Guidelines For Grading

The following guidelines are used in assessing theses and indeed give a fair indication of the kind of qualities examiners are looking for in all postgraduate research work.  As a guiding principle, the candidate should aim to produce a piece of original historical work.  As a minimum requirement these projects should draw on extensive research, clearly illustrate their relationship to existing historiography and offer an interpretation of the historical or historiographic problem than demonstrates critical judgment. In short, the project should conform –at a minimum – to the conventions of historical and/or historiographic research and knowledge within the discipline of modern history. The project will be assessed according to the following guidelines

A High Distinction must be tightly controlled, consistently argued and well written; consider a range of sources and evidence and handle them well; engage in analysis rather than mere description (this does not preclude narrative); relate issues to their wider historical context; be ambitious and enterprising with respect to the problems tackled (this does not mean that the topic must be large with respect to e.g. the period covered: “big” issues can be raised no matter how narrow the scope of the thesis in this sense); be familiar with, and demonstrate critical appraisal of, important historical scholarship specifically related to the topic in hand, and attempt to go beyond it; be methodologically aware and demonstrate an awareness of basic assumptions; be intellectually alive and demonstrate a capacity for independent thinking. Projects in the upper range of this will have met with some success in seeking to go beyond the relevant scholarship and made an independent and valuable contribution to historical knowledge.

A Distinction must demonstrate the same qualities as an HD, but may be less successful in some elements (e.g. some inconsistencies in the argument, less sophisticated methodologically). Thesis in the lower end of this band may not quite have “pulled the project together.”

A Credit will offer a coherent piece of historical scholarship but nonetheless will have some significant problems.  This is not a case of less successful elements but that specific elements of an HD are missing altogether.  Perhaps there little if any engagement with existing historical research, or, perhaps the thesis does not engage with clearly relevant contextual material. Theses in the lower end of this range are entirely derivative and perhaps do no acknowledge this.

A Pass has worked hard and shows potential but has not got far at all.  At a bare minimum the piece is coherent, conforms to the conventions of the discipline and makes a clear interpretative claim. A pass thesis will draw on solid research and acknowledge these intellectual debts.

Style Guide for Thesis

The thesis should by typed in double spacing on one side of A4 paper. All footnotes or endnotes should be typed in single spacing and numbering should begin again with each chapter or segment. All margins should be at least 2cm. Theses can be spiral bound or secured in a springback folder with hard covers. Any accompanying media should be clearly labelled with the student’s name, number and thesis title. Two copies of the thesis and any accompanying must be submitted; the Faculty will retain one of these copies and the other will be returned to the author. It is recommended that students give their supervisors a third copy for them to keep. 

The thesis should begin with a title page, which should contain the full title of the thesis, the name of the author, and the year and the degree for which the thesis is being submitted as part requirement. After this you should add a preface setting out any acknowledgements you wish to make and declaring that the thesis is all your own work and has not previously been submitted for assessment at a tertiary institution. Please sign under this statement. This should be followed, on a separate page, by a table of contents giving the title of each chapter, the title of each subdivision in each chapter (if these are used), and any appendices included, together with the relevant page numbers. The text itself should begin with an introduction or introductory chapter that sets out the aims, the historiographical context for the study, plan of procedure and so on. The thesis should also include a conclusion. A bibliography at the end of the thesis should contain a list of all the sources referred to and used in the writing of the thesis. Separate lists for primary and secondary sources may be included in the bibliography where appropriate. Images may be embedded in the text or presented in an appendix. Be sure to note the source of all images. If you include images or tables, you should have a separate table of contents for them that follows your textual table of contents.

All references are to be made in accordance with the guidelines set out in ‘Writing Essays in History‟, which is available on the Modern History website. Exceptions may be made if a supervisor and convenor believe that the material demands another format (ie. extended discussion of non-print media). Footnotes should be as brief and concise as complete accuracy will allow. Long discursive or explanatory footnotes should be avoided or, if indispensable, should be converted into appendices. Appendices do not need to be included in the word-length of the thesis, but should be kept to reasonable lengths.

Submission Students must submit two (2) copies of the thesis to the Arts Student Centre (via the appropriate assignment box) on Level 1, W6A. You must print and attach a completed coversheet to all submitted work. A personalised assignment coversheet is generated from the student section of the Faculty of Arts website at: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/admin_central/coversheet.  Please provide your student details and click the Get my assignment coversheet button to generate your personalised assignment cover sheet. No other coversheets will be provided by the Faculty. Examination Theses will be examined by two members of staff (not the supervisor).  Students can expect a set of two thesis reports.  Examiners will not, however, annotate the thesis (in the manner of a research essay).

Supervision 

Supervision arrangements should be developed in consultation with your supervisor.  A standard supervision arrangement would include fortnightly contact (in person, email or over the phone) once a fortnight during semester time until the project is submitted.

A candidate can expect a supervisor to:

• Assist in the choice of research project by suggesting topics and advising on the availability of source materials, on the student’s aptitude for the project, etc.
• Assist in the planning of the research by offering advice on such matters as methodology and theoretical framework, the order in which the various areas of the research should be tackled, and when to start producing a rough draft. 
• Discuss the overall structure and argument of the thesis with the candidate and offer general advice on that basis.
• Exert themselves to develop and maintain an effective working relationship with the candidate. Where such a relationship does not exist, or breaks down, they should discuss the matter with the Convener. 
• Read at least one full draft of the thesis and provide feedback for approval.

A supervisor can expect a candidate to:

• Take primary responsibility for driving the development and completion of the project.
• Keep in regular contact to update their progress.
• Exert themselves to develop and maintain an effective working relationship with the supervisor. Where such a relationship does not exist, or breaks down, they should discuss the matter with the Convener. 
• Provide detailed plans of the research for feedback and guidance.
• Take seriously the critiques of the supervisor but also take responsibility for the authorship of the final submission.
• Submit drafts in a timely manner and according to a reasonable timeline set by the supervisor.