Thesis format guidelines

After reviewing these guidelines, if doubt exists as to the correct format of the thesis, the candidate is
encouraged to consult with the Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies Office before the final copies are
submitted.

Thesis Templates

Some of your colleagues have contributed thesis templates which you may find helpful as you begin your
thesis writing. If you have developed a template that you would like to share, please let us know and we
will add it to our library.

LaTeX Files
Full Thesis Template

Fonts and Desktop Publishing

Features that should stand out in the thesis include the quality of the scholarship or research, the
soundness of the logic, the originality of ideas, and the lucidity of the prose, but not the size of the
headlines. The use of headers or chapter titles larger than 3/16" is discouraged and the use of excessive
italics or bold print is discouraged.

Theses should generally be written in font 12. Possibilities include, but are not restricted to: Times New
Roman, Helvetica, Arial, Calibri. The font provided through LaTeX is acceptable. However, if LaTeX is used,
be careful to ensure proper margins when producing the final copy.

Spacing

Use 1.5 or double spaced text. Only footnotes, long quotations, bibliography entries (double space
between entries), table captions, and similar special material may be single-spaced.

Paper Size

The thesis should be formatted to be printed on 8.5 x 11 inch paper within your PDF. Students in the
School of Architecture and the Shepherd School of Music may format their theses to a larger size.

Margins

We recommend a left margin of 1.5" and a top, bottom, and right margin of 1" if the thesis is to be
bound. Page numbers do not need to meet the 1" margin requirement. If you do not follow the
appropriate margin guidelines that are included here, you might lose content if your thesis is later
bound. Some students may wish to extend their work beyond the margin requirement for aesthetic
reasons; this is acceptable.

Title Page

The title page is now signed via an AdobeSign document. This is sent to the student a couple of days
before the student's thesis defense. The student may create a placeholder thesis title page for the rough
draft of the thesis. A sample title page is available.
The degree must be shown as Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Music,
or Master of Architecture.

The month shown on the title page should be the month when the final copy is submitted to the Office
of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies OR the month in which the degree will be conferred (May, August or
December). The month of the oral defense should not be shown unless the thesis is actually presented
to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies during that month.

The titles (i.e., faculty rank) of committee members should be typed below the signature lines with their
names and departments. For example, John Smith, Associate Professor of Biology. The word chair or
director should appear after the faculty title as appropriate.

All signatures on the title page are collected via AdobeSign. Please make arrangements in advance if one
or more of your committee members will be unavailable to sign. You may also review specific signature
requirements.

Once the committee has signed the title page, you will separate the title page from the other documents
and merge it into a single document with the PDF of your thesis. To complete your thesis, please follow
the directions here and ensure that you complete the online thesis submission form.

Abstract

An abstract is to be included with the thesis. Particular care should be taken in preparing the abstract
since it will be published in Dissertation Abstracts or Master's Abstracts and the length is limited by the
publisher. The abstract may not exceed 350 words for a doctorate or 150 words for a master's. In style,
the abstract should be a miniature version of the thesis. It should be a summary of the results,
conclusions or main arguments presented in the thesis.

The heading of the abstract must contain the word Abstract, and must show the title of the thesis and
the writer's name as indicated here.

Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are not to be used as a substitute for complete bibliographic citations.

Assembling the Thesis

Your thesis should be assembled as a PDF. In some cases a thesis might be created as multiple
documents; these must be merged into a single document. The thesis must be assembled in this order:

1. Title page

2. Copyright Notice (if applicable; for information on copyright, see the thesis FAQ page.)

3. Abstract

4. Acknowledgments

5. Table of Contents

6. List of Tables, etc., if any

8. Text (the first page of the text is the first Arabic-numbered page)

9. Notes (unless they appear on pages of text or at end of chapters)

10. Bibliography or list of references

11. Appendices, if any, may follow 8, 9 or 10

Page Numbering

Page numbers should be placed in the upper right corner of the page. Only the number should appear,
not "page 9" or the abbreviation "p. 9." On the first page of each chapter, the number may be placed at
the center bottom, one double space below the last line of type (the conventional placement), or at the
top right corner.

