et al. 255).

Reference source mentioned or implied in your sentence:


14/27

According to Townsend, medieval Europe was a place of raids and pillages(10).

Others, like Kerrigan and Braden (210-15), disagree.

This point has already been argued (Thomson 122-35).

Only one scholar has seen this relation (Daiches 2: 776-77).

Citing volume and page numbers of a multi volume work:Separate the two by a colon and a space without using the words volume andpage, or their abbreviations: (Wellek 2: 1-10). If referring to the whole volume:(Wellek, vol. 2).

Citing a work listed by title:When referring to a work alphabetized by ti tle in your bibliography, use ashortened version (if necessary) which precedes the page number(s). Since your listis alphabetical, abbreviate the first word of the title.

ANew York Tim eseditorial called Ellison a writer of universal reach (Death).This would refer in your bibliography to: Death of a Writer. Editorial.New YorkTimes20 Apr. 1994, late ed.: A18.

The Eighteenth Century was the first great age of the novel (Novel). Thiswould refer in your bibliography to: Novel. The Encyclopedia Americana. 1993 ed.

Citing two or more works by the same author:Put a comma after the author's name and add the title of the work or a shortened

version: (Frye, Double Vision85). If the name is mentioned in your text: (DoubleVision85). If the name and title are mentioned in your text: (85).

Citing l iterary works:Sometimes you need to provide more than page numbers (parts, chapters,sections, scenes, etc.) to help the reader locate your reference. In these cases, givethe page number first, add a semicolon, and then give other identifyinginformation, using appropriate abbreviations: (130; ch. 9), (271; bk. 4, ch. 2).

A reference to a play would follow act, scene, line order: (3. 2. 633-34).

Citing more than one work in a single parenthetical reference

Cite each work normally and separate them with semicolons: (Kaku 42; McRae101-22).

Using notes with parenthetical documentation:Two kinds of notes may be used, either as footnotes or endnotes.(1) Content notes offering the reader comment, explanation, or information thatthe text cannot accommodate.(2) Bibliographic notes containing either several sources or evaluative commentson sources.

Punctuation Rules: When you give a parenthetical reference for short quotations

(quotations within the text in double quotations) your parenthesis comes after theending double quotation mark and before the ending period. In "blockquotations," the parenthetical reference comes after the ending period.


15/27

You should always state the book or the article you have read yourself. Ci ting anarticle which was itself cited in a secondary text is not acceptatble. In these casesyou add the phrase "Cited in ___" to the Ci tation format already explained in thishandout.

Plagiarism

If you use any idea or even a single phrase that does not belong to you in your thesisand is not acknowledged in the form of giving the reference, this is considered as anact of plagiarism. To plagiarize means:

- to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as ones own- to use (anothers production) without crediting the source- to commit l iterary theft- to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing

source.

FORMS OF PLAGAIRISM (UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA)

1. Direct PlagiarismMaterialFrom: Ekman, Paul, Wallace V. Friesen, and Phoebe Ellsworth.Emoti on in the HumanFace: Guidelines for Research and an Integration of Findings. New York: Pergamon, 1972.Print.

Page 1: The human face in repose and in movement, atthe moment of death as in life, in silence and in speech,

when alone and with others, when seen or sensed fromwithin, in actuality or as represented in art or recordedby the camera is a commanding, complicated, and attimes confusing source of information. The face iscommanding because of its very visibility andomnipresence. While sounds and speech are intermittent,the face even in repose can be informative. And, exceptby veils or masks, the face cannot be hidden from view.

There is no facial maneuver equivalent to putting one'shands in one's pockets. Further, the face is the locationfor sensory inputs, life-necessary intake, andcommunicative output. The face is the site for the sensereceptors of taste, smell, sight, and hearing, the intakeorgans for food, water, and air, and the output locationfor speech. The face is also commanding because of itsrole in early development; it is prior to language in thecommunication between parent and child.

