There are two types of dissertation module. HST399 is a two-module (40 credit) piece of written work, involving substantial research, under the guidance of a supervisor, and normally making use of primary source material. The word-limit is 10,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding the bibliography and any appendices. HST398 is timetabled as a single module (20 credit), taken in semester 2, as a dissertation module available to dual honours students. It involves a project of substantial research, normally making use of primary source material, and completed under the guidance of a designated supervisor. The word-limit for HST398 is 7,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding bibliography and any appendices. Penalties will apply where the word limits are exceeded.
Dissertations which are 5-15% over the word length will be penalised by a deduction of 5% of the mark awarded; pieces more than 15% over the word length will be penalised by a deduction of 10% of the mark awarded. Students should declare the word length on all pieces of coursework.
Candidates should also note that dissertations which are very substantially below the recommended word lengths may be judged by the markers as failing to represent a satisfactory completion of the module.
Supervisors may read and comment on either a draft of one section of the dissertation (up to 2,000 words), or a detailed plan. In their feedback, they can give advice on the general approach, presentation and argument, but they will not engage in detailed commentary or proof-reading, or give any suggestion of a mark for the work submitted at that stage. The normal expectation is that supervisors will read and comment on drafts given to them at least three weeks before the Easter vacation. They may agree to comment on work given to them at a later stage, but there should be no expectation that they do so.
Two copies are required, one of which will be retained by the Department of History and the other returned to the student on Graduation Day.
They should be typed with double spacing and can be printed either single or double sided on the paper. A wide margin (1") should be allowed on the left side of each page and quotations of more than three lines should begin on a new line, indented 1" from the main text.
The pages should be numbered and bound. The Department prefers the comb-binding or book-binding methods although spiral-binding is also acceptable. The most important thing being that the reader should be able to turn the pages easily and without detaching them. (The University Printing Resources Department (located behind the Western Bank Library) offers a relatively cheap binding service, though you can have your work bound elsewhere). Dissertations may be submitted with pages printed double-sided if you wish, but make sure that the print from the back of the page does not show through, making it difficult to read the text.
The title of the dissertation and the anonymous marking number (to be found on the uCard) should be placed clearly on the cover and on the first page. The title page should also state, near the foot, 'A dissertation, presented as part requirement for the degree of BA in (your degree programme), University of Sheffield, 2011-2012'. The name of your supervisor and an exact word count should also be stated on the title page. Your name should not appear anywhere on the dissertation or title page.
If the dissertation is divided into sections, a table of contents should be placed at the beginning. Lists of tables, illustrations and maps, appendices and abbreviations should also be placed at the beginning. The tables, illustrations and maps themselves should be placed in the text wherever they are most tellingly convenient for the reader. Appendices go at the end.
Avoid abbreviations in the body of the dissertation: words such as "and" and "century" should be written in full. Abbreviations may be used in the footnotes, e.g., for frequent references, provided they are explained in a list of abbreviations at the beginning of the dissertation.
Quotations should be acknowledged by the use of single inverted commas (double ones for quotations within a quotation), and their source indicated in footnotes.
The source of a piece of information given in the body of the dissertation may be given in a footnote, if it seems to require support, though not if it is a fact which can be taken to be common knowledge among historians. The dissertation should not, however, be overloaded with such references. Footnotes are preferable to end-notes (notes placed at the end of a chapter or at the end of the dissertation), though the latter are permissible.
The source of a quotation or of the authority of a statement, whether in a footnote or elsewhere, should be given as briefly yet as adequately as possible. The immediate source of the quotation or statement should always be provided, even if this merely cites some other authority or quotations from another work, together with the page number and the date of the edition used. Footnoting should be consistent: the test of its success is that the reader should be able to follow up the references with ease.
Footnotes should normally be used only for giving references for statements or quotations in the body of the dissertation, not for elaborating or expounding points made there.
All works (including articles) consulted in writing the dissertation, whether or not they are cited in it, should be listed in a bibliography at the end. The date and, if other than London, the place of publication should always be given. Examples of appropriate forms of citation are given in the Coursework Style Guide.
Works with long titles may be referred to in the footnotes by a shortened title, provided the full title is given in the bibliography. If works such as periodicals are frequently referred to, an abbreviation may be used (e.g. E.H.R. for English Historical Review) and a list of these abbreviations should be placed at the beginning. Again the aims are clarity and consistency.
A bibliography has at least two aims: one is to demonstrate the sources used for the study in hand; the other is to assist the reader in further investigation. A bibliography should, therefore, be arranged as fully, as clearly, and as helpfully as possible, with each section in alphabetical order. Most bibliographies are sub-divided: e.g.
(i) Unpublished primary sources.
(ii) Printed primary sources.
(iii) Secondary sources: books.
(iv) Secondary source: articles.
(v) Unpublished research work (dissertations etc.).
Plagiarism is the unattributed copying of another person's work, and its presentation as your own. Its consequence may well be failure. You must download and fill in a plagiarism form (available from the right hand side of this page) stating that it is your own original and unaided work. You must bring this with you when you hand in your dissertation.
You are also required to submit the electronic version of your dissertation to the plagiarism detection system 'Turnitin'. This must be submitted before the deadline i.e. before 12 noon on the date of your deadline.
