Nutrition Epidemiology and Data Science 
                        Master’s Thesis Guidelines 
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                            
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       1. Introduction  
       This guide is designed to assist a student who chooses a thesis option as part of his/her curriculum plan 
       and help the student prepare a thesis that conforms to the Friedman School’s requirement.   
       Successful completion of a Master’s Thesis is a written thesis in the format of a traditional thesis or a 
       publishable manuscript. In keeping with the high academic and educational objectives of the Friedman 
       School, the thesis should constitute a cohesive scholarly work that reflects a student’s original writing 
       and independent research with a thorough understanding of the field of the study. The thesis should 
       include a critical review of the relevant scientific literature that establishes the context in which the 
       students’ research work may be assessed. It should demonstrate a solid understanding on study design, 
       statistical analysis, and causal inference as applied in nutritional epidemiologic research and nutrition 
       data science. It should be clearly written and follow standards of superior scientific scholarship.  
       2. General formatting 
       2.1. Line Spacing: The text of the thesis is double-spaced except for the table of contents, tables, figure 
       legends, long quotations, footnotes, and bibliographical citations, which are to be singled-spaced. 
       2.2. Font: A standard font used should be selected for use throughout the entire thesis. Standard fonts 
       include 1) Arial 11 point or 2) Times New Roman 12 point. Eccentric type styles, such as cursive, are not 
       permitted. 
       2.3. Page Numbering: Every paper in a thesis is assigned a number except the Title page. These are two 
       series of page numbers. 
       2.3.1. Roman numerals (ii, iii, etc.) are to be used on all of the preliminary pages and should be 
       numbered with lower-case at the bottom, center of each page, ½” from the bottom edge. The title page 
       should be counted when numbering successive pages, but the number should not appear on that page. 
       The first page on which a number should appear is the Abstract page (numbered ii). 
       2.3.2. Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) begin with the first page of the Introduction and continue 
       throughout the thesis, including tables, figures, appendices and the bibliography. Arabic numerals 
       should appear ½” from the bottom center of the page. 
       2.4. Margins: The margins at the top, bottom, and right are to be 1.0 inch; the left-hand marge is to be 
       1.5 inches. All tables, charts, and illustrations are to have left-hand margin of no less than 1.5 inches. 
       2.5. Tables and Figures: Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively using two numbers, the 
       first indicating the chapter in which the table or figure is located and the second specifying the number 
       within the chapter. The titles of tables and figures as well as the page numbers on which they appear 
       should also be listed. For example: 
       Table 2.1: Enter the Title of the Table Here……………………………………………..20 
       Table 2.2: Enter the Title of the Table Here……………………………………………..25 
       Table 3.1: Enter the Title of the Table Here……………………………………………..30 
                     
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       3. Document Organization 
       3.1. Title Page: A sample title page is shown in section 7. Students must follow it exactly, using only the 
       font sizes and wording prescribed on the sample page. No bolding, capitalization, or changes to this 
       formatting may be made. 
       3.2. Abstract: The abstract should be about 350 words. The abstract should state the main argument of 
       the thesis so that the reader can quickly review the essential contents and results. A typical abstract 
       includes a statement of the problem, a description of procedures or methods followed, the primary 
       results, and conclusions.  
       3.3. Dedication (optional): Students may include a page with a brief dedication. 
       3.4. Acknowledgment (optional): The feature is not required but offers a convenient opportunity to 
       express the writer’s appreciation to persons who have been especially helpful during the research 
       process.   
       3.5. Table of Contents: The Table of Contents should list the chapters or the division heading of the 
       thesis, using the same words that appear in the body of the report. The numbers of the pages on which 
       these items appear should also be given. The Table of Contents is to be followed by a separate page 
       listing for tables and for figures. See section 7 for a sample Table of Contents. 
       3.6. List of Table: Include all tables contained in the thesis as indicated by table number and the title of 
       each table. See formatting instructions in section 2. 
       3.7. List of Figures: Include all figures contained in the thesis as indicated by figure number and the title 
       of each figure. See formatting instructions in section 2. 
       3.8. List of Copyrighted Materials: If any part of the thesis has been published, the student must list the 
       source document here with its full citation. The includes other people’s graphs or images and reusing 
       the student’s own work that has been published. The student is responsible for securing permission to 
       use this material from the copyright holder. The permission letters should be uploaded in the 
       Supplementary Files section on the ProQuest/UMI website. 
       3.9. List of Abbreviations: A complete list of abbreviations used in the text must be included. 
       3.10. Body of the Thesis: Students present detailed information about their research activities. See 
       section 4 for formatting.  
       3.11. Appendix (optional): The Appendix may include but is not limited to a more extensive presentation 
       of materials and methods to assist other investigators who wish to utilize methods developed by the 
       candidate. The candidate may also wish to include as appendix material more detailed presentations of 
       data than appropriate for a scholarly journal or thesis. 
       3.12. Bibliography: At a minimum, each reference must include the name of all authors, the title of the 
       article, the name of the journal, the volume number and the pages of the article. Titles of articles must 
       be included. The bibliography of the thesis must be compiled at the end of the thesis. 
                     
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       4. Body of the Thesis: Two Format Options  
       4.1 Choosing a Thesis Format: The format of the thesis will be, in part, dictated by the scope and 
       complexity of the research project. A student must choose between these two formats. No combination 
       of the two formats is acceptable.  
       4.2. Traditional Format 
       4.2.1. Introduction. This chapter serves two major purposes: a review of the literature, and a statement 
       of the research question under investigation. This section allows the student to provide a 
       comprehensive background to the research project. The student should then present the working 
       hypotheses and introduce the thesis research.  
       4.2.2. Methods. This chapter should provide a full description of the subjects studied as well as their 
       numbers and sources. Research methodologies should be referenced as appropriate, including sample 
       selection, inclusion and exclusion criteria, methods of assess the exposure and outcome, and statistical 
       approaches for analyzing the data. Figures and tables must be inserted into the text where they are 
       discussed. 
       4.2.3. Results: The Results chapter should contain only the original contributions of the study that 
       represents a documentation of the research experience that is clearly written without interpretation. 
       Tables and figures are to be numbered in order and placed within the text where referenced. 
       4.2.4. Discussion: A thesis should end with a general discussion of the studies that have been conducted 
       and how they have answered the research question/hypothesis posed in the Introduction. It should 
       include an overall assessment of the significant of the research, arguments for interpretations 
       presented, and suggestions for future exceptional work to address unanswered questions.  
       4.3. Manuscript Format: The thesis requirement is one manuscript that has been or is formatted to be 
       submitted for publication in a scholarly journal. At least one manuscript should be written to meet the 
       thesis requirements. Additional manuscripts consistent with the thesis research objectives can be 
       included as part of the body of the thesis or as an appendix, depending on whether they directly or 
       indirectly address the overall objectives of the thesis research.   Each manuscript constitutes a chapter 
       and will include a brief Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. The candidate must meet the 
       Authorship criteria and provide bibliographic information for the manuscript. 
       4.3.1. Introduction: This chapter serves two major purposes: a review of the literature focusing on the 
       project’s objectives and highlighting the gaps in our current knowledge, and a statement of the research 
       question under investigation. The student should then present the working hypotheses and introduce 
       the thesis research.  
       4.3.2. Methods: This chapter should provide a full description of research methods. Research methods 
       should be referenced as appropriate, including study population, measurement of the exposure, 
       measurement of the outcome, and statistical analysis.  
       4.3.3. Results: The Results chapter should contain only the original contributions of the student that 
       represents a documentation of the research experience that is clearly written, and end with a brief 
       discussion of the significance of the findings. 
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