Thesis Preparation Guidelines

The thesis should contribute to knowledge within its field, and should demonstrate to examiners that you have met the requirements for the degree. The requirements of research degrees offered by AC follow the specifications of the Australian Qualifications Framework and are as follows:

Research Doctorate degree: A doctoral degree qualifies individuals who apply a substantial body of knowledge to research, investigate and develop new knowledge, in one or more fields of investigation, scholarship or professional practice.

Research Masters degree: A Research Masters degree qualifies individuals who apply an advanced body of knowledge in a range of contexts for research and scholarship and as a pathway for further learning.

All HDR theses are expected to show evidence of:

• a clearly formulated research question;
• critical knowledge of the relevant literature;
• originality of the research data and/or analysis of the data;
• coherence of argument, both within the thesis as a whole and within each chapter; and
• technical and conceptual competence in analysis and presentation.

Each examiner will write a report explaining how the thesis contributes to knowledge in its field, and outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the thesis. Examination reports will differ depending on the topic and the field of research. The following criteria are listed only as a rough guide:

Research design and rationale

• Does the thesis clearly articulate a research question?
• Does it clearly explain how this question will be answered?
• Are all keywords and key concepts clearly explained?

Use of relevant literature

• Does the thesis demonstrate a suitable level of mastery over the existing secondary literature?
• Does the thesis define its contribution in relation to the relevant body of literature?
• Has previous scholarly analysis, criticism, and research relevant to this topic been identified and considered?
• Is scholarly literature handled competently, with meticulous referencing?

Methodology

• Does the thesis have a well defined, clearly bounded research methodology?
• Does the thesis justify this choice of methodology?
• Is this methodology convincingly presented as a suitable way to answer the research question?
• Does the thesis give evidence that all relevant theoretical/methodological concepts have been understood?
• Does the thesis use theoretical/methodological concepts in an informed, precise, and confident way?
• Has the research (where relevant) been conducted ethically, and have all ethical implications been handled appropriately?

Quality of the argument

• Does the thesis develop a coherent, logical, and linear argument?
• Does the thesis have a suitable introduction and conclusion?
• Does the argument answer the research question, using the chosen research methods?
• Does the thesis end with a well formulated concluding statement about the major findings of the project?

General presentation

• Is the thesis well written, with accurate grammar and word-choice, and with minimal errors?
• Is the thesis appropriately and consistently formatted?
• Is the author's own voice and own point of view clear throughout? Is there an excessive reliance on quotation, paraphrase, or secondary viewpoints?
• Does the thesis include, as appendices, all necessary supplementary documentation referred to in the main text (e.g. survey results, transcripts of interviews, etc.)?

The final version of the thesis should be prepared in MS Word (or exported to a Word document). The thesis presentation should be both clear and attractive to the reader.

Theses are submitted electronically in both Word and PDF files. The layout should have:

• Times New Roman, 12 point font (footnotes may be 10 or 11-point font)
• The equivalent of paper sizing A4 (297 mm x 210 mm)
• Line spacing of 1.5
• Line breaks between all headings to make the document easy to navigate
• Generous white space (e.g. 5 or 6 line-breaks) under chapter titles to make the document easy to navigate
• Footnotes, if used, should be placed at the foot of the page to which they refer and not be carried over to another page if possible
• Margins of no less than 25 mm
• Diagrams, maps, photographs, etc. are to be interleaved in the text, included in the page sequence and numbered accordingly.

Where absolutely essential, digital media can also be included in the thesis. You should consult with the AC Library Director to ensure that such information is provided in a format that will be easily accessible to examiners, and suitable for long-term electronic storage in the AC Library catalogue.

You should be within 10% of the maximum number of words specified below, except where otherwise approved by the Graduate Research School:

• MPhil – 30 000 words
• DMin – 50 000 words
• PhD – 80 000 words

The limits set above are exclusive of appendices and bibliography. Footnotes and references are included in the word count. Note that examiners are under no obligation to read appendices. Appendices should be used sparingly, not to add substantive content, but only to provide relevant documentation as needed (e.g. research instruments, ethics approval, etc).

It is recommended that you discuss the length, composition and format of the thesis with your principal supervisor at an early stage of candidature and that you take the time to review the relevant course rules and requirements for the preparation and presentation. Most theses are traditional single “narratives”, though some candidates prepare their thesis by publication.

The thesis must be written in either English or Korean.

All quotations, conclusions, findings, important ideas or concepts reached by others (or published previously by you) that are used or referred to in the thesis must be fully acknowledged. You are required to use Turn-It-In before submitting the thesis for examination.

You must declare that they have stated clearly and fully in the thesis the extent of any collaboration with others and that to the best of their knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published (including grey literature and online blogs, etc.) by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made by including a Statement of Contribution of Others.

The contents of a thesis usually includes the following, although disciplinary norms and customs should also be taken into account when determining the contents and order of a thesis:

• Title page
• Acknowledgements
• Statement of the contribution of others
• Abstract
• Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures and list of plates
• Introduction
• Body of the Thesis
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Appendices

The page numbering for items Acknowledgements to Table of Contents is typically in Roman numerals (i.e. i, ii, ii, iv, etc.), with Arabic numerals (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) commencing at the start with the of the Introduction. Page numbering should not appear on the title page of the thesis.

