Formatting of Master's Thesis according to GOST 2023

1. Requirements for Master's Thesis in 2023
2. Structure of the master's thesis
3. How to plan a master's thesis
4. Tables and formulas in the master's thesis. GOST 2023
5. List of references and bibliographical references: an example
6. Sample design of master's thesis according to State Standard (links)

Requirements for the design of the master's thesis 2023 GOST

The relatively recent Master's Thesis Rules 2023 prescribes the following criteria. The volume of the work must be in the range of 80 (at least 60 excluding appendices) to 120 pages, including illustrations. A stack that is too thin will not allow sufficiently in-depth treatment of the material. Exceeding, on the contrary, can lead to an excess of unnecessary information. The amount of text is a value verified by practice, but not without specifics. Therefore, it is worthwhile to discuss the matter with the responsible party in advance. A complex topic can significantly increase this limit.

Figure 1 Example of a cover page

The style of presentation is full of terminology appropriate to the field of study. Personal references, jargon, worldly vocabulary, and artistic devices are considered inappropriate. Stylistic, spelling and punctuation errors are not allowed. There are high requirements for the uniqueness of the work. To achieve an original submission you can use such services as ReText.AI. Terminology, abbreviations and other complex designations require explanation or deciphering. Surnames are indicated with initials.

The work is printed in black, Times New Roman font on one side of A4. Paragraphs are aligned by width, the indents at the top and bottom are two centimeters, the left and right margins - three and one centimeter, respectively. The finished work is filed in a folder with a simple binder. It is also accompanied by an abstract, summarizing the results plus a review of the supervisor.

Structure of the master's thesis

In 2023, the State Standard for Master's Thesis Formatting prescribes the structure:

• title;
• table of contents;
• list of documents;
• Introduction, which reveals the content of the work and contains a description of the research methodology;
• the first chapter, devoted to the theoretical foundations of the problem on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of scientific theory, which concludes with a list of terms, justifying the theoretical side and the logic of the study;
• the second chapter, which includes a statement of the stages and rationale for the methods, characteristics of the base and sample of the study, a description of the experimental activities and tools for working with data;
• conclusion, summarizing the theoretical and practical sides of the development of the main topic and reflecting the result and value of the work stated in the introduction and the work done;
• a numbered list of the sources used by the author;
• an appendix containing additional and auxiliary information that is not part of the main text: tables and histograms, questionnaires and polls, statistical calculations, and other similar materials.

According to the rules of design annotation (abstract) should have the following content:

• title;
• general characteristic of the contents;
• thesis content.

Figure 2 Example resume

How to plan a master's thesis

In some universities the applicant is given a ready-made dissertation plan. But it is more common for this work to be done by the graduate himself/herself. In this case, when parsing the selected topic on thesis questions, the acquired skills and all past educational experience, in particular, the material mastered during the years of study, seminars, reports and coursework are involved.

The most important thing in this process is to strictly follow the main goal of the study, to maintain logical coherence between chapters, paragraphs, and paragraphs of the work. It is worth bearing in mind that the creative process cannot be accurately predicted, and therefore when creating a plan always leave the possibility for the inclusion of additional sections in arbitrary places.

The dissertation plan is approximate in the beginning, supplemented in the course of the work, converting it into a plan-prospectus, which allows you to trace the progress, elaboration of the topic and compliance with the purpose. Often universities put forward unique requirements for the work, which must be respected along with the norms of GOSTs and with the rules of the Higher Attestation Commission. To avoid misunderstandings, it is advisable to clarify the relevant circumstances by contacting the supervisor or department chair.

The key to a quality plan is a reasonable periodization of activities: correctly set a clear deadline for writing each section.

Tables and formulas in the master's thesis. GOST 2023

According to GOST, a technical master's thesis containing formulas, graphs and other means of visualizing mathematical data must meet a number of requirements. The basic rules for formulas are as follows:

1. complex and cumbersome formulas can occupy several lines, and the parts are transferred from any place after the mathematical operator;
2. Simple and short formulas are allowed to be placed in the main text line;
3. even closely related formulas that follow each other are separated by a semicolon;
4. a number of formulas of the same type or closely related are placed on one line;
5. values of variables and coefficients are disclosed on a new line after the word "where";
6. formulas are numbered with Arabic numerals enclosed in parentheses and placed at the right end of the empty line, just before the objects;
7. The numbering of formulas in the thesis is not obligatory, the author may limit himself to important positions;
8. alphanumeric numbering is used to organize the varieties of formulas;
9. When combining formulas, the group number is placed to the right opposite the bracket tip (paranthesis).

Some word processors do not have advanced formatting capabilities when working with formulas. In such programs, it is allowed to replace complex constructions with a letter, the meaning of which is disclosed according to the rule in paragraph 5 above.

Figure 3 Formula formatting

Tables are inserted in a text editor and must be formatted using the profile tool. The creation by hand with the help of spaces of rows of data without the separation of values in cells is not allowed. The table must have an exact and clear name and consist of no more than ten columns.

Tables are numbered sequentially, except when the inclusion is single. The use of italics, bold style and underlining is not allowed. Cells are separated by lines, all column "caps" are filled with content. Transferring the table to another page is accompanied by an explanation in the upper right corner of the "Continuation of Table No.". In the work, each of these tables must be referenced, so that there is no break in the text.

It is important to remember that data can be visualized in different ways. The specific method: figure, graph, text description, or table, is chosen based on the effectiveness of the display.

Figure 4 A fragment of work with the table

List of references and bibliographical references: standards and example

The most important part is the design of the reference list of the master's thesis, a painstaking work that requires the closest attention. In the work of this level is always used a solid scientific base, containing extensive scientific material. The sources are given in a certain sequence:

• regulatory documents, including legislative documents;
• scientific literature in Russian;
• materials of foreign authorship;
• information available on Internet resources.

The number of sources for the master's thesis level work is not less than thirty. Everything used is listed alphabetically. Records are subject to the rules of bibliography:

• the ordinal number of the position;
• last name and initials of the author;
• the title of the work;
• place of publication, publisher, and year of issue;
• number of pages.

An abstract example:

5. Name and surname, Name of work. City (for example: Moscow, N. Novgorod, St. Petersburg): Name of publisher, Year. Number of pages.

Figure 5 Formatting the reference list

Sample design of master's thesis according to State Standard

A description of the process of rationing a graduate work does not give a clear idea of what the result will look like. It is important for future authors to familiarize themselves with such a work in practice. Here is what a model master's thesis looks like in different universities:

• Psychology;
• economy;
• Jurisprudence;
• foreign languages.

Remember! Proper design of the master's thesis, leaves a positive impression on the members of the Certification Commission, while the reverse situation speaks not in favor of the author of the work. Do not forget about the uniqueness of the text, which can be increased by using the service ReText.AI.