1.    Whatever the format, the project should demonstrate serious and sustained engagement with the chosen topic, the relevant and readily accessible source materials, and the adopted methodology(ies) or creative processes.  "Serious and sustained engagement” is reflected by the following:

  • a.    Ability to articulate fresh insights or reflections about the topic, through whatever form the final creation takes. 
  • b.    Ability to draw upon and frame the project and/or the approach within larger conversations (generally among other scholarly or community experts or practitioners) about the topic and/or the approach.  
  • c.    Ability to reflect meaningfully upon project process and final form. 
  • d.    Ability to demonstrate or describe how the project has achieved the student’s own stated goals for it, including in regard to their own growth. 

2.    The project should represent an effort equivalent to the approximately 105 hours of time input the University Registrar requires for a three-unit graduate-level course. 

3.    Projects taking the form of primarily of a written research paper or long-form essay should aim for a main text (not including citations and bibliography) of approximately 10,000 – 12,000 words.

4.    All projects in other formats (including creative writing) should include a short (approximately 2,500 – 3,000 word) introductory or framing statement that places the project in context and reflects upon its methods, findings, and meanings.

5.    The project should conform to appropriate standards of responsible academic conduct, including:

  • a.    Human Subjects.  All projects involving research with human subjects (e.g., interviews, surveys) must be conducted according to appropriate ethical and scientific standards; research plans must be reviewed and approved by the Human Subjects Committee of Duke’s Institutional Review Board before any research is conducted.
  • b.    Academic Integrity.  All sources used in a project must be properly documented using some appropriate standard citation format (agreed upon in advance with the faculty supervisor).  All use of sources must be conducted according to strict standards of academic integrity.  All aspects of the project must conform to the Duke University guidelines for research and appropriate use of intellectual property. 

6.    Written components of the project should be presented in grammatically clear, concise, coherent, and easily readable American English.  Writing should be appropriate in style and convention to the subject materials and the intended audience(s). 

7.    At the required concluding “master’s examination” (conversation, discussed below), the student should be able to help lead a wide-ranging, informed, reflective, and open discussion about the topic, the work they completed, and what they learned from the process.