research paper preliminary pages example

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Research guides, guide to research and writing for the academic study of religion.

• Topic Pyramids
• Research Assignment Parameters
• Thesis statement
• Identifying Interests
• Controversy
• Availability of Sources

Preliminary Research

• Developing Your Question and Thesis
• Research Question and Thesis Statement Examples
• Periodicals
• Primary Sources
• Reference Works - Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Biographies etc
• Journal Articles
• Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
• Web Search Engines
• Web Directories
• Invisible Web
• Does the Library hold the article I need?
• Locating resources unavailable at U of C Library
• Content of Databases
• Standardized Terminology
• Review Quiz Databases
• Keyword Searching
• Search Limits
• Phrase Searching
• Truncations and Wildcards
• Boolean Operators
• Proximity Operators
• Natural Language Searching
• Searching Basics Quiz
• Search Overview
• Selecting Records
• Combing Searchers
• General Criteria
• Quoting in text
• in Text Citations
• List of References
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Staying Organized
• Links to Writing Help
• Sources Used in Creating this Workbook

Developing a good research question is impossible without doing some preliminary research.  Preliminary research gives you background information on your topic, answering questions such as who, what, when and where.  This research will also help you determine controversies related to your topic and determine if there are enough sources available to cover the topic effectively.

 You will encounter and learn much more information than you will convey in your final paper. Background information will enrich your research paper but should not bog it down in trivia. For example, if you were doing a paper on Hildegaard of Bingen, you should know that she was born into a noble family in Germany in 1098 and entered a hermitage at the age of eight and became a Benedictine Abbess. This information will help you contextualize her work in your own mind but your research paper should not be a simple recitation of these facts. Your research question should take you beyond the common knowledge found in encyclopedias, but without that  common knowledge your research will lack a solid foundation.

What follows is a list of resources that you may find useful for doing preliminary research in the field of Religious Studies. Keep in mind the type of information that you will need based on your preliminary topic and where your topic falls in the topic pyramid. Remember that the pyramid is a continuum rather than a series of discrete stages, so your topic likely will draw on both columns for some resources.

Resources for Preliminary Research

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• Last Updated: Jun 9, 2022 2:27 PM
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12.1 Creating a Rough Draft for a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

• Apply strategies for drafting an effective introduction and conclusion.
• Identify when and how to summarize, paraphrase, and directly quote information from research sources.
• Apply guidelines for citing sources within the body of the paper and the bibliography.
• Use primary and secondary research to support ideas.
• Identify the purposes for which writers use each type of research.

At last, you are ready to begin writing the rough draft of your research paper. Putting your thinking and research into words is exciting. It can also be challenging. In this section, you will learn strategies for handling the more challenging aspects of writing a research paper, such as integrating material from your sources, citing information correctly, and avoiding any misuse of your sources.

The Structure of a Research Paper

Research papers generally follow the same basic structure: an introduction that presents the writer’s thesis, a body section that develops the thesis with supporting points and evidence, and a conclusion that revisits the thesis and provides additional insights or suggestions for further research.

Your writing voice will come across most strongly in your introduction and conclusion, as you work to attract your readers’ interest and establish your thesis. These sections usually do not cite sources at length. They focus on the big picture, not specific details. In contrast, the body of your paper will cite sources extensively. As you present your ideas, you will support your points with details from your research.

Writing Your Introduction

There are several approaches to writing an introduction, each of which fulfills the same goals. The introduction should get readers’ attention, provide background information, and present the writer’s thesis. Many writers like to begin with one of the following catchy openers:

• A surprising fact
• A thought-provoking question
• An attention-getting quote
• A brief anecdote that illustrates a larger concept
• A connection between your topic and your readers’ experiences

The next few sentences place the opening in context by presenting background information. From there, the writer builds toward a thesis, which is traditionally placed at the end of the introduction. Think of your thesis as a signpost that lets readers know in what direction the paper is headed.

