School of Postgraduate Studies, RCSI
Thesis Presentation Guidelines
1
Background
A thesis must be well presented and must demonstrate the originality of the research, the candidate’s
knowledge of the field and evidence of critical judgement. The thesis must be written clearly,
concisely and must follow standard scientific arrangement.
Scientific misconduct, such as fraud or plagiarism, is completely unacceptable. A student who has
been found to have plagiarised all or part of their thesis will fail their higher degree.
The thesis represents a permanent record of work carried out to answer a scientific question and
should be written by the student who completed the work. The student may receive appropriate
editorial assistance usually from their supervisor(s) but the writing style should be that of the student.
A student may include in their thesis published or submitted manuscripts, papers or reports on which
s/he is author or co-author provided they have obtained appropriate copyright permission to do so.
The student is expected to have made a substantial contribution to any such manuscripts and where
s/he is a co-author, the student’s contribution should be indicated clearly.
The guidelines that follow are designed to ensure that the thesis is a complete, legible, well organised
scientific record of the work.
2
Directions on Format, Layout and Presentation
Each thesis should contain the following elements:
A title page (see below for details)
Student declaration see Appendix 1
IP declaration see Appendix 2
A table of contents immediately following the title page
The text must be
printed
reproduced on good quality A4 paper, with a left-hand margin of 4 cm
left aligned
a sans serif font is recommended
double or one-and-a-half spacing is recommended
page numbers located centrally at the bottom of each page
diagrams and tables should be properly located in relation to the text
copies must be bound and numbered consecutively
Tables
Table legends precede the table. Label your tables with titles and legends that are selfexplanatory. A reader should not have to refer to the text to understand what the table claims to
show. Provide sufficient experimental detail in the legend, which immediately follows the title.
Each column in a table must have a heading and, when necessary, abbreviations should be
defined in the legend.
Figures
Figure legends follow the figure. Label each figure with a number, a title and a legend; the title
and legend should be self-explanatory. A reader should not have to refer to the text to
understand what the figure claims to show. Label the abscissa and ordinate clearly with
appropriately sized type and give units of measurement. Mark the scales for plotting the data
with short index lines and note that you do not need to number every index line. Use standard
symbols found in MS Word and identify the symbols and curves in the legend rather than on the
figure.
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Bibliography the thesis will include a bibliography of the works consulted in its composition.
Binding: The copy of the bound thesis will be bound within boards. The binding will be of a fixed kind
in which leaves are permanently secured. The boards must have sufficient rigidity to support the
weight of the work when standing on a shelf.
3
Generic Recommendations for the Presentation of Theses
Introduction
These recommendations are made with a view to producing greater uniformity in the layout, form and
bibliographical presentation of theses. While unnecessary violations should be avoided, these
recommendations are not intended in any way to limit the freedom of relevant authorities to make special
regulations appropriate to their own needs. Those regulations preceded by an *asterisk are mandatory for
theses submitted to NUI.
Cover
*Binding: The thesis will be bound between boards. The binding will be of a fixed kind in which
leaves are permanently secured. The boards will have sufficient rigidity to support the weight of
the work when standing on a shelf.
*Cover title: The outside front board must bear the title of the work; it should be in at least 24 pt
[8 mm] type. The name and initials of the candidate, the qualification for which the work is
submitted and the year of submission must also be shown. If the cover material bears any
design, the design must be clear of any lettering.
*Spine title: The spine of the work will bear, in at least 24 pt [8 mm] type if practicable, the
surname and initials of the candidate, the qualification for which the work is submitted and the
year of submission. This information will normally be printed along the spine in such a way as to
be readable when the volume is lying flat with the front cover uppermost. If the work consists of
more than one volume, the spine will also bear the number of each volume.
Paper quality and typographical detail
*Method of production: Theses will be presented on good quality paper in a permanent and
legible form in typescript or print; copies presented as photocopies or comparably permanent
processes are acceptable.
*Paper size: A4 size paper which is EU standard should be used.
*Layout: Margins at the binding edge will be no less than 40 mm and other margins not less
than 20 mm. Double or one-and-a-half spacing is recommended in typescripts, except for
indented quotations and footnotes, where single spacing may be used.
Pagination
Page numbers: Pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the thesis, including
appendices, but excluding photographs and/or diagrams which are not embodied in the text.
Position of page numbers: Page numbers should be located centrally at the bottom of the
page.
Multi-volume theses: If there is more than one volume, each volume will carry its own
pagination.
Specification
Title page: The title page of every volume will give the following information in the order listed:
*The full title of the thesis and subtitle if any.
The total number of volumes, if more than one, and the number of the particular volume.
*The full name of the author followed, if desired, by any qualifications and distinctions.
*The registered College/University address.
*The College of which the author is a member.
*The name of the Institution to which the thesis is submitted and the Faculty in which it is
presented.
*The qualification for which the thesis is submitted.
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*The month and year of submission. Note that in some cases the time that elapses between
a thesis being submitted and passed by the examiners may span more than one calendar
year. In such cases, the hard bound copy of the thesis should contain the year in which the
examiners approved the final version of the thesis.
The Department, Faculty and the College/University in which the research was registered.
The name of the Supervisor(s) and, where appropriate, co-supervisors.
Title: The title must describe the content of the thesis accurately and concisely.
Table of contents: The table of contents will immediately follow the title page.
Summary: There will be a summary of the thesis (of approximately 300 words) and a
bibliography of the works consulted in its composition.
*Finality: All works submitted must be in final form, i.e. supplemental work will not be considered
by the Examiners.
Permission to consult: The following rules are recommended for the consultation of theses in
the Libraries of RCSI and NUI:
Consultation is allowed only by written permission of the Head of Department.
For the first three years after the thesis has been deposited in the Library, the author’s
written permission is also required. In cases where the author of the thesis has indicated
that his/her work may be consulted immediately, this will be permitted subject to the
permission of the Head of Department.
Loans may be made only to another College/University Library.
*Copies: Three soft-bound copies of each work will be required as a general rule for
examination. These copies will be lodged with the School of Postgraduate Studies, RCSI.
Candidates must ascertain in advance from the School of Postgraduate Studies whether more
or fewer than the specified number of copies are required. Following examination, one hard
bound copy incorporating any changes required by the examiners must be submitted.
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Appendix 1: Candidate Thesis Declaration
The candidate thesis declaration below should be inserted as a separate page after the title page in
all copies of the thesis including the soft bound copies that are submitted for examination and the
hard bound copy.
I declare that this thesis, which I submit to RCSI for examination in consideration of the award of a
higher degree <insert name of degree> is my own personal effort. Where any of the content
presented is the result of input or data from a related collaborative research programme this is duly
acknowledged in the text such that it is possible to ascertain how much of the work is my own. I
have not already obtained a degree in RCSI or elsewhere on the basis of this work. Furthermore, I
took reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and, to the best of my knowledge, does not
breach copyright law, and has not been taken from other sources except where such work has
been cited and acknowledged within the text.
Signed _____________________________________________________
RCSI Student Number _________________________________________
Date _______________________________________________________
Appendix 2: IP Declaration
The IP declaration below should be inserted as a footer in the soft bound copies of the thesis
submitted for examination.
The contents of the enclosed manuscript are confidential and should not be disclosed, or
disseminated in any way, to any third party other than to staff or students of the Royal College of
Surgeons in Ireland or an external examiner appointed for the purpose of reviewing the manuscript.
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