In the senior thesis students should explore topics they find interesting and important. Depending on the subject you choose, your thesis may be primarily a work of historical research or primarily a work of literary criticism. However, all History and Literature theses should draw in some way on the interdisciplinary training students have received in tutorials. The more historical thesis should always be attentive to the textuality (e.g., representational and rhetorical strategies, structure, genre, language, etc.) of historical documents, and the more literary theses should be attentive to the historical contexts and situations of literary texts. Students may wish to build upon earlier concerns and work done in courses and tutorials, or they may wish to investigate new subjects in the field.
Length: The normal length has been set at 10,000 to 15,000 words. Immediately following the title page, insert a separate page indicating the word-count for the text of your thesis. These figures include only the text; they do not include footnotes, documents, bibliography, or appendices. Any extension of the thesis beyond the maximum must be merited by the nature of the topic, or sustained excellence in the treatment of the subject, or both. If a student expects the thesis to exceed 20,000 words (without notes), the student's tutor should consult the Director of Studies. Please note that students’ requests to exceed 20,000 words must go through their tutors and that these requests must be made by February 14. Even theses that receive permission to exceed 20,000 words can still be penalized if readers do not think that the excess length is warranted.
Copies: Prepare and submit two, single-sided, complete copies. Both copies should be on acid-free, acid-neutral (pH 7.0 - 8.5), or "buffered" paper (Xerox XXV, Howard Permalife, Hammermill Bond or Crane's thesis paper are suggested by Archives, but any kind of acid-free or acid-neutral paper will do. Watermarked paper is fine). Clear Xerox copies on acid-free paper are acceptable. Both copies should be presented in a black spring binder. Students should allow ample time for possible problems with computers. Theses whose grades average Magna or higher will be placed in the University Archives; at least one copy will be returned to the author. Students in joint concentrations should submit two copies to History and Literature and one copy to the other concentration, all on or before February 29. You should also give a copy to your tutor, on regular white paper.
Acknowledgments: Please do not include acknowledgments in your Februrary 29 copy of the thesis. If you wish, you can add acknowledgments after your thesis has been read. Outside readers prefer not to know who directed your thesis, lest they be somehow swayed by that knowledge.
Text and Illustrations: Both copies must, of course, be carefully proofread. Illustrations may be inserted in the text or on separate sheets at the back. High-quality digital images are preferable to photocopies. For mounting illustrations, do not use rubber cement, cellophane, or gummed tapes. Use a good quality, acid neutral paste (Uhu or Pritt glue stick). Make sure that you properly cite the sources of illustrations.
Format: Pages should be 8 1/2" x 11". Margins should be generous (we suggest 1 1/2" on the left, 1" on the right), and pages should be numbered. Do not right-justify. The lines of type must be double-spaced, except for quotations of five lines or more, which should be indented and single-spaced.
Style: The following notes cover only the most basic considerations. For further information, consult the University of Chicago's A Manual of Style or the Modern Language Association's Style Manual. Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers is a good, inexpensive, brief guide to Chicago style. Worth owning is H. W. and F. G. Fowler, Modern English Usage (2nd edition, Oxford, 1965). The Expository Writing Program guide, Writing with Sources, is very useful. It is available on-line at www.fas.harvard.edu/~expos/index.cgi?section=resources.
Contents: Every thesis requires a Table of Contents to guide the reader.
Quotations: Quotations of five lines or fewer, surrounded by quotation marks, may be incorporated into the body of the text. Longer extracts should be indented and single-spaced; they should not be included in quotation marks. Each full quotation should be accompanied by a reference. In general, it is advisable that the direct quotations in the text be in the language in which they were originally written, but translations of all such materials should be provided in foot- or endnotes, either from a published translation, or by the author of the thesis. Follow the general practice in the best periodicals in your field, and be consistent. Foreign words which are not quotations should be underlined or italicized.
Documents: Historical and literary sources should be quoted verbatim if they are unpublished or for some other reason inaccessible (short ones in footnotes, longer ones in appendices).
Appendices: An appendix is essentially an expanded footnote. One possible purpose is to supply further but incidental support for an argument developed in the text.
Notes: You may use either footnotes (at bottom of page), endnotes (at end of the thesis) or the MLA style parenthetical notes. However, for a History and Literature thesis, Chicago style is generally better. Foot- or endnotes are properly used:
Bibliography: A bibliography, or list of works consulted, must be appended to the thesis. It should be regarded as a convenience to the reader and may be descriptive, wholly or in part. Primary sources and secondary authorities should be listed under separate headings.
Citations: For footnote form, as for other matters of style, A Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press, offers a convenient guide, as does the Turabian edition mentioned above. Some students may prefer to use the Modern Language Association's Style Manual, but, as noted above, Chicago style is generally better for History and Literature theses.
Printing Problems: Recently, a number of students have encountered last-minute printing problems that have seriously jeopardized their ability to meet the thesis deadline. Do not wait until the afternoon your thesis is due to print the text. When you are about to format the thesis for final printing, be sure to make an extra copy on two separate disks. If your hard drive crashes, you might also inadvertently ruin a disk. In addition, check to see that all of the pages are included in both copies of your thesis. (Please note: Students using a laser printer should be sure to determine that the paper they choose will accept laser printing. Some students in the past have reported difficulties using matte acid-free paper with laser printers.)
Computer Viruses: Protect yourself. Viruses, like printer problems, are not a legitimate excuse for a late thesis.
Sample Title Page: See the sample.
Sample Word Count Page: See the sample.
N.B. A number of theses from previous years are available in the office. There are also lists of titles and of Hoopes Prize winners. See www.fas.harvard.edu/~histlit/recent-theses.html for some recent titles of senior theses. Archived History and Literature theses are indexed on HOLLIS and available on request from the Harvard Archives.