Jorge decided to begin his research paper by connecting his topic to readers’ daily experiences. Read the first draft of his introduction. The thesis is underlined. Note how Jorge progresses from the opening sentences to background information to his thesis.

Beyond the Hype: Evaluating Low-Carb Diets

I. Introduction

Over the past decade, increasing numbers of Americans have jumped on the low-carb bandwagon. Some studies estimate that approximately 40 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the population, are attempting to restrict their intake of food high in carbohydrates (Sanders and Katz, 2004; Hirsch, 2004). Proponents of low-carb diets say they are not only the most effective way to lose weight, but they also yield health benefits such as lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, some doctors claim that low-carb diets are overrated and caution that their long-term effects are unknown. Although following a low-carbohydrate diet can benefit some people, these diets are not necessarily the best option for everyone who wants to lose weight or improve their health.

Write the introductory paragraph of your research paper. Try using one of the techniques listed in this section to write an engaging introduction. Be sure to include background information about the topic that leads to your thesis.

Writers often work out of sequence when writing a research paper. If you find yourself struggling to write an engaging introduction, you may wish to write the body of your paper first. Writing the body sections first will help you clarify your main points. Writing the introduction should then be easier. You may have a better sense of how to introduce the paper after you have drafted some or all of the body.

Writing Your Conclusion

In your introduction, you tell readers where they are headed. In your conclusion, you recap where they have been. For this reason, some writers prefer to write their conclusions soon after they have written their introduction. However, this method may not work for all writers. Other writers prefer to write their conclusion at the end of the paper, after writing the body paragraphs. No process is absolutely right or absolutely wrong; find the one that best suits you.

No matter when you compose the conclusion, it should sum up your main ideas and revisit your thesis. The conclusion should not simply echo the introduction or rely on bland summary statements, such as “In this paper, I have demonstrated that.…” In fact, avoid repeating your thesis verbatim from the introduction. Restate it in different words that reflect the new perspective gained through your research. That helps keep your ideas fresh for your readers. An effective writer might conclude a paper by asking a new question the research inspired, revisiting an anecdote presented earlier, or reminding readers of how the topic relates to their lives.

Writing at Work

If your job involves writing or reading scientific papers, it helps to understand how professional researchers use the structure described in this section. A scientific paper begins with an abstract that briefly summarizes the entire paper. The introduction explains the purpose of the research, briefly summarizes previous research, and presents the researchers’ hypothesis. The body provides details about the study, such as who participated in it, what the researchers measured, and what results they recorded. The conclusion presents the researchers’ interpretation of the data, or what they learned.

Using Source Material in Your Paper

One of the challenges of writing a research paper is successfully integrating your ideas with material from your sources. Your paper must explain what you think, or it will read like a disconnected string of facts and quotations. However, you also need to support your ideas with research, or they will seem insubstantial. How do you strike the right balance?

You have already taken a step in the right direction by writing your introduction. The introduction and conclusion function like the frame around a picture. They define and limit your topic and place your research in context.

In the body paragraphs of your paper, you will need to integrate ideas carefully at the paragraph level and at the sentence level. You will use topic sentences in your paragraphs to make sure readers understand the significance of any facts, details, or quotations you cite. You will also include sentences that transition between ideas from your research, either within a paragraph or between paragraphs. At the sentence level, you will need to think carefully about how you introduce paraphrased and quoted material.

Earlier you learned about summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting when taking notes. In the next few sections, you will learn how to use these techniques in the body of your paper to weave in source material to support your ideas.

Summarizing Sources

When you summarize material from a source, you zero in on the main points and restate them concisely in your own words. This technique is appropriate when only the major ideas are relevant to your paper or when you need to simplify complex information into a few key points for your readers.

Be sure to review the source material as you summarize it. Identify the main idea and restate it as concisely as you can—preferably in one sentence. Depending on your purpose, you may also add another sentence or two condensing any important details or examples. Check your summary to make sure it is accurate and complete.

