graduate studies thesis format

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Thesis and dissertation formatting guidelines.

The following format guidelines are intended to help you prepare your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation and should be used in conjunction with the specific style adopted by your academic program. It is your responsibility to conform to the following format requirements and ensure that your manuscript’s presentation is of the highest quality. Because requirements may change over time, students should not use existing library or departmental copies of manuscripts as examples of proper format.

Graduate Studies strongly suggests that your committee chair review a draft of your entire manuscript before you electronically submit it to the UNM Digital Repository.

The Manuscript Coordinator is available to help you with issues related to format. You may contact the Manuscript Coordinator at (505) 277-1206 or by email, [email protected] . If you are calling from out of state, you may call 1-800-225-5866, press 5 for the Graduate Office and ask to speak to the Manuscript Coordinator. Please click on each section below for more information.

Note: Paid editing and/or formatting services are available from people not employed by the Graduate Studies office. Check the bulletin board located outside the Manuscript Coordinator's office at Graduate Studies, Humanities Building, Room 107, for listings.

General Regulations

Rights of the author and the university:.

Your graduate unit has the right to require that you provide them with a copy of your thesis or dissertation, and that certain original records and materials be retained as the property of the University. Publication rights to the thesis or dissertation are reserved to you as the author.

Deadline Dates

The final version of your thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Graduate Studies by:

• November 15 for Fall (Check with Graduate Studies for the date of graduation)
• April 15 for Spring (Check with Graduate Studies for the date of graduation)
• July 15 for Summer (Check with Graduate Studies for date of graduation)

Writing a Thesis or Dissertation in a Language Other than English

With the approval of a student’s thesis or dissertation committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies, a manuscript may be written in a language other than English. However, the manuscript must be accompanied by an abstract in English approved by the committee.

Accompanying Forms

The following forms must be submitted before your manuscript will be accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

• A Certificate of Final Form : You must submit this with your manuscript.
• An Information Cover Sheet : This is a Graduate Studies form that is submitted before electronic manuscript submission.
• A "Survey of Earned Doctorate" (doctoral students only excluding MFA/EDD) - the survey is completed  online .
• A Doctoral Dissertation Agreement Form-University Microfilms International (UMI) booklet entitled "Publishing your Dissertation" (see below): This is required for dissertation students only, and is optional for thesis students. The form is completed online .
• If your department requires, a  Report on Thesis or Dissertation  ("gray sheet"), completed by each member of your committee: These are often sent separately after the defense by the graduate unit; if given to the student for submission with the manuscript, they should be sealed in an envelope by the graduate unit and marked "Confidential." Ask your department for more information.

You may use the template for the front matter pages, on our  Templates Page .

Submitting to ProQuest (Doctoral Students Only)

If you are a doctoral candidate (excluding MFA/EDD), you are required to have your dissertation published by ProQuest (formally known as UMI). This will bring your work to the attention of researchers in your field in a variety of ways. Your abstract will appear in Dissertation Abstracts International, which is considered the authoritative source for concise summaries of current doctoral research. Your entire dissertation will be published by ProQuest.

ProQuest Publishing does not require payment of a registration fee for doctoral students who submit via the ProQuest ETD Administrator website.  Doctoral students must select the "traditional publishing" option and not the "open access" option to activate the no registration fee feature, otherwise they will be charged as shown below.

Students are responsible for the associated fee, which is currently $65 for traditionally published dissertations that are not submitted via the ProQuest ETD Administrator website and $160 for open access dissertations; $55 for traditionally published and $150 for open access theses. Both the ProQuest registration form and fee must be submitted with your dissertation electronically. The registration fee is payable by credit card.

ProQuest provides copyrighting of dissertations as a supplementary service when the work is being registered with them. The current fee for copyrighting is $65.

The publication or copyrighting of master’s theses by ProQuest is optional.

Registering Your Copyright

Registering your copyright in your thesis or dissertation is optional. Under current United States copyright law, the moment you reduce a work to a tangible medium (i.e., write it on paper, save on hard drive or other storage device, take the photograph, record the music, etc.) your thesis or dissertation is copyrighted. This applies to unpublished manuscripts as well. There is no longer the need to register your work for copyright. Furthermore, there is no longer the requirement of putting a copyright notice on a work for it to be copyrighted. You may register your copyright either by having ProQuest do so (see above) or on your own by submitting a registration form, which you can pick up at Zimmerman Library Government Publications or download from US Copyright Office's web page, with a check for $35, and two copies of your thesis or dissertation. Additional information can be obtained by calling 202-287-8700 or visiting the US Copyright Office website .

Including Copyrighted Material in Your Manuscript

You should remember that if you quote or otherwise reproduce in your thesis or dissertation material previously copyrighted by another author, beyond brief excerpts, you must obtain written permission from the copyright owner. Keep in mind that if a work was created in or after 1989, there is no requirement that it have a copyright notice to be copyrighted. This includes foreign works and foreign works for which the copyright has been reinstated pursuant to international treaty.

Copyright law is extremely complex and it can be difficult to determine what action you need to take and where to begin looking for permissions. The web sites listed below contain a great deal of information and have been helpful to students. Graduate Studies does not provide copyright advisement.

• The Copyright Clearance Center
• U.S. Copyright Office Home Page
• (ProQuest) Copyright and Your Dissertation or Thesis - Ownership, Fair Use, and Your Rights and Responsibilities  
• The University of Texas at Austin Copyright Crash Course
• UNM Office of University Counsel
• Boston College Information on Copyright

Preparing Your Manuscript

All manuscript pages must be 8.5"x11" ("letter size"). 

The left margin of each page must be 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inches, and the top, right, and bottom margins 1 inch. Additional information is available  here .

Placement of Page Numbers

There are only two ways to paginate your manuscript: upper right hand corner and bottom center. If your page numbers are at the bottom, leave two blank line spaces between the last line of text and the line on which the page number is placed. Whether they are at the top or the bottom, page numbers should appear just outside the 1-inch margins (.5 to .8 inches from the top or bottom edge of the page. Whichever method of pagination is selected, it must be followed consistently. Use lower-case Roman numerals for the front matter (which is all pages before the body of research), create section break and continue (beginning again with page "1") with Arabic numerals for the remainder of the manuscript, including the text, illustrations, appendices and references. Additional information is available here . 

Type and Font

Your manuscript should be double-spaced (one and a half spaces can be used if approved by the chair of your committee) and single-sided. References may be single-spaced with a double space between each reference. Indented quotations may also be single-spaced. Use a professional quality font (e.g., Arial, Times Roman, Courier or Helvetica). Font size for your text should be 12 point; headings may be up to 14 point. Fonts for tables, figures, and appendices may range from 8 to 12 point.

The style of your thesis or dissertation may follow any one of many standard style guides, as preferred by your graduate unit, or the style considered standard in your particular discipline. You should consult your advisor for preferences or additional requirements your department may have. In any case, your manuscript must be internally consistent.

Thesis or dissertation manuscripts are generally divided into three sections: the Front Matter, the Body of Research, and the Reference Matter. Detailed information about each section is provided below.

Front Matter

For a visual reference to format the Front Matter, reference the examples of completed front matter here . A  Thesis Example  and a  Dissertation Example  will help you format the Front Matter for pagination and the placement of the proper order of the Front Matter pages.

Approval Page

The Approval Page is the first page of the Front Matter and the manuscript. Count this as page "i". Type the names of the committee members on the lines provided at the center of the page. No signatures are required. Additional information is available  here .

The Title page contains the title of your manuscript, your name, your previous degrees (including your majors, institutions and years centered on the page). Count the title page as page "ii". The degree you will be receiving at UNM, and the month and year of your graduation should be listed toward the bottom of the page (check with Graduate Studies for the graduation date). When listing the degree to be awarded, please refer to the Master’s and Doctoral  Degree List . Do not use abbreviations. Additional information is available  here . 

Dedication Page

(Optional) This is an optional page. If you use one, number it in appropriate sequence with a lower-case Roman numeral. The title must be in capital letters, centered just below the top margin of the page. The dedication itself may be single or double-spaced.

Acknowledgement Page

(Optional) This is also an optional page. If you use one, number it in appropriate sequence with a lower-case Roman numeral. The title must be in capital letters, centered just below the top margin of the page. The acknowledgment itself may be single or double-spaced.

Abstract Page

On the Abstract page first list the title of your manuscript, your name, all degrees you have already earned (in chronological order), and the degree to be awarded. These lines should be centered on the page, beginning just below the top margin. Then double-space, and on the following line, center the word ABSTRACT. Double-space again before beginning the text of your abstract. Use paragraph indentation as appropriate. The text itself should be either one and a half spaces or double-spaced. Number the Abstract Page in appropriate sequence with a lower-case Roman numeral.

Dissertation/Thesis abstracts are limited to 150 words. 

Table of Contents

The Table of Contents page is counted and numbered with a lower-case Roman numeral. If you have used a List of Figures (optional) and/or a List of Tables (optional) , they must be included in your Table of Contents. Tab leaders should be used between the heading levels and the page numbers. (DO NOT simply type dots across the page--the spacing will not work properly. Instead, set a dot leader tab. Check "dot leader tab" in Microsoft Word in the "help" for more information. If you have multiple appendices, they must each be listed (see section on Appendices).

List of Figures

(If Applicable) Use a separate page after the Table of Contents. This page is counted and numbered with a lower-case Roman numeral. It may be single- or double-spaced. Tab leaders should be used between the title of the figures and page the numbers. This page should be listed at the beginning of the Table of Contents.

List of Tables

(If Applicable) Use a separate page after the Table of Contents. This page is counted and numbered with a lower-case Roman numeral. It may be single- or double-spaced. Tab leaders should be used between the title of the tables and the page numbers. This page should be listed after the List of Figures at the beginning of the Table of Contents.

