From a formal point of view, the requirements for the design of the dissertation have not changed since 2011. GOST R 7.0.11-2011 summarizes the accumulated experience and presents it as a single document. Every year, the Higher Attestation Commission gives recommendations and publishes the results of checks of texts of defended dissertations. Each dissertation protection council offers recommendations.
Meaning of design: semantics
The requirements for a doctoral dissertation are not comparable (in quality) with the requirements for a doctoral dissertation , but they have one regulatory foundation. Requirements for the design of a master's thesis are based on the same regulatory grounds. The master is a future scientist. It is not excusable for him to “break” scientific traditions, but something can not be taken too formally.
There is a significant difference in the meaning of the requirements in each case. This difference is of a different nature, far from normative. In this context, the requirements for the design of the list of references of the dissertation is a good example of prioritization according to the value of work:
- The doctoral candidate relies on his work, recognized by the scientific community, put into practice, showing its social significance (economic utility), and refers to other sources.
- The graduate student refers to his implementations, his publications, and other sources.
- The graduate student pays more attention to other sources, carefully analyze them and makes links to his publications.
The level of a doctoral dissertation is a socially significant phenomenon, discovery, radically new production. This is an event in the life of society, based on the already recognized and used results of the future doctor. An applicant for a scientific degree bears professional responsibility before the scientific community for the content of his work and its proper presentation.
Candidate dissertation is a solution to a problem that is essential for society. The applicant can put forward hypotheses and discuss them. It requires a deep knowledge of the subject and a personal solution to a specific problem, which gives an undoubted economic result. In some areas of knowledge, a socially significant result is important.
The master's thesis is a step towards the candidate, a trial version. A full-fledged study of the subject, independence of the study, significance and realistically justified novelty, economic or social effect are expected.
Content Design: Syntax
The requirements for the design of a dissertation in accordance with GOST R 7.0.11-2011 are so simple and understandable that it is enough just to see how a successfully defended dissertation was prepared by a colleague, and then do it by analogy.
Such a design formula will suit the future master, but will not suit the candidate’s academic degree, and the future doctor will consider reading the GOST below his dignity - he has already done this many times.
The scientist’s behavior algorithm has been formed over the years, and it is almost impossible to change it. Having stepped on the path of scientific creativity, a person systematically, cyclically and continuously studies only two simple questions:
The issue of designing a dissertation is the optimal combination of semantics and syntax. It is impossible to write a scientific article outside the established custom in scientific practice. Any scientific work is expected to have specific content and its generally accepted design.
A dozen scientific papers, reports and actual achievements will form the basis of the master's thesis.
Several dozens of articles, speeches at conferences, practical implementations, predefense of ideas at academic councils will give grounds to receive a candidate’s degree.
Numerous articles, several monographs, authority in the scientific community, and real achievements known to society and the economy will form the basis of a doctoral dissertation.
Presentation form
The basis is the requirements for the design of a dissertation on the Higher Attestation Commission for 2018, GOST R 7.0.11-2011 and methodological recommendations of the academic council for the protection of an educational or scientific institution where work is carried out and / or protection is supposed.
It is advisable to be guided by successfully defended dissertations of colleagues. You can get acquainted with the constantly published data of the Expert Analytical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Academy of Sciences) for the verification of defended dissertations.
Usually a dissertation is presented in the form of a manuscript. This is a classic rule. The forms for submitting a candidate or master's thesis in the form of a published monograph or scientific report are unlikely to be understood by the scientific community. The author’s desire to choose just such a design path is not the best solution. Scientific practice and custom require from a dissertation:
- Relevance.
- Novelties.
- The socio-economic significance of the scientific results of personal work, and not a demonstration of the originality and uniqueness of the author.
The very first position on the dissertation states that this is a scientific and qualification work. Higher Attestation Commission, GOST and private instructions of scientific councils consolidate and clarify this position.
The dissertation is the results of scientific research of the author, properly designed, submitted by him for the degree.
