Language and Style

Writing Guidelines

For Master Programme Students

Kyiv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Language and Style …………………………………………… 3

2. Text Organisation ……………………………………………… 4

3. Basic Directions for Laying out the Text ………………….. 4

4. Formatting and Content Guidelines for Specific Sections . 5

4a. Title Page …………………………………………………… 5

4b. List of Abbreviations ……………………………………… 7

4c. Table of Contents ………………………………………….. 7

4d. Résumé ……………………………………………………… 7

4e. Appendices ………………………………………………….. 8

5. Pagination ……………………………………………………….. 8

6. Integrating Lists …………………………………………………8

7. Integrating Diagrams and Tables …………………………... 10

8. Integrating Sources into the Text …………………………… 11

9. Integrating Linguistic Data ……...……………………………13

10. Punctuation and Abbreviations ……………………………..15

11. Paraphrasing and Summarising …………………………... 16

12. References ………………………………………………………16

13. Sample Pages …………………………………………………. 19

13a. Sample Title Page in English ………………………...…20

13b. Sample Title Page in Ukrainian ………………………..21

13c. Sample Table of Contents Page ……………………….. 22

These guidelines are meant for the students of the Germanic Philology Department at Kyiv National Linguistic University majoring in English. They define the most important issues to be considered while writing a master’s thesis and offer possible ways of handling the formal aspects of other scholarly student papers and practical assignments.

Language and Style

§ Write your thesis in English. Present the methodology, significance and results of the research in a scholarly, well-integrated and properly documented manner.

§ Use academic vocabulary and formal style.

§ Be consistent with the key terminology and do not vary the terms used to avoid ambiguity.

§ Avoid heavy, long-winded style of writing, colloquial expressions (e.g., lots of, kind of, sort of, pretty enough), contracted forms (e.g., it’s, don’t, he’s, aren’t), emotional and subjective language (e.g., the theme is fascinating; I was overwhelmed by the findings), personal pronouns (e.g., I / me, you, we).

§ Distinguish between the em-rule (—), the en-rule (–) a short hyphen (-). The em-rule (—) is used only in tables to mark an empty cell. The en-rule (–) (also called a ‘long hyphen’) is used to mark a ‘dash’ – it is then preceded and followed by a space – and number spans, such as in page numbers (e.g. 123–54) in the main text as well as in the List of References. A short hyphen (-) is used within compound words (e.g., right-hand, semi-colon, etc.).

§ Proofread and edit your draft versions to achieve accuracy. One of the requirements to a research paper is a high standard of grammar, spelling, punctuation and typing.

§ Remember that scientific writing must be unambiguous; it must communicate clearly, precisely and briefly. Say what was done; how it was done; why it was done to minimise the possibility misinterpretation.

§ Prepare two bound copies of your thesis.