thesis preliminary pages

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

• Filing Fees and Student Status
• Submission Process Overview
• Electronic Thesis Submission
• Paper Thesis Submission
• Formatting Overview
• Fonts/Typeface
• Pagination, Margins, Spacing
• Paper Thesis Formatting
• Preliminary Pages Overview
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures (etc.)
• Acknowledgements
• Text and References Overview
• Figures and Illustrations
• Using Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Using Copyrighted Materials by Another Author
• Open Access and Embargoes
• Copyright and Creative Commons
• Ordering Print (Bound) Copies
• Tutorials and Assistance
• FAQ This link opens in a new window

Preliminary Pages

The Preliminary Pages require very specific wording, spacing, and layout. Templates and sample pages are provided for your reference.

Only the pages listed below may be included as part of the Preliminary Pages section, and they must appear in this order. No other pages are permitted. All pages are required except the Dedication Page. Lists of Symbols, Tables, Figures, and Illustrations are only required if applicable to the content of your manuscript. 

Note : A Signature Page is NOT a valid part of your manuscript and is not included in the submission of your thesis or dissertation. Committee signatures are now included on the “Ph.D. Form II/Signature Page” or the “Master’s Thesis/Signature Page” that you submit to the Graduate Division. 

Preliminary Pages Order

• Title Page (no page number)
• Copyright Page (no page number)
• Dedication Page (optional, page number ii if included)
• Table of Contents  (if Dedication Page is included, Table of Contents is page iii. If no Dedication, Table of Contents is page ii)
• List(s) of Figures/Illustrations/Formulae/Terms/etc.  (required, if applicable. Each new list should begin on a new page)
• Acknowledgements  (alt. spelling: Acknowledgments)
• Vita  (PhD dissertations ONLY. Should not be more than 3 pages)

Pagination - Preliminary Pages

Preliminary Pages are numbered with lowercase Roman numerals.

• The Title Page is counted in determining the total number of pages in this section but is NOT numbered.
• The Copyright Page is not counted or numbered.
• Your first numbered page will either be your Dedication Page if you have one, or your Table of Contents if you do not have a Dedication Page.
• There is no page i in the manuscript. 
• The subsequent pages are then numbered consecutively with lowercase Roman numerals through the end of the Abstract.
• Dashes, periods, underlining, letter suffixes, other text (including last names), and other stylizations are not permitted before, after, or under your page numbers.
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University information technology (uit), main navigation, formatting requirements: preliminary pages.

• Submission Procedure
• Policies for Theses and Dissertations
• Coauthored Theses and Dissertations
• Approval Requirements
• Publication Requirements

Copyright Page

Statement of thesis/dissertation approval, dedication, frontispiece, and epigraph, table of contents and list of figures/tables, acknowledgements.

• General Formatting Requirements
• Parts Composed of Related Chapters
• Headings and Subheadings
• Tables and Figures
• Footnote and Reference Citations
• Appendix or Appendices
• References or Selected Bibliography
• Documentation Styles
• Writing Styles
• Print Quality
• Accessibility in the PDF
• Electronic Version Submitted for Thesis Release
• Distribution of Theses and Dissertations
• Alternate Text
• Color Contrast
• Accessibility Issues in Table Construction
• Heading Space
• Double Space
• Single Space
• Previously Published, Accepted, and Submitted Articles as Chapters of a Dissertation
• Alternate Figure/Table Placement

Preliminary pages are, in order, the title page; copyright page; statement of thesis/dissertation approval; abstract; dedication (optional); frontispiece (optional); epigraph (optional); table of contents; lists of tables, figures, symbols, and abbreviations (necessary only in certain situations); and acknowledgments (optional). Table 2.1 lists all the possible preliminary sections in order and if they are required or not. 

The preliminary pages are counted in sequence (except the copyright page, which is neither counted nor numbered). Any page with a main heading on it (title page, abstract, table of contents, etc.) is counted, but no page number is typed on the page. Second pages to the abstract, table of contents, lists, and acknowledgments are numbered with lower case Roman numerals centered within the thesis margins and .5” from the bottom of the page. See the preliminary pages in this handbook for an example. 

Order of preliminary pages, indicating which are mandatory and where page numbers should be included.

Note : Page numbers in the preliminary pages appear centered on the bottom of the page in lower case Roman numerals. This differs from page numbers in the text, which appear on the top right of the page and use Arabic numerals.

SEE Sample Preliminary Pages

The title page is page i (Roman numeral) of the manuscript (page number not shown). 

The title of the thesis or dissertation is typed in all capital letters. The title should be placed in the same size and style of font as that used for major headings throughout the manuscript. If longer than 4 1/2 inches, the title should be double spaced and arranged so that it appears balanced on the page. The title should be a concise yet comprehensive description of the contents for cataloging and data retrieval purposes. Initials, abbreviations, acronyms, numerals, formulas, super/subscripts, and symbols should be used in the title with careful consideration of clarity and maximizing search results for future readers. Consult the manuscript editors if in doubt. 

The word “by” follows the title. The full legal name of the author as it appears in CIS follows after a double space. The name is not typed in all capital letters. These two lines of text are centered between the title and the statement described in the following paragraph. 

The statement “A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of” appears single spaced in the middle of the title page (see Figure 2.1). For doctoral candidates, the phrasing reads “A dissertation submitted. . . ” 

The appropriate degree follows the statement. The space between the statement and the degree should be the same size that is between the author’s name and the statement. In the event the name of the degree differs from the name of the department, e.g., Master of Science in Environmental Humanities, the words “Master of Science” are placed below the statement, followed by “in” and then the degree program; the lines of the degree name and program are double spaced (see Figure 2.2). Thus, a student receiving a doctorate in history need use only the words “Doctor of Philosophy.” A student receiving a doctorate in Geophysics must put “Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics.” 

Below the degree field, the full name of the department is listed on the title page. “The University of Utah,” is listed a double space below the department name.

The date appears on the title page a double space below “The University of Utah.” Only the month and year appear, with no punctuation separating them. The month indicates the last month in the semester the degree is granted: fall semester, December; spring semester, May; summer semester, August. 

Again, the spaces below the title, the full legal name, the statement, and the degree should be of equal size. 

The second page is the copyright page, which is uncounted and unnumbered. A copyright notice appears in every copy of the thesis or dissertation. The notice, as illustrated in Figure 2.3, is centered within the side margins and the top and bottom margins of the page. 

Copyright © Student’s Full Legal Name 2022

All Rights Reserved 

There is a double space between the two lines. 

The statement of thesis/dissertation approval is page ii (Roman numeral) of the manuscript (page number not shown). This statement is prepared as shown in Figures 2.4 (for master’s students) and 2.5 (for doctoral students). 

The statement of thesis/dissertation approval signifies that the thesis or dissertation has been approved by the committee chair and a majority of the members of the committee and by the department chair and the dean of The Graduate School. The names of any committee members who did not approve or digitally sign the forms for the thesis or dissertation are not dated. The dates entered should match the date when you received notification that the committee member electronically signed the form. 

The full name of the student, as it appears on the title page and copyright page, must be used. 

As with the digital signature forms, full legal names of committee members must be listed. The full legal names of committee members and department chair or dean can be found on your CIS page under the Committee tab. Neither degrees nor titles should be listed with the names of faculty members. No signatures are required. 