Preface Page

(Optional) This page is counted and numbered with a lower-case Roman numeral.

Body of Research

Beginning with the first page of text in the Body of Research (begin again with page "1"), pages are numbered with sequential Arabic numerals through the end of your manuscript. Each chapter/major division of the text must start on a new page. Each of these lead pages should be counted and numbered.

Figures may include diagrams, charts, drawings, schematics, photographs, etc. Each of the two required copies of your manuscript must contain its own original figures, with the exception of photographs, in which case both may be high-quality copies either in color or black and white. Figures should be inserted as near as reasonably possible to the text to which they relate. They should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals as part of the continuing text.

Figures and their captions must appear on the same page, within the required margins. If captions are more than one line long, they may be single-spaced. They should be placed on paper of the same size and weight as the rest of the manuscript. Colored materials are acceptable, but since color does not reproduce on microfilm, an alternate key should be provided if it will be needed for interpretation of the figure in black and white.

Tables that are a half-page or shorter in size may be placed at the top or the bottom of the page, or in the center, with text above and below. Tables may also be placed alone on the page immediately following the page that refers to them. The placement of tables should be consistent throughout the manuscript. Tables continuing for more than one page should be labeled [e.g., Table 1 (cont.)], and oversized tables should be treated in the same way as oversized figures (see above).

Reference Matter

Reference Matter may include notes to the text, appendices, a glossary, a list of references, and an index. The appendices and references are the two most commonly used categories. Detailed information about these sections is provided below.

The appendix (or a series of appendices) usually follows the main text, and contains material that is useful for a detailed review of the study, but is not essential to an understanding of the text. For example, an appendix is the appropriate section in which to place material such as raw data, the results of individual laboratory analyses, or sample forms. This may be useful supporting data even though it is not specifically utilized in the text. Note, however, that some reference should be made in the text to the fact that these materials appear in the appendix. The pages of the appendices are numbered in sequence with those of the text. Although it is preferable, you do not have to meet margin requirements for the material in your appendix, except for the left-hand margin.

After the last page of text, include a list of appendices on a separate page. Individual appendices should start on a separate page and should be clearly marked.

The list of appendices should also be included in the Table of Contents. To list appendices in your Table of Contents, use "Appendices" as your major heading. On the next line, indent five spaces, and begin listing each appendix with its title (e.g., "Appendix A. Survey Data") and page number.

No manuscript is complete without a full listing of the necessary bibliographic information about the sources upon which the study is based. In most cases, only those sources actually cited in the study are listed. This section will be called "List of References", "References Cited", or simply "References", and all pages are counted and numbered. The list is most often arranged alphabetically, although it may follow some other logical plan. It will follow the appendices.

Formatting Aids

Ms word template.

Templates for the Front Matter of your manuscript are available at the Front Matter Templates  section of this site. This page also includes samples of completed front and reference material. This section is a valuable visual reference to format the Front Matter with the proper lowercase Roman numeral pagination.

LaTeX Style

The LaTeX Style is popular with specific research disciplines, such as Engineering and the Math sciences. For a LaTeX Style File for formatting theses and dissertations, connect to  LaTeX Template and Style Files . 

Please note that computer-generated manuscripts are subject to the same formatting requirements as other manuscripts.

Common Problems

The problems listed below are among the most common, but manuscripts can be returned for other problems as well.

Formatting on Front Matter is very detailed. Make sure that formatting matches examples (especially red-bordered pages) and that pages are numbered correctly. (A sample of completed Front Matter is available on this web site.)

Margins for the entire manuscript must be:

• Left: 1.25 or 1.5 inches
• Top, Right, Bottom: 1 inch

Exceptions: Top, right and bottom margins may vary in the Appendix pages, but the left margin must be 1.25 or 1.5 inches throughout the ENTIRE manuscript (including Front Matter, References, and Appendices). Page numbers in the Appendices must also appear consistently as in the rest of the manuscript.

Landscape-oriented Figures and Tables

Margin requirements must be met, and page numbers must be placed consistently as in the rest of the manuscript.

Table of Contents/Headings & Subheadings

Your Table of Contents will be checked against the body of your manuscript.

• Page numbers must be correct.
• All headings and subheadings that appear at the same level should have the same appearance in the body of the manuscript and be distinguished from other heading-levels by appearance or numbering.
• All headings and subheadings (as many levels as you include in the Table of Contents) should appear in the Table of Contents. If you have some third-level headings in the Table of Contents, then ALL third-level subheadings should appear in the Table of Contents.
• The major section headings (usually Chapter headings) should each begin on a new page. Other levels should not be started on a new page.

All required manuscript forms must be submitted to Graduate Studies manuscript coordinator before submitting manuscript to UNM Digital Repository by graduate degree deadline. The forms to be submitted are attached below.

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Preparation and Submission

The University of New Mexico encourages open access to all theses and dissertations produced for graduate degrees. Therefore, all theses and dissertations are submitted electronically in PDF format to Graduate Studies. These electronically submitted theses and dissertations (ETDs) are uploaded on a server housed in the UNM Digital Repository, where they are accessible for search and download through web search engines such as Google.  In most cases, students submitting ETDs benefit from having their work available in the open access repository. In some special cases, however, students may want to delay making their work available for varying lengths of time.  For this reason, UNM has implemented an embargo policy that enables students, with approval from their advisers and Graduate Studies, to delay public-wide access to their work in the UNM Digital Repository. While under embargo the manuscript nonetheless remains available to the University of New Mexico academic community in order to satisfy requirements for the degree. Before submitting your thesis or dissertation, please consult with your committee chair and review the embargo restriction policy to determine whether or not you should release your work to open access or petition for an appropriate embargo option. If the decision is made to request an embargo restriction then the form must be submitted to Graduate Studies at the same time as you submit the  Announcement of Examination form   at least two weeks before your dissertation defense.

Steps for Submitting Your Manuscript

Once your thesis or dissertation committee approves your final manuscript and you have made all necessary revisions and corrections, you are ready to submit your work as a single pdf file to the  UNM Digital Repository  and, for dissertation writers, the  ProQuest ETD Administrator archive  following the  instructions below . At the minimum, you must submit your thesis or dissertation to Graduate Studies within (90) ninety days of your final defense or by the graduation deadline for the term in which you are graduating, whichever comes first.

Submission Instructions by Degree:

• Doctorate of Education
• Doctorate of Philosophy
• Master of Fine Arts
• Master of Arts or Master of Science

Note: You must submit the manuscript as a pdf file, thus you will need to convert your Microsoft Word document or any other document to the pdf format. As of May 2011, Graduate Studies has learned that when using either a PC or Macintosh platform with recent versions of Microsoft Office you may lose some formatting when converting your Word document into pdf or when submitting your pdf document to the UNM Digital Repository. To protect against such problems, it is important that you create and save all changes to your document on the same computer platform and using the same version of Microsoft Office. Thus, when you complete your final manuscript do not shift between computers and different versions of Word. If you encounter these problems, contact the Manuscript Coordinator at Graduate Studies for assistance.

Steps to Create Your Manuscript (Microsoft Word)

If you need help creating a single file for your manuscript,  click here .

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/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="graduate studies thesis format"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Guide to writing your thesis/dissertation, definition of dissertation and thesis.

The dissertation or thesis is a scholarly treatise that substantiates a specific point of view as a result of original research that is conducted by students during their graduate study. At Cornell, the thesis is a requirement for the receipt of the M.A. and M.S. degrees and some professional master’s degrees. The dissertation is a requirement of the Ph.D. degree.

Formatting Requirement and Standards

The Graduate School sets the minimum format for your thesis or dissertation, while you, your special committee, and your advisor/chair decide upon the content and length. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanical issues are your sole responsibility. Generally, the thesis and dissertation should conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field. The Graduate School does not monitor the thesis or dissertation for mechanics, content, or style.

“Papers Option” Dissertation or Thesis

A “papers option” is available only to students in certain fields, which are listed on the Fields Permitting the Use of Papers Option page , or by approved petition. If you choose the papers option, your dissertation or thesis is organized as a series of relatively independent chapters or papers that you have submitted or will be submitting to journals in the field. You must be the only author or the first author of the papers to be used in the dissertation. The papers-option dissertation or thesis must meet all format and submission requirements, and a singular referencing convention must be used throughout.

ProQuest Electronic Submissions

The dissertation and thesis become permanent records of your original research, and in the case of doctoral research, the Graduate School requires publication of the dissertation and abstract in its original form. All Cornell master’s theses and doctoral dissertations require an electronic submission through ProQuest, which fills orders for paper or digital copies of the thesis and dissertation and makes a digital version available online via their subscription database, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses . For master’s theses, only the abstract is available. ProQuest provides worldwide distribution of your work from the master copy. You retain control over your dissertation and are free to grant publishing rights as you see fit. The formatting requirements contained in this guide meet all ProQuest specifications.

Copies of Dissertation and Thesis

Copies of Ph.D. dissertations and master’s theses are also uploaded in PDF format to the Cornell Library Repository, eCommons . A print copy of each master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation is submitted to Cornell University Library by ProQuest.

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Thesis Dissertation Guidelines

Steps to Graduation

Graduate Studies Deadlines

Continuous enrollment policy, graduate writing support, academic probation, ▷ thesis / dissertation guidelines, apply to graduate, pay graduate fees online, graduate program specialists, frequently asked questions.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Students are required to use Microsoft Word unless otherwise approved by the academic department.

All students enrolled full-time or part-time in a degree granting program at SF State (i.e., matriculated students) are eligible for a  free copy of Microsoft Office 365 Education for Students .