In his draft, Jorge summarized research materials that presented scientists’ findings about low-carbohydrate diets. Read the following passage from a trade magazine article and Jorge’s summary of the article.

Assessing the Efficacy of Low-Carbohydrate Diets

Adrienne Howell, Ph.D.

Over the past few years, a number of clinical studies have explored whether high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are more effective for weight loss than other frequently recommended diet plans, such as diets that drastically curtail fat intake (Pritikin) or that emphasize consuming lean meats, grains, vegetables, and a moderate amount of unsaturated fats (the Mediterranean diet). A 2009 study found that obese teenagers who followed a low-carbohydrate diet lost an average of 15.6 kilograms over a six-month period, whereas teenagers following a low-fat diet or a Mediterranean diet lost an average of 11.1 kilograms and 9.3 kilograms respectively. Two 2010 studies that measured weight loss for obese adults following these same three diet plans found similar results. Over three months, subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet plan lost anywhere from four to six kilograms more than subjects who followed other diet plans.

In three recent studies, researchers compared outcomes for obese subjects who followed either a low-carbohydrate diet, a low-fat diet, or a Mediterranean diet and found that subjects following a low-carbohydrate diet lost more weight in the same time (Howell, 2010).

A summary restates ideas in your own words—but for specialized or clinical terms, you may need to use terms that appear in the original source. For instance, Jorge used the term obese in his summary because related words such as heavy or overweight have a different clinical meaning.

On a separate sheet of paper, practice summarizing by writing a one-sentence summary of the same passage that Jorge already summarized.

Paraphrasing Sources

When you paraphrase material from a source, restate the information from an entire sentence or passage in your own words, using your own original sentence structure. A paraphrased source differs from a summarized source in that you focus on restating the ideas, not condensing them.

Again, it is important to check your paraphrase against the source material to make sure it is both accurate and original. Inexperienced writers sometimes use the thesaurus method of paraphrasing—that is, they simply rewrite the source material, replacing most of the words with synonyms. This constitutes a misuse of sources. A true paraphrase restates ideas using the writer’s own language and style.

In his draft, Jorge frequently paraphrased details from sources. At times, he needed to rewrite a sentence more than once to ensure he was paraphrasing ideas correctly. Read the passage from a website. Then read Jorge’s initial attempt at paraphrasing it, followed by the final version of his paraphrase.

Dieters nearly always get great results soon after they begin following a low-carbohydrate diet, but these results tend to taper off after the first few months, particularly because many dieters find it difficult to follow a low-carbohydrate diet plan consistently.

People usually see encouraging outcomes shortly after they go on a low-carbohydrate diet, but their progress slows down after a short while, especially because most discover that it is a challenge to adhere to the diet strictly (Heinz, 2009).

After reviewing the paraphrased sentence, Jorge realized he was following the original source too closely. He did not want to quote the full passage verbatim, so he again attempted to restate the idea in his own style.

Because it is hard for dieters to stick to a low-carbohydrate eating plan, the initial success of these diets is short-lived (Heinz, 2009).

On a separate sheet of paper, follow these steps to practice paraphrasing.

• Choose an important idea or detail from your notes.
• Without looking at the original source, restate the idea in your own words.
• Check your paraphrase against the original text in the source. Make sure both your language and your sentence structure are original.
• Revise your paraphrase if necessary.

Quoting Sources Directly

Most of the time, you will summarize or paraphrase source material instead of quoting directly. Doing so shows that you understand your research well enough to write about it confidently in your own words. However, direct quotes can be powerful when used sparingly and with purpose.

Quoting directly can sometimes help you make a point in a colorful way. If an author’s words are especially vivid, memorable, or well phrased, quoting them may help hold your reader’s interest. Direct quotations from an interviewee or an eyewitness may help you personalize an issue for readers. And when you analyze primary sources, such as a historical speech or a work of literature, quoting extensively is often necessary to illustrate your points. These are valid reasons to use quotations.