Abstract Page

The abstract is page iii, unnumbered; if there is a second page, it is page iv, and a number appears on the page. The abstract is a concise, carefully composed summary of the contents of the thesis or dissertation. In the abstract, the author defines the problem, describes the research method or design, and reports the results and conclusions. No diagrams, illustrations, subheadings, or citations appear in the abstract. The abstract is limited to 350 words (approximately 1.5 double-spaced pages). A copy of the abstract of all doctoral candidates is published in Dissertation Abstracts International. The word ABSTRACT is placed 2 inches from the top of the page in all capital letters. Following a heading space, the abstract text begins, with the first line indented the same size space as for the paragraphs in the remainder of the manuscript. The text of the abstract must be double spaced. 

If a manuscript is written in a foreign language, the abstract is in the same language, but an English version (or translation) of the abstract must precede the foreign language abstract. The two abstracts are listed as one in the table of contents. The first page of each version is unnumbered but counted. If there is a second page to each version of the abstract, the page number (lower-case Roman numeral) is centered between the left and right margins and between the bottom of the page and the top of the bottom margin. 

The dedication is an optional entry; enumeration continues in sequence, but no page number appears on the page. It follows the abstract and precedes the table of contents. Often only one or two lines, it is centered within the top and bottom margins of the page and within the thesis margins. It is not labeled “Dedication” and is not listed in the table of contents. 

Frontispiece and Epigraph

These are infrequently used entries. The frontispiece is an illustration that alerts the reader to the major theme of the thesis or dissertation. An epigraph is a quotation of unusual aptness and relevance. 

Contents or Table of Contents

The table of contents follows the abstract (or dedication if one is used). The word CONTENTS (or TABLE OF CONTENTS) is placed 2 inches from the top of the page in all capital letters. Following a heading space, the table of contents begins. The table of contents, essentially an outline of the manuscript, lists the preliminary pages beginning with the abstract (page iii). It does not list a frontispiece, dedication, or epigraph if these are used, nor is the table of contents listed in the table of contents; these pages are, however, counted. The list of figures and list of tables, if used, are included (see the Table of Contents in this handbook for a sample using numbered chapters; see Figures 2.6, 2.7, and 2.8 for additional options). 

All chapters or main sections and all first-level subheadings of the manuscript are listed in the table of contents. No lower subheadings levels are to appear in the table of contents. Beginning page numbers of each chapter or section listed are lined up with each listing by a row of evenly spaced, aligned period leaders. The numbers, titles, and subheadings of chapters or sections used in the table of contents must agree exactly in wording and capitalization with the way they appear on the actual page. 

The table of contents reflects the relationship of the chapters and subheadings. Chapter titles appear in all capital letters, as do titles of appendices. First-level subheadings can be headline style or sentence style in capitalization. Subheadings are neither underlined nor italicized in the table of contents. If the table of contents continues to a second page, it begins 1 inch from the top of the page, and it is not labeled “Table of Contents Continued.” Main headings are followed by a double space in the table of contents; all subheadings are single spaced. The words “Chapters” and “Appendices” are used as referents only, printed above the list of entries. The word “Chapter” or “Appendix” is not repeated with each entry. 

List of Figures / List of Tables

The enumeration continues in sequence; no number appears on pages with main headings (those in all caps). A list of tables, a list of figures, a list of symbols, a list of abbreviations, or a glossary may be used. All lists follow the table of contents. The title is placed 2 inches from the top edge of the page in all capital letters: LIST OF TABLES. Following a heading space, the list begins. A list of tables or a list of figures is required if there are 5 to 25 entries. Lists with fewer than 5 entries or more than 25 are not included. It is not permissible to combine a list of tables and figures. The word “Table” or “Figure” is not repeated with each entry. 

As noted for entries in the table of contents, the listing of tables and figures must agree exactly in wording, capitalization, and punctuation with the table title or figure caption. (An exception to this rule occurs if the table title appears in all capital letters on the table itself; table titles in the list of tables are not typed in all capital letters.) Capitalization styles may not be mixed. In the case of long titles or captions, the first sentence must convey the essential description of the item. The first sentence alone then is used in the list. Long captions may not be summarized. 

The table or figure number begins at the left margin and is followed by the title or caption. The page on which each table or figure appears is at the right margin. As in the table of contents, the page numbers are lined up with each entry by a row of evenly spaced, aligned periods (period leaders). If a table or figure occupies more than one page, only the initial page number is listed. If the title or caption of a table or figure appears on a part-title page preceding the table or figure, the page number in the list refers to the number of the part-title page. 

If a list continues to a second page, the second page of text begins 1 inch from the top of the page. The second page is not labeled “List of Tables Continued” or “List of Figures Continued.” Individual entries are single-spaced with a double space between each entry. 

A list of symbols and abbreviations or a glossary does not replace defining terms, symbols, or abbreviations upon their first occurrence in the text. When introducing terms, always introduce terms upon their first usage in the document. 

The enumeration continues in sequence; no number appears on the first page. Acknowledgments are optional. If a preface is used, the acknowledgments are added to the end of the preface without a separate heading. The word ACKNOWLEDGMENTS is placed 2 inches from the top of the page in all capital letters. Following a heading space, the acknowledgments begin. The text of the acknowledgments must be double spaced. In the acknowledgments, students may wish to recognize special assistance from committee members, friends, or family members who may have helped in the research, writing, or technical aspects of the thesis or dissertation. Research funding, grants, and/or permission to reprint copyrighted materials should be acknowledged. Individuals employed to prepare the manuscript are not acknowledged. 

The enumeration continues in sequence; no number appears on the first page. This is an optional entry. The word PREFACE is placed 2 inches from the top of the page in all capital letters. Following a heading space, the preface begins. The text of the preface must be double spaced. A preface includes the reasons for undertaking the study, the methods and design of the researcher, and acknowledgments. Background data and historical or other information essential to the reader’s understanding of the subject are placed in the text as an introduction, not in the preface. Theses and dissertations generally do not contain a foreword (i.e., a statement about the work by someone other than the author). 

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Organizing and Formatting Your Thesis and Dissertation

Learn about overall organization of your thesis or dissertation. Then, find details for formatting your preliminaries, text, and supplementaries.

Overall Organization

A typical thesis consists of three main parts – preliminaries, text, and supplementaries. Each part is to be organized as explained below and in the order indicated below:

1. Preliminaries:

• Title page (required)
• Copyright page (required)
• Abstract (required) only one abstract allowed
• Acknowledgments (optional) located in the Preliminary Section only
• Preface (optional)
• Autobiography (optional)
• Dedication (optional)
• Table of Contents (required)
• List of Tables (optional)
• List of Figures (optional)
• List of Plates (optional)
• List of Symbols (optional)
• List of Keywords (optional)
• Other Preliminaries (optional) such as Definition of Terms

3. Supplementaries:

• References or bibliography (optional)
• Appendices (optional)
• Glossary (optional)
• List of Abbreviations (optional)

Preliminaries

These are the general requirements for all preliminary pages.

• Preliminary pages are numbered with lower case Roman numerals.
• Page numbers are ½” from the bottom of the page and centered.
• The copyright page is included in the manuscript immediately after the title page and is not assigned a page number nor counted.
• The abstract page is numbered with the Roman numeral “ii”.
• The remaining preliminary pages are arranged as listed under “Organizing and Formatting the Thesis/Dissertation” and numbered consecutively.
• Headings for all preliminary pages must be centered in all capital letters 1” from the top of the page.
• Do not bold the headings of the preliminary pages.

A sample Thesis title page pdf is available here ,  and a sample of a Dissertation title page pdf is available here.

Refer to the sample page as you read through the format requirements for the title page.

• Do not use bold.
• Center all text except the advisor and committee information.

The heading “ Thesis ” or “ Dissertation ” is in all capital letters, centered one inch from the top of the page.