FORMATTING & SUBMISSION Q&A

Watch the recorded session of a Q&A offered by the Division of Graduate Studies:

• Instructional Video/Slides

Formatting Guides and Checklist

• Microsoft Word accessibility  /  Adobe Accessibility
• Thesis Dissertation, Written Creative Work and Music Composition Checklist

1. To Begin, Download the Appropriate Template

• EdD Dissertation Template
• Master’s Thesis/Creative Work Template
• Latex template (provided by department)

Note: The Thesis/Dissertation and Creative Work templates include instructions related to making your document accessible in Microsoft Word. For further guidance, consult the relevant  Microsoft Office documentation for accessibility . Students using the Latex template provided by their department can consult the  Adobe Accessibility guide .

2. Preliminary Format Check

While writing your Thesis/Dissertation/Written Creative Work make sure to keep  Microsoft Word accessibility  /  Adobe Accessibility  in mind.

• Before submitting, run the  Accessibility Checker  /  Adobe Accessibility  and make sure to clear all errors.
• If revisions are required, we will return the thesis by email along with feedback regarding required changes. Once changes are addressed, email the latest draft to your  Graduate Program Specialist .
• When approved, Graduate Studies will notify students by email to proceed with Final Format check instructions.

3. Final Format Check

• Student must title the Thesis/ Dissertation/ Written Creative Work as:  Full Name_ Student ID_Dept_Thesis/Dissert_WCW .
• Make sure the Certification of Approval page on your Thesis/ Dissertation/ Written Creative Work does not have signatures.
• Run the Word  Accessibility Checker  /  Adobe Accessibility  and make sure that all errors are cleared (including feedback given during the preliminary format check).
• If revisions are required, we will return the thesis by email along with feedback regarding required changes. Once changes are addressed, email the latest draft to your Graduate Program Specialist.
• When approved, your Graduate Program Specialist will notify students by email to proceed with Certification of Approval and Submission instructions.

4. Certificate of Approval - Obtain Electronic Signatures

You can use our DocuSign Powerform to route the Certificate of Approval for your committee to sign. To begin the process, follow these steps:

a. You will need your committee’s name and email address. SF State email address preferred . Note: You can use another email address. However, it must be a professional email address not a personal email address. Example of acceptable email address: @ucsd, @calacademy. Personal email addresses are not be acceptable: @gmail, @yahoo, @outlook, etc.

b. Once you enter the required information click on “ Begin Signing ” to be directed to the Certificate of Approval form. You will need to  complete the requested information , then click “ Finish ”.

Your committee members will receive an email requesting their signatures. Once it is complete, you will receive a copy of the form.

c. The signed document will need to be uploaded as a separate document during the final submission process.

d. To begin routing: Certificate of Approval Powerform Routing

5. Submit your Thesis/Dissertation/Written Creative Work Guidelines and Certificate of Approval to the Library

Note:  Considering an Embargo? IF you would like to delay the publication of your Thesis, Dissertation, Written Creative Work or Music Composition, make sure to discuss the timeline of release with your Committee Chair prior to final submission.

• Once the final version of your thesis has been cleared for submission, you will see a new “To Do List” item titled “Submit Scholarly Work.” Click on “Details” to access the link and submit your work
• You will need to upload your final and accessible Thesis/ Dissertation/ Written Creative Work (Word Document) as well as the signed Certification of Approval.

Thesis, Dissertation, or Written Creative Work submitted without approval from a  Graduate Program Specialist  will be rejected.

📜 Thesis / Dissertation Guidelines FAQs

Q: What will the Division of Graduate Studies look for when conducting the preliminary and final format check?

A: We will be reviewing that all guidelines included in the template are followed, that standard size and font is used, and the work has 1-inch margins all round. Most importantly, we will be reviewing for accessibility. We want to see that all titles and subtitles are using built in headings, that all tables, figures, and images have alternative text and that page breaks are used throughout your work eliminating unnecessary blank spaces.

For Adobe users, we will also review that the reading order on your document has been corrected.

Q: Does my thesis need to be completed for a Preliminary Format check?

A: No, your thesis does not need to be completed for the preliminary check. To be able to conduct the preliminary format check, we will need all preliminary pages (title page through lists of appendices) as well as only a few pages of your thesis content. We want to make sure that you are on the right track and make sure we address any issues before your thesis is complete.

However, the final format check requires a completed and accessible version of your work.

Q: If I already have Microsoft on my computer, do you recommend downloading the universities Microsoft 365?

A: No, if you have a recent version of Microsoft and you have access to the Accessibility Checker you should be okay.

Q: Are students required to use a legal name on their thesis?

A: Students can use their legal name or their preferred name. However, we required that your name is formatted in the same way throughout your thesis.

Q: Is there a specific way in which the student name needs to be entered?

A: You can enter your name in the format you prefer:

• First Name, Middle Name, Last Name
• First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name
• First Name, Last Name

However, we require that your name is formatted in the same sequence throughout your thesis.

Q: Is there a required font type or font size?

A: We require students to use 10 to 12 font sizes. Standard proportional fonts such as Times New Roman or Ariel are also required.

Q: Where can I find a guide to building a Table of Contents, List of Tables and/or List of figures?

A: For detailed instruction on building a Table of Contents you can visit: Microsoft Support-Insert Table to Contents

For detailed instruction on building a list of tables and/or figures you can visit: Microsoft Support – Insert tale of figures

Also visit How to number chapters, appendixes, and pages in documents that contain both chapter and appendix headings in Word

Q: Is there a maximum amount of tables I can include in my thesis?

A: The Division of Graduate Studies does not require or restrict the number of tables, figures, or images in the student’s work. The format check will only review that each table, figure and/or image is properly formatted and contains alternative text.

Q: Is using Hyperlinks throughout our work required?

A: If you need to include a link within the content of your thesis, we recommend that you use a hyperlink rather than including the entire address. However, it is not a requirement. In addition, this is not applicable for your Work Cited. Please make sure to follow the academic style recommended by your discipline (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).

Q: What needs to be completed by the May/December/August deadline?

A: All requirements need to be completed by the final deadline; this includes your thesis. The final deadline is the last day in which you can submit your final, approved, and accessible thesis to the library.

Please make sure to plan ahead and submit your work for final format check at least a week before this deadline to prevent graduation delays. (If you are unable to meet the deadline, you will need to apply and graduate in the next semester).

Q: I have submitted my work to my Committee Chair, do I also need to submit it to the Division of Graduate Studies?

A: Yes, your committee will approve the content of your thesis as well as academic style recommended by your discipline (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). We will be reviewing overall formatting and accessibility. Upon completion of your preliminary and final format check you will be given access to the online thesis submission to the library. Without preliminary checks, you will not be able to submit your work. In addition, any works submitted without approval from the Division of Graduate Studies will be rejected from the library.

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Overall, it is important to submit an Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) that has a consistent and readable appearance. Here is useful information about ETD format and style, including templates for Word and LaTeX.

Styles & Templates

Consistency in style and formatting of a thesis is essential. Tools for creating styles, footnotes, a table of contents, and other features, including the recommended order of thesis sections, have been formatted by SGS into a thesis template. It is available in  Microsoft Word​ and  LaTeX  formats. 

We strongly recommended that authors use an SGS thesis template. The template can be applied at any stage of the writing process, but using one at an early stage will simplify formatting and PDF conversion. 

Tip: Open the Word template in a new tab or window. Then save a copy with the name of your thesis. If you’re using a version of Word prior to 2007, save it as a .dot file.   

These templates assist you with the formatting and production of your thesis, but you must ensure that your thesis meets SGS formatting requirements. If you choose not to use an SGS template you may use the tools provided for indexing, page numbering, etc. provided by your word processing software.

Specific Requirements

Language of doctoral theses.

In Division I (Humanities), permission may be given for a thesis to be written in a language other than English or French when the language has been approved for use in a thesis by the graduate unit concerned. Before such permission is granted, the graduate unit chair must certify to SGS in writing that the candidate has passed a supervised essay-type examination, written in English, that demonstrates the student’s proficiency in writing correct and idiomatic English prose.

A supplementary abstract of about 5,000 words in English or French must form part of a thesis that is written in a language other than English or French. No language other than English or French may be used for the conduct of the doctoral final oral examination.

Technical Requirements

The thesis must be in PDF format. It may also include supplementary files for multimedia, sound, video, or HTML pages with embedded files. Please note that the following guidelines are the minimum technical requirements. Differing disciplines may have their own conventions. Check with your supervisor for discipline-specific formatting.

The following guidelines apply to the main text-based thesis file:

Must be a minimum of 10 points. You may use a smaller font size for graphs, formulas, footnotes, and appendices; avoid italics.

Line Spacing

Must be at least one-and-a-half spaces, except for the thesis abstract, which should be double-spaced. Single spacing may be used for long quoted passages and footnotes.

Footnotes, References, Bibliography and Heading Styles

Different disciplines and graduate units will have their own preferred practices. Please follow the styles that are preferred in your discipline and graduate unit. If you are unsure, consult your supervisory committee. Generally the preferred location for footnotes is either at the bottom of the page or at the end of the chapters to which they refer. Consistency is important.

Page & Margin Sizes

Page size should be 8 1/2″ x 11″ (21.5 cm x 28 cm) with the text reading across the 8 1/2″ (21.5 cm) dimension. If you are planning on having the thesis printed and bound (for a unit requirement, or your supervisor), the left margin should be at least 1 1/4″ (32 mm), and the remaining three margins should be at least 3/4″ (20 mm) to the main text. Margin sizes are not as critical in digital formats.

Page Numbering

Each and every page in the thesis must be numbered with the exception of the title page. The preliminary portion of the thesis should be numbered with small Roman numerals placed in the centre of the page, about half an inch from the bottom. Numbering begins with the Abstract as page ii. The Title Page is considered as page i, but must not show a page number.