Page numbers should not be shown on the Title Page, the Abstract, or on the first page of the
Acknowledgments, Table of Contents, List of Tables or the Preface. However, the following pages (e.g.,
the second and succeeding pages) of each of these sections should be numbered using Roman numerals.
The count for these preliminary pages should start with the title page. For example, if the thesis has a
two-page abstract, then the second page of the acknowledgments should be the first page showing a
number, and it should be numbered with the Roman numeral v.

Pages of the text itself and of all items following the text (i.e. the notes and bibliography) should be
numbered consecutively throughout in Arabic numbers, beginning with number 1 on the first page of
the first chapter or introduction (but not preface). Please number every page to be bound, including
pages on which only illustrations, drawings, tables, or captions appear. The page numbers do not need to
meet the 1" margin requirements.

Drawings

Please note that when a graph, map, etc. is oversized, there is a limit on how much of this can be
handled by the archiving process with ProQuest/UMI. All figures should appear within the text at the
point where reference to them is first made.

Footnotes

In presenting footnotes and bibliography, use a consistent form acceptable in your discipline, such as
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers (University of Chicago Press), the MLA Style Sheet, or Campbell's
Form and Style (Houghton Mifflin). Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information
(Information Today, Inc.) is helpful for noting electronic information. There are style guides for almost
every discipline. Check with the library for further information.

Thesis Acknowledgements

Use this space to thank the funding and folks that contributed to your success in graduate school. Some
view this as an informal section of the thesis, while others still consider this a piece within a formal
document. You can thank people like your advisor(s), committee members, peers, friends, family, and
even a special pet if you couldn't have done all the late nights without them! Be cautious to not reveal
too much sensitive personal information that could be used in identity theft. Consider checking out
Thesis format guidelines

After reviewing these guidelines, if doubt exists as to the correct format of the thesis, the candidate is
encouraged to consult with the Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies Office before the final copies are
submitted.

Thesis Templates

Some of your colleagues have contributed thesis templates which you may find helpful as you begin your
thesis writing. If you have developed a template that you would like to share, please let us know and we
will add it to our library.

LaTeX Files
Full Thesis Template

Fonts and Desktop Publishing

Features that should stand out in the thesis include the quality of the scholarship or research, the
soundness of the logic, the originality of ideas, and the lucidity of the prose, but not the size of the
headlines. The use of headers or chapter titles larger than 3/16" is discouraged and the use of excessive
italics or bold print is discouraged.

Theses should generally be written in font 12. Possibilities include, but are not restricted to: Times New
Roman, Helvetica, Arial, Calibri. The font provided through LaTeX is acceptable. However, if LaTeX is used,
be careful to ensure proper margins when producing the final copy.

Spacing

Use 1.5 or double spaced text. Only footnotes, long quotations, bibliography entries (double space
between entries), table captions, and similar special material may be single-spaced.

Paper Size

The thesis should be formatted to be printed on 8.5 x 11 inch paper within your PDF. Students in the
School of Architecture and the Shepherd School of Music may format their theses to a larger size.

Margins

We recommend a left margin of 1.5" and a top, bottom, and right margin of 1" if the thesis is to be
bound. Page numbers do not need to meet the 1" margin requirement. If you do not follow the
appropriate margin guidelines that are included here, you might lose content if your thesis is later
bound. Some students may wish to extend their work beyond the margin requirement for aesthetic
reasons; this is acceptable.

Title Page

The title page is now signed via an AdobeSign document. This is sent to the student a couple of days
before the student's thesis defense. The student may create a placeholder thesis title page for the rough
draft of the thesis. A sample title page is available.
The degree must be shown as Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Music,
or Master of Architecture.