• Your title must be in all capital letters, double spaced and centered.
• Your title on the title page must match the title on your GS30 – Thesis/Dissertation Submission Form

Submitted by block

Divide this section exactly as shown on the sample page. One blank line must separate each line of text.

• Submitted by
• School of Advanced Materials Discovery 
• School of Biomedical Engineering
• Graduate Degree Program in Cell and Molecular Biology
• Graduate Degree Program in Ecology

If your department name begins with “School of”, list as:

• School of Education
• School of Music, Theatre and Dance
• School of Social Work

If you have questions about the correct name of your department or degree, consult your department. Areas of Study or specializations within a program are not listed on the Title Page.

Degree and Graduating Term block

• In partial fulfillment of the requirements
• For the Degree of
• Colorado State University
• Fort Collins, Colorado (do not abbreviate Colorado)

Committee block

• Master’s students will use the heading Master’s Committee:
• Doctoral students will use the heading Doctoral Committee:
• The Master’s Committee and Doctoral Committee headings begin at the left margin.
• One blank line separates the committee heading and the advisor section.
• One blank line separates the advisor and committee section.
• Advisor and committee member names are indented approximately half an inch from the left margin.
• Titles before or after the names of your advisor and your members are not permitted (Examples – Dr., Professor, Ph.D.).

Copyright Page

• A sample copyright page pdf is available here.
• A copyright page is required.
• A copyright page is included in the manuscript immediately after the title page.
• This page is not assigned a number nor counted.
• Center text vertically and horizontally.
• A sample abstract page pdf is available here – refer to the sample page as you read through the format requirements for the abstract.
• Only one abstract is permitted.
• The heading “ Abstract ” is in all capital letters, centered one inch from the top of the page.
• Three blank lines (single-spaced) must be between the “ Abstract ” heading and your title.
• Your title must be in all capital letters and centered.
• The title must match the title on your Title Page and the GS30 – Thesis/Dissertation Submission Form
• Three blank lines (single-spaced) must be between the title and your text.
• The text of your abstract must be double-spaced.
• The first page of the abstract is numbered with a small Roman numeral ii.

Table of Contents

• A sample Table of Contents page pdf is available.
• The heading “ Table of Contents ” is in all capital letters centered one inch from the top of the page.
• Three blank lines (single-spaced) follow the heading.
• List all parts of the document (except the title page) and the page numbers on which each part begins.
• The titles of all parts are worded exactly as they appear in the document.
• Titles and headings and the page numbers on which they begin are separated by a row of dot leaders.
• Major headings are aligned flush with the left margin.
• Page numbers are aligned flush with the right margin.

The text of a thesis features an introduction and several chapters, sections and subsections. Text may also include parenthetical references, footnotes, or references to the bibliography or endnotes.

Any references to journal publications, authors, contributions, etc. on your chapter pages or major heading pages should be listed as a footnote .

• The entire document is 8.5” x 11” (letter) size.
• Pages may be in landscape position for figures and tables that do not fit in “portrait” position.
• Choose one type style (font) and font size and use it throughout the text of your thesis. Examples: Times New Roman and Arial.
• Font sizes should be between 10 point and 12 point.
• Font color must be black. 
• Hyperlinked text must be in blue. If you hyperlink more than one line of text, such as the entire table of contents, leave the text black. 
• Margins are one inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).
• Always continue the text to the bottom margin except at the end of a chapter.

• Please see preliminary page requirements .
• Body and references are numbered with Arabic numerals beginning with the first page of text (numbered 1).
• Page numbers must be centered ½” from the bottom of the page.

Major Headings

• A sample page pdf for major headings and subheadings is available here.
• Use consistent style for major headings.
• Three blank lines (single-spaced) need to be between the major heading and your text.
• Each chapter is started on a new page.
• The References or Bibliography heading is a major heading and the formatting needs to match chapter headings.

Subheadings

• A sample page pdf for major headings and subheadings is available here .
• Style for subheadings is optional but the style should be consistent throughout.
• Subheadings within a chapter (or section) do not begin on a new page unless the preceding page is filled. Continue the text to the bottom of the page unless at the end of a chapter.
• Subheadings at the bottom of a page require two lines of text following the heading and at least two lines of text on the next page.

Running Head

Do not insert a running head.

When dividing paragraphs, at least two lines of text should appear at the bottom of the page and at least two lines of text on the next page.

Hyphenation

The last word on a page may not be divided. No more than three lines in succession may end with hyphens. Divide words as indicated in a standard dictionary.

• The text of the thesis is double-spaced.
• Bibliography or list of reference entries and data within large tables may be single-spaced. Footnotes should be single spaced.
• Footnotes and bibliography or list of reference entries are separated by double-spacing.
• Quoted material of more than three lines is indented and single-spaced. Quoted material that is three lines or fewer may be single-spaced for emphasis.

Poems should be double-spaced with triple-spacing between stanzas. Stanzas may be centered if lines are short.

• Consult a style manual approved by your department for samples of footnotes.
• Footnotes are numbered consecutively throughout the entire thesis.
• Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page on which the reference is made.
• Footnotes are single-spaced.
• Consult a style manual approved by your department for samples of endnotes.
• Endnotes are numbered consecutively throughout the entire thesis.
• Endnotes may be placed at the end of each chapter or following the last page of text.
• The form for an endnote is the same as a footnote. Type the heading “endnote”.

Tables and Figures

• Tables and figures should follow immediately after first mentioned in the text or on the next page.
• If they are placed on the next page, continue the text to the bottom of the preceding page.
• Do not wrap text around tables or figures. Text can go above and/or below.
• If more clarity is provided by placing tables and figures at the end of chapters or at the end of the text, this format is also acceptable.
• Tables and Figures are placed before references.
• Any diagram, drawing, graph, chart, map, photograph, or other type of illustration is presented in the thesis as a figure.
• All tables and figures must conform to margin requirements.
• Images can be resized to fit within margins
• Table captions go above tables.
• Figure captions go below figures.
• Captions must be single spaced.

Landscape Tables and Figures

• Large tables or figures can be placed on the page landscape or broadside orientation.
• Landscape tables and figures should face the right margin (unbound side).
• The top margin must be the same as on a regular page.
• Page numbers for landscape or broadside tables or figures are placed on the 11” side.

Supplementaries

These are the general requirements for all supplementary pages.

• Supplementary pages are arranged as listed under “Organizing and Formatting the Thesis/Dissertation” and numbered consecutively.
• Headings for all supplementary pages are major headings and the formatting style needs to match chapter headings.

References or Bibliography

• The References or Bibliography heading is always a major heading and the formatting style needs to match chapter headings.
• References or Bibliography are ordered after each chapter, or at the end of the text.
• References or Bibliography must start on a new page from the chapter text.
• References are aligned flush with the left margin.
• The style for references should follow the format appropriate for the field of study.
• The style used must be consistent throughout the thesis.
• Appendices are optional and used for supplementary material.
• The Appendices heading is a major heading and the formatting style needs to match chapter headings.
• As an option the appendix may be introduced with a cover page bearing only the title centered vertically and horizontally on the page. The content of the appendix then begins on the second page with the standard one inch top margin.
• Quality and format should be consistent with requirements for other parts of the thesis including margins.
• Page numbers used in the appendix must continue from the main text.

A Foreign Language Thesis

Occasionally, theses are written in languages other than English. In such cases, an English translation of the title and abstract must be included in the document.

• Submit one title page in the non-English language (no page number printed).
• Submit one title page in English (no page number printed).
• Submit one abstract in the non-English language (page number is ii).
• Submit one abstract in English (page number is numbered consecutively from previous page – example: if the last page of the abstract in the foreign language is page ii the first page of the abstract in English is numbered page iii).