The accepted order of pages within the preliminary section of the thesis follows:

• Acknowledgments (where applicable)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables (where applicable)
• List of Plates (where applicable)
• List of Figures (where applicable)
• List of Appendices (where applicable)

See Sample of Title Page below. The title page should show:

• the words “A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of (state full name of degree), Graduate Department of (state name of graduate department), in the University of Toronto”
• the thesis title (capitalize the content words)
• student’s name (consistent with ACORN)
• the universal copyright notice (the date should be the year the degree is conferred); the universal copyright notice must appear on one line

Sample of Title Page

(NOTE: Spacing is approximate on 8 1/2″ x 11″ or 21.5cm x 28cm page)(2″ or 5 cm from top of page) This Area is Recommended for the Thesis Title Only (1 1/2″or approx 4cm) by (1 1/2″ or approx 4cm) Jane Ann Doe (2″or approx 5cm) A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of (state degree) (state full name of Graduate Department) University of Toronto (1 1/4″or approx 3cm) © Copyright by Jane Ann Doe (state year of graduation) (1 1/4″or approx 3cm from Bottom of page)

All theses must include an abstract.

• Font size must be a minimum of 10 points.
• Lines of text must be double-spaced.
• Abstract must not exceed 350 words for a doctoral thesis or 150 words for a master’s thesis.
• Left margin should be at least 1 1/4″ (32 mm); the remaining three margins should be at least 3/4″ (20 mm) to the main text.
• The student’s thesis title, degree and year of convocation, full name, name of graduate department, and name of university must appear on the top of the abstract’s first page. This information is not included in the 350-/150-word count.
• Symbols, as well as foreign words and phrases, must be clearly and accurately displayed.
• Graphs, charts, tables, and illustrations are not included.

​PDF Creation

Create the PDF version of your thesis using Adobe Acrobat or other PDF-creation software. Use the conversion tool available on the digital library repository  or use computers equipped with this software ​in the Information Commons at Robarts Library.

​File Management

The main thesis text-based file must be in PDF format.

Multiple file formats are an option when attaching supplementary file submissions for multimedia, sound, video, including HTML pages with embedded files. If the system does not automatically recognize the format of the file you have uploaded, you will be asked to select the appropriate format from the list offered. If the format is not in the list, click on ‘Format Not in List’ and describe the format in the text box appearing lower on the page. Be sure to give the name of the application you used to create the file and the version of that application, e.g., ‘Autodesk AutoCAD R20 for UNIX.’

​​​File Naming Convention

The main thesis file must be in PDF format. Create a PDF of the final approved version of your thesis before you start the submission process.

You must use the following file naming convention:

lastname_firstname_middleinitial(s)_graduationyearmonth_degreedesignator_thesis.pdf

e.g., Smith_Lorie_L_202011_PhD_thesis.pdf

Supplementary files should follow the same naming convention:

e.g., Smith_Lorie_L_202011_PhD_datatables.exl

Please note that if you converted your file within the digital library repository , you will need to rename the file once you receive and check your pdf.

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Formatting Guidelines For Theses, Dissertations, and DMA Documents

Guidelines for Formatting Theses, Dissertations, and DMA Documents is intended to help graduate students present the results of their research in the form of a scholarly document.

Before beginning to write a master’s thesis, PhD dissertation, or DMA document, students should read the relevant sections of the  Graduate School Handbook, section 7.8  for dissertations and/ or  section 6.4  for master’s theses.

Candidates for advanced degrees should also confer with their advisors and members of their graduate studies committees to learn about any special departmental requirements for preparing graduate degree documents.

Members of the graduation services staff at the Graduate School are available to provide information and to review document drafts at any stage of the planning or writing process. While graduation services is responsible for certifying that theses and/or dissertations have been prepared in accordance with Graduate School guidelines, the student bears the ultimate responsibility for meeting these requirements and resolving any related technical and/or software issues . Graduation services will not accept documents if required items are missing or extend deadlines because of miscommunication between the student and the advisor.

Accessibility Features

As of Spring, 2023, all theses and dissertations will need to incorporate the following accessibility features to align with the university’s accessibility policy.  When you submit your final document to OhioLINK you will be verifying that accessibility features have been applied.

• PDF file includes full text
• PDF accessibility permission flag is checked
• Text language of the PDF is specified
• PDF includes a title

Features and Other Notes

Some features are required, and some are optional. Each component is identified with a major heading unless otherwise noted. The major heading must be centered with a one-inch top margin. 

Sample Pages and Templates

Templates are available for use in formatting dissertations, theses, and DMA documents. Please read all instructions before beginning. 

• Graduate Dissertations and Theses Templates - OSU Login Required

FRONTISPIECE (OPTIONAL)

If used, no heading is included on this page.

TITLE PAGE (REQUIRED)

The title page should include:

• the use of title case is recommended
• dissertation, DMA. document, or thesis
• Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree [insert the applicable degree such as Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Science, etc.] in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University
• Name of the candidate 
• Initials of previous earned degrees
• insert correct name from program directory
• Year of graduation
•  Dissertation, document, or thesis [select applicable title] committee and committee member names

COPYRIGHT PAGE (REQUIRED)

Notice of copyright is centered in the following format on the page immediately after the title page. This page is not identified with a page number.

Copyright by John James Doe 2017

ABSTRACT (REQUIRED)

The heading Abstract is centered without punctuation at least one inch from the top of the page. The actual abstract begins four spaces below the heading. See sample pages.

DEDICATION (OPTIONAL)

If used, the dedication must be brief and centered on the page.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

(OPTIONAL, BUT STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)

Either spelling of the word, acknowledgments or acknowledgments, is acceptable. The acknowledgment is a record of the author’s indebtedness and includes notice of permission to use previously copyrighted materials that appear extensively in the text. The heading Acknowledgments is centered without punctuation at least one inch from the top of the page.

VITA (REQUIRED)

Begin the page with the heading Vita, centered, without punctuation, and at least one inch from the top of the page. There are three sections to the vita: biographical information (required), publications (if applicable), and fields of study (required).

There is no subheading used for the biographical information section. In this section, include education and work related to the degree being received.

Use leader dots between the information and dates. The publication section follows. The subheading Publications should be centered and in title case. List only those items published in a book or journal. If there are none, omit the Publication subheading. The final section of the vita is Fields of Study, which is required. Center the subheading and use title case. Two lines below the Fields of Study subheading, place the following statement: Major Field: [insert only the name of your Graduate Program as it reads on the title page] flush left. Any specialization you would like to include is optional and is placed flush left on the lines below Major Field.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (REQUIRED)

The heading Table of Contents (title case preferred) appears without punctuation centered at least one inch from the top of the page. The listing of contents begins at the left margin four spaces below the heading. The titles of all parts, sections, chapter numbers, and chapters are listed and must

be worded exactly as they appear in the body of the document. The table of contents must include any appendices and their titles, if applicable. Use leader dots between the listed items and their page numbers.

LISTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS (REQUIRED IF APPLICABLE)

Lists of illustrations are required if the document contains illustrations. The headings List of Tables , List of Figures , or other appropriate illustration designations (title case preferred) appear centered without punctuation at least one inch from the top of the page. The listing begins at the left margin four spaces below the heading. Illustrations should be identified by the same numbers and captions in their respective lists as they have been assigned in the document itself. Use leader dots between the listed items and their page numbers. See sample pages .

BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES (REQUIRED)

Include a complete bibliography or reference section at the end of the document, before the appendix, even if you have included references at the end of each chapter. You may decide how this section should be titled. The terms References or Bibliography are the most commonly chosen titles. The heading must be centered and at least one inch from the top of the page.

Include this heading in the table of contents.

APPENDICES (REQUIRED IF APPLICABLE)

An appendix, or appendices, must be placed after the bibliography. The heading Appendix (title case preferred) centered at least one inch from the top of the page. Appendices are identified with letters and titles. For example: Appendix A: Data. Include all appendix headers and titles in the table of contents.

Other Notes

Candidates are free to select a style suitable to their discipline as long as it complies with the format and content guidelines given in this publication. Where a style manual conflicts with Graduate School guidelines, the Graduate School guidelines take precedence. Once chosen, the style must remain consistent throughout the document.

Top, bottom, left, and right page margins should all be set at one inch. (Keep in mind that the left margin is the binding edge, so if you want to have a bound copy produced for your personal use, it is recommended that the left margin be 1.5 inches.)

It is recommended that any pages with a major header, such as document title, chapter/major section titles, preliminary page divisions, abstract, appendices, and references at the end of the document be set with a 2-inch top margin for aesthetic purposes and to help the reader identify that a new major section is beginning.

The selected font should be 10 to 12 point and be readable. The font should be consistent throughout the document. Captions, endnotes, footnotes, and long quotations may be slightly smaller than text font, as long as the font is readable.

Double spacing is preferred, but 1.5 spacing (1.5 × the type size) is acceptable for long documents. Single spacing is recommended for bibliography entries, long quotations, long endnotes or footnotes, and long captions. Double spacing between each bibliography entry is recommended.

Each major division of the document, including appendices, must have a title. Titles must be centered and have at least a one inch top margin. The use of title case is recommended. If chapters are being used, they should be numbered and titled. For example: Chapter 1: Introduction. Appendices are identified with letters and titles. For example: Appendix A: Data.

PAGE NUMBERS

Every page must have a page number except the title page and the copyright page. If a frontispiece is included before the title page, it is neither counted nor numbered. The page numbers are centered at the bottom center of the page above the one inch margin. Note: You may need to set the footer margin to 1-inch and the body bottom margin to 1.3 or 1.5- inches to place the page number accurately.

Preliminary pages (abstract, dedication, acknowledgments, vita, table of contents, and the lists of illustrations, figures, etc.) are numbered with small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.). Page numbering begins with the first page of the abstract, and this can be either page i or ii (The title page is technically page i, but the number is not shown on the page).

Arabic numerals are used for the remainder of the document, including the text and the reference material. These pages are numbered consecutively beginning with 1 and continue through the end of the document.

Notation practices differ widely among publications in the sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. Candidates should confer with their advisors regarding accepted practice in their individual disciplines. That advice should be coupled with careful reference to appropriate general style manuals.

