BOSTON UNIVERSITY

GUIDELINES FOR MASTER OF ARTS IN MEDICAL SCIENCES THESIS

PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

Division of Graduate Medical Sciences

Boston University School of Medicine

Amended January 2010 from Guidelines

of MUGAR MEMORIAL LIBRARY

771 Commonwealth Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02215

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Introduction 3

Required Forms 3

Length of Thesis 4

Deadlines for Submitting MA in Medical Sciences Theses 4

Preparation of the Thesis 5

Spacing, Font and Margins 5

Pagination 6

Preliminary Pages 7

Title Page 7

Readers’ Approval Page 7

Dedicatory Page 7

Acknowledgement Page 7

Preface 8

Abstract Page(s) 8

Table of Contents 8

List of Tables, Figures, Illustrations and Schemes 8

List of Abbreviations 8

Glossary 8

Body of Thesis 8

Specific Aims, Current Study or Objectives 8

Appendices 9

List of Journal Abbreviations 9

References 9

Vita 9

Figures and Tables 9

Permission to Use Copyrighted Material 10

Quality of Paper 10

Delayed Circulation 11

Procedure for Submitting a MA in Medical Sciences Thesis to the Division

of Graduate Medical Sciences 11

Sample Title Page 13

Sample Approval Page 14

Sample Abstract Page 15

INTRODUCTION

The completion of a thesis is a major requirement for the Masters of Arts in Medical Sciences

(MAMS) degree at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). A thesis is a scholarly work

that must be approved by a minimum of two faculty members in the field of study and must have

an original conclusion. A Master’s thesis project is to be well-conceived and of modest scope.

The research project may involve library research alone, a laboratory research project alone, or

may be a combination of library and laboratory research. The First Reader for the MAMS thesis

must be a faculty member of the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) at BUSM. The

Second Reader does not need to be a member of GMS.

Any student working with a Second or Third Reader who is not a member of GMS must

complete the Special Service Appointment Form and submit a copy of the non-GMS reader’s CV

to GMS for approval. This rule applies to all non-GMS readers whether from other BU schools

(i.e., BUSM, SPH, BUSDM, or CAS) or from another institution outside of the BU community.

The Special Service Appointment form provides temporary faculty appointment for qualified

mentors. The function of the “in-house” Division faculty member as First Reader assures and

assumes responsibility that the work is conducted appropriately.

For readers outside of the BU community, the “Guideline Letter for Mentors Outside Boston

University” which provides information about the MAMS program, the thesis process, and thesis

requirements is available at http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/home/mentorletter-2/

All students should provide their readers the document entitled “Thesis Reader Responsibilities”

available under M.A. in Medical Sciences Thesis Information at http://www.bumc.bu.edu/master-

arts-medical-sciences/current-students/thesis-information-and-forms/

Students should review the format, content and style of the sample theses that are available in the

GMS office (L-315) or at BUSM Alumni Medical Library (L-12).

REQUIRED FORMS

All forms are due to the GMS Registrar approximately 6 months prior to submission of the final

thesis. For exact due dates, check the current Graduation Calendar available at

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/current-students/thesis-and-dissertation-deadlines/

 The Thesis Title Form must be signed by both the First and Second Readers and include a

preliminary thesis title. This title can be altered before the final submission of the thesis.

This form is available at: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/home/thesistitle/

 Students who choose to pursue an “A” grade for completing a laboratory thesis (rather

than Pass/Fail credit as for a library thesis) must submit the Thesis Agreement Form

signed by both the First and Second Readers. This form is available at:

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/master-arts-medical-sciences/files/2009/08/Thesis-Agreement-

Form.pdf

 A Special Service Appointment Form and your mentor’s C.V. are required if the thesis is

completed at an institution other than BUSM or if one of the readers is not a GMS faculty

member. This form is available at http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/files/2008/08/special.pdf

 Students must submit a Diploma Application Form prior to thesis submission. The

deadline can be found on the Graduation Calendar and is usually 3 months prior to the

thesis submission deadline. The Diploma Application Form is available at :

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/home/madipapp/

LENGTH OF THESIS

A library thesis should be approximately 50 but not less than 45 pages in length, excluding the

Prepages, Appendices (if any), References and Vita. It should not be a collection of abstracts on

a particular scientific area; rather, the writer should evaluate relevant scientific information and

develop an original conclusion based on the literature. A library thesis generally includes the

following sections: Introduction, Published Data, Discussion, Conclusion, Future Plans and/or

Proposal. A library thesis is graded on a pass/fail basis only.