Multipart Thesis

In some departments, a student may do research on two or more generally related areas which would be difficult to combine into a single well-organized thesis. The solution is the multi-part thesis.

• Each part is considered a separate unit, with its own chapters, bibliography or list of references, and appendix (optional); or it may have a combined bibliography or list of references and appendix.
• A single abstract is required.
• The pages of a multi-part thesis are numbered consecutively throughout the entire thesis, not through each part (therefore, the first page of Part II is not page 1).
• The chapter numbering begins with Chapter 1 for each part, or the chapters may be numbered consecutively.
• Pagination is consecutive throughout all parts, including numbered separation sheets between parts.
• Each part may be preceded by a separation sheet listing the appropriate number and title.

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Formatting Requirements

Preliminary pages, workday student support.

Graduate students can find "how to" guides and support information on our Workday support page .

Preliminary pages must appear in this order:

Committee Page (Required)

The committee page:

• is the second page of the thesis and is numbered ii
• does not have a heading or title
• lists all examining committee members and supervisory committee members with their titles, departments, and if they are not at UBC, their universities
• lists examining committee members with supervisor first, co-supervisor(s) second
• does not include signatures
• is not listed in the table of contents

See Resources for Thesis Preparation and Checking for examples and templates.

After you have listed your committee, please remove excess lines.

Doctoral students: Please include this page in the copy for the External Examiner, with your supervisory committee entered. If you know which members of the committee will be on the Examining Committee you can include them there; otherwise, they can go under Additional Supervisory Committee Members. Please remember to update the page before final post-defence submission. You must list the full examining committee, including both University Examiners, but listing the External Examiner is optional. We recommend you or your program ask the External Examiner whether or not they wish to be included on the committee page. Please do not include the Chair of the exam committee on this page.

Abstract (required - maximum 350 words)

The abstract:

• is the third page of the thesis and is numbered iii
• is a concise and accurate summary of the thesis
• should state the problem, the methods of investigation, and the general conclusions
• must not contain tables, graphs or illustrations
• must not exceed 350 words
• should contain keywords that will facilitate automated information retrieval
• must be the only abstract in the thesis

350 words is the maximum allowed by online bibliographic listings; anything beyond 350 words will be arbitrarily cut off. The abstract in your thesis and the one you enter online at final submission must be identical.

Please do not put a list of keywords with your abstract.

Lay Summary (required - maximum 150 words)

The lay or public summary explains the key goals and contributions of the research/scholarly work in terms that can be understood by the general public. It should not exceed 150 words in length.

Preface (Required)

For detailed information about what to include in the Preface, see “ Structure of Theses and Dissertations ”.

Sample Prefaces

Table of Contents (Required)

Every thesis must have a table of contents that lists the preliminary and end pages and the content.

If you think your thesis does not require a table of contents, contact the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Thesis Section to confirm this.

The title page and committee page do not appear in the table of contents.

For additional information on formatting a table of contents (including lists of tables and lists of figures) see Formatting Requirements/Table of Contents .

List of tables (required if document has tables)

• tables must be listed with their numbers, titles, and page numbers
• each entry must have leader lines (dots) between entry and page number
• the list must start at the top of a new page

List of Figures (required if document has figures)

• must appear after the List of Tables
• figures must be listed with their numbers, titles, and page numbers

List of Illustrations (NORMALLY required if document has Illustrations)

• must appear after the List of Tables / List of Figures
• illustrations must be listed with their numbers, titles, and page numbers

If you think your thesis does not require a List of Illustrations, contact the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Thesis Section to confirm this.

List of multimedia materials (Required if thesis includes multimedia

List of material submitted that is not included in the pdf (required if thesis includes these), other lists.

• list of symbols
• list of abbreviations
• list of acronyms
• must appear after the List of Tables / List of Figures / List of Illustrations
• each list must start at the top of a new page

You must include a List of Multimedia Materials or List of Audio/Video files if you are submitting any with your thesis.

Acknowledgements (optional)

In this section you can:

• include a  land acknowledgement  in recognition of any Indigenous lands upon which you undertook your work. UBC Vancouver is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. Additional information:  Musqueam & UBC .
• acknowledge the extent to which assistance has been given by members of staff, fellow students, data technicians, editors, and/or others
• recognize the supervision and advice given by your supervisor and committee members
• acknowledge colleagues with whom you have written journal articles

Note: We highly recommend you ensure that you have permission to include names of individuals in the Acknowledgements. Once your thesis is in the Library's electronic repository, cIRcle, you will not be able to make changes.

Dedication (optional)

The dedication is usually quite short, and is a personal rather than an academic recognition. You can use any font or language you wish for the dedication page.

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• Dissertation & Thesis Manual

Preparation and Submission Manual Overview

Doctoral dissertations and master’s theses.

Doctoral dissertations and master’s theses submitted to UC San Diego must meet the requirements set by the Graduate Council of the University of California San Diego for the degree candidate to be eligible for a graduate degree. A doctoral dissertation must be the result of original research conducted in the candidate’s specialization and must be approved in its entirety by the student’s doctoral committee. A master’s thesis must be a significant research work that must be approved in its entirety by the master’s committee.

The final version of the dissertation/thesis must conform to the details outlined in the " Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. " For reference, we have provided some highlights below, but please refer to the full PDF Manual for complete instructions.

We have also made a template available as an inital resource to assist students with proper formatting.

Co-author permission letters are submitted electronically via the Kuali Permission Letter Submission Form .  (see section below, "Use of Published Material," for additional information) 

Specifications and Formatting

Minimum Margins

The margins of your thesis/dissertation should be from 1" on all sides. (Slightly larger margins are acceptable, but should be a minimum of 1 inch.)

Font and Font Sizes

A font size of at least 10 must be used for the text; students may choose one of the following font sizes: 10pt, 11pt or 12pt. Standard fonts are Arial, Century Gothic, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. A consistent font must be used throughout the entire dissertation or thesis.

Page Numbers

All page numbers are centered at the bottom of the page, 0.5” from the bottom edge.

Except where noted below, each page of the entire dissertation or thesis must be numbered consecutively; pages should be numbered according to the following standards:

• Neither the title page nor the blank or copyright page is to be numbered; however, the two pages are counted when numbering the preliminary pages that follow.
• The dissertation/thesis approval page is always numbered as page “iii”.
• The preliminary pages following the title and blank or copyright pages must be numbered consecutively beginning with lower case Roman numeral “iii” on the dissertation/thesis approval page. All preliminary pages are to be numbered using lower case Roman numerals (following the title and blank or copyright pages, begin with iii, iv, v, vi, etc.). This includes the dissertation/thesis approval page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, list of abbreviations, list of symbols, list of illustrations, list of figures, list of schemes, list of tables, list of photographs, preface, acknowledgements, vita (required for doctoral dissertations), and the abstract. The page numbers must be placed at the bottom of the page and centered 0.5” from the bottom.
• The main body of the text and any back matter must be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals beginning with “1” (1, 2, 3, etc.), including text, illustrative materials, notes, appendices and bibliography. All pages are numbered at the bottom of the page and centered.

Correct pagination (no missing pages, blank pages, or duplicate numbers or pages) is required for the doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis to be acceptable.

Page Organization

Preliminary Pages

Except for the title page and blank or copyright page, all preliminary pages are numbered with lower case Roman numerals at the center bottom of the page. Pages are numbered in sequence, and page numbers are centered and placed 0.5” from the bottom of the page.

