Writing Resources

Senior Thesis Support

Beginning in May 2009, students may submit their completed Senior Honors Thesis to archives in digital form.  Go to the following web site for information on how to upload your manuscript into Digital Collections and Archives:  https://dca.lib.tufts.edu/submissions/

Submission Guidelines for Undergraduate Honors Theses
The following information is based on specifications made by Tufts University Office of Digital Collections and Archives

Margins
There should be a one-inch margin at the top and bottom and at the left and right sides of the page. The right margin should not be justified (aligned) unless it can be done without leaving large gaps between words.

Figures, Tables, and Appendices
If you will be referring to a visual image, table, chart, map, or graph, it is normally best to include it in the body of the text, as close as possible to that portion of the text where you discuss the figure.

An appendix (or appendices) is reserved for the complete texts of surveys, statistics, lists, graphs, and maps that are too long or too peripheral to be included in the thesis text itself. If you are not sure if something should be incorporated into the text as a table (or figure) or appended to the end of the document, talk to your advisor.

Pagination
Page numbers should be centered on the bottom of the page. "Every page of the paper, including blank pages, must be assigned a page number. Although counted in the pagination, the number should not appear on the title page or on other display pages such as the copyright, epigraph, or part titles." (Turabian, Section 14.6; see also Sections 14.7 - 14.9). Usually, the first page of the thesis itself begins with the Arabic numeral 1. Pages before this—such as title page, acknowledgements, and table of contents—are numbered with small Roman numerals, such as i, ii, ii, iv, etc. The title page is number i, but do not print any numeral on this page or on the acknowledgments page, if included. Subsequent pages, such as the table of contents, would be numbered ii or iii. The first page of your thesis text is number 1, but do not print any number on this page. The page numbers would appear on the second and subsequent pages of the thesis. The pages of the bibliography and any appendices should continue the Arabic numbering of the thesis text itself.

Title Page
The title should be centered on the horizontal measure of the area within the margins of a page of text. It should be one-third of the way down the vertical measure of the page and should be typed in capital and lower case letters with no end punctuation. If it takes more than one line, it should be double spaced and the second line should begin with a capital letter whether or not it otherwise would do so. Centered five lines below it should be the statement: An honors thesis (or project) for the Department of __________. On the next double-spaced line below should be centered the author's name (in the same form as in other official college records). On the last line of the typing area of the page should be centered: Tufts University, 2010.

Acknowledgments
Tufts archives discourages students from including an acknowledgements page in their Senior Honors Thesis except to acknowledge professional academic support from those outside the thesis committee (for example, special funding, access to special archives maintained by a scholarly organization, or feedback provided by an influential scholar).

Citations
You should use the style of citation recommended for your field—MLA style for English, literature, foreign languages, and the humanities; APA style for psychology and many social sciences; Chicago style for any field. Ask your advisor if you're not sure.

Instructions for citing references are contained in any of the standard style manuals:

• Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition (Z253 .U69 1993).
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition
• A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by K. Turabian

To cite electronic resources, e.g. Internet sites, consult Electronic Styles; a Handbook for Citing Electronic Information, second edition, by Xia Li and Nancy B. Crane

You may still submit your Honors Thesis manuscript to Archives as a bound, printed manuscript.  If you choose to do so, here are some guidelines for how the manuscript must be bound.

Binding
The thesis should be "velo bound" with a clear mylar cover on the front and a heavy stock paper on the back. The title page should show as the first page after the clear mylar cover.

Tips: Gnomon Copy Center on Boston Avenue in Medford does this kind of binding. Past seniors have found the service available at Gnomon Copy Center in Cambridge to be superb—you can submit your thesis to them in electronic form for super-fast service. See their website at www.gnomon-copy.com. Staples may also do it—check around for prices.

Remember: You will need one copy for Tisch archives and one copy for your department. Most seniors like to make several extra copies for themselves and their family.

"Non-Traditional" Projects
Some honors projects result in products other than the traditional printed text (e.g. videotape, CD, large format artwork, etc.). Please contact the University Archives for information about submitting these types of projects.

Questions?
Contact: Archives@tufts.edu or call 627-3737.
Tufts University Office of Digital Collections and Archives

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