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Basic Guidelines

( also see http://www.englishdepartment.linguaculture.ro/studentinfo/78-pages/77-


diplomapapers and https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ )

Topics
American Literature (e.g. Poe, Twain, Hawthorne..)
American Culture and Civilization
British Literature (e.g. Shakespeare, Milton, Wilde, Bronte)
British Culture and Civilization
Cognitive Science
Length of Thesis
Aim for 60 pages.
Typing
The thesis should be typed on A4 paper with 1.15/1.5 line spacing, using Times New
Roman font and font size of 12 points. The contents in the References (bibliography)
section of thesis may be typed with single spacing, Times New Roman font, size 10.
Paper margins should be 2 cm top, bottom and right, 2.5-3 cm left.
Numbering
Arabic numerals should normally be used for numbering all sequences within a thesis. I
suggest 2 levels of headings, with chapter headings being at level 1 and numbered
sequentially as 1, 2, 3 etc.
Level 2 headings (subheadings) should be numbered as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc.
Citation and Bibliography
See MLA guide and links above
Setup and Outline

It is reasonable to structure the thesis as follows:


-Introduction (importance of the treated question, definition and delimitation of the topic,
summary of central findings, overview of the thesis)
-Main part (content-related treatment of the topic) with further subdivisions
-Summary / Conclusion (work at a glance, central issues and findings, conclusion and
outlook)
Contents
The contents shall follow the following structure
Title page
Table of contents
Text of the paper
References / Bibliography
Appendix (if needed)
Table of Contents
The Contents page lists all the major headings and sub-heading and the page numbers on
which each starts.
Introduction
The Introduction should preferably not exceed 10-15% of the whole thesis. It must form
a bridge from past to the present work in a stimulating manner within a few paragraphs.
The bridge, moreover, should have the shape of an inverted pyramid: In other words, a
good introduction starts with a broad base and ends with a specific point. It first
considers the importance of the major area being investigated, primarily to provide the
reader with a frame of reference from which to consider your work. Then, within the
chosen area, it identifies a gap in our knowledge, or a precise question, or a particular
controversy. Finally, it pinpoints the intended value of the present research. New
approaches and assumptions on which the work is based should also be identified at this
point.
Conclusion
The thesis should end with a conclusive section, which contains all the conclusions from
the thesis.. The conclusion should not present new questions or discuss problems which
have not been part of the analysis.
Hints
The following are some specific hints to help you write your paper:
-Avoid slang
-Use synonyms frequently to avoid sounding repetitious. For example, research can be
replaced with study, investigation or work.
-Use short common words in preference to long uncommon words.
-Use the present tense when discussing general facts or concepts, but the past tense for
specific results.
-
-Consult a dictionary, thesaurus and manual of English usage frequently.
-Use concrete examples to illustrate abstract ideas

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