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Preliminaries to a thesis

The following preliminaries to the thesis should be presented in the order listed:

1. Title page with the following information

  • the full title of the thesis and the sub-title if any
  • the full name of the author and full details of degree
  • the department and name of the university (e.g. Dept of Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury)
  • the degree for which the thesis is submitted (e.g. Masters of Arts in History or Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy)
  • the year of submission

2. Table of Contents

3. Acknowledgements

  • the author should acknowledge any assistance received

4. Abstract

  • Every thesis submitted should include an abstract. This should be a succinct summary of the thesis and should not exceed 300 words. It should be placed after the contents pages and before the main body of the text. The summary shall provide a synopsis of the thesis and shall state clearly the nature and scope of the work undertaken and of the contribution made to the knowledge of the subject treated. These should be a brief statement of the method of investigation where appropriate, and an outline of the major divisions or principal arguments of the work and a summary of any conclusions reached.

5. Abbreviations/Glossary

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