Course Handbook - Faculty of History - University of Cambridge
Course Handbook - Faculty of History - University of Cambridge
Course Handbook - Faculty of History - University of Cambridge
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word limit. The word limit (within the 50 / 150 words grace allowance) must<br />
therefore be strictly observed. Students can expect to be severely penalised for<br />
exceeding the word limit. Normally the penalty will be the deduction <strong>of</strong> up to 5 marks<br />
from the essay/dissertation, but in severe cases the work may be marked as failed.<br />
• Footnotes should be restricted to the documentation <strong>of</strong> claims and the registration <strong>of</strong><br />
relevant caveats or observations in relation to the literature. Footnotes must not be used<br />
to circumvent the word limit <strong>of</strong> the essay or dissertation. Students can expect to be<br />
severely penalised for abusing the proper use <strong>of</strong> footnotes in this way. Normally the<br />
penalty will be a deduction <strong>of</strong> up to 5 marks from the essay or dissertation, but in<br />
severe cases the essay or dissertation may be marked as failed.<br />
• The word count <strong>of</strong> the entire essay or dissertation (excluding footnotes), must be<br />
recorded on a separate page bound up with the essay or dissertation. An electronic copy<br />
<strong>of</strong> the dissertation on CD must also be provided so that if necessary the word count may<br />
be verified.<br />
2.6 Deadlines for Submission<br />
Submission dates must be strictly adhered to.<br />
If there are grave and convincing reasons why work for Part I assessment cannot be submitted<br />
on time, the Secretary <strong>of</strong> the MPhil must be informed <strong>of</strong> these in writing at the <strong>History</strong> <strong>Faculty</strong>, or<br />
by email, before the deadline. These reasons will normally be either medical, in which case a<br />
statement from a College nurse or a GP must also be provided, or personal, in which case a<br />
supporting letter from the student’s College tutor is also required. The Chair and/or Academic<br />
Secretary <strong>of</strong> the MPhil are able in these circumstances to consider granting an extension. An<br />
extension will normally only be considered for the actual amount <strong>of</strong> time lost, and students should<br />
be aware that excessive delay may make it impossible for their work to be examined at the same<br />
time as that <strong>of</strong> other students and may consequently delay receipt <strong>of</strong> their results.<br />
Whereas in the case <strong>of</strong> the essays, the Academic Secretary and Chair are able to grant extensions in<br />
compelling circumstances, in the case <strong>of</strong> the dissertation there is a formal procedure laid down<br />
by the Board <strong>of</strong> Graduate Studies by which extensions must be sought. These may only be<br />
granted where there are grave and convincing reasons for a delay in submission. These reasons will<br />
normally be either medical, in which case a statement from a College nurse or a GP must also be<br />
provided, or personal, in which case supporting comments from the students College tutor are also<br />
required. An extension should be applied for in advance, normally at least one week before the<br />
submission date, using the appropriate application form downloaded from your Self-Service pages in<br />
CamSIS: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/<strong>of</strong>fices/gradstud/current/submitting/deferring.html. After<br />
initial consideration by the MPhil Sub-Committee, the application will be referred to the next<br />
available Degree Committee meeting and, if approved, forwarded to the Board <strong>of</strong> Graduate Studies.<br />
Official confirmation that leave to defer has been granted will be sent to the student by the BGS. If<br />
in any doubt about this procedure, please contact the MPhil Office for advice.<br />
Mechanical breakdown in the functioning <strong>of</strong> word processors will not normally be regarded as a<br />
sufficient excuse for late submission. Students are therefore strongly advised to plan to complete<br />
their work a couple <strong>of</strong> days in advance <strong>of</strong> the deadlines in order to avoid such problems, and to back<br />
up their work regularly in multiple formats.<br />
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