Misuse of Source(italicized passages indicate direct plagiarism):Many experts agree that the human face, whether in repose or in mov ement, is a

comm andin g, complicated, and sometimes confusing source of in formation. The face iscomm andin g because it's v isible and omn ipresent.Although sounds and speech may beintermittent, the face ev en in reposemay give information.And, except by v eils or m asks, the


16/27

face cannot be hidden . Also, the face i s the lo cation for sensory inputs, life-supporting in take,andcommunication.

CommentThe plagiarized passage is an almost verbatim copy of the original source. The writerhas compressed the author's opinions into fewer sentences by omitting several phrasesand sentences. But this compression does not disguise the writer's reliance on this text

for the concepts he passes off as his own. The writer tries to disguise his indebtednessby beginning with the phrase "Many experts agree that. . . . " This reference to "manyexperts" makes it appear that the writer was somehow acknowledging the work ofscholars "too numerous to mention." The plagiarized passage makes several subtlechanges in language (e.g., it changes "visibility and omnipresence" to "it's visible andomnipresent"). The writer has made the language seem more informal in keeping withhis own writing style. He ignores any embellishments or additional information givenin the source-passage. He contents himself with borrowing the sentence about how onlymasks and veils can hide the face, without using the follow-up elaboration about therenot being a "facial equivalent to putting one's hands in one's pockets." He also reducesthe source's list of the face's diverse activities at the end of the paragraph. Had the

writer enclosed the borrowed material in quotation marks and credited the authors oftheEmoti on sbook with a parenthetical citation, this would have been a legitimate useof a source.

2. The MosaicSourceFrom: Fishman, Joshua. Language in Sociocultural Change.Stanford: Stanford UniversityPress, 1972. Print.

Page 67: In a relatively open and fluid society there willbe few characteristics of lower-class speech that are notalso present (albeit to a lesser extent) in the speech of the

working and lower middle classes. Whether we look tophonological features such as those examined by Labovor to morphological units such as those reported byFischer (1958) (Fischer studied the variation between -in'and -ing for the present participle ending, i.e. runnin' vs.running and found that the former realization was morecommon when children were talking to each other than

when they were talking to him, more common amongboys than girls, and more common among "typical boys"

than among "model boys"), we find not a clear-cutcleavage between the social classes but a difference in rateof realization of particular variants of particular

variables for particular contexts. Even the widelypublicized distinction between the "restricted code" oflower-class speakers and the "elaborate code" of middle-class speakers (Bernstein 1964, 1966) is of this type, sinceBernstein includes the cocktail party and the religiousservice among the social situations in which restrictedcodes are realized. Thus, even in the somewhat morestratified British setting, the middle class is found to

share some of the features of what is considered to be"typically" lower-class speech. Obviously then,"typicality," if it has any meaning at all in relatively open


17/27

societies, must refer largely to repertoire range ratherthan to unique features of the repertoire.

Misuse of Source(italicized passages indicate direct plagiarism):In a relativ ely fluid societymany characteristics of lower-class speech will also be found

among the working and lower middle classes. Labov and Fischer's studies show thatthere is not a clear-cut cleavage between social classes but only a differencein the frequency ofcertain speech modes. All classes share certain speech patterns. The difference amongclasses would only be apparent by the frequency with which speech expressions orpatterns appeared. By this standard, then, Bernstein's distinction between the "restrictedcode" of the lower-class speakers and the "elaborated code" of middle-class speakers isuseful only up to a point, since Bernstein mentions cocktail parties and religiousservices as examples of "restricted speech" groupings. "Typicality" refers mor e to speech"range" than to particular speech features.

Comment

While this passage contains relatively few direct borrowings from the original source,all its ideas and opinions are lifted from it. The writer hides her dependency on thesource by translating its academic terms into more credible language for a novice insociology.