Less experienced writers, however, sometimes overuse direct quotations in a research paper because it seems easier than paraphrasing. At best, this reduces the effectiveness of the quotations. At worst, it results in a paper that seems haphazardly pasted together from outside sources. Use quotations sparingly for greater impact.

When you do choose to quote directly from a source, follow these guidelines:

• Make sure you have transcribed the original statement accurately.
• Represent the author’s ideas honestly. Quote enough of the original text to reflect the author’s point accurately.
• Never use a stand-alone quotation. Always integrate the quoted material into your own sentence.
• Use ellipses (…) if you need to omit a word or phrase. Use brackets [ ] if you need to replace a word or phrase.
• Make sure any omissions or changed words do not alter the meaning of the original text. Omit or replace words only when absolutely necessary to shorten the text or to make it grammatically correct within your sentence.
• Remember to include correctly formatted citations that follow the assigned style guide.

Jorge interviewed a dietician as part of his research, and he decided to quote her words in his paper. Read an excerpt from the interview and Jorge’s use of it, which follows.

Personally, I don’t really buy into all of the hype about low-carbohydrate miracle diets like Atkins and so on. Sure, for some people, they are great, but for most, any sensible eating and exercise plan would work just as well.

Registered dietician Dana Kwon (2010) admits, “Personally, I don’t really buy into all of the hype.…Sure, for some people, [low-carbohydrate diets] are great, but for most, any sensible eating and exercise plan would work just as well.”

Notice how Jorge smoothly integrated the quoted material by starting the sentence with an introductory phrase. His use of ellipses and brackets did not change the source’s meaning.

Documenting Source Material

Throughout the writing process, be scrupulous about documenting information taken from sources. The purpose of doing so is twofold:

• To give credit to other writers or researchers for their ideas
• To allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired

You will cite sources within the body of your paper and at the end of the paper in your bibliography. For this assignment, you will use the citation format used by the American Psychological Association (also known as APA style). For information on the format used by the Modern Language Association (MLA style), see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” .

Citing Sources in the Body of Your Paper

In-text citations document your sources within the body of your paper. These include two vital pieces of information: the author’s name and the year the source material was published. When quoting a print source, also include in the citation the page number where the quoted material originally appears. The page number will follow the year in the in-text citation. Page numbers are necessary only when content has been directly quoted, not when it has been summarized or paraphrased.

Within a paragraph, this information may appear as part of your introduction to the material or as a parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence. Read the examples that follow. For more information about in-text citations for other source types, see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” .

Leibowitz (2008) found that low-carbohydrate diets often helped subjects with Type II diabetes maintain a healthy weight and control blood-sugar levels.

The introduction to the source material includes the author’s name followed by the year of publication in parentheses.

Low-carbohydrate diets often help subjects with Type II diabetes maintain a healthy weight and control blood-sugar levels (Leibowitz, 2008).

The parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence includes the author’s name, a comma, and the year the source was published. The period at the end of the sentence comes after the parentheses.

Creating a List of References

Each of the sources you cite in the body text will appear in a references list at the end of your paper. While in-text citations provide the most basic information about the source, your references section will include additional publication details. In general, you will include the following information:

• The author’s last name followed by his or her first (and sometimes middle) initial
• The year the source was published
• The source title
• For articles in periodicals, the full name of the periodical, along with the volume and issue number and the pages where the article appeared

Additional information may be included for different types of sources, such as online sources. For a detailed guide to APA or MLA citations, see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” . A sample reference list is provided with the final draft of Jorge’s paper later in this chapter.

Using Primary and Secondary Research

As you write your draft, be mindful of how you are using primary and secondary source material to support your points. Recall that primary sources present firsthand information. Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources. They present a writer’s analysis or interpretation of primary source materials. How you balance primary and secondary source material in your paper will depend on the topic and assignment.