• The name of the conferring institution – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO – appears in all capital letters at the top of the page.
• The title should be specific, unambiguous, and descriptive of the research, with easily identifiable key words that will ensure electronic retrieval.
• Scientific titles must use words, not symbols, formulas, superscripts or Greek letters.
• Doctoral students should refer to their document as a dissertation. Master’s students should refer to their document as a thesis.
• “in” should be all lowercase and on a line alone.
• The degree title listed should be the title that UC San Diego will actually confer; if unsure, contact your Graduate Coordinator.
• “by” should be all lowercase and on a line alone.
• Students may use either their legal or lived name as it is listed on the UC San Diego official record and remain consistent throughout the document
• All committee members must be listed, chair first, using the title Professor. If professor is not applicable to all committee members, list all names without any titles. Use double spacing between “Committee in Charge” and the chair’s name. Alphabetize all members after chair and single space all names. Indent all committee members 0.5” from “Committee in Charge”. (This section is the only section of the title page that is not centered.)
• Degree year: Students must use the year of the quarter of degree conferral.
• The title page is not numbered; it is counted as page “i” in the numbering of the preliminary pages. The title and blank or copyright pages are the only manuscript pages without page numbers.

Dissertation/Thesis Approval Page

This page is always numbered page iii. Page numbers from here forward in the preliminary pages of the document will vary for individual students, depending on which of the optional pages described below students choose to include. The numbers must be internally consistent for the document.

There is no header on the dissertation/thesis approval page. The text at the top of the page is either left justified or fully justified. The text at the bottom of the page is centered. All information should be centered on the page vertically.

Effective November 2020, faculty signatures are not collected on the dissertation/thesis approval page. Faculty committee member approval is captured on the combined Final Report Form (this form is initiated and managed by the department/program graduate coordinator). Students should check with their department/program graduate coordinator to verify that the combined form is being used. The formatted page iii must still be included in the dissertation/thesis and must follow the format described above.

All dissertations or theses are required to have a table of contents. List the page number that each section first appears on. Use proper capitalization and include header and sectional titles exactly as they appear within the dissertation or thesis (for example, if “Chapter” is used in the text headers, it must be used in the Table of Contents).  

If illustrations such as figures, tables, graphs, maps, diagrams, photos, etc., are scattered throughout, make a separate “List of Figures,” “List of Tables,” “List of Graphs,” etc. to follow the table of contents. 

Acknowledgements

The acknowledgements, along with any other preliminary sections or parts of the dissertation or thesis, must be reviewed and approved by the committee members.

See the section “Using Published Material” (in the full PDF manual, and in the excerpted section below) if any portion of the dissertation or thesis is co-authored, published, submitted for publication, or is being prepared for publication. A paragraph acknowledging all co-authors and publishers is required in the acknowledgements page and as the last paragraph of text at the end of each applicable chapter.

Permission letters from the committee chair and all co-authors must be submitted electronically via the Kuali permission letter submission form   prior to or the day of the student’s final document review . See the full manual for sample letters and additional information.  Click here for step by step instructions and an overview of the Kuali form.

An abstract should provide a clear impression of the content and major divisions of the dissertation or thesis. Abstracts of doctoral dissertations must not exceed 350 words; master’s theses abstracts must not exceed 250 words.

Figures and Tables

All figures and tables must be accompanied by a caption. Captions for figures go below the figure. Captions for tables go above the table.

All figures and tables must have their captions formatted the same, ie numbering, spacing, bold/italicized text, text alignment (left, centered, justified), font.

Figures/tables and their captions need to fit on one page and within the page margins. If they cannot fit on one page, then format the captions as a facing caption, where the caption goes on the page before the figure/table. For example, page 1 would be the figure caption (no other text), and page 2 would be the figure itself.

If figures/tables go on multiple pages, then the caption must be on each page that the figure/table appears. Table headers must also be on each page.

Appendices and References

• Appendices typically contain supporting material such as data sheets, questionnaire samples, illustrations, maps, charts, etc. Appendices may be single-spaced.

References/Biolography/Works Cited

• The format of the references and/or bibliography should follow that of the student’s discipline and should be consistent throughout the dissertation/thesis.
• All authors must be listed. Do not depersonalize non-primary authors by referring to them in the bibliography as et al.
• Bibliographies, references, and works cited are to be single-spaced with a double space between entries, and should be the last entry in each chapter or in the dissertation/thesis.

Use of Published Material and Co-Author Permissions

If students are using material which has been submitted for publication or has been published, students must read the full text that follows and see the manual for additional details. 

Students must obtain permission letters from all co-authors, including committee members and UCSD faculty. Students submit the co-author letters to GEPA electronically via the Kuali permission letter submission form  for any chapter or portion of a chapter in the dissertation or thesis to which one or more of the following applies:

• Students have co-authors (regardless of whether or not students are submitting it for publication);
• The chapter or portion thereof is being prepared for publication;
• The chapter or portion thereof has been submitted for publication;
• The chapter or portion thereof has been published.

If approved by the committee members, reports of research undertaken during graduate study at UC San Diego that have been published or submitted for publication in appropriate media may be accepted in their printed form in full or in part as the dissertation or thesis.  

If the material has co-authors other than the committee chair, the student must obtain permission letters from all co-authors giving their approval for the co-authored material to be used. This must be done even if copyright has been retained.  Students need to determine if the publisher’s permission is also required.  Students collect their signed co-author permission letters and cover letter from their committee chair and submit electronically via the Kuali permission letter submission form  prior to or the day of their final document review with GEPA.  

Click here for a sample/template of the cover letter from the committee chair and the permission letter(s) from co-author(s).

Click here for step by step instructions and an overview of the Kuali form.

Copyright and Publishing Options

• All students receive copyright when creating and publishing their dissertation/thesis.
• Proquest offers to file for additional copyright with the US Copyright Office for a fee. Students can file for additional copyright through Proquest or on their own through the US Copyright Office .

Publishing Options

• Your dissertation/thesis is published in two different libraries, Proquest and eScholarship.
• Traditional = your paper can only be accessed if someone has access to Proquest or pays to access your paper. The default option.
• Open access = your paper is available to anyone on the interent for free. You would have to pay a fee for this option.
• eScholarship is the University of California's digital library. All papers are open access in eScholarship.

Dissertation and Thesis Release Form (Embargo)

Students, with approval from their committee chair, may choose to immediately publish or put an embargo/delay on publishing their disserrtation/thesis. The default option is immediate publication.

• If an embargo is chosen, the options are for a 1 or 2 year delay. (Note: Students in the MFA in Writing program are required to have a 10 year embargo).
• If the embargo needs to be extended, a request from the committee chair must be submitted to the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs via email before the embargo expires . Dissertations/theses cannot be re-embargoed once the embargo expires.

Your embargo choice must match in Proquest and on the dissertation/thesis release form . The release form must be signed by the student and the committee chair and must be uploaded as part of the submission to ProQuest. 

Please note: If you delay the release of your work, access to the full text of your work will be delayed for the period that you specify. However, the citation and abstract of your work will be available through ProQuest and through the UC California Digital Library (eScholarship).

Dissertation and Thesis Release Form (Embargo Form)

Embargo options are for a 1 or 2 year delay. (Note: Students in the MFA in Writing program are required to have a 10 year embargo).

Embargo Extension: If the embargo needs to be extended beyond initial embargo period, a request from the committee chair (with endorsement from the department chair / program director) must be submitted to the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs via email before the embargo expires . The request must specify the reason for the additional time and how long the embargo should continue. Dissertations/theses cannot be re-embargoed once the embargo expires. Please see the Policy on Open Access for Theses and Dissertations: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/2000688/ .