Structure and print format
Requirements for registration begin with the presentation of information. GOST does not focus on headings, sections, paragraph titles, but determines the general structure of the dissertation in the form of a manuscript:
The dissertation is drawn up on A4 sheets, printing only on the front side of the sheet, numbering at the top in the middle, margins: 25 mm on the left, 10 mm on the right, 20 mm on the top and bottom. Numbering goes from 1, but the title page is not numbered. If there are several volumes, the numbering in each is own.
Paragraphs of the text - Times font, size 14, red line 1.25 cm (5 characters), spacing 1.5 lines. It is allowed to use the letters of the Greek alphabet, formulas and individual symbols to enter by hand in black paste or black ink, but this requirement is outdated, since everything is done in a text editor on a computer.
When printing, there will be a problem if the sheets are stapled in a printing way and you need to trim the edge. This feature should be clarified, but the requirements for the design of the thesis indicate a hardcover. If you take the sheets as is, without cropping, you get an uneven edge.
It is not recommended to highlight something with color, bold or oblique, it is possible to underline or cross out only if it requires the meaning of the text, for example, in a dissertation on linguistics. In this part, the recommendations of the institution where the work is performed and / or protected should be taken into account.
Title page
Standard requirements for the design of a dissertation GOST R 7.0.11-2011 determine the content of the title page, but this issue should be considered taking into account the views of the department, institution, academic council, where the dissertation will be defended.
The title page is not numbered. It indicates:
- The name of the institution where the work was performed.
- Status - “as a manuscript”.
- Surname, name and patronymic of the dissertation.
- Dissertation topic.
- Code and name of the specialty.
- Place and year of work.
It is important to clarify all these positions at the place of protection.
Text and Table of Contents
Even the requirements for the design of a master's thesis do not oblige the applicant to use a computer and a modern word processor.
The text of the dissertation is determined by the table of contents. Any new heading in the text forms a new line in the table of contents. The author of the dissertation is an educated person, but he should use a computer as well as it does not complicate the field of his scientific work.
A perfectly designed dissertation is both a text and a table of contents. Designing one from the other separately is nonsense. Similarly, any lists, listings, citations, references, references, etc. should be framed.
Everything in the dissertation should be linked into a single whole. This is not written down in GOST, this is not required by the Higher Attestation Commission, but it is a real requirement of the time and the fact that the applicant has not only personally completed the work, but also understands how everything is linked together in it.
In fact, each paragraph of any chapter, any paragraph is a specific complete knowledge that cannot be crossed out, since it is closely interconnected horizontally (in semantic positions within several paragraphs) and vertically (within one paragraph). A paragraph is a section, subsection, chapter, paragraph. How to name structure of headings, nobody sets. This has nothing to do with the content of the dissertation.
Text Design and Abstract
A dissertation is a serious work of several years. The conventional wisdom about compiling an abstract before the defense is not a very promising idea. An abstract is a short message about a dissertation. When it begins with him, the work is systematized.
The requirements for the preparation of abstracts of dissertations do not differ too much from the requirements for the dissertations themselves. Having formulated the first abstract at the beginning of the dissertation and updating it at each significant stage of research, you do not have to worry about the design of both the final abstract and the final text of the dissertation. This is common.
In particular, it should be noted that GOST regulates to indicate in the introduction:
- Relevance of the research topic.
- The degree of elaboration of the topic.
- Goals and objectives.
- Scientific novelty.
- The theoretical and practical significance of the work.
- Methodology and research methods.
- Defense provisions.
- The degree of reliability and approbation of the results.
The text of the dissertation is divided into chapters and paragraphs or sections and subsections. How to name the structural parts of the text does not matter, but the headings of each part of the general text should reflect the meaning that is revealed in this part.
The requirements for drawing up an abstract of a doctoral dissertation are twice as high as for a candidate's in volume (2-2.5 versus 1-1.5 printed sheet). The abstract should contain:
- Cover.
- The text of the abstract (characteristic of the work, its content, conclusion).
- List of publications (on the topic).