Using Primary Sources Effectively

Some types of research papers must use primary sources extensively to achieve their purpose. Any paper that analyzes a primary text or presents the writer’s own experimental research falls in this category. Here are a few examples:

• A paper for a literature course analyzing several poems by Emily Dickinson
• A paper for a political science course comparing televised speeches delivered by two presidential candidates
• A paper for a communications course discussing gender biases in television commercials
• A paper for a business administration course that discusses the results of a survey the writer conducted with local businesses to gather information about their work-from-home and flextime policies
• A paper for an elementary education course that discusses the results of an experiment the writer conducted to compare the effectiveness of two different methods of mathematics instruction

For these types of papers, primary research is the main focus. If you are writing about a work (including nonprint works, such as a movie or a painting), it is crucial to gather information and ideas from the original work, rather than relying solely on others’ interpretations. And, of course, if you take the time to design and conduct your own field research, such as a survey, a series of interviews, or an experiment, you will want to discuss it in detail. For example, the interviews may provide interesting responses that you want to share with your reader.

Using Secondary Sources Effectively

For some assignments, it makes sense to rely more on secondary sources than primary sources. If you are not analyzing a text or conducting your own field research, you will need to use secondary sources extensively.

As much as possible, use secondary sources that are closely linked to primary research, such as a journal article presenting the results of the authors’ scientific study or a book that cites interviews and case studies. These sources are more reliable and add more value to your paper than sources that are further removed from primary research. For instance, a popular magazine article on junk-food addiction might be several steps removed from the original scientific study on which it is loosely based. As a result, the article may distort, sensationalize, or misinterpret the scientists’ findings.

Even if your paper is largely based on primary sources, you may use secondary sources to develop your ideas. For instance, an analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s films would focus on the films themselves as a primary source, but might also cite commentary from critics. A paper that presents an original experiment would include some discussion of similar prior research in the field.

Jorge knew he did not have the time, resources, or experience needed to conduct original experimental research for his paper. Because he was relying on secondary sources to support his ideas, he made a point of citing sources that were not far removed from primary research.

Some sources could be considered primary or secondary sources, depending on the writer’s purpose for using them. For instance, if a writer’s purpose is to inform readers about how the No Child Left Behind legislation has affected elementary education, a Time magazine article on the subject would be a secondary source. However, suppose the writer’s purpose is to analyze how the news media has portrayed the effects of the No Child Left Behind legislation. In that case, articles about the legislation in news magazines like Time , Newsweek , and US News & World Report would be primary sources. They provide firsthand examples of the media coverage the writer is analyzing.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Your research paper presents your thinking about a topic, supported and developed by other people’s ideas and information. It is crucial to always distinguish between the two—as you conduct research, as you plan your paper, and as you write. Failure to do so can lead to plagiarism.

Intentional and Accidental Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own. Sometimes a writer plagiarizes work on purpose—for instance, by purchasing an essay from a website and submitting it as original course work. In other cases, a writer may commit accidental plagiarism due to carelessness, haste, or misunderstanding. To avoid unintentional plagiarism, follow these guidelines:

• Understand what types of information must be cited.
• Understand what constitutes fair use of a source.
• Keep source materials and notes carefully organized.
• Follow guidelines for summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting sources.

When to Cite

Any idea or fact taken from an outside source must be cited, in both the body of your paper and the references list. The only exceptions are facts or general statements that are common knowledge. Common-knowledge facts or general statements are commonly supported by and found in multiple sources. For example, a writer would not need to cite the statement that most breads, pastas, and cereals are high in carbohydrates; this is well known and well documented. However, if a writer explained in detail the differences among the chemical structures of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, a citation would be necessary. When in doubt, cite.

In recent years, issues related to the fair use of sources have been prevalent in popular culture. Recording artists, for example, may disagree about the extent to which one has the right to sample another’s music. For academic purposes, however, the guidelines for fair use are reasonably straightforward.

Writers may quote from or paraphrase material from previously published works without formally obtaining the copyright holder’s permission. Fair use means that the writer legitimately uses brief excerpts from source material to support and develop his or her own ideas. For instance, a columnist may excerpt a few sentences from a novel when writing a book review. However, quoting or paraphrasing another’s work at excessive length, to the extent that large sections of the writing are unoriginal, is not fair use.