A laboratory thesis may be submitted in publication format or in conventional thesis format and

must be a minimum of 35 pages, excluding the Prepages, Appendices (if any), References and

Vita. The format generally includes the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results and

Discussion. A Laboratory thesis may earn a Grade of “A” following review by the Thesis

Committee and upon the recommendation of the research mentor who indicates that the student’s

contribution and quality of work performed are deserving of an “A” grade. Laboratory theses

that do not earn a grade of A will receive a Pass/Fail grade similar to a Library thesis.

DEADLINES FOR SUBMITTING MA IN MEDICAL SCIENCES THESES

Theses must be submitted to the GMS office prior to the established deadlines in December,

April and August in order to graduate in January, May, or September, respectively. Refer to the

current Graduation Calendar for specific deadlines.

You may not submit your thesis to the GMS office until you have completed all academic

requirements including the remediation of incomplete grades. Thesis submission is the last

requirement you fulfill at the University before you are awarded your degree.

In order to ensure that you complete the revisions and modifications that are suggested by your

readers, you should plan to submit a complete draft of your thesis to your readers at least 6-8

weeks prior to the thesis submission deadline. The exact due date for the draft should be

determined by the student and readers well in advance to ensure that all parties are aware of the

deadlines.

Once your first and Second Readers have approved the text of your thesis, you need to arrange

for format review by the GMS Registrar, Ms. Millie Agosto. Provide a hard copy and an

electronic copy (on CD) of the complete thesis draft to the GMS office and Ms. Agosto will

review it for adherence to formatting guidelines. The hard copy with Ms. Agosto’s comments

will be available for you to pick up at the GMS office 1 to 2 days later. Special arrangements can

also be made directly with the Registrar if you intend to complete your thesis outside of the

Boston area. Do not prepare the final thesis copies until you have received Ms. Agosto’s

approval of your thesis format.

PREPARATION OF THE THESIS

This document is intended to explain the thesis standards and required formats established by

both GMS and Mugar Memorial Library. This guide does not provide directions on HOW to

research or write a thesis. Nor does this guide set major stylistic rules for the author. Your

readers may suggest or require you to follow a specific journal or other style for your work and

this should be discussed with them. Additional information can be found under M.A. in Medical

Sciences Thesis Information available at http://www.bumc.bu.edu/master-arts-medical-

sciences/current-students/thesis-information-and-forms/

Spacing, Font and Margins. All textual material in the body of the thesis and its preliminary

pages must be double-spaced, and printed single-sided, unless otherwise indicated.

 The Table of Contents, Abstract Page, List of Tables List of Figures and List of

Abbreviations must be double spaced.

 Figure legends and long quotations may be single-spaced.

 The References section may be single-spaced with one double space between citations.

 Long quotations must be single-spaced and indented 0.5 in from the right/ left margins.

 Limit your font to Arial or Times with a font size between 12 and 10 points.

 Font type and point sizes must be consistent throughout the thesis.

 Footnotes or tables may be in a smaller font than the main text, but not smaller than 10 pt

The required margins are:

Top Margin: 1.5 inches to first line of text or heading

Left Margin: 1.5 inches

Right Margin: 1 inch with or without right margin justification

Bottom Margin: 1 inch from the bottom of the page

These margins must be used at all times and apply not just to the text, but to footnotes, figures,

tables, illustrations, references and vita. The only printed material that can be outside of the

margins is the page number. If a table or figure is too wide to fit within the left and right margins,

rotate the page 90 degrees (i.e., print the page in landscape format). If a page is printed in

landscape format, the margins and page numbers do not move along with the figure. The page

number on any landscape page must be in the portrait position.

Pagination. Every page, starting with the title page and ending with the last page of the vita,

must be assigned a number. The preliminary pages must have lower case Roman numerals (e.g.,

iii, iv, xii) placed at the bottom center of the page. The main text of the thesis must have Arabic

numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3) which may be placed at the bottom center, top center, or top right of the

page. The title page and approval page must have page numbers assigned to them, but these

numbers should NOT be printed on the pages themselves. The preliminary pages should appear

in the following order:

Title Page i (counted, number not printed)

Readers’ Approval Page (counted, not printed) ii (counted, number not printed)

Dedicatory Page (optional) iii

Acknowledgments (optional) iv

Abstract (maximum 3 pages) v

Preface (optional) vii

Table of Contents (may be more than 1 page) viii

List of Tables (if any) ix

List of Figures (if any) x

List of Illustrations or Schemes (if any) xi

List of Abbreviations (if applicable) xii

Glossary (if applicable) xiii

Introduction (first page of body of thesis) 1

Each section of the preliminary pages starting with the Acknowledgments can be more than one

page in length, if necessary. If you do not include a particular optional section, simply continue

the pagination with the next section that is included in your thesis. The Table of Contents must

include the number of the page where each entry occurs. The Lists of Tables, Figures,

Illustrations or Schemes must include the number of the page where each respective table, figure,

etc. begins.