For further questions about doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis formatting, students may contact the appropriate GEPA Academic Affairs Advisor . 

Master’s thesis formatting questions:

• Kelsey Darvin, [email protected] : Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Structural Engineering, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Kim McCusker , [email protected]:  All Arts & Humanities, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences, Materials Science, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 
• Karen Villavicencio , [email protected] : Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemical Engineering, NanoEngineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Neurosciences  

 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation formatting questions:

• Kelsey Darvin , [email protected]:  Structural Engineering
• Eliese Maxwell , [email protected] : all other PhD programs (except those listed)
• Karen Villavicencio , [email protected]:  Chemical Engineering, NanoEngineering

Doctor of Musical Arts, Doctor of Education, all Rady programs, Biomedical Sciences, Biostatistics, and Neurosciences PhD, all joint PhD programs with SDSU, and Master of Public Health (MPH) formatting questions:

•   Sara Miceli , [email protected]

 After fully formatting your doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis you may schedule your appointments at: https://gradforms.ucsd.edu/calendar/ .

• Degree Completion
• Dissertation & Thesis Submission
• Dissertation & Thesis Template

Graduate College

Formatting your thesis, thesis templates and support.

As you prepare your thesis for deposit, please contact our office with any questions you might have.  We can answer questions related to formatting requirements, help you assemble your manuscript, and provide technical assistance with thesis submission.  We will also provide a pre-deposit check of your thesis.  Contact Erin Kaufman ([email protected]) for more information.

Our preliminary page templates help ensure your preliminary pages are formatted correctly and include accurate information.  There is a version for PC users and a version for Mac users .  If you want your 1) chapters and subheadings automatically numbered and / or 2) table and figure captions to include the number of the chapter in which they appear, use this template .  This template relies on a multi-level list to generate automatic numbering, and it can be difficult to navigate if you are new to using Microsoft Word to format large documents.

For suggestions on how to reduce thesis file size, download our Ways to Reduce File Size handout.

For general formatting support, download the Manuscript Construction Guidelines for PC or the Manuscript Construction Guidelines for MAC .  Understanding how to use a number of basic Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat tools will greatly simplify the formatting and completion of your thesis.  All topics are essential to the proper construction of your thesis or dissertation. 

Required and Optional Elements

Formatting requirements, page numbers.

• Preliminary page numbers begin with a lower-case Roman numeral ii on the first page following the Title Page, or the Copyright Page should you choose to include one.  Center these page numbers in the footer, 1/2 to 1 inch above the bottom of the page.
• Manuscript text page numbers must be in Arabic with a 1 on the first page of your first chapter. They may be located in the upper or lower right-hand corner or the bottom center of the page and must be consistent throughout the manuscript.
• List your degree as it appears on MyUI.  If you have an official sub-track, you may include it in parentheses after your degree.
• List the correct month and year of your graduation.
• List the names of your committee members.  Your thesis supervisor should be listed first, followed by a comma and the phrase “Thesis Supervisor.”
• There is no page number on the Title Page.

Copyright Page

• The copyright date is the year of graduation.
• There is no page number on the Copyright Page.
• Text should be single-spaced and centered on the page, both horizontally and vertically.
• This page requires a lower-case Roman numeral page number, at the bottom center of the page.

Acknowledgements

• Text should be top-aligned, double-spaced, and with each paragraph indented.

An External Abstract is no longer required.

• A Scholarly Abstract (“Abstract”) is required for PhD and Master’s students, but not for DMA or MFA students.
• A Public Abstract (“Public Abstract”) is required for all students.
• These pages require lower-case Roman numeral page numbers, at the bottom center of the page.

Table of Contents

• All major headings from the manuscript must be included.  Entries should be consistently spaced.
• Entries here must match corresponding titles in the text, but should not carry over boldface, italics, or underlining from the text.
• Do not include entries for the preliminary pages that come before the Table of Contents.
• Do not include an entry for the Table of Contents in the Table of Contents.
• Include the List of Tables and List of Figures, if the thesis contains them.  Page numbering for these entries should be lower-case Roman numerals.
• Entries should not run into the page number column.
• Page numbers should be vertically aligned by the rightmost digit.

List of Tables / List of Figures

• Entries should be single-spaced, with a double space between them.
• Captions listed must match corresponding captions in the text, but should not carry over boldface, italics, or underlining from the text.
• The List(s) require a lower-case Roman numeral page number, at the bottom center of the page.
• Treat Appendix headings (Appendix A, B, etc.) as major headings and include them in the Table of Contents.
• If more than one Appendix is included, identify them as Appendix A, Appendix B, and so on. Lettering is unnecessary when there is only one Appendix.
• Major headings should be consistently formatted in a professional manner.
• Spacing around major headings should be consistent throughout the entire manuscript.
• Different order subheadings should each have a distinct style.
• Spacing around subheadings should be consistent.
• Headings may not be placed at the bottom of the page without at least two lines of text beneath them.

Tables and Figures

• Brief descriptive titles for tables and figures must be included in the List of Figures / List of Tables (if included).
• Tables and figures may be located above, below, or adjacent to the manuscript text.
• Gaps around tables and figures are allowed if the table or figure is larger than half a page.
• Table captions must not extend beyond the width of the table(s) being described.
• Spacing between a caption and its corresponding table / figure should be consistent.
• Tables / figures that appear in an Appendix must have their own numbering system (A.1, A.2, etc.).
• If a table or figure continues to one or more following pages, the number with a “continued” notation (e.g. Table 3—continued) is placed on each page after the first.  The descriptive title is not repeated in part or full on continuation pages. A separation line is not required.

References / Bibliography

• The References heading should be treated as a major heading and included in the Table of Contents.
• References should be single-spaced, and indenting conventions should be consistent.
• There may be a single- or double-space between entries.
• References may be placed at the end of each chapter or at the end of the manuscript.
• Entries should not break across a page.

Margins 

• Margins must be a minimum of 1 inch on all sides and on all pages, including the Preliminary Pages.
• Margins should be consistent throughout the entire text.

Line Spacing

• Line spacing may be either 1.5 or double-spaced. Line spacing should be consistent throughout.
• Use 10–12-point font for the body of the manuscript.  Font smaller than 8-point is not allowed.
• You may use 12-point font for major headings.  Font larger than this may be used sparingly, if at all.
• A range of font styles is acceptable, but font styles and sizes should be professional in appearance.

UWI THESIS GUIDE: at-a-glance for the Faculty of Medical Sciences (UWISTA): PRELIMINARY PAGES

• CLARIFYING PAGE 23 OF THE UWISTA THESIS GUIDE

PRELIMINARY PAGES

• TEXT OF THESIS

NOTES FOR THE MEDICAL SCIENCES CANDIDATE

• Italics: students using the Vancouver style may use italics for scientific names only
• Superscript: not to be employed when formatting using the Vancouver style
• List of citations: use the term REFERENCES [Vancouver style] and place this before the appendices
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• Last Updated: Jan 26, 2023 1:16 PM
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Thesis Writing Hub: Formatting Guidelines

• Submission Process
• Formatting Guidelines
• Required Signed Forms
• Planning your Research
• Finding Resources
• Citation Management

You have a quick question? Chat with us or Ask us Research support:  [email protected]

Thesis formatting & submission:   [email protected] +961-1350000 x 2609/2140

The below guidelines help students meet the thesis formatting requirements.

They have been incorporated in the Thesis  templates . You can also download the Thesis Guidelines as a PDF document .

Arabic Thesis: A Thesis in   Arabic follows the same requirements of a Thesis in English. An additional title page in English and the translation of the abstract into English should be included. All specifications applied from left to right in English should be considered from right to left in Arabic.