As he worked on his draft, Jorge was careful to cite his sources correctly and not to rely excessively on any one source. Occasionally, however, he caught himself quoting a source at great length. In those instances, he highlighted the paragraph in question so that he could go back to it later and revise. Read the example, along with Jorge’s revision.

Heinz (2009) found that “subjects in the low-carbohydrate group (30% carbohydrates; 40% protein, 30% fat) had a mean weight loss of 10 kg (22 lbs) over a 4-month period.” These results were “noticeably better than results for subjects on a low-fat diet (45% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 20% fat)” whose average weight loss was only “7 kg (15.4 lbs) in the same period.” From this, it can be concluded that “low-carbohydrate diets obtain more rapid results.” Other researchers agree that “at least in the short term, patients following low-carbohydrate diets enjoy greater success” than those who follow alternative plans (Johnson & Crowe, 2010).

After reviewing the paragraph, Jorge realized that he had drifted into unoriginal writing. Most of the paragraph was taken verbatim from a single article. Although Jorge had enclosed the material in quotation marks, he knew it was not an appropriate way to use the research in his paper.

Low-carbohydrate diets may indeed be superior to other diet plans for short-term weight loss. In a study comparing low-carbohydrate diets and low-fat diets, Heinz (2009) found that subjects who followed a low-carbohydrate plan (30% of total calories) for 4 months lost, on average, about 3 kilograms more than subjects who followed a low-fat diet for the same time. Heinz concluded that these plans yield quick results, an idea supported by a similar study conducted by Johnson and Crowe (2010). What remains to be seen, however, is whether this initial success can be sustained for longer periods.

As Jorge revised the paragraph, he realized he did not need to quote these sources directly. Instead, he paraphrased their most important findings. He also made sure to include a topic sentence stating the main idea of the paragraph and a concluding sentence that transitioned to the next major topic in his essay.

Working with Sources Carefully

Disorganization and carelessness sometimes lead to plagiarism. For instance, a writer may be unable to provide a complete, accurate citation if he didn’t record bibliographical information. A writer may cut and paste a passage from a website into her paper and later forget where the material came from. A writer who procrastinates may rush through a draft, which easily leads to sloppy paraphrasing and inaccurate quotations. Any of these actions can create the appearance of plagiarism and lead to negative consequences.

Carefully organizing your time and notes is the best guard against these forms of plagiarism. Maintain a detailed working bibliography and thorough notes throughout the research process. Check original sources again to clear up any uncertainties. Allow plenty of time for writing your draft so there is no temptation to cut corners.

Citing other people’s work appropriately is just as important in the workplace as it is in school. If you need to consult outside sources to research a document you are creating, follow the general guidelines already discussed, as well as any industry-specific citation guidelines. For more extensive use of others’ work—for instance, requesting permission to link to another company’s website on your own corporate website—always follow your employer’s established procedures.

Academic Integrity

The concepts and strategies discussed in this section of Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” connect to a larger issue—academic integrity. You maintain your integrity as a member of an academic community by representing your work and others’ work honestly and by using other people’s work only in legitimately accepted ways. It is a point of honor taken seriously in every academic discipline and career field.

Academic integrity violations have serious educational and professional consequences. Even when cheating and plagiarism go undetected, they still result in a student’s failure to learn necessary research and writing skills. Students who are found guilty of academic integrity violations face consequences ranging from a failing grade to expulsion from the university. Employees may be fired for plagiarism and do irreparable damage to their professional reputation. In short, it is never worth the risk.