But for the doctoral degree applicant, both text and publications in terms of meaning carry a greater level of social significance and completeness of implementation.
The paragraph of the text of the abstract of the future doctor is formulated as a link to the implemented solution, as knowledge recognized by the scientific community.
The requirements for the preparation of an abstract of a candidate dissertation are much simpler. It is more about the level of personal participation in the common work, for example, the scientific research of the department, the implementation of topics, etc.
Abstract wordings are good practice for dissertation wordings. The degree of their completeness, logical validity and socio-economic significance depend on what degree the author claims to be.
Lists of abbreviations and terms, footnotes
The text allows the use of generally accepted abbreviations of words and phrases in Russian or a foreign language. It is undesirable to go beyond the known to the scientific community options for writing and using. When using uncommon words, phrases or abbreviations, you need to draw up a list of them.
A list of abbreviations is placed after the main text. The use of the list does not exclude the need for decoding the first use of each abbreviation in the main text.
When using special terminology characteristic of the scientific field to which the topic of the dissertation belongs, a list of used terms with explanations should be attached.
A list of terms is placed after the list of abbreviations.
In the dissertation, footnotes can be made at the end of the page, at the end of a chapter or the entire text. It is advisable not to abuse the links to the bottom of the page, and if there is an opportunity to do without links at all, this will be a sign of good taste.
The knowledge formulated in a sentence or paragraph, for the understanding of which there is no need to seek additional explanations, carries a complete meaning and improves perception.
Illustrations, tables and formulas
The requirements for the design of the thesis regarding the inclusion of illustrative and tabular material appeal to clarity and simplicity.
It is important to include high-quality images in the text, with a quick look at which the meaning becomes clear. The figures are numbered and placed under the test in which they are first mentioned. The requirements for the tables are similar.
The data cited by the author should be concise, accurate and as accessible as possible to understanding. The primary numerical material of a series of studies will distract the attention of reviewers and opponents, and on the defense will create unwanted misunderstanding.
GOST formulas require writing with symbols adopted in the scientific field to which the dissertation belongs. Arrange them in the text and number them in Arabic numerals by continuous numbering within the block of text to which they relate.
When designing illustrative material, it is important to remember that a dissertation is a much more complete abstract on the topic, but this is not a reason to clutter it with monumental images and "sheets" of calculated data.
The Scientific Council needs to prove the relevance, novelty and social significance of the work done, and not its volume and grandiose scale. To protect the applicant will be given the opportunity to place posters with visual material or use the projector.
List of references
Sources are important for the dissertation. The author repels from them when he substantiates relevance and novelty. He confirms his conclusions with them, he refers to them, conducting an evaluative analysis of the situation in the field of knowledge or the branch of socio-economic relations.
Requirements for the design of a doctoral dissertation in this part are fundamentally different from the candidate and master. An applicant for a doctorate degree must refer to his achievements published and recognized by the scientific community. References to the work of colleagues, which should be at the doctoral and academic levels, are allowed, but this does not limit the doctoral student in citing little-known authors.
Doctoral dissertation is a socially significant phenomenon, because the list of references here is fundamental.
Requirements for the design of a candidate dissertation in relation to the sources used are in the nature of the established practice of publishing scientific articles, works, and reporting. GOST R 7.0.5-2008 works here, and the author is given the opportunity to demonstrate his ability to work with literature.
Candidate dissertation is an independent study, different from others, based on the work of predecessors, offering new knowledge. Making sources is the author’s ability to choose the right one and quote it correctly. The requirements for the design of the bibliography of the dissertation are also strict. It is necessary to refer to sources as indicated in GOST and local methodological recommendations for the design of dissertations.
Abstract and protection
When a dissertation is recorded on a disk, printed and presented in hardcover, as recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission, the requirements for preparing a dissertation abstract take on a different meaning.
There is no title page in the abstract, but there is a cover. It is made by printing. The cover shows the data:
An abstract is a compact representation of a dissertation, dynamically developed during its writing. He must exactly match her. If the work is done well and properly framed, then success on defense will be ensured.