The main body of thesis follows the preliminary pages. The body of the thesis is numbered with

Arabic numerals starting at 1 and is assembled in the following order:

Main Thesis Body (page 1)

Appendices (if applicable)

List of Journal Abbreviations (if applicable) – This list should be in the same

format as the List of Abbreviations in the preliminary pages.

References

Vita (last numbered page(s))

PRELIMINARY PAGES:

Title Page. The thesis title should be a short, meaningful description of the work. The use of

acronyms is discouraged, but not prohibited. For terms such as  or  students should write out

the terms as alpha or beta. A sample title page is included on page 14.

students do not. You may want to ask your advisors for their opinion on this issue and, if

necessary, refer to Mugar Library’s guidelines at http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/home/thesisgd/

There may be fees associated with the procurement of a copyright. If you decide not to obtain

Readers’ Approval Page. Every MAMS thesis submitted to GMS and Mugar Library must have

a Readers’ Approval Page with the original signatures of all readers. Photocopied or faxed

signatures are not acceptable. A sample approval page is provided on page 14. Authors should

place each reader’s highest degrees and official title after his/her name (e.g., Professor of

Biochemistry, Associate Professor of Physiology, etc.). If your readers are not BUSM faculty

members, you should place the names of their institutions after their official titles.

Dedicatory Page. This page is optional and can be written in the format of your choice.

Acknowledgements. This page is optional. Candidates often insert a brief acknowledgement to

those who assisted in the thesis work and/or their graduate education. This page is the first

numbered page and must be listed in the Table of Contents.

Preface. This page is optional. Format must be similar to the rest of thesis (i.e., double-spaced).

Abstract. Each thesis must include an abstract, regardless of whether the document is a library or

laboratory thesis. The abstract should contain a clear and brief statement of the problem, the

procedure(s) and/or method(s) used, the results and the conclusions. The abstract should be a

succinct account of the entire thesis. A sample abstract page is provided on page 15. Graphs,

charts, tables, references and illustrations should not be included in the abstract. Symbols,

abbreviations and acronyms should be minimized. The length of the abstract is not limited, but

most abstracts do not exceed 3 pages.

Table of Contents. The Table of Contents must list the sections of the thesis from the Title Page

to the last page of the Vita. Page numbers should be indicated for all entries. Even though no

page numbers are included on the Title Page and Readers’ Approval Page, they should be

numbered (i) and (ii) in the Table of Contents.

Lists of Tables, Figures, Illustrations and Schemes. A List of Tables including table number,

title and page number must follow the Table of Contents. A List of Figures, in the same format,

should follow the List of Tables. A List of Illustrations or Schemes, if they are included in the

thesis, should follow the List of Figures.

List of Abbreviations. If you use abbreviations in your thesis, you must include a List of

Abbreviations after the last List of Figures, Tables, or Illustrations and Schemes. The List of

Abbreviations must be arranged alphabetically according to the abbreviation, not according to the

order of appearance in the text, and should be prepared using the following format:

AD Alzheimer’s disease

-amyloid beta amyloid

PBS phosphate-buffered saline

SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Glossary: A glossary (if applicable) should follow the List of Abbreviations and be in a similar

format.

BODY OF THESIS:

Specific Aims, Current Study, or Objectives: Both library and laboratory theses should include a

section called Specific Aims, Current Study or Objectives, as appropriate. This length of this

section is variable and can be included as part of the Introduction or as a separate section that is

positioned before the Methods section at the end of the Introduction. The Specific Aims, Current

Study or Objectives section states why you undertook the study, what your hypothesis and goals

were, what you planned to do specifically (in list or paragraph form) and what you hoped to learn

from the study. This section is approximately one page in length.

Appendices: Appendices should precede the References section and can be single-spaced or 10

point font provided they are readable and have the correct margins.

List of Journal Abbreviation: If you use abbreviated journal titles in the References section, then

you must include a List of Journal Abbreviations, in alphabetical order, with the corresponding

complete titles (available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/journals). The List of Journal

Abbreviations should be placed before the References section. The format for the List of Journal

Abbreviations is as follows:

BMJ British Medical Journal

EMBO J. EMBO Journal

JAMA Journal of the American Medical Association

Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the

United States of America

References: You may single-space your citations, but leave one double-space between citations.

