Recommended structure
- Title page
- Summary/abstract - max. length one page. (To appear at front or back of thesis.)
- Foreword/acknowledgements. Every master's thesis should have a foreword. This should include, among other things, the name of your supervisor. It is good scholarly etiquette to use the foreword to thank people who have contributed to the completion of your master's thesis.
- Table of contents
- Main text
- End notes (if relevant)
- List of sources and bibliography
- Appendices (if relevant)
The title page should include the following:
- Thesis title
- The UiO logo - the Apollo seal
- Student's full name
- Master's thesis in [course code + title]
- Programme/programme option
- No. of credits (30 or 60)
- Semester and year
- Department of Musicology (IMV), University of Oslo
Suggested length of thesis
60 credit thesis: 70-100 pages (approx. 2 300 characters per page, not including spaces.)
30 credit thesis: 35-50 pages (approx. 2 300 characters per page, not including spaces.)
NB! Refer to the course description for more precise information about permitted variations in the total number of pages.
References and appendices are not included in this total.
Font
Use the same font throughout your document. The font must be easily legible.
Recommended font: 12 point Times New Roman with 1.5 line spacing.
Margins
2.5 cm on each side.
Left alignment, do not justify-align the text.
Referencing system
You are free to decide whether to provide references in parentheses within the main text or as footnotes. Whichever system you choose, it is very important that you use it consistently.
All students should familiarise themselves with the university library's webpage on the correct use of citations and referencing of source materials.
Footnotes
Should appear at the bottom of the same page as the numeric reference in the text. This is more reader-friendly than putting all the footnotes either at the end of each chapter or at the end of the main text..
List of sources and bibliography
Should appear at the end of the thesis (but before any appendices).
The bibliography should only include texts that are referred to in the thesis.
See also UiO's Graphic Centre for further information about styles and layout.