Download Guidelines

• Margins & Spacing
• Page Numbering & Headings
• Preliminary Pages
• Footnotes & Bibliography

Please use “Times New Roman” typeface for English, and the “Simplified Arabic” for Arabic.

Body of the text : 12 for English and 14 for Arabic.

Major title headings and preliminary pages headings : 16 for English ALL CAPS and 20 for Arabic.

DO NOT use BOLD face in preliminary pages and major headings, e.g.  chapters, appendices, and bibliography.

Throughout the document, margins should be:

• Left side: 3.5 cm.
• Right side: 2.5 cm.
• Top of the page: 3 cm.
• Bottom of the page: 3 cm.

Illustrative materials, tables, charts, graphs, etc., should not be placed closer than 2 cm from the top, right and bottom edges of the page, and 2.5 cm from the left (while 2.5cm from right instead of left for Arabic Thesis).

The text can be  left aligned (or right aligned for Arabic) or justified .

The text throughout the Thesis must be double-spaced , except in footnotes, in any block quotations, or in tables.

The text in the Acknowledgement and Abstract pages is single spaced.

Line space for Arabic text should be 1.5. 

Each subheading should be preceded by an empty line, except if there is no text paragraph between two consecutive subheadings. 

Tables  and illustrations  should  be  preceded  and  followed  by  a  double-space  (i.e.  empty line).

All paragraphs should be indented 1.5cm from the margin. Subheadings are not indented (except level 5).

Blockquote should be single-spaced, 2cm indented as a whole block (not just the first line).

Page Numbering

It should start with ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and continue sequentially using Arabic numerals placed in the center, and at the bottom of the page.

Figure and  table  numbering  must  be  either  continuous  throughout  the Thesis  or  by chapter (1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2.)

Major headings, e.g. the titles in the preliminary pages: "CHAPTER’s title,   "NOTES", "REFERENCES" or "BIBLIOGRAPHY" should all be typed in CAPITAL LETTERS, size 16, centered and not bold. If a chapter's title runs on more than one line, it should be single spaced. The heading CHAPTER and its TITLE should be spaced by an empty line.

Each subheading is preceded by its number as it appears in the Table of Contents of the Thesis. Each subheading has a higher attention value than any subsequent ones. These are designated as first-, second-,  third- and fourth-level subheadings, and  are differentiated as follows:

Within a chapter, the title is considered Heading 1 (or level 1) and formatted as mentioned above, and the subheadings as per the table below and per template:

In order to list items, major points or ideas, use bullets at the beginning of the line, after an indentation of 1.5 cm for a new paragraph (using the Tab key on the keyboard). You can further subdivide the bullets using dashes.

Translation of Headings for Theses in Arabic

• Acknowledgements = شكر
• Abstract = مستخلص
• Contents= المحتويات
• Preface= التصدير
• Dedication= الاهداء
• Introduction = مقدمة
• Appendix = ملحق
• Appendices = ملاحق
• Bibliography = ببليوغرافيا

The Thesis includes the following three parts: Preliminary pages, body or text, and end pages which include appendices, endnotes, if any, and references or bibliography. Each of these parts may be subdivided into sections and subsections. These should be clearly reflected in the table of contents.

The preliminary pages should be ordered as follows:

• A Mandatory Title page (Not numbered): includes the name of the University, the full title of the Thesis, the full name of the student, as well as the title of the degree conferred, the name of the Department, the name of the Faculty or School, the place and the date of submission. (S tudent’s name should include her/his First name, Father’s name and Family name. For married female students, the name should be as registered in AUB)
• A Mandatory Thesis Approval page (Not numbered, unsigned)
• Acknowledgments , if any (Numbered as 1): Typing of the page numbers starts with this page.
• A Mandatory Abstract : summarizes the Thesis’ main points: No word limit applies.
• Preface : Optional. Text single-spaced.
• A Mandatory Table of Contents : 2 samples of templates with 2 styles of Table of Contents are available here .
• List of Illustrations , becomes mandatory if you have one illustration or more in your documents (images, charts, photos, etc.)
• List of Tables , becomes mandatory if you have one table or more in your document
• List of Abbreviations , if any.
• Glossary , if any.
• Dedication . Optional and placed before chapter 1 and without the word "dedicated” and is not included in the ToC.

The end pages include appendices, endnotes, if any, and references/bibliography.

They   are typed at the bottom of the page and are separated from the text by a separator.  They are preceded by the appropriate number assigned to each in the text above.

They are single-spaced if they run on more than one line and spaced by an empty line (between two notes).

Bibliography/References

For all matters not discussed in the present Thesis Manual, theses must follow the form and style specified by your Department or Program such as IEEE, APA, MLA, etc… using Microsoft-Word or LaTeX, provided it conforms to all specifications laid out in these guidelines for preliminary pages.

In order  to  help you organize  your  bibliography,  footnotes,  references,  and citations;  Citation  managers, EndNote and Mendeley  are  available  for  your convenience on the library homepage.

For more information, please contact the Research & Instruction Services Department, extension: 2164/2620/2629.

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• Last Updated: Apr 3, 2024 3:52 PM
• URL: https://aub.edu.lb.libguides.com/Thesis

1. Thesis preparation

• Information and services
• Higher Degree by Research
• Preparing for the Thesis Examination Process
• Formatting your thesis
• Alternate thesis formats
• Including publications in your thesis
• Language and writing
• Preliminary pages
• Plagiarism and iThenticate
• Nominating thesis examiners
• Requesting a confidential examination
• Resources and training

6. Preliminary pages

Preliminary pages include everything except the main body of your thesis.

You can download a preliminary pages template to ensure your thesis is in the right order:

• Word format –  Thesis preliminary pages template (DOCX, 61.5 KB) .
• LaTex format –  UQ LaTex Templates . Please note: this is an optional full thesis template.

Please also refer to the  Supplementary guide for preliminary pages template (PDF, 209.4 KB) .

It is important that you retain all headings in the preliminary pages, whether or not they apply to your research. If you change the template, we may ask you to review and re-upload your thesis. This will cause a delay in the examination process.

If you have not included any publications, under the heading ‘Publications included in this thesis’, please state “No publications included”.

In the preliminary pages of your thesis you must list the:

• manuscripts published  during  your candidature and that  are  included in your thesis
• manuscripts published  during  your candidates that  aren’t  included in your thesis
• manuscripts written  during  your candidature that you have submitted for review.

Before you submit, make sure your preliminary pages are correctly formatted and you have removed all placeholder text.

Your name should appear on the title page as it appears in mySI-net. If your name in mySI-net isn’t correct, you'll need to  change it  before you submit your thesis.

• Art history thesis by exhibition format
• Creative writing MPhil thesis format
• Creative writing PhD thesis format
• Music thesis format
• 2. Thesis submission
• 3. Thesis examination
• 4. Award of degree
• Thesis submission date and scholarship extension

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Thesis Dissertation Guidelines

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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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• Preliminary Pages

The preliminary pages are double-spaced with lower case Roman numeral page numbers. Omit the page number on page i, which is the title page. Throughout, the thesis, paragraphs must be indented 0.5 inches from the left margin. The number of spaces used for indentation must be uniform throughout the thesis.  Examples of the preliminary pages are given in the sample PDF thesis available at:  https://web.iit.edu/gaa/thesis

Your title will determine how widely the subject matter of the thesis will be disseminated. Academic research is to be shared, and the thesis is a major way of doing this. The Dissertation Abstracts uses an automated keyword retrieval system to index at least 34,000 dissertation titles a year. To make retrieval easier and more accurate, they suggest the following: 

• use words in the title that describe the dissertation content;
• eliminate words that add little or nothing to an understanding of content, words like: “A Study of…” “The Origin and Development of….”