3. ParaphraseSource :The Sun Also Rises by Ern est Hemingw ay.Cliffs Notes, n.d. Web. 4 August 2010.

If the old traditional values are no good anymore, if theywill not serve man, what values then will serve man?Hemingway rejects things of abstract qualities courage,loyalty, honesty, bravery. These are all just words. WhatHemingway would prefer to have are concrete things.For Hemingway a man can be courageous in battle on

Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock. But this does not meanthat he will be courageous on Wednesday morning at 9o'clock. A single act of courage does not mean that aman is by nature courageous. Or a man who has beencourageous in war might not be courageous in some civilaffair or in some other human endeavor. WhatHemingway is searching for are absolute values, which

will be the same, which will be constant at every momentof every day and every day of every week.Ultimately, therefore, for Hemingway the only value that

will serve man is an innate faculty of self-discipl ine. Thisis a value that grows out of man's essential being, in hisinner nature. If a man has discipline to face one thingon one day he will still possess that same degree ofdiscipline on another day and in another situation. ThusFrancis Macomber in the short story "The Short, HappyLife of Francis Macomber," has faced a charging animal,and once he has had the resolution to stand and

confront this charging beast, he has developed withinhimself a discipline that will serve him in all situations.

This control can function in almost any way in aHemingway work.


18/27

Misuse of Source:Hemingway tries to discover the values in life that will best serve man. SinceHemingway has rejected traditional values, he himself establishes a kind of "code" forhis heroes. This code is better seen than spoken of. The Hemingway hero doesn't speakof abstract qualities like courage and honesty. He lives them. But this living of valuesentails continual performance the Hemingway hero is always having his values put to

the test.How can the hero be up to this continual test? Hemingway stresses the faculty of

self-discipline as the backbone of all other virtues. Self-discipline places man's goodqualities on a continuum. The dramatic change in Francis Macomber in "The Short,Happy Life of Francis Macomber" stems more from his new-found self-control thanfrom any accidental combination of traits.

CommentThis illustrates plagiarism since the writer used the notion of the "Hemingway codehero" presented in Cliffs Notes as the sole basis for his own essay. He has absorbed hissource's concepts, re-phrased them, and, perhaps, made them simpler. But there is a

one-to-one relationship between the development of ideas in the Cliffs Notes and theplagiarists rendition.

4. Insufficient AcknowledgementSource:Laven, Peter. Renaissance Italy: 1464-1534.New York: Capricorn, 1964. Print.

The tenacious particularism of the Italian state gave riseto a wide variety of constitutional solutions and classstructures throughout Italy. Even conquered territoriesand those swallowed up by bigger neighboring powersoften managed to retain much of their internalorganization as it had been. If power changed hands, theinstruments and forms of power usually remained thesame. Since the economic needs of such territories didnot suddenly alter with a change of government ormaster, those classes which had been important beforethe change tended to continue to be importantafterwards as well. Only when the nature of the change

was economic and social might there have been a reversalin the relationships of classes; but even in this there wasno sudden revolution in the structure of classes.

Misuse of Source:In his comprehensive study, Rena issance Italy, Peter Laven discusses the peculiarorganization of Renaissance city-states: The tenacious particularism of the Italianstates gave rise to a wide variety of constitutional solutions and class structuresthroughout Italy. Even conquered territories and those swallowed up by biggerneighboring powers often managed to retain much of their internal organization as ithad been(130). This means that if power changed hands, the instruments and forms ofpower usually remained the same. Since the economic needs of such territories did notsuddenly alter with a change of government or master, those classes which had beenimportant before the change tended to continue to be important afterwards as well.

Only when the nature of the change was economic and social might there have been areversal in the relationships of classes; but even in this there was no sudden revolutionin the structure of classes.


19/27

CommentThis half-crediting of a source is a common form of plagiarism. It stems either from adesire to credit one's source and copy it too, or from ignorance as to where to footnote.

