GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF MASTER’S DEGREE FINAL PROJECTS (TFM)

1. STRUCTURE

Master’s degree final projects (TFMs) must present the results of an original, individual research project in the field of palaeontology.
They must include a clear contextualisation of the problem, well-defined objectives, a detailed account of the materials and methods employed, specific results, a reasoned discussion and a concise description of the fundamental contribution of the study.
Depending on the type of research, their structure may be adapted to other formats, provided that their different sections are clearly delimited.
While TFMs are not limited in terms of length, it is recommended that they do not exceed 50 pages. However, the ideal length is ultimately determined by students and their supervisor(s), with quality being the primary consideration.
TFMs must be written in Spanish, Catalan or English.
They may follow this outline or the format of a scientific journal article (*) (the format will depend on the journal to which the work is submitted).

1. A cover page including the seal of the Universitat de València and the University of Alacant, the name of the Master’s degree, the project title, the author’s and supervisor’s names (if there is both an external and academic supervisor, both must be included) and the month and year of submission.
2. An abstract (up to 300 words) in English, and also in Spanish or Catalan, on the first page. The abstract should provide sufficient information regarding the results and conclusions reached.
3. Up to six keywords in English (and also in Spanish or Catalan) on the first page, immediately after the abstract.
4. A table of contents on the second page.
5. An introduction, in which the background and the issues that justify the objectives are described in sufficient detail. As many sections as necessary may be used.
6. Hypotheses and/or objectives in a separate section. Hypotheses refer to the expected response to research questions. The objectives must specify the purposes of the work, and must be precise and concise. The objectives may be general and/or specific.
7. Materials and methods. Students must provide sufficient detail to enable anyone wishing to repeat the study to do so. If necessary, a subsection should be added for abbreviations and acronyms.
8. Results. In this section, students must explain the data obtained after the descriptive and statistical analysis (which should be applied when necessary). Tables and/or figures (including graphs, images, schemes or diagrams) may be used for this purpose. The results must be concise, avoiding the incorporation of discussion elements. This section should include the systematic palaeontology section, if any.
9. Discussió. Han de discutir-se de manera concisa tots els resultats que es presenten, evitant especulacions innecessàries.
10. Discussion. All results presented must be discussed in a concise manner, avoiding unnecessary speculation.
11. Acknowledgements.
12. Bibliography. All the books, articles, materials and/or websites used in the TFM must be conveniently cited and listed in the text and in this section. The references will be listed in alphabetical order (NOT by number) and will be cited by their corresponding authors in parentheses. The names of scientific journals must not be abbreviated.
    Please follow the Spanish Journal of Palaeontology guidelines, which can be downloaded from the following address: Guide for Authors
13. Appendices (optional). Should further information be required, it may be included at the end of the TFM in the most convenient format. In any case, appendices must be referenced in the text as “Appendix 1”, “Appendix 2”, etc.
    (*) In the case of scientific journal articles, students are required to specify with precision which aspects of the work have been carried out by themselves and which by their supervisors

2. FORMAL AND STYLE GUIDELINES

1. Format. The margins of the text must be 2.5 cm at the bottom and top, and 3 cm on the left and right. Line spacing must be 1.5 in standard format. The font used must be Arial type (or equivalent), size 12. The text must be justified.
2. Titles and subtitles must be in bold without a period. Chapters, sections and/or subsections must be numbered consecutively: 1, 1.1, 1.1.1; 2, 2.1, etc. First-level titles must be in bold and capital letters. Second-level titles must be in bold and the text must begin on the following line. Third-level titles must be in bold, followed by a full stop, and the text must continue on the same line. If there are more levels, they must be in italics.
3. Numbering. All pages must be numbered consecutively in the lower right-hand corner.
4. Tables and figures must be numbered sequentially. Each figure must have its own caption, which must be self-explanatory. The same case applies to table headings, which must be in a font smaller than the text (size 10). Tables and figures should appear in the text as close as possible to where they are mentioned, and must be referenced in the text. The source of all tables and figures that are not created by students must be mentioned. It is further recommended that figures be original (own elaboration).