A good title will be less than 10 words in length, and a reasonable title should be less than fifteen words in length. Subtitles are to be avoided if possible. The title must be centered about 1.5 to 2 inches below the top edge of the paper. The single word “BY” must be typed in capital letters and centered about 2 inches below the title. The author's full name in capital letters must be centered a double-space below the word “BY.” A submission statement must be typed, each line centered, beginning about 6.5 inches below the top edge of the paper:

  Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of (official name of degree as shown in Graduate Bulletin) in the Graduate College of the Illinois Institute of Technology

At about 8.5 inches below the top edge of the paper and beginning at the center of the page, should appear the word “Approved” followed by an underscored line that extends to 1 inch from the right edge of the paper, and on the next single line must appear the word “Adviser” centered below the underscored line. If there is a co-adviser, then a similar underscored line, double-spaced below the word adviser, the same length as the first underscored line, must be added with the word “Co-adviser” single-spaced and centered below the second underscored line.

In the center of the page at the bottom must appear “Chicago, Illinois.” The month and year of conferring of the degree (e.g., “May 2005”) must be centered and one single-space below, leaving a 1-inch margin at the bottom edge of the page. The only acceptable months are December (fall semester), May (spring semester), and August (summer semester).

The original copy must bear an original signature of the adviser (and co-adviser) on the title page, when it is uploaded to the ProQuest ETD Administrator for final approval. 

Copyright Page

A copyright notice page (page ii) may be inserted immediately after the title page.  The copyright notice bears the following double-spaced citation in the center of the page:

© Copyright by (Full legal name of the author) (Year of publication)

The inclusion of © is a mandatory legal requirement. The page number, ii, is centered, 0.5 inches above the bottom of the page. If the thesis does not include the copyright notice, then this is a completely blank page with no number typed.

A student may arrange for ProQuest to register copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office during the ETD Administrator process, in the appropriate place, and by paying the designated fee, which is listed on the website.

Acknowledgment

An acknowledgment is not a mandatory part of a thesis, but it gives the student an opportunity to express appreciation for the receipt of financial support or for contributions of others to the work. It should be simple and sincere; one should not overdo one's expression of gratitude in a thesis. The word “ACKNOWLEDGMENT” must be centered, in capital letters, at the top of the page. The acknowledgment is indented 0.5 inches, as a paragraph, and a triple-space below the heading—the first line of text begins on the third single line--The acknowledgment must not exceed one page in length and may be single spaced. Double-spaced is allowed if not exceeding one page. The page number iii is centered 0.5 inches from the bottom of the page.

A thesis does not include a dedication, and material in the nature of a preface should be included at the beginning of Chapter 1 of the text, not in the acknowledgment.

Authorship Statement

An Authorship Statement is required. The statement must be consistent with the guidelines described in Appendix S of the IIT Faculty Handbook.

The required format is analogous to that used for the Acknowledgement.

Table of Contents

The words TABLE OF CONTENTS must appear in capital letters centered on the top line of the page. Triple-spaced below the heading at the right margin (1-inch from the edge of the paper), the word “Page” must appear. On the next line, the first heading of the Preliminary section appears at the left margin (1.5 inches from the edge the of paper), all in capitals and then followed by a series of periods extending to two spaces before the space immediately below the P in the word “Page.” Periods in subsequent lines should be aligned with those in this first line. The last digit of the column of page numbers should fall under the “e” in the word “Page.” The word “CHAPTER” follows the list of preliminary pages, double-spaced and at the left margin. On the next single spaced line the Arabic numeral 1 and a period “1.” must appear under the letters “E” and “R,” respectively, in “CHAPTER.” The Chapter titles follow in the third space after the period, capitalized, just as they appear on the pages indicated. CHAPTER 1 must always be page 1.

Major sections are separated by double spaces above and below them. Sub-headings are indented two additional spaces and are single spaced. If the chapter title is more than one line long, it should be continued on the next line, flush with the initial line of the title. Every chapter title and first order sub-heading title must appear in the Table of Contents exactly as shown on the page indicated. If a sub-heading is more than one line long, then the carry over should be aligned with the first letter of the first word of the previous line. Second or third order sub-headings normally are not included in the Table of Contents.

If the Table of Contents is continued on a second page, then the page break must be between chapters, and the heading is not repeated. The words “CHAPTER” and “Page” may appear at the top of the second page, and the rest of the page should be spaced like the first page.

List of Tables

If tables are used in the thesis, the words “LIST OF TABLES” must appear in capital letters on the first page of the list of tables, centered at the top of the typed page. On the first page and on succeeding pages of the List of Tables, the heading and page numbers should be set up in the same way as those in the Table of Contents; the last digit of the column of page numbers should fall under the ``e" in the word “Page.” The decimal point in the table number should align with “e” in “Table,” and the caption (alternatively “legend” or “title”) of the table follows after two spaces. The entry in the List of Tables may omit the full table caption in the text if the caption is longer than one sentence. In this case, the whole first sentence should be included. Captions that do not consist of a full sentence should be included in their entirety. The same caption format should be used consistently throughout the List of Tables. Captions longer than one line are single-spaced and aligned, having the first letter of the word on the second line directly under the first letter of the word on the first line. In the case of a long table, only the page number on which the table began must be given. A Table may not have sub-divided numbers or letters (e.g., Table 4.1A and Table 4.1B). Each Table is designated a number. Tables appearing in the Appendix may be included in the List of Tables.

List of Figures

If illustrations in any form are used in a thesis, such as drawings, graphs, maps, charts, photographs, or structural formulae, they should all be identified as figures, unless a different designation is approved by the Thesis Examiner--typically granted to students in the College of Architecture. The words “LIST OF FIGURES” must appear in capital letters on the first page of the List of Figures, centered at the top of the typed page. The format is the same as for the List of Tables. The entry in the List of Figures may omit the full figure caption in the text if the caption is longer than one sentence. In this case, the whole first sentence should be included. Captions that do not consist of a full sentence should be included in their entirety. The same caption format should be used consistently throughout the List of Figures. The decimal point in the Figure number should align with the “e” in “Figure.” Figures appearing in the Appendix may be included in the List of Figures.

List of Abbreviations and Symbols

A separate list of abbreviations, symbols and nomenclature (if available) must be given in the preliminary pages. The words “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” (or “SYMBOLS AND NOMENCLATURE”) must appear in capital letters on the first page of the list centered at the top of the page.  The word “Abbreviation” (or “Symbol”) must appear triple-spaced below the title beginning at the left margin, and the word ``Term" (or Definition) should be centered on the same line. Double-spaced below appear abbreviations and the respective terms aligned down the page. A definition that is more than one line long is carried over to the next single-spaced line. If the list of abbreviations exceeds one page in length, then the subsequent pages omit the title but show the same headings for “Abbreviation” and “Term.” Commonly accepted abbreviations such as cm and BTU should not be included in the list of abbreviations. If a separate list of abbreviations is not used, then in the text all words should be spelled out the first time the term is used, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Subsequently, only the abbreviation without parentheses is used except in the Summary and in the Abstract where the word should be spelled out the first time followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.

An abstract must be included in the preliminary pages. The word “ABSTRACT” must be centered on the top line of the typed page. The abstract text begins on the third line with a paragraph indentation of 0.5 inches. Abbreviations in the abstract should be spelled out the first time used, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Subsequently only the abbreviation without parentheses is used. Footnotes are never used in an abstract.

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