The general rule is to footnote after rather than before your resource material . In thiscase, the plagiarist credits historian Peter Laven with two quoted sentences and thencontinues using the author without giving acknowledgement. The writer disguises thedirect plagiarism as a paraphrase by using the falsely-explanatory phrase "This means

that ..." in the third sentence. This example of plagiarism is especially reprehensiblebecause the writer seemingly acknowledges his source--but not enough.

FORMS OF PLAGAIRISM (NORTH WESTERN UNIVERSITY)

Common Forms of Plagiarism- Downloading an assignment from an online source and submitting it as your

own work.- Buying, stealing or borrowing an assignment and submitting it as your own

work.- Copying a section of a book or an article and submitting it as your own

work.- Copying, cutting and pasting text from an electronic source and submitting it as

your own work.- Using the words of someone else and presenting them as your own.

- Using significant ideas from someone else and presenting them as your own.- Copying the written expressions of someone else without proper

acknowledgement.- Relying too much on other people's material

Avoid repeated use of long quotations. Too many direct quotations (even withquotation marks and with proper acknowledgement) result in your sourcesspeaking for you, meaning your own contribution i s minimal. Use your own

words more and rely less on quotations.

FORMS OF PLAIGARISM (PLAGARISM.ORG)Sources Not Cited

1.The Ghost WriterThe writer turns in anothers work, word-for-word, as his or her own.

2.The PhotocopyThe writer copies significant portions of text straight from a singlesource, without alteration.

3.The Potluck Paper

The writer tries to disguise plagiarism by copying from several differentsources, tweaking the sentences to make them fit together whileretaining most of the original phrasing.

4.The Poor DisguiseAlthough the writer has retained the essential content of the source, heor she has altered the paper's appearance slightly by changing key wordsand phrases.

5.The Labor of LazinessThe writer takes the time to paraphrase most of the paper from othersources and make it all fit together, instead of spending the same efforton original work.

6.

The Self-StealerThe writer Borrows generously from his or her previous work,violating policies concerning the expectation of originality adopted bymost academic institutions.


20/27

Sources Cited (But Still Plagiarized)1.The Forgotten Footnote

The writer mentions an author's name for a source, but neglects toinclude specific information on the location of the material referenced.

This often masks other forms of plagiari sm by obscuring sourcelocations.

2.

The MisinformerThe writer provides inaccurate information regarding the sources,making i t impossible to find them.

3.The Too-Perfect ParaphraseThe writer properly cites a source, but neglects to put in quotationmarks text that has been copied word-for-word, or close to it. Althoughattributing the basic ideas to the source, the writer is falsely claimingoriginal presentation and interpretation of the information.

4.The Resourceful CiterThe writer properly cites all sources, paraphrasing and using quotationsappropriately. The catch? The paper contains almost no original work!

It is sometimes difficult to spot this form of plagiarism because it lookslike any other well-researched document.

5.The Perfect CrimeWell, we all know it doesnt exist. In this case, the writer properly quotesand cites sources in some places, but goes on to paraphrase otherarguments from those sources without citation. This way, the writer triesto pass off the paraphrased material as his or her own analysis of thecited material.

Page Format

Indent the first word of a paragraph 0.64 cm. Indent quotations one cm from the left margin. See Quotati on s Double-space all lines in the text, except the block quotations (space 1.5, font 11). Number all pages of the manuscript in the upper right-hand corner, with a margin

of 4 cm from the right and 2 cm from the top.

Sentences Avoid using too short or too long sentences. Avoid using we (referring to the researcher) or you (referring to the reader) in

your thesis. Some research guides suggest that students do not refer to themselvesas I in their thesis. They suggest that researchers use either passive form or useterms like the researcher or the thesis.

Do not use contracted forms such as Im, cant, dont, doesnt. Negative form ofcan is spelled cannot.

Paragraphs A paragraph i s supposed to be about one subject. It usually includes a topic

sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences. A paragraph cannotconsist of only one or two sentences.

