When writing a thesis, you must cite peer-reviewed academic sources such as books and journal articles. These can be accessed through UAL Library Services or Google Scholar. Do not cite personal blogs, film reviews, or YouTube videos unless they contain a specific animation that cannot be found elsewhere. The formatting should use 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, with line spacing set to 1.5 or 2.0.
The language should be formal and objective. Avoid emotional language and sweeping generalisations. Instead, use qualifying adverbs such as some, several, a few, or many. Do not use first-person pronouns like I, my, or we. Instead, use passive voice or impersonal subjects. Avoid verbs that soften your argument, such as hope, believe, or feel. Do not use contractions, colloquial language, or slang. Avoid phrasal verbs and vague words like get, a lot, or nice. Your writing should be as concise and precise as possible.
When quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s ideas, you must clearly reference the source in your text. Use the Harvard referencing system, which requires the author’s surname, year, and page number in the text. Short quotations of up to three lines should be incorporated into your sentence with double quotation marks. Longer quotations should be indented with single spacing, with a blank line before and after, and no quotation marks.
The reference list should be arranged alphabetically by the author’s surname. Book titles and journal names should be italicised, while article titles should be in single quotation marks. For books, include the publisher and the publication date. For online sources, include the author, title, full URL, and the date you accessed the site. A filmography should follow the reference list, with film titles in italics and arranged alphabetically. The first time you mention a film, include the title, director, and year. The first time you mention a television character, include the actor’s name in brackets after the character’s name. For television programmes, include the original broadcast channel and date.