• Arabic numerals should be used to indicate a note in the text. 
• Notes may be numbered in one of two ways: either consecutively throughout the entire manuscript or consecutively within each chapter.
• Notes can be placed at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of a chapter or document (endnotes). Once chosen, the notation style must be consistent throughout the document.
• Notes about information within tables should be placed directly below the table to which they apply, not at the bottom of the page along with notes to the text.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Tables, figures, charts, graphs, photos, etc..

Some documents include several types of illustrations. In such cases, it is necessary that each type of illustration (table, figure, chart, etc.) be identified with a different numbering series (Table 1, Table 2, and so on, or Chart 1, Chart 2, and so on). For each series, include a list with captions and page numbers in the preliminary pages (for example, List of Tables, List of Charts, etc.). These lists must be identified with major headings that are centered and placed at the two-inch margin.

Each illustration must be identified with a caption that includes the type of illustration, the number, and a descriptive title (for example, Map 1: Ohio). Numbering may be sequential throughout the document (including the appendix, if applicable) or based on the decimal system (corresponding to the chapter number, such as Map 2.3: Columbus). When using decimal numbering in an appendix, the illustration is given a letter that corresponds with the appendix letter (for example, Figure A.1: Voter Data). Captions can be placed either above or below the illustration, but be consistent with the format throughout the document. If a landscape orientation of the illustration is used, make sure to also orient the illustration number and caption accordingly. The top of the illustration should be placed on the left (binding) edge of the page.

If an illustration is too large to ft on one page it is recommended that you identify the respective pages as being part of one illustration. Using a “continued” notation is one method. For example, the phrase continued is placed under the illustration on the bottom right hand side of the first page. On the following pages, include the illustration type, number, and the word continued at the top left margin; for example, Map 2: Continued. Whatever method you choose just make sure to be consistent. The caption for the illustration should be on the first page, but this does not need repeated on subsequent pages.

If an illustration is placed on a page with text, between the text and the top and/or bottom of the illustration, there must be three single spaced lines or two double spaced lines of blank space. The same spacing rule applies if there are multiple illustrations on the same page. The top/bottom of the illustration includes the caption.

All final Ph.D. dissertations, DMA. documents, and master’s theses are submitted to the Graduate School through OhioLINK at https://etdadmin. ohiolink.edu. The document must be saved in PDF embedded font format (PDF/A) before beginning the upload at OhioLINK. During the submission process, OhioLINK will require an abstract separate from your document. This abstract has a 500-word limit. You will get a confirmation from OhioLINK that the submission is complete. The submission then goes to the Graduate School for review. After it is reviewed by staff of the Graduate School, you will receive an email that it has been accepted or that changes need to be made. If changes are required, you will need to re-submit the revised document via an amended OhioLINK submission. You will receive an “accepted” email from the Graduate School once the document has been approved.

THESIS OR DISSERTATION IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The Graduate School has no policy specifically permitting graduate degree documents to be written in a foreign language. The practice is allowed as long as it is approved by the student’s advisor and Graduate Studies Committee. Documents in a foreign language must comply with the following requirements:

• The title page must be in English, but the title itself may be in the same language as the document.
• If the title is in a language using other than Roman characters, it must be transliterated into Roman character equivalents.
• The abstract must be in English.
• The academic unit must notify the Graduate School of dissertations in a foreign language so that an appropriate graduate faculty representative can be found to participate in the final oral examination

Dissertation and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. 

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

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Thesis/dissertation format and style (f&s) and electronic publication approval.

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Thesis/Dissertation Requirements

Description

• Monograph Format : This, the ‘traditional’ format, consists of a multi-chapter document that uses the same style throughout. A single chapter is not acceptable for a thesis or dissertation.
• Multiple-Paper Format : A thesis or dissertation using this format consists of at least two chapters, typically written as independent papers, preceded by an introductory chapter that sets the context for the research, and followed by a summary and conclusions chapter that integrates all of the studies.
• The style defines the way that text is presented on the page (e.g., fonts, font sizes, margins, indents, line spacing, page numbering). For a document in the monograph format, the style should be consistent throughout the document. For a document in the multiple-paper format, the style may differ for chapters that are targeted for publication in different journals, however the style should be consistent within each chapter. The style in which a thesis/dissertation is written is dependent upon the student’s departmental guidelines and the specifications of this document. The terms ‘journal style’ or ‘manual style’ refer only to the style guide a graduate student follows for citations, a reference list, headings/subheadings, table titles, figure captions, mathematical symbols, and other stylistic elements not specified by the USU Publication Guide. A journal style or a conventional style manual (such as APA or MLA) may be used as a guide for either a multiple-paper or a monograph format.
• The USU Publication Guide and department-approved style manuals are the final authority for format and style. Do not use previously approved theses or dissertations as models. Handling of special problems/materials not covered by this guide or by the departmental style manual should be discussed with and approved by Erika Beckstrand, the thesis and dissertation reviewer for the School of Graduate Studies.
• The USU publication guide is not a style guide. It should be referenced for your front matter and appendices.

You, your major professor and your supervisory committee should agree on the format and style of your thesis or dissertation early in the writing process. The Dissertation/Thesis Format and Style form communicates which format and style have been chosen.

You are responsible for proofreading your thesis/dissertation and having it read and approved by all committee members and the department reviewer before having the Graduate Program Coordinator submit an electronic version (PDF format) of the document to Box.

Erika Beckstrand in the School of Graduate Studies will review your thesis or dissertation for proper format and conformity to departmental and School of Graduate Studies standards. If corrections are required, an annotated copy of the electronic file will be uploaded to Box where it can be accessed by the student, the major professor and the department reviewer.

Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Approval

• The Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Approval grants Utah State University a non-exclusive license to archive your work and make it accessible to the public. As the author, you retain ownership rights to the copyright and the right to use it in future works.
• If you have questions about the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Approval form or uploading your digital copy in ProQuest, contact the Merrill-Cazier Library at [email protected] .

After your defense, before you are ready to begin the thesis/dissertation review process with the School of Graduate Studies. Your thesis or dissertation will not be reviewed until all necessary paperwork has been fully approved.

Students Who Need This Form

• Master’s Plan A

Signatures Needed

• Major professor
• Departmental format/style reviewer (check with your department to identify your format/style reviewer)

Academics | Candidacy & Defense

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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 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:

• Copyright Notice (if applicable; for information on copyright, see the thesis FAQ page .)
• Acknowledgments
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables, etc., if any
• Preface, if any
• Text (the first page of the text is the first Arabic-numbered page)
• Notes (unless they appear on pages of text or at end of chapters)
• Bibliography or list of references
• 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.

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.

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 these sites about acknowledgements: https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/acknowledgements/ and https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/FYP/html/ack.htm .

Extra Copies

You may also choose to bind copies of your thesis for personal use through a bindery.

Updated May 2024

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Preparing a thesis or dissertation.

• Degrees and Majors
• Printing and Binding

A consistent appearance is important; all pages in your dissertation should follow a similar format for page numbering, margins, and line spacing.

On this page you'll find sample pages, global formatting , and specific instructions for each section: front matter , body matter , and back matter .

Sample Pages

The following examples illustrate layout and formatting of title, abstract, and body pages.

Doctoral Dissertation Sample Pages Master's Thesis Sample Pages

• Where a title of Professor is shown, that is how the advisor’s title should be included. Where no title or degree appears in the examples, no title or degree should be used.
• The spacing shown between lines on the sample page is preferred for ease of reading. As much as possible, follow the spacing horizontally and vertically.

Signature Page

To prevent the release of digital signatures, do not include a scanned copy of the signature page in your submitted manuscript. It is only for your personal or departmental use.

Global Page Settings

• Page numbers appear in page headers. Consult the help files for your software on how to set up "Page Headers."
• Front matter:  Number the pages with small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) at the upper right of the page. However, the page number for the Title Page (i) and the pages of the Abstract (ii...) should not appear on the page(s). See other front matter sections below.
• Body and back matter: Number all pages with arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) in the upper right.
• The page number should be no less than one (1) inch down from the top of the page and one (1) inch from the right side.
• For landscape-oriented tables, the bottom of the table should be on the outside (right) edge of the page. The page number must still be in the upper right corner of the page and face the same way as the other page numbers.
• Size: Use a 12-point font size for normal body text, but make certain your font size is no less than 10 point.
• Typeface: Times-Roman fonts are preferred but a block-style font is acceptable. Embedded fonts are required.
• Style: Don’t use italics, script, or ornamental fonts for the body text. You may use italics for non-English words and quotations.

Front Matter

The front matter section of the dissertation includes everything from your title page through the list of multimedia objects. These components are listed below in the order they must appear in your dissertation.

• Title Page The following are required elements of the title page. Title This is the full title of your dissertation. Author You alone are the author of your dissertation. School The official name of your University is "University of Nebraska". Don’t add “–Lincoln” after it. Degree Like "Doctor of Philosophy" or "Master of Arts". See list of majors and degrees for official name. Major See list of majors and degrees for official name, or consult Graduate Studies if you are uncertain about the name of your major. Doctoral students who have an official specialization may list it also. Advisor/Chair name(s) The name(s) of the faculty member(s) who supervised your program and this thesis or dissertation. Their title for this page is Professor--no “Dr.” and no rank (Associate, Assistant, etc.). If you have co-advisors, use "Professors" instead of repeating "Professor" for each. City, State This should always read "Lincoln, Nebraska". Don’t abbreviate Nebraska. Date of defense or graduation date Put the date you defended or the date of your graduation (e.g., "October, 1996.") Be sure to put the comma between the month and the date. No specific day is required.
• Abstract Each thesis or dissertation must be accompanied by an abstract that has been approved by the student's committee. Abstracts will be part of the bibliographic record in the library's online catalog. Abstracts must be double-spaced and limited to 350 words in the text. The abstract is placed immediately after the title page and its pages are not numbered. Additionally, abstracts for dissertations will be published in Dissertation Abstracts.
• Copyright Notice (optional) In any work, copyright implicitly devolves to the author of that work. One may make this statement of ownership explicit, however, by including a copyright notice, such as "Copyright 1998, John J. Smith." Additionally, you may pay to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office through UMI.
• Dedication (optional) You may include a dedication.
• Author's Acknowledgments (optional) You may acknowledge those that assisted you in your work here.
• Grant Information (optional) You may acknowledge any granting institution or organization here.
• Table Of Contents Include the chapter and section numbers and title along with the page on which each chapter or section begins.
• Lists Of Multimedia Objects For each multimedia type (table, graph, diagram, equation, etc.) list the number and title of the object and the page on which it occurs.