Indentation


21/27

All paragraphs should be indented with no extra space between paragraphs. Theonly exceptions are the first paragraphs of a chapter and the first paragraphs afterthe sub-headings.

The Design of a Thesis Each chapter should start with about two paragraphs for introduction (what you

intend to argue in the chapter) and end with about two paragraphs forconclusion (what you have already argued in the chapter).

All chapters should contain sub-headings that divide the main argument of thechapter into smaller uni ts.

All book titles in your di ssertation come in i talics (e.g. Brave New World) and thearticle titles come within double quotations (e.g. The Literature of Exhaustion).Short story titles and poem titles should be placed in double quotation marks anddrama titles come in italics. Long poems (e.g. The Waste Landor Paradise Lost) comein italics.

Your main chapters (analysis chapters) should have equal importance, focus,relevance and significance to your thesis sentence.

Start the first paragraph of each chapter from the middle of the page. The text in a thesis should be printed in justified manner.

Word Processing Do not save all your chapters in one computer file. Create separate files for each

chapter. Always keep an updated copy of your files both on the hard disc of the computer

and on a floppy disc or CD as well.

The Order of Sections in a Thesis1. Cover

See Sample Sheet 12. Title-Page

See Sample Sheet 13. In the Name of God4. Dedication5. Acknowledgments6. Abstract7. Table of Contents

See Sample Sheet 48. IntroductionSee Sample Sheet 5

9. Main Chapters10. Conclusion11. Appendices (pictures, literary texts, interviews, etc.) (if appli cable)12. Bibliography

See Sample Sheet 613. Thesis Information Sheet and Abstract (Persian)

See Sample Sheet 714. Title-Page (Persian)

See Sample Sheet 215. Cover (Persian)

See Sample Sheet 2


22/27

Sample Sheet 1

In the Name of God

Shahid Beheshti UniversityFaculty of Letters and Humanities

Department of English

A ThesisSubmitted in the Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of M.A. in English Literature

Title.

..

By:

Thesis Supervisor: .Thesis Reader : ...

Tehran, IranMonth Year


23/27

Sample Sheet 2

..

: .................................

: .................................

: ...............


24/27

Sample Sheet 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract 1

Acknowledgements 2

Chapter OneIntroduction 3

1.1 General Background 41.2 The Argument 81.3 Literature Review

111.4 Thesis Outline 151.5 Approachand Methodology 171.6 Definition of Terms 19

Chapter TwoThe Crisis of Representation 22

2.1 The Redefinition of Representation 242.2 Spatialization of Time in Modernism 32

2.3 The Tension of Time/Space Domin ation in Postmoderni sm 40

Chapter ThreeSpace in Postmodern Narrative 48

3.1 Labyrinthine Spaces 493.2 Simulated Spaces 543.3 Dislocated Spaces 61

Chapter FourTime in Postmodern Narrative 66

4.1 The Representation of History 68

4.2 Phenomenological Time 76

Chapter FiveConclusion 84

5.1 Summing Up 855.2 Findings and Implications 915.3 Suggestions for Further Research 95

Bibliography 98


25/27

Sample Sheet 4

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

The central value system, to whichcapitalism has always appealed to validateand gauge its actions, is dematerialized andshifting, time horizons are collapsing, andit is hard to tell exactly what space we are inwhen it comes to assessing causes andeffects, meanings or values. (Harvey 235)

Space and time as two fundamental dimensions of an individuals experience have been

of great significance throughout the ages. They are indeed central to our every day

conceptions of ourselves and of reality. Since space and time deal with the integral

aspects of art and literature, such as representation, perception, experience, and history,

they are particularly central to the understanding of the literary atmosphere of the

twentieth century. This chapter, by concentrating on the distinguishing line between

modernism and postmodernism, examines the representational strategies with regard to

space and time in postmodern narrative.

