Moravian College Honors Program | Guidelines on the Honors Thesis

Guidelines on the Honors Thesis

I. Preparation of the Honors Thesis

The preparation of the Honors thesis should follow a series of well-defined steps, beginning with choice of topic and ending with the completion of the final copy. A student should consult with his/her project advisor at each step.

Preliminary Stage. The writing of any paper begins with the choice of a topic, followed by focusing the topic to a manageable subject. Then a student writes a statement of purpose, which in some cases will be a hypothesis; this statement of purpose will serve as the basis for research and will lead to a statement of thesis. The next step is gathering material through research or experimentation. Students are urged to put all bibliographical material in final form from the outset to avoid a tedious last-minute job. File cards or some other practical system are recommended. During the preliminary stage, the student is also organizing the paper by putting findings into writing for the first time, thereby enabling decisions to be made about arrangement,viewpoint, support of ideas, and tone.

Organization for First Draft. After the preliminary stage is completed, a student should organize material for its most effective presentation. Any material not relevant to the precise topic and thesis should be eliminated. Next, the material must be arranged by the units in the order in which they are to appear. Now is the time to prepare an outline, which should appear under a final statement of thesis. A good thesis contains not only an exact statement of topic but also key phrases to the main subdivisions of the paper so that a reader knows exactly what to expect.

First Draft. From the outline a student writes the first draft. The introduction should end with the statement of thesis, and the beginning of each division should contain the key phrase as signals to the reader. Transitions, of course, are necessary for smooth movement and coherence. The first draft should be checked by the advisor and should be carefully revised by the student.

Final Draft. From the approved and corrected first draft,the student writes a final version. Because this paper represents the culmination of much effort and stands as evidence of the ability for written communication, every attempt should be made to ensure that the work contains no errors in grammar and punctuation, typing, or format.

II. Format of the Honors Thesis

  1. While it is not required, the Honors Committee urges students to write their Honors papers using a word processor. This will facilitate revisions of drafts and any changes in the final paper requested after the Final Oral Examination. Please keep in mind that the final copies of the Honors thesis must be printed on a laser or letter-quality printer.
  2. Acceptable paper is no less than 20# bond white paper, size 8.5 x 11, except maps and charts, which must be foldable for binding purposes. All paper must be acid free
  3. To facilitate binding, all papers should have a margin of no less than 2 inches at the left. Other margins: 1.5 inches at top and bottom, and 1 inch at the right.
  4. A photocopy of the Honors thesis is acceptable for binding and deposit in the library provided that the photocopy meets quality standards expected in the original.
  5. Remember that typographical errors are errors. If such errors are noted by the Examination Panel, they must be corrected before the final copy is submitted for binding.
  6. A title page with the thesis title, your name, your Advisor's name and your Liaison's name should be included, followed by a page that contains a 75-100 word abstract.
  7. Unless the style manual of the discipline specifies otherwise, all papers should be double spaced.

III. Style of the Honors Thesis

A list has been compiled with names of manuals approved by the various departments. Please see the list of approved material for the department in which you are doing your work. Check with your Advisor and the Department Chair to determine which former Honors paper follows the style that is most appropriate for you to follow.

List of Style Manuals

Art

Biology

Chemistry

Computer Science

Economics and Business

Education

English

Foreign Languages

History

Mathematics

Music

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Psychology

Religion

Sociology

NOTE: For problems of grammar and punctuation the English Department suggests you consult The Bedford Handbook, copies of which are available in the Writing Center for reference. Copies may also be purchased at the Moravian College Bookstore.