Body Matter

• Lengthy footnotes are probably better formatted as end notes.
• Footnotes in the main body of the text should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, starting with 1.
• Footnotes should be single-spaced and placed at the bottom of the page to which they apply unless special instructions are given by your department.
• Put the object at the point of reference or "float" it to the top or bottom of the page, or to the top of the next page.
• Center the object between the left and right margins of the page.
• Directly below the object for figures and above for tables, center the type and number according to its position in the chapter (e.g., in Chapter 5 we may have Table 5.1, Table 5.2, and Figures 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3).
• Give the object a concise, descriptive title.
• Place the type and number of the object along with its concise, descriptive title, centered on a line by itself. In parentheses, include the media encoding (e.g., JPEG) and file size (e.g., 1.5 megabytes).
• Connect each object title to a separate file containing the object. Many complex multimedia object types have a simple object version (often called "thumbnail") that is a reduction of the picture or one frame of video. If possible, include this reduction in the main document along with a PDF link to the complex object. Submit the object file(s) along with your dissertation.

Back Matter

The back matter contains the references (bibliography) and appendices.

• Content: You may include the source code or output of computer programs as an enumerated appendix. Place figure references with PDF links to multimedia objects here also.
• Format: As on the first page of each chapter, place the word "APPENDIX," the appendix letter or letters, and the appendix title in upper case at the beginning of each appendix. Appendices are enumerated alphabetically from A to Z, then AA, AB, and so on to ZZ, then AAA, AAB, etc.
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Your doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis is a scholarly publication reflecting the results of your research and academic pursuits at the University of Oregon.

Master's students completing a terminal project, capstone, final paper, or other types of non-thesis culminating projects should refer to their departments for guidelines and need not adhere to the Division of Graduate Studies' requirements for submission and format. Not sure whether you're completing a thesis or a project? Find more information here. 

Your electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD) will be made available to the public in Scholars’ Bank , UO’s open access repository for the intellectual work of faculty, students, and staff. All dissertations are also published by ProQuest .

* NEW * Dissertation Writing Assistance - from September 2023

Dissertation writing help is available to students at all stages of their dissertation from conception to final formatting. At no expense to students, the Division of Graduate Studies is sponsoring one-hour sessions with Alexa Weinstein, an experienced graduate-level academic editor and dissertation writing instructor. To schedule, email  [email protected]  with your upcoming available times.

Thesis and Dissertation Policies and Procedures

Additional resources.

• Video Presentation
• PDF Copy of Presentation Slides
• Thesis and Dissertation Research and Organization Strategies (Video)
• Academic Writing Tips (Video)
• Research Ethics and Compliance
• Resources for LaTeX Users

We are unable to offer in-person editing assistance. You can contact the Division of Graduate Studies  to ask formatting questions and/or arrange preliminary electronic review—subject to staff availability—of drafts of your document after you have formatted it to meet the style guidelines.

For other questions, please contact the Division of Graduate Studies at 541-346-5129 or [email protected] . 

Ordering Printed Copies of Your Thesis or Dissertation

If you would like to purchase printed copies of your thesis or dissertation, you may order bound copies through ProQuest (Order copies page), or you may order copies on your own through other outlets.

Other online options, such as Thesis on Demand , allow you to upload your manuscript as a PDF and order copies online.

In any case, the student is responsible for investigating the costs and quality of the chosen vendor. The university does not endorse or recommend any specific printing service.

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School of Graduate Studies

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• Theses and reports

Master’s and Doctoral Theses and Reports

Thesis examinations for master’s and doctoral students are proceeding as normal, and we have not seen any interruptions in this process. We want to ensure you that your academic unit, SGS, and the examiners involved are all committed to a fair and timely review of your work. We also realize that, for many graduate students, covid-19 has require changes in research plans. You and your supervisor are invited to draft and submit a covid-19 impact statement along with your thesis , so your examiners are aware of significant changes that were required.

The information below is intended to help you draft and submit your thesis/report to fulfill your program requirements.

Before you submit:

Thesis and Report Guidelines (full document)

• Read this first: introduction to writing your thesis
• How to structure your thesis and which style to use
• How to format your thesis
• Order of thesis content
• Authorship and acknowledgements (including co-authorship )

Additional resources and tools you might need or use :

• samples of a Title Page , Table of Contents , List of Tables
• o nline tutorials for writing and editing from Memorial's Dr. Cecile Badenhorst
• an excellent article on "what examiners do" when assessing theses

Preparing for submission:

• Here are all the steps involved in a Master's Thesis Examination Procedures and a Doctoral Thesis Examination and Oral Defence Procedures . You should discuss specific timelines with your supervisors.
• Aim to submit your thesis for examination at least four months before the convocation you hope to atend. SGS does not accept any responsibility for completing the prescribed procedure in time for the nearest convocation date unless the thesis is submitted by the prescribed date.
• If you are expecting to graduate, then you must apply through Memorial Self-Service at least by the time of submission of the thesis/report. Please consult the University Diary for the precise deadline.

Submitting for examination:

• When you and your supervisor agree your thesis is ready to submit, ensure you send a word and a pdf version of the work to your graduate officer or academic unit head.
• All theses submitted to SGS by the academic unit must be accompanied by a Supervisory Approval Form and either an Appointment of Examiners Form Master's Degrees or an Appointment of Examiners Form Doctoral Degrees . Although it is expected that, on the successful completion of all academic requirements, the student will submit a thesis to the Dean for examination with the approval of the supervisor and Head, the absence of such approval cannot prevent submission.
• Information on the possible outcomes of a thesis examination, time limits for revisions, and re-examination procedures can be found in the University Calendar . Required revisions and corrections are made by you in consultation with the supervisory committee.  
• The thesis examination is an arm’s-length process, therefore, there must be no contact between you or your supervisor and the examiners while a thesis or report is under examination.
• You must maintain your graduate registration until all academic requirements for your degree including thesis corrections have been met.

Oral defence (doctoral students only):

• In addition to a written thesis deemed acceptable to the University, doctoral students must demonstrate their ability to defend their work in a public oral examination. For this reason, the final decision on whether a student will be recommended for the award of the degree is made at the conclusion of the oral examination.
• A formal oral defence will normally take place only with the recommendation of the majority of examiners.
• The written examiners’ reports are discussed at the pre-oral meeting. The pre-meeting will last roughly 30 minutes and include the Chair, internal and external examiners, as well as supervisor(s) and committee members. The Chair will go over the defence procedure, examiner recommendation options, as well as answer any questions or inquiries by the attendees.
• The subsequent examination is public and chaired by the Dean of Graduate Studies or delegate. In addition to the examining board, the supervisor(s) will participate in a non-voting capacity.
• All oral defences are conducted as eDefences. Requests to fly external examiners to Memorial University are decided on a case-by-case basis.
• Doctoral students should be prepared to give a 15-25 minute presentation outlining the major contributions made by the thesis. Following the student’s presentation, the Chair will direct at least two rounds of questions from the members of the examination board. After each round of questioning, the supervisor(s) will be asked if they want to contribute any questions/comments. The Chair will not permit questions or comments from anyone other than the members of the examining board and supervisor(s).
• The Chair must be satisfied that the doctoral student has been thoroughly examined.
• Doctoral students should be prepared to defend the contents of the thesis in its entirety. Questions relating to the detailed content of the thesis and/or the relation of the general body of knowledge of the discipline to the body of material presented in the thesis are permitted.
• There will not be any time limits regarding questioning (minimum or maximum).
• At the conclusion of the public portion of the examination, the members of the examination board hold an in camera meeting to evaluate the performance of the student. Only the voting members of the examining board may vote on the outcome of the thesis and oral defence.
• Details on the oral defence and possible outcomes can be found in the University Calendar .
• Students must maintain their graduate registration until all academic requirements for their degree including thesis corrections have been met.

Final submission:

• The final version of a thesis found acceptable with or without corrections shall be submitted to the University within six months of the date on which the thesis and examiners’ reports are returned to the student’s academic unit.
• For final submission, all graduate students are required to produce one electronic copy of their thesis to the Head of their academic unit.
• The final version of your thesis should be in PDF/A (or PDF/A-1a) format (needed for the long-term archiving of electronic theses) and use the following naming convention: lastname_firstname_middlename_finalsubmissionmonthandyear_degree.pdf (e.g., Smith_John_James_122013_PhD.pdf).
• Click here for instructions on how to convert files to PDF/A format. For further help, you may wish to contact Memorial’s Digital Media Centre .
• Upon approval by the Head of the academic unit, please send the electronic copy of your thesis, along with any associated supplementary files, and a metadata file detailing your thesis information to [email protected] . We will confirm by email once you have successfully submitted your thesis.
• All graduate students are required to consult with their supervisory committee and Head of their academic unit regarding any restrictions to publication of the thesis before final submission.
• If required, a completed should be uploaded along with the thesis as a supplementary file.
• In cases where file size exceeds 500MB files may be submitted on DVD or CD. The disc sleeve should note student name, student number, degree program, and the academic unit. A completed Thesis Deposit Form must be included with CD/DVD submissions.
• At the time of e-thesis submission, a completed Recommendation for the Award of a Graduate Degree form should be submitted to SGS by the Head of the academic unit.