Standard format for MAMS theses is the APA format. Students may cite articles by authors’ last

name(s) and year such as (Jones, 2009; Smith et al., 2008; Ryan and Williams, 2006) or by

numerical designations such as (33) or (1, 3-5) where the numbers correspond to the number of

the citation in the References section. All citations regardless of format should be placed at the

end of the sentence but before the period. If footnotes are used, then the number of the footnote

should be placed at the end of the sentence after the period.

Vita: This is a short description of your professional life up to the point at which your degree is

awarded. Your vita may be written in either résumé or narrative format but must include your full

name, year of birth (not your birth date), and a contact address where you can be reached for at

least the next 1–2 years. A vita may also include (but is not limited to) your previous education,

degrees, awards or honors, professional positions held, employment and publications. Please

limit your vita to no more than three pages.

Figures and Tables: Figures and tables may be included within the text of the thesis or at the end

of the thesis. All figures and tables must be numbered sequentially and be referred to in the text.

Color in charts, graphs, or figures is acceptable provided it is of high quality. Each figure or table

must include a clear title (which is included in the List of Tables or List of Figures in the

preliminary pages) followed by a detailed descriptive legend. The table or figure should be clear

to the reader in the absence of the description in the text.

 A figure reproduced from a publication should be cited in the legend as follows:

“Figure taken from Smith et al., 2008” or “Table amended from Jones, 2009”.

The full citation should be included in the References section.

 A figure that was downloaded from a website should be cited in the legend as follows:

“Figure downloaded from “American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org”.

The full citation should be included in the Reference section as “American Cancer Society.

Title of Figure, Retrieved September 28, 2008 from http://www.cancer.org.”

If references are cited numerically, designate the website by name in the figure legend to

give credit.

Permission to Use Copyrighted Material: If you directly reproduce material from a copyrighted

source in your thesis, you may need to obtain written permission for its use and indicate that

permission in a footnote or caption with the material. Such material may include graphs, charts,

figures, photographs, computer programs, etc.

For most MAMS theses, this is not necessary because a student can quote up to 1.5 single-spaced

pages from one source without asking for permission. If you quote the same source several times

throughout the thesis, you must determine the total number of lines that you have cited to make

sure that you are within the allotted 1.5 single-spaced pages. All reproduced content MUST be

given proper credit and cited to avoid acts of plagiarism.

When reproducing figures from websites or publications, a limit of three figures per publication

is strictly enforced. Reproduce only the figure itself and write your own figure legend. Legends

reproduced from the original text often have fonts that are too small for the thesis.

For further details, please review Research Guide for Writers of Theses and Dissertations at

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/home/thesisgd/

Quality of Paper: High quality 8.5” x 11” white bond paper should be used for final copies. 20

lb-weight paper with 25% cotton or rag content is required. Acid-free, non-yellowing paper,

sometimes referred to as Archival Bond, is recommended. Many students purchase Southworth

brand paper such as Southworth Fine Business Paper, 25% Cotton, 20 lb, White, watermarked.

Other types of paper are also acceptable provided they meet these requirements and have a

watermark.

Delayed Circulation: In rare circumstances, a student may not want his or her thesis to be placed

on reserve or be circulated after it is submitted to Mugar Library. Students should discuss this

issue with their thesis advisor initially before choosing a thesis project as delayed circulation is

strongly discouraged. Circulation restrictions are granted only in limited circumstances, but may

be allowed by the University if the author plans to sell the work to a publisher, apply for a patent,

or if the material covers a sensitive subject that cannot safely or appropriately be published at the

time of thesis submission. In such circumstances, you may request a restriction of the circulation

of the thesis for a period not to exceed five years. You must submit a letter to request delayed

circulation to the Associate Provost of the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences in 8 weeks in

advance of the final thesis submission deadline. The letter must contain your reason for the

request for delayed circulation, the time limit for the restriction, an address where you can be

contacted when the time limit expires, and must contain signatures of the student, his/her major

thesis advisor and additional reader(s). Further details about delayed circulation and a sample

letter are provided in the Research Guide for Writers of Theses and Dissertations available at

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/home/thesisgd/

PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING A MA IN MEDICAL SCIENCES THESIS

TO THE DIVISION OF GRADUATE MEDICAL SCIENCES

Students in the MAMS program should submit their theses directly to Division of Graduate

Medical Sciences in Room L-315. The Registrar, Millie Agosto, will accept the thesis and deliver

the copies to Mugar Library. Please follow these instructions when submitting your thesis:

Once your first and Second Readers have approved the text of your thesis, you need to arrange

for format review by the GMS Registrar, Ms. Millie Agosto. Provide a hard copy AND an

electronic copy (on CD) of the complete thesis draft to the GMS office no earlier than one month

prior to final submission and Ms. Agosto will review it for adherence to formatting guidelines.