Key Takeaways

• An effective research paper focuses on the writer’s ideas. The introduction and conclusion present and revisit the writer’s thesis. The body of the paper develops the thesis and related points with information from research.
• Ideas and information taken from outside sources must be cited in the body of the paper and in the references section.
• Material taken from sources should be used to develop the writer’s ideas. Summarizing and paraphrasing are usually most effective for this purpose.
• A summary concisely restates the main ideas of a source in the writer’s own words.
• A paraphrase restates ideas from a source using the writer’s own words and sentence structures.
• Direct quotations should be used sparingly. Ellipses and brackets must be used to indicate words that were omitted or changed for conciseness or grammatical correctness.
• Always represent material from outside sources accurately.
• Plagiarism has serious academic and professional consequences. To avoid accidental plagiarism, keep research materials organized, understand guidelines for fair use and appropriate citation of sources, and review the paper to make sure these guidelines are followed.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

• Graduate School
• Current Students
• Dissertation & Thesis Preparation

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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Format Requirements for Your Dissertation or Thesis

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The final dissertation or thesis manuscript must have a ready-for-publication appearance and standard features.

The Office of the University Registrar does not endorse or verify the accuracy of any dissertation or thesis formatting templates that may be available to you.

It is your student responsibility to make sure that the formatting meets these requirements. Introductory material, text, and appendices must all be clearly and consistently prepared and must meet all of the specifications outlined below.

Once you upload and submit your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted.

The digital file of the dissertation or thesis, which is sent to Stanford Libraries for cataloging, must meet certain technical requirements to ensure that it can be easily accessed by readers now and into the future. 

Follow the specifications outlined below.

Style and Format

Word and text divisions, style guides, content and layout, special instructions for d.m.a. students, order and content, page orientation, embedded links, supplementary material and publishing, supplementary material, scholarly reference, published papers and multiple authorship, use of copyrighted material, copyrighting your dissertation, file security and file name, stanford university thesis & dissertation publication license.

Pages should be standard U.S. letter size (8.5 x 11 inches).

In order to ensure the future ability to render the document, standard fonts must be used. 

For the main text body, type size should be 10, 11, or 12 point. Smaller font sizes may be used in tables, captions, etc. 

The font color must be black. 

Font Families

Acceptable font styles include:

• Times New Roman (preferred)
• Courier, Courier Bold, Courier Oblique, Courier Bold-Oblique;
• Helvetica, Helvetica Bold, Helvetica Oblique, Helvetica Bold-Oblique;
• Times, Times Bold, Times Italic, Times Bold-Italic;
• Computer Modern (or Computer Modern Roman).

Note: Do not use script or ornamental fonts. Do not use proprietary fonts.

If you use mathematical or other scientific notation in your dissertation or thesis using a font other than Symbol, you must embed the font into the PDF that is submitted to the university. 

Inner margins (left edge if single-sided; right edge for even-numbered pages, and left edge for odd-numbered pages if double-sided) must be 1.5 inches. All other margins must be one inch.

Pagination, headers, and/or footers may be placed within the margin, but no closer than one-half inch from the edge of the page.

For double-sided copies, 1.5 inches must be maintained as the inner margin. Margin requirements should apply to the entire document, including the title page.

The main body text of the manuscript should be one-and-a-half or double-spaced lines, except where conventional usage calls for single spacing, such as footnotes, indented quotations, tables, appendices, etc.

Words should be divided correctly at the end of a line and may not be divided from one page to the next. Use a standard dictionary to determine word division. 

Avoid short lines that end a paragraph at the top of a page, and any heading or subheading at the bottom of a page that is not followed by text.

The dissertation and thesis must be in English. 

Language Exceptions for Dissertations Only

Approval for writing the dissertation in another language is normally granted only in cases where the other language or literature in that language is also the subject of the discipline. 

Exceptions are granted by the school dean upon submission of a written request from the chair of your major department. Approval is routinely granted for dissertations in the Division of Literature, Cultures, and Languages within department specifications.

Prior to submitting in Axess, you must send a copy of the approval letter (or email message chain) from the department dean to [email protected]    

Dissertations written in another language must include an extended summary in English (usually 15 to 20 pages in length). In this case, you should upload your English summary as a supplemental file, during Step 4 of the online submission process.

Select a standard style approved by your department or dissertation advisor and use it consistently. 