Publication:

• Graduate student theses are stored and preserved electronically through Memorial University Libraries’ Research Repository . A graduate student’s thesis is deposited only after a degree is conferred at Convocation in May or October. Documents in the Research Repository are searchable by the general public directly or via search engines like Google.
• Memorial University also participates in the Theses Canada program . Library and Archives Canada routinely harvests graduate student theses for storage in a central, publically searchable database.
• Graduate students interested in obtaining personal bound copies of their final thesis may order directly from Lehmann Bookbinding .
• Guidelines and policies
• Forms for faculty and staff
• Resources for Graduate Supervisors
• Special funding initiatives
• Dean's Awards for Service Excellence
• eDefence Departmental Procedures
• Tools and workshops
• SGS ROCKStar Supervisor Award

Related Content

• Office of Graduate Studies
• Current Students

Theses and Dissertations

To facilitate the research productivity of master's and doctoral candidates, the following format rules were adopted by NJIT for theses and dissertations. The following provides detailed examples of abstract pages, title pages, proper document format, etc. These format standards have been developed to ensure a degree of consistency in the written presentation of research and should be followed by all students.

The Graduate Faculty at NJIT  guidelines are followed for the composition of M.S. thesis and Ph.D. dissertation committees.

Students must submit their MS thesis or PhD dissertation document, that includes their advisor's final changes, to the thesis/dissertation committee members about three weeks before your defense. The committee members must be given at least two weeks to review the document before the defense. Also, the  public defense announcement  must be submitted to GSO after GSO's second review of the document which must occur at least two weeks before the defense date. The second review of the thesis or dissertation with GSO cannot be scheduled if the embargo form hasn't been submitted to GSO.

• Process for Thesis and Dissertation Document Approval ( .PDF )
• MS Thesis - Timetable for Document Approval ( .PDF )
• PhD Dissertation - Timetable for Document Approval ( .PDF )

Note: Thesis and Dissertation review for format by the Office of Graduate Studies must occur prior to defense and final submission .

• Avoiding Format Problems in the Document ( .PDF )
• Proper Order of Thesis and Dissertation Pages ( .PDF )
• Steps for Page Numbering for Thesis and Dissertation Document ( .PDF for 2013 )
• Steps for Creating a Table of Contents ( .PDF ) | ( .DOC )
• List of Correct Combinations of Graduate Degrees and Departments or Interdisciplinary Programs at NJIT: Title Page Documentation

Approval Page Signature Process

1. The student brings a printout of their unsigned Approval Page to be signed at the Final Defense. 2. All committee members present at the Defense sign the Approval Page.  3. The student scans the signed Approval Page and:  If they are a PhD candidate, the student will upload it to ProQuest  If they are an MS candidate, the student will email it to Graduate Studies ( [email protected] ) 4. (Optional/Dependent) If any committee members did not sign the Approval Page at the defense, the student will scan and email the signed Approval Page to Graduate Studies, where it will be sent to whichever members have not signed yet, via Docusign, for electronic signature.  At this point, if the student is a PhD candidate, Graduate Studies will send the signed Approval Page (when ready) to the student for uploading to ProQuest

Please note that the dissertation/thesis committee must have previously been approved by Dr. Ziavras. 

Style Guides

( DISCLAIMER : these templates may not be a 100% match to thesis/dissertation formatting standards due to differences in software versions; additional changes may be needed after use)

• LaTeX Template for UNIX (2023)
• Microsoft Word Template (2024)

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Examples

The following formatting examples can be used as samples.

NOTE: these examples are  not templates.

• Front Matter ( .PDF with comments ) → Includes Abstract, Title ( List of Correct Title Pages ), Copyright, Approval Page, Biographical Sketch, Dedication, Acknowledgments, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, and List of Symbols or Definitions (optional).
• Document Body ( .PDF with comments ) → Includes Introduction, Body, Figures, and Tables.
• Appendices ( .PDF with comments ) → Includes Survey Documents, Questionnaires, Permission Forms, additional Figures or Tables.
• References ( .PDF with comments ) → Includes References according the preferred style for academic discipline, which subject specialists at the Robert Van Houten Library can help to determine. A list of these specialists can be found at:  https://library.njit.edu/staff

Information for Doctoral Students

• For PhD students doing their final dissertation submission,  complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates at this link
• For PhD students who have submitted their final dissertation,  information for requesting a completion letter is available at this link

Important Deadlines and Information

Students must be registered for thesis or dissertation before beginning the review and submission process. 

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Deadline for Summer 2024:

Before August 2, 2024

--- Click here to view the presentation from the Spring 2024 Thesis & Dissertation Workshop

Thesis Formatting

Formatting your Manuscript

Theses, projects and dissertations should be formatted to meet CSUSB's established formatting standards; this practice also supports the CSU accessibility requirements for online documents. The Office of Graduate Studies provides a number of resources to make formatting easier. We encourage you to use the templates provided on our website and use the Styles function in MS Word to format headings and text in your document. This will make formatting easier while improving accessibility. Complete formatting guidelines, as well as university policies and procedures, can be found in A Guide to Graduate Studies.

Formatting Resources

Formatting in Microsoft Word

Style Manuals for Citations

A Guide to Thesis, Project, and Dissertation Formatting

• Tutorial Videos
• Formatting Page Numbers for Mac Users

There are several basic steps you can take to help speed the process of reviewing your thesis/project/dissertation. Keep in mind the following:

• In spring semester, our office may receive more than 100 manuscripts to review, with most coming in within a few days of the deadline. Try to turn in your manuscript as soon as possible to avoid the rush of the deadline week.
• Our office will go through more than 300 reviews in spring. Make the corrections and resubmit quickly to avoid complications in meeting the publication deadline.
• Theses/Projects/Dissertations are reviewed when the manuscript, committee certification form, and fee have been received. Remember to email your fee receipt to [email protected] 
• Reviewers are available for consultation. Please email our office at [email protected] to make an appointment. No consultations will be held after the consultation deadlines.

Note:  Students in the Mathematics program should use the template provided by their department.

Microsoft Word Assistance

Most students write their thesis, project, or dissertation in Microsoft Word. If you are unfamiliar with Word or find yourself struggling to use it, we recommend attending a training to brush up on your skills. Here are a few options:

Information Technology Services: CSUSB’s Information Technology Services (ITS) offers both basic and intermediate Microsoft Word training for students, faculty, and staff. To register, go to the ITS Register for Training page, scroll down to Monthly Course Offerings and click on the course to register.   

Microsoft Online Support: Get the answers to your nagging Word questions by viewing one of Microsoft’s online tutorials and instructions on the company’s support page.

Disclaimer: The Office of Graduate Studies does not endorse or promote the use of professional thesis/project/dissertation formatters. The University offers free and substantial resources to students who need formatting assistance. 

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Format your thesis or practicum

The University of Manitoba requires that all theses and practica reasonably conform to the following specifications.

Style manual

Select a standard style manual recommended by your department. Always use the latest edition available. If there is a conflict between these UM instructions and the style manual chosen, follow the UM instructions. 

Manuals recommended by the Faculty of Graduate Studies include but are not limited to:

• American Psychological Association, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
• Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations
• The Modern Language Association of America, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
• University of Chicago Press, The Chicago Manual of Style

American, Canadian or British spelling is acceptable. Use one style consistently throughout the document.

Format for prefatory pages

The title must be a meaningful description of the content of the research. The author’s name should be in full, identical to the name under which they are registered and be consistent on all other documents.

The title page should contain:

• the title of the thesis or practicum
• the name of the university
• the degree for which the thesis or practicum is submitted
• the name of the unit
• the full name of the author
• the universal copyright symbol ©.

View sample title page .

The abstract provides a concise account of the thesis or practicum. It should contain a statement of the problem, methods, results and conclusions.

Abstract maximum length: 350 words for either a Master’s or PhD thesis.

Acknowledgements

The content of this single page is left to your discretion. You may make reference to your advisor and advisory committee members and other people who have provided invaluable assistance to the during thesis or practicum development. Include here any financial assistance received to conduct the research.

You are allowed one dedication page.

Table of contents

The table of contents must list and provide page references for all elements of the thesis or practicum. The numbering and format must be identical to the way the material appears in the text. Page numbers should be right justified.

View sample table of contents .

List of tables

The list of tables immediately follows the Table of Contents and should follow the same format. This list includes the number of each table, its title, and its page number.

List of figures

The list of figures immediately follows the list of tables and should follow the same format as the Table of Contents. The list includes the number of each figure, its title, and its page number.

Format for body of thesis

The entire thesis or practicum must be in the same text font, style and size.

The margins must be consistent throughout the thesis or practicum (including appendices, diagrams, maps, photographs, charts, tables, etc.

Page numbers

Number each page in the thesis or practicum consecutively. Illustrative pages must also be numbered.

Footnotes, references and appendices

Follow the instructions in the style manual recommended by your unit. No matter which style manual you use, it is important that you be consistent with your format.

Figures, illustrations, photographs and design drawings

Illustrative material.

All illustrative material should be consistent throughout the thesis or practicum. All figures, illustrations, photographs and drawings must be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals and be accompanied with a title. The material should appear as soon after as it is mentioned in the text. All original materials should be of high quality, with sharp and clear images.

Layout of tables and figures

Each table and figure must have a number and title and appear at the top or bottoms of the table or figure. They must conform to the margin requirements of the thesis or practicum. If the table or figure is oversized, reduce it in size in such a way that it remains clearly legible. The title of the table or figure should be as short as possible and indicate the major focus of the material within the table or figure.

Consent and copyright

Consent and access to information forms.