The hard copy with Ms. Agosto’s comments will be available for you to pick up at the GMS

office 1 to 2 days later. Special arrangements can also be made directly with the Registrar if you

intend to complete your thesis outside of the Boston area. Do not prepare the final thesis copies

until you have received Ms. Agosto’s approval of your thesis format.

1. Submit two copies of the thesis with original signatures on the Readers’ Approval Page.

The signature pages must be printed on the same type of paper as the thesis.

Do NOT bind any of the thesis copies. Do not staple it. Do not use binder or paper clips. Put each

thesis copy in a manila envelope or back into the original paper box to protect the documents

while you transport them to the GMS office.

2. If you have conducted a laboratory thesis and previously submitted a Thesis Agreement

Form, you should ask your mentor to write a letter that recommends your thesis for a

grade of “A”. The letter should be addressed to:

Linda E. Hyman, Ph.D.

Associate Provost, Graduate Medical Sciences

Professor, Department of Microbiology

Boston University School of Medicine

72 East Concord Street – L315

Boston, MA 02118

This letter should be submitted with the thesis.

A third UNBOUND thesis copy (on REGULAR copier paper) with original signatures

should be submitted for review by the Thesis committee for a grade of “A”. Additional

information can be found at http://www.bumc.bu.edu/master-arts-medical-

sciences/files/2009/08/Thesis-Agreement-Form.pdf need to change title to Graded Laboratory

Thesis

3. Bring a check or money order in the amount of $25.00 made payable to “Boston

University” with you when you submit your final thesis documents. This covers the cost of

archiving the two copies of the thesis. If you are leaving the area and closing your bank account,

please use a bank or postal money order. The GMS office cannot accept cash for this fee.

4. Fill out the form on which you indicate how you wish your name to appear in the Mugar

Library catalog. This form is provided by GMS when you submit your thesis.

5. When your final thesis copies have been prepared and your readers have examined them

and signed the Readers’ Approval Page, please call (617) 638-5124 or email Millie Agosto

([email protected]) to finalize the time for submission of your documents to the GMS office.

The submission process takes approximately 15 minutes and you must submit your check and all

all forms when you submit the thesis.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS IS A FIRM ONE AND CANNOT

BE EXTENDED FOR ANY REASON.

Additional resources for writers of theses is available at in the Mugar document Research Guide for Writers

of Theses and Dissertations at http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/home/thesisgd/If you are having any difficulties with

your thesis or have questions regarding the procedures for completing your GMS requirements, please contact Millie

Agosto or the GMS office staff.

If you have additional questions about the formatting of your thesis or copyright procurement, please

contact Brendan McDermott ([email protected]), Thesis/Dissertation Coordinator, Mugar Library, Bibliographic

Services, Third Floor. His phone numbers are (617) 353-9387 or (617) 353-3713.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Thesis

THE TITLE OF THE MASTER'S THESIS IN ALL

CAPITAL LETTERS BOLD AND CENTERED

YOUR FULL NAME IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS BOLD AND CENTERED

[Your name should be in order of first, middle, and last]

A.A., Fisher Junior College, 1989

A.B., Harvard University, 1993

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts

201__

[year in which degree will officially be conferred]

A Roman numeral does not appear on this page, although the page is counted in the

Table of Contents.

Approved by

First Reader _______________________________________________

Name of First Reader, Ph.D.

Professor of ...........................

Second Reader _______________________________________________

Name of Second Reader, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of ...........................

Third Reader ________________________________________________

Name of Third Reader, Ph.D. (if applicable)

Lecturer in ...........................

Harvard University, School of Medicine

A Roman numeral does not appear on this page, although the page is counted in the

Table of Contents.

TITLE

Title of Master's Thesis in all capital letters, bold and centered

NAME

Your Full Name (First, Middle, Last) in all capital letters, bold and centered and

matching name on Title Page)

Boston University School of Medicine, 201__

Major Professor: Name (of your First Reader), Ph.D. /M.D., Professor of ..... (wrap

around to this point if name and title are too long for one line)

ABSTRACT

The body of the abstract begins here and is double-spaced.

A lower case Roman numeral should be placed at bottom center of this page.