Becker, Howard S. 1986. Writing for social scientists: how to start and finish your thesis, book, or article. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Hubbuch, Susan M. 1992. Writing research papers across the curriculum. 3rd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

McCloskey, Donald. 1985. Economical writing. Economic Inquiry. 24(2).

Officer, Lawrence H. et al. 1981. How to write an economics term paper. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press.

The University of Chicago. 1982. The Chicago manual of style. 13th ed., revised and expanded. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

A. Organization
The format of a typical thesis is as follows: Title Page; Abstract; Table of Contents; Introduction; Review of the Literature; Methodology; Results; Discussion/Conclusion; Appendices (if necessary); and Bibliography.

The first page of your thesis is the title page. The title of your thesis and your name should be typed on separate lines, one below the other, in capital letters. The title should be underlined.  Some word processors provide templates for theses, including the title page.

The Abstract begins the second page. The heading, "ABSTRACT," should be centered approximately one inch from the top of the page.

The Table of Contents begins on a separate page immediately following the Abstract. The heading, "TABLE OF CONTENTS," should be centered approximately one inch from the top of the page. The Table of Contents should list the beginning page number of each of your chapters as well as their major subheads (see below), appendices (if used), and bibliography.

The first page following the Table of Contents begins with the title of your thesis in capital letters, underlined, and centered, one inch from the top of the page. The heading "I: INTRODUCTION" should be centered two lines below and your text should begin two lines below this heading. This page is your first numbered page. All following pages should be numbered consecutively. Page numbers should be printed in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

This first introductory chapter should include a relatively brief discussion of your thesis topic, highlighting why you have chosen it for investigation; a statement of your hypothesis; a brief and very general discussion of how you tested your hypothesis; your conclusion; and an overview of the chapter organization of your thesis.

Each succeeding chapter should begin on a separate page with both the chapter number (in Roman numerals) and title in capital letters, centered one inch from the top of the page. To improve readability, you should use subheads to divide your chapters into sections. These subheads should be put on a separate line flush left, and lettered consecutively within the chapter using capital letters.

B. Pronouns and Verbs
When relevant, use the first person (I, me) rather than "the author." 

C. Spelling and Abbreviations
Webster's New International Dictionary should be taken as the authority for spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, and italicizing foreign words. You may use abbreviations for names of organizations or government agencies. The first time the name is used in a chapter, spell it in full and follow it with the abbreviation enclosed in parentheses. For example: The International Monetary Fund (IMF). Subsequently, use only the abbreviation with no parentheses.

D. Quotations
Quote others sparingly. Make sure that your quotation is accurate. To indicate departures from the original, use ellipsis (...) to indicate omissions and brackets [ ] to indicate an addition or change. If your quotation is five lines or longer, it should be separated from the text by two lines, indented five spaces, and single spaced.
 
 

References to the works of others are to be placed in the body of the text, not in a footnote. For each statement/quotation requiring a reference, place the citation in parenthesis (author's last name, date of publication, and pages when appropriate). Use parentheses as follows:

According to Schneider  (2001), international trade is growing dramatically.

China is the most successful case of transition to competitive capitalism from state capitalism  (Gabriel, 2001, 19-20; Resnick and Wolff, 2002).

If you draw upon the work of authors with the same last name, you must use their first names in all citations. Interviews or other personal communications should be cited as follows:

Fred Moseley (interview, 2001) claimed that ...

According to Graham Moseley (pers. com. 2000) ...

All sources read or consulted while doing your research, regardless of whether cited in your thesis, must be listed in the Bibliography section that concludes your thesis. The Bibliography section should begin on a new page, with the heading "BIBLIOGRAPHY" centered one inch from the top of the page. Do not number your references. List all references alphabetically by author or by the organization responsible for the publication if no specific author is listed. Multiple references by the same author should be listed chronologically, starting with the oldest work.

A. Books

Christiansen, Jens, and Satya Gabriel. 2001. Why Economics is Wonderful. South Hadley, MA: Dreamon Press.

Robinson. 2001. Economics is Preferred to Sports. South Hadley, MA: Dreamon Press.

B. Work in a Collection
Paus, Eva. 1994. Development and Underdevelopment. in The Development Chronicles. ed. Jens Christiansen and Satya Gabriel, 147-173. South Hadley, MA: Dreamon Press..

C. Articles in Scholarly Journals
Schneider, Patricia. 2001. Trade Games: Why Uneven Trade is Rising. MHC Economics Review 21 (3): 221-46.

D. Newspaper Articles
The Economics Department. 2001. Recession or Depression? The College  Street Journal, 29 April, E44.

E. Interviews
Wilson, Lucas. 1999. Interview, South Hadley, 17 May.
 

Explanatory footnotes should be placed at the bottom of the page on which they occur and numbered consecutively throughout the thesis. They should be used in those cases when you do not want to disrupt the main flow of your text, but feel that a point raised in your thesis would benefit from further discussion.
 
 

Number tables consecutively with Arabic numbers above each table--e.g., TABLE 1. Each table should also have a heading, listed below the table number, which communicates the nature of the information being presented. You must list data sources at the bottom of each table.

Number charts consecutively with Arabic numbers above each chart--e.g., CHART 1. Each chart should also have a heading, listed below the chart number, which communicates the nature of the information being presented. You must list data sources at the bottom of each chart.

Tables and charts should be placed in the body of the text as close as possible to the point where your refer to them. You are encouraged to use tables and charts to economize on text.