Sample copies of consent forms used to obtain consent from participants to take part in the information gathering procedures for the thesis or practicum must be included in an Appendix. Ensure you remove any personal information from the submitted form.

In some cases, approval from an agency or institution or corporation may have been required before the information gathering procedures could proceed. Ensure you retain the original approval form for access and submit a copy to the Faculty of Graduate Studies upon completion of your thesis or practicum.

Use of copyrighted material

If the thesis or practicum includes copyrighted material from other sources, you may need permission from the copyright holder(s) to use the material.

For more information see Copyright Support for Students or contact the Copyright Office at [email protected] .

Formatting a grouped manuscript thesis (sandwich thesis)

A “sandwich” or grouped manuscript style of thesis or practicum consists of a paper or collection of papers, which are published or are soon to be published.

The number of papers to be included will be determined by you and the advisory committee. The formatting must be consistent throughout and cannot merely consist of several papers or articles contained within the one document.

This style of thesis and practicum must follow all of the formatting rules for a regular thesis, except that each paper within the thesis will follow the style manual of the publication in which it appears.

Publication, or acceptance for publication, of research results prior to the presentation of the thesis and practicum does not supersede the evaluation of the work by the examination committee; i.e., it does not guarantee the thesis and practicum will be found acceptable. Examiners may specify revisions regardless of the publication status.

Components of the grouped manuscript thesis

There must be an introductory chapter to the entire thesis or practicum, that precedes any of the papers. The  papers or articles must contribute toward the overall theme that represents the thesis  or practicum work and must be smoothly integrated into the flow of the thesis or practicum to produce a unified document. This may require changes or additions to, and rewriting of, any work that has already been published.

The introductory chapter must explain the connection between the different chapters. This provides a logical link of the integration of the information. Not including an explanation of how the chapters connect may compromise the ability of the examiners to evaluate the work. 

The thesis or practicum must contain a concluding chapter that includes a discussion on how the entirety of the thesis or practicum, with its findings, provides a distinct contribution to knowledge in the research area.

In the case of multi-authored papers, the nature and extent of the student or candidate’s contribution, and those of the other authors, must be specified in a section of the thesis or practicum entitled "Contributions of Authors".

Graduate Studies

Completing your masters degree – thesis.

Your first step regarding any questions with respect to writing your thesis is to  consult the  School of Graduate Studies’ Guide for the Preparation of Master’s and Doctoral Theses . All graduate theses must conform to the style and form requirements as detailed in the Guide.

Step 1. Write

Need help? If you have any questions or need assistance, please email [email protected].

1. Sample formats

Please consult the Guide for the Preparation of Theses for samples on how to format your thesis.

2. Referencing

Per the Guide for the Preparation of Theses: The text of the standard graduate thesis consists of the Introduction section or chapter, followed by several well-defined sections or chapters, which contain the research results, finishing with a Conclusion and Discussion section or chapter, or a summary statement of the results of the investigation. The List of References section (or bibliography) follows the text, and any appendices follow this.

Please consult the Guide for the Preparation of Theses for more detailed information on references and further resources that you can consult for referencing help.

3. Sandwich theses

If some of the research undertaken expressly for the degree has previously been published or prepared by the student as one or more journal articles, or parts of books, those items may be included within the thesis subject to the School of Graduate Studies’ regulations and to obtaining permission from the supervisory committee.

Please consult the Guide for the Preparation Theses – download via Quick Links to the right – for more detailed information on Sandwich Theses.

4. E-Thesis file name conventions

For your e-thesis to be published via MacSphere, the final version of your thesis should be named using the following file naming convention:

familyname_firstname_middleinitial_finalsubmissionyearmonth_degree

5. iThenticate - Plagiarism Checking Software

Effective December 1, 2023, all graduate students who initiate their defence on or after this date, are required to have their thesis run through McMaster’s plagiarism checking software, iThenticate.

iThenticate is a similarity detection tool meant to be used by researchers to check any original works that will be publicly released and who are concerned about potential plagiarism.

According to McMaster’s Research Plagiarism Checking Policy , it is expected that all graduate theses, shall be checked for plagiarism in compliance with this policy. Plagiarism checking is expected to occur prior to the coordination of the defence. Supervisors of Master’s students will need to sign a separate attestation sheet indicating that this has occurred and the document is satisfactory for public disclosure.

Your pre-defence thesis must be uploaded to iThenticate by your primary supervisor before you can initiate your Masters defence.

To protect graduate students’ privacy, only academic supervisors will have access to this software and will be responsible for uploading their student’s theses. It should not be used to check documents submitted to instructors as course assignments.

Step 2. Defend

Before initiating your defence, you should confirm with your supervisor and committee members if applicable, that you are ready to initiate. Your supervisor must also sign a separate attestation sheet prior to initiation, indicating that they have run your thesis through iThenticate and it is satisfactory for public disclosure. Once this is done, contact your department to confirm the program’s defence process. After a successful defence, the chair of the examination committee will inform you of thesis changes required by examiners. After all changes have been made, you must submit this completed form to the School of Graduate Studies for your final submission to be published to MacSphere.

Thesis Defence Submission

You can now check supervisor(s) and academic plan(s)

If any of this information is incorrect, you should contact to your program office before proceeding.

Date and time

For dates and deadlines for defence and upcoming convocation ceremonies please refer to the Dates and Deadlines .

This step allows you to propose a date, time and location. This information will be confirmed by your program office, as they will receive notification after you have completed this process.

Please note your thesis title is required, but you can also add an abstract at this stage.

Please be aware after submission, your program office will assist you with the rest of the process and you should contact them to ensure that all arrangements have been put in place for your defence.

Review and submit

You will be given an opportunity to review before submission. Once you have submitted you will receive a confirmation email that you have successfully initiated the process.

Initiation of Masters defence process

Select My Academics in the Academic tab.

Submission of Intent to initiate a Masters defence

Please consult with your department to see if they require that you initiate a Master’s Defence in Mosaic. All departments will need you to contact your Graduate Administrator to let them know you plan on defending your Master’s thesis. SGS does not require that you initiate a Master’s Defence in Mosaic but your department may have a different requirement. All PhD Defences MUST be initiated in Mosaic.

If your department requires that you initiate

You should select – Thesis Intent – Defend Thesis

This selection is only possible if you are enrolled a research plan type. If the student needs to switch to a research plan type, you should submit a service request for a plan change before initiating the thesis defence process.

Step 3. Submit

Please note that your degree requirements are considered complete when one electronic copy of the thesis, revised as directed by your defence examining committee, is submitted to the School of Graduate Studies through the E-Thesis Submission module in MacSphere.

Final thesis checklist

• ONE electronic copy of the thesis, revised as recommended by the Thesis Examining Committee and approved by the Supervisor/Examining Committee
• A standard 10-12 point font has been used
• TOP and LEFT margins should be 3.8 cm, and RIGHT and BOTTOM margins should be 2.5 cm
• Half-title page
• Descriptive note
• Abstract of 300 words or less
• All preliminary pages are numbered in lower case Roman numerals
• All pages must be numbered. The main body of the thesis, including text, bibliography and appendices, must be numbered continuously using Arabic numerals.

If you have not already done so, please submit the following forms to your department’s graduate administrator. They will submit them to the School of Graduate Studies on your behalf. Your final submission will not be considered complete without this documentation.

• Final Thesis Submission Sheet
• Copyright Permission Form
• Library and Archives Canada Licence (PhD only)
• McMaster University Licence

If you have completed all of the above requirements, you are ready to submit to your thesis.

E-thesis process

• Submit your electronic thesis to MacSphere . Please follow the link and click on ‘Sign on to my MacSphere’ to deposit your thesis. Ensure your thesis is uploaded as a pdf document. Any supporting material can be uploaded in various formats.
• E-thesis file name conventions. For your e-thesis to be published via MacSphere, the final version of your thesis should be named using the following file naming convention:

familyname_firstname_middleinitial_finalsubmissionyearmonth_degree.pdf

How to submit a thesis to MacSphere

• Go to MacSphere.
• On top/right corner click on Sign onto My MacSphere and log in with your MAC ID.
• Click on Start a New Submission .
• Select Collection: Open Access Dissertations and Theses , and click on Manual Submission to begin submitting your dissertation.
• Complete the submission screens as prompted. Once you click on I Grant The License your dissertation will be submitted to SGS for processing.

Links to e-theses in MacSphere are available through a variety of tools. The contents of MacSphere are Google indexed, bringing McMaster scholarship to the attention of a broad range of users. Automated tools will continue to integrate e-theses with other print and electronic library resources in both the local catalogue and integrated catalogues, such as WorldCat.

Theses in physical formats have historically been low-use library materials, however digitized theses are receiving higher usage. Site statistics for theses currently available in McMaster’s MacSphere show several each month are downloaded more than 100 times and many others have multiple downloads.

Embargoed or withheld theses

Embargoed status is intended to protect rights for immediate commercial publication, to obtain a patent which may rise from the research, or as a result of any contract made with a third party. The student may request a postponement of digital publication for up to one year at the time of thesis submission to MacSphere – all such requests are automatically granted. Students who would like to extend this initial period of postponement must apply to the thesis coordinator who will forward the request to the Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies for determination of whether further publication postponement is warranted. This request must include a full description of why the additional delay is requested and what steps have been taken to address the issues that required the initial delay. No delay of publication more than two years from the initial submission will be permitted.

Please note that you and your supervisor must both sign the delay of publication area on your Final Thesis Submission Sheet. For more information, consult the School of Graduate Studies Calendar .

E-thesis binding

If you choose to have your thesis bound, binding service is available through  pageforpage.com . Via their website, you can print, bind and send your thesis where you wish. However, this is only an option; you may use any binding service that you prefer.

Optional Bound Copies – Should the supervisor and/or department require one or more bound paper copies of your thesis, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain and distribute these bound copies.

Apart from these considerations, the general guidelines for thesis production should be followed.