The month shown on the title page should be the month when the final copy is submitted to the Office
of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies OR the month in which the degree will be conferred (May, August or
December). The month of the oral defense should not be shown unless the thesis is actually presented
to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies during that month.

The titles (i.e., faculty rank) of committee members should be typed below the signature lines with their
names and departments. For example, John Smith, Associate Professor of Biology. The word chair or
director should appear after the faculty title as appropriate.

All signatures on the title page are collected via AdobeSign. Please make arrangements in advance if one
or more of your committee members will be unavailable to sign. You may also review specific signature
requirements.

Once the committee has signed the title page, you will separate the title page from the other documents
and merge it into a single document with the PDF of your thesis. To complete your thesis, please follow
the directions here and ensure that you complete the online thesis submission form.

Abstract

An abstract is to be included with the thesis. Particular care should be taken in preparing the abstract
since it will be published in Dissertation Abstracts or Master's Abstracts and the length is limited by the
publisher. The abstract may not exceed 350 words for a doctorate or 150 words for a master's. In style,
the abstract should be a miniature version of the thesis. It should be a summary of the results,
conclusions or main arguments presented in the thesis.

The heading of the abstract must contain the word Abstract, and must show the title of the thesis and
the writer's name as indicated here.

Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are not to be used as a substitute for complete bibliographic citations.

Assembling the Thesis

Your thesis should be assembled as a PDF. In some cases a thesis might be created as multiple
documents; these must be merged into a single document. The thesis must be assembled in this order:

1. Title page

2. Copyright Notice (if applicable; for information on copyright, see the thesis FAQ page.)

3. Abstract

4. Acknowledgments

5. Table of Contents

6. List of Tables, etc., if any

8. Text (the first page of the text is the first Arabic-numbered page)

9. Notes (unless they appear on pages of text or at end of chapters)

10. Bibliography or list of references

11. Appendices, if any, may follow 8, 9 or 10

Page Numbering

Page numbers should be placed in the upper right corner of the page. Only the number should appear,
not "page 9" or the abbreviation "p. 9." On the first page of each chapter, the number may be placed at
the center bottom, one double space below the last line of type (the conventional placement), or at the
top right corner.

Page numbers should not be shown on the Title Page, the Abstract, or on the first page of the
Acknowledgments, Table of Contents, List of Tables or the Preface. However, the following pages (e.g.,
the second and succeeding pages) of each of these sections should be numbered using Roman numerals.
The count for these preliminary pages should start with the title page. For example, if the thesis has a
two-page abstract, then the second page of the acknowledgments should be the first page showing a
number, and it should be numbered with the Roman numeral v.

Pages of the text itself and of all items following the text (i.e. the notes and bibliography) should be
numbered consecutively throughout in Arabic numbers, beginning with number 1 on the first page of
the first chapter or introduction (but not preface). Please number every page to be bound, including
pages on which only illustrations, drawings, tables, or captions appear. The page numbers do not need to
meet the 1" margin requirements.

Drawings

Please note that when a graph, map, etc. is oversized, there is a limit on how much of this can be
handled by the archiving process with ProQuest/UMI. All figures should appear within the text at the
point where reference to them is first made.

Footnotes

In presenting footnotes and bibliography, use a consistent form acceptable in your discipline, such as
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers (University of Chicago Press), the MLA Style Sheet, or Campbell's
Form and Style (Houghton Mifflin). Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information
(Information Today, Inc.) is helpful for noting electronic information. There are style guides for almost
every discipline. Check with the library for further information.

Thesis Acknowledgements

Use this space to thank the funding and folks that contributed to your success in graduate school. Some
view this as an informal section of the thesis, while others still consider this a piece within a formal
document. You can thank people like your advisor(s), committee members, peers, friends, family, and
even a special pet if you couldn't have done all the late nights without them! Be cautious to not reveal
too much sensitive personal information that could be used in identity theft. Consider checking out