Prior theses from the same discipline should be consulted to provide examples of the order and formatting of a thesis.

The title page should use the AC Thesis Cover Page template.

The acknowledgements are typically no longer than one page and are usually left to the your discretion as to whom to include, although it is wise to have the text checked by another person. Acknowledgements will often include thanks for the formal and informal contribution of others in the conduct of the research and production of the thesis, such as the supervisors, peers and mentors. Acknowledgement of personal support provided by family and friends is often also included. Support from a funding body as well as any other support the you have received, e.g. a professional association or charity, may also be mentioned.

If any or all of the thesis was part of a collaborative research project, the contributions by others should be acknowledged. Research may be jointly published, may be carried out in collaborative teams, and may be done with the technical, theoretical, statistical, editorial, or physical assistance of others.

In such cases, it is imperative that you acknowledge the work of others appropriately. A statement precisely outlining the contributions of others to the intellectual, physical, and written work must be set out at the beginning of the thesis. When the thesis contains work that is also part of jointly published papers, the contribution of yourself and of others must be clearly stated at the beginning of the chapter and the publication details clearly cited as described below.

The statement of the contribution of others at the beginning of the thesis should include (as appropriate):

• Tuition fee support including acknowledgement of fee sponsorships, waivers, and fee scholarship or subsidy
• Conference travel funding or other financial support
• Supervision
• Other collaborations
• Statistical support
• Editorial assistance
• Research assistance
• Any other assistance
• Use of infrastructure external to AC

The thesis should be prefaced by an abstract of 300–500 words, which:

• states the objectives and scope of the research;
• describes the methodology used;
• summarises the results; and
• states the main conclusions.

The abstract should not contain references, and should be as concise and clear as possible.

The Table of Contents (ToC) and Lists of Tables, Figures and Plates should reflect the page numbers of section titles, tables, figures and plates, respectively. The depth of the ToC should not be more than three levels. That is, the chapters and main sections therein only should be listed. For example:

CHAPTER ONE - first level

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF THE TOPIC - second level

1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

1.2.1 Literature on Ministers’ Occupational Demands - third level

1.2.2 Literature on Ministers’ Families … etc

Introduction

The first chapter of the thesis should be a concise description of the purpose of the thesis, the scholarly context of the research and an explanation of the structure of the thesis, including a clear summary of each chapter.

Chapters

The body of the thesis will normally be presented as a series of chapters that represent natural divisions or logical progressions of the research. It is strongly recommended that these chapters be prepared in a format that will facilitate publication as a book.

A typical chapter sequence for an empirical study is:

Chapter 1: Literature Review

Chapter 2: Methodology

Chapter 3: Results (presentation of the data)

Chapter 4: Discussion (analysis of the data)

Chapter 5: Conclusions

Fields such as biblical studies and theology tend to have a smaller methodology section early in the thesis (not necessarily a whole chapter), and a thematic sequence of chapters.

In each case, the chapter sequence should reflect the norms of the relevant field of study.

Conclusion

The thesis should conclude with a general discussion. This part of the thesis should:

• Provide an integrated statement on the outcomes of the research described in the thesis, how these match the objectives of the research outlined in the introduction and discussion and how these advance or change thinking in the discipline; and
• Identify, where appropriate, limitations and directions for future research.

The bibliography/references should conform to a recognised referencing system appropriate to the discipline. The chosen referencing system should be followed meticulously. The use of referencing software such as EndNote or Zotero is strongly recommended.

Candidates engaged in empirical research should append any instruments, letters, consent form, and the like which are used in the obtaining of data.

Supporting material that is not central to the thesis should also be presented as appendices. These might include a summary of primary data, code for computer programs developed as part of the research, etc.

Substantive written material (e.g. sections that had not been included in the chapters) should not be included in the appendices. Examiners will not be expected to read the appendices.

Careful proofreading of the text is essential to ensure that such errors have been corrected before the thesis is submitted. Before the thesis is submitted for examination, you should ensure that:

• All textual errors, including typographical and formatting errors, have been corrected;
• Spelling, grammar, punctuation and choice of language are of an appropriate standard; and
• The referencing is complete, consistent, and exact.

Attention to textual detail, is essential as mistakes are irritating to examiners and may divert them from the substance of the thesis.

If desired, and provided that the assistance is acknowledged in the thesis, you may engage the services of a professional editor to assist you in preparing the thesis. If a professional proof-reader or editor is used in preparing the final thesis, you must declare that you have read and complied with the Guidelines for the Editing of Research Theses by Professional Editors http://iped-editors.org/About_editing/Editing_theses.aspx

It is required by law that the AC Research Repository store all original data for at least 7 years. Data should be held for as long as readers of the thesis or publications might reasonably expect to be able to raise questions that require reference to it. Where it is impossible or impracticable to hold data, a written indication of the location of the data, or key information regarding its location (e.g. the way in which it was called up from a limited access database) must be kept in the College. Please consult with the Graduate Research School regarding how to supply the original data for storage in the AC Research Repository.