PROCEDURE

The process will be overseen by the terms established in the UV’s TFM regulations. According to these regulations, the Academic Coordinating Committee (CCA) of the Master’s degree establishes the following:

1. ELECTION OF THE SUPERVISOR

1. At the beginning of each academic year, the CCA will inform the students about the topics and possible supervisors (up to a maximum of two) from among the professors of the Master’s who have completed a doctoral programme and are associated to the UV.
   In order to act as TFM supervisors, they must have completed a doctoral programme, with the exception of cases authorised by the Graduate Studies Committee.
2. TFMs may also be supervised by any doctor from other universities, research centres or any other entity where active research is carried out, who will act as an external supervisor. In this case, the CCA will assign an academic supervisor, who will ensure that the work maintains sufficient scientific quality and complies, in its formal aspects, with these regulations.
3. Once a supervisor has been assigned, students are required to submit a work proposal, including the supervisor and topic, before 30 November 2023. This proposal must be sent to the TFM coordinator, sonia.ros@uv.es).
4. The assignment of topics and supervisors is valid for the defence periods of the corresponding academic year. In the event that work is not presented during the academic year in question, a new enrolment must be made.
5. In the event of a significant impediment to the supervisor’s ability to fulfil their duties, the CCA may assign a new topic and supervisor to the student. This may also occur in the event of the supervisor’s resignation for other reasons, or if the student makes a reasoned request.

2. ENROLMENT

The enrolment for the Master’s degree final project must be made within the deadline established in the annual academic calendar.

3. PRESENTATION AND SUBMISSION OF TFMs FOR UV STUDENTS

1. Students who register for the TFM are entitled to two official calls during the academic year, with different periods of defence.
2. Students will have the option of selecting up to five possible periods for the first call (Oct.–Nov., Dec.–Jan., Feb.–March, April–May, and June–July). Calendari específic.
3. In order to be able to defend their TFM, students must submit them as a PDF file through the Online Office. The document must be accompanied by an application form established by the UV, which will indicate the title of the TFM, the name of its supervisor and their signature.  Application form for the submission and defence of TFMs.This application form must be uploaded at the same time as the TFM. The defence of the TFM will take place approximately 10 calendar days after the deadline for submission.
4. Supervisors are required to submit a report to the CCA, in which they will provide an assessment of the student’s work, using a numerical grade (from 0 to 10). This assessment will take into account the following sections: (a) the level of responsibility demonstrated by the student; (b) the student’s independence, maturity, initiative and autonomy; (c) the effort and interest shown by the student; (d) the acquisition of new knowledge and skills; (e) any additional remarks (optional). The report must be submitted within three days of the TFM being submitted and will constitute 20% of the student’s grade. An evaluation rubric will be sent by the coordinator to TFM supervisors.
5. The place, date and time of the reading of the TFM will be informed through the Virtual Classroom well in advance.
6. The final grade of all the students presented for each defence period will be recorded in a joint report.
7. The grade of the TFM may be contested in accordance with the UV’s regulations on the contesting of exam grades.
8. Students enrolled at the University of Alacant (UA) must contact their coordinator at the UA to be informed of the process and the deadlines for submission  (Alejandro Romero Rameta, arr@gcloud.ua.es).

4. DEFENCE

1. All TFMs must be defended in an open session, unless the work is subject to protection and/or knowledge transfer processes (see specific regulations). The CCA will establish the conditions under which the defence will take place.
2. The duration of the presentation must not exceed 20 minutes, after which there will be a discussion and question time by the examining board, of discretionary length. Supervisors may speak during the defence.
3. They may also intervene to clarify any circumstance deemed appropriate, and they are required to communicate their grade to the examining board prior to the defence.

5. EVALUATION

1. TFMs will be assessed by three people appointed at the beginning of the academic year. The supervisor of the student presenting their TFM may not be a member of this group.
2. Once the defence has been completed, the examining board will grade the TFM in accordance with the evaluation rubric.
   The supervisor’s grade will contribute up to 2 points of the final mark. The grade may be assigned at the conclusion of the defence of multiple TFMs.
3. The members of the examining board will sign a record of the defence, which will include a numerical mark from 0 to 10, with one decimal place.
   In addition, the grades of Fail (0–4.9), Pass (5–6.9), Good (7–8.9) and Excellent – or Excellent with honours – (9–10) will also be included.
4. In the event of a lack of consensus among the members of the examining board, each member will issue an individual grade. In such a case, the final grade will be the average of the individual grades.

Final provisions for Master’s professors
Each Master’s professor is required to submit at least one proposal for a TFM. Proposals must be submitted before the beginning of the academic year, with the exact date to be communicated each year via email. Once this date has passed, no further proposals will be accepted for the current academic year.