Philosophical and Scientific Background

Since the nature of space and time was under scrutiny from the very early years of


26/27

Sample Sheet 5

conclude that, for Ortega y Gasset, metaphors are used in art not because they are

going to represent reality in a more effective way. Instead, they take the place of reality

and objectify art. In other words, man in a world surrounded by fear,

incomprehensibility and chaos replaces reality with metaphor (Gasset 34).

Spatialization

Kant was perhaps the first philosopher who declared that representation is

spatialization. For him, in order to represent time we have to spatialize it. In his

Critique of Pure Reason, Kant writes: Time has to do neither with shape nor position,

but with the relation of representations to our inner state. Then, he adds that for the

very same reason that time is interior and shapeless, we cannot represent it without

spatial analogies (123).

Heidegger took a further step and declared that the very process of

representation is metaphorizing or spatializing the temporal existence of things

(Dasein). William Spanos, based on Heideggers ideas, believes that representation

domesticates temporality (Spanos 45). He writes:

The reification and domestication of temporal existence since Descartes, according to

Heidegger, take the form of representation (Vorstellun g): the placing of the Ob-jectumbefore

or in front of the subject. In thus object-ifying the Seinenden (the existents or things-as-

such), in thus replacing them in front of the subjects eyes as objective presence whose

relationship to the subject is determined in advance by the subject, the strategy of re-

presentation transforms time into picture, immobilizes be-ing and renders its differential

and emergent force safe and utterly manageable. (Spanos 46)

Therefore, the spatial ized world of modernism deceptively helps us to find our way

through the indeterminacy of temporality. It patterns temporality into a familiar shape.


27/27

Sample Sheet 6BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barth, John. The Literature of Exhaustion. The Nov el Today. Ed. Malcolm Bradbury.London: Fontana Press, 1990: 71-86.

Barthes, Roland. The Semiotic Challenge. Trans. Richard Howard. Oxford: BasilBlackwell , 1988.

Bassnett, Susan. Translation Studies, Revised Edition. London & New York:Routledge, 1991.

Beja, Morris. Film and Literature: An Introduction. London: Longman, 1979.

Bloom, Harold et al. Deconstruction and Criticism. London and Henley: Routledge &Kegan Paul, 1979.

Borges, Jorge Luis. Labyrinths. Eds. Donald A. Yates and James E. Irby. New York: NewDirections, 1964.

Boundas, Constantin V. and Dorothea Olkowski, eds., Gilles Deleuze an d the Theaterof Philosophy. New York & London: Routledge, 1994.

Breslin, James E. B. From Modern to Contemporar y: Ameri can Poetry 1945-1965. Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 1984.

Buttgieg, Joseph A. Worringer among the Modernists. The Question of Textuality.Eds.William V. Spanos, Paul A. Bove, and Daniel OHara. Bloomington: IndianaUniversity Press, 1982: 359-365.

Foucault, Michel. Questions on Geography. Power / Know ledge: Selected In terv iew s andOther Writings 1972-1977. Sussex: The Harvester Press, 1980: 63-77.

Foucault, Michel. Space, Knowledge, and Power. The Foucault Reader. Ed. PaulRabinow. London: Penguin Books, 1984: 239-256.

Heffernan, James A. W. Space and Time in Literature and the Visual Arts. Soundings70, 1-2 (Spring-Summer 1987): 95-119.

Kaufmann, David. Adorno and the Name of God. Flashpint: A MultidisciplinaryJourn al in the Arts and Poli tics1 (Summer 1997). 2 Dec. 1998

Masuzawa, Tomoko. The Haunted House of Meaning: Tradition, or theManagement of the Sacred Past in Durkheim, Habermas, Benjamin. Diss.University of California. 1985.
http://webdelsol.com/FLASHPOINT/adornohttp://webdelsol.com/FLASHPOINT/adorno

sbu m.a. thesis style book feb 2013

Documents