Some reliable style guides are:

• K.A. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, 
• Theses and Dissertations (University of Chicago Press), and 
• the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Modern Language Association).

If you are a student in the Doctor of Musical Arts program, you may submit musical scores formatted at 11 x 17 inches in size. 

If you are submitting a performance as your dissertation, submit the audio file in WAV format as a supplemental file. 

Note: The maximum file size accepted for submission is 100 MB. If a performance recording exceeds the maximum file size, break the file into multiple files and submit the parts individually as supplemental files.

Your dissertation or thesis must contain the following sections. All sections must be included in a single digital file for upload.

• Title Page — The format must be followed exactly. View these title page examples for Ph.D. Dissertation and this title page sample for an Engineer Thesis . Use uppercase letters. The title of the dissertation or thesis should be a meaningful description of the content of the manuscript. Use word substitutes for formulas, symbols, superscripts, subscripts, Greek letters, etc. The month and year must be the actual month and year in which you submit your dissertation or thesis electronically to the university. (Note: A student who submits in Autumn quarter is conferred his/her degree in the following calendar year.)
• Copyright Page — The dissertation or thesis PDF uploaded in Axess should not contain a copyright page. The copyright page will be created automatically by the online submission system and inserted into the file stored by Stanford Libraries.
• Signature Page — The dissertation or thesis PDF uploaded in Axess should also not contain a signature page. The submission process has moved away from ink-signatures, so a digital facsimile of the signature page will be created automatically by the online submission system and inserted into the dissertation or thesis in its final format stored by Stanford Libraries.
• Abstract — An abstract may be included in the preliminary section of the dissertation or thesis. The abstract in the body of the dissertation or thesis follows the style used for the rest of the manuscript and should be placed following the signature page. There is no maximum permissible length for the abstract in the dissertation or thesis.    Dissertation authors must enter an abstract using the online submission form for uploading the digital dissertation or thesis file to the library. This abstract, which will be indexed for online searching, must be formatted in plain text (no HTML or special formatting). It should be a pithy and succinct version of the abstract included in the dissertation or thesis itself.
• Preface, an Acknowledgment, or a Dedication
• Table of Contents – Include page references.
• List of Tables –  Include titles and page references. This list is optional.
• List of Illustrations – Include titles and page references. This list is optional
• Introduction  
• Main body – Include suitable, consistent headings for the larger divisions and more important sub-divisions.
• Appendices.
• Bibliography or List of References.

Except for the title page, which counts as 'i' but is not physically numbered, each page of the manuscript, including all blank pages, pages between chapters, pages with text, photographs, tables, figures, maps, or computer code must be assigned a number. 

Consistent placement of pagination, at least one-half inch from the paper’s edge, should be used throughout the manuscript.

Follow these pagination instructions exactly:

• For the preliminary pages, use small Roman numerals (e.g., iv, v, vi).
• The title page is not physically numbered, but counts as page i.
• Keep in mind that a copyright page ii and augmented signature page iii (based off your student record) will automatically be inserted to your manuscript during submission.  This means you must ensure to remove pages ii and iii from your dissertation or thesis.
• Failing to remove pages ii and iii is most common formatting mistake: you must remove your copyright page ii and signature page iii from the pdf file before you submit your dissertation or thesis, and begin pagination on your abstract with page number "iv". If the document is formatted for double-sided printing with each section starting on the right page, then pagination will begin on a blank page (page"iv") and the Abstract should be numbered as page "v", and so forth.
• For the remainder of the manuscript, starting with the Introduction or Chapter 1 of the Main Body, use continuous pagination (1, 2, 3, etc) for text, illustrations, images, appendices, and the bibliography. Remember to start with Arabic numbered page 1, as this is not a continuation of the Roman numeral numbering from the preliminary pages.
• The placement of page numbers should be consistent throughout the document.

For text, illustrations, charts, graphs, etc., printed in landscape form, the orientation should be facing away from the bound edge of the paper.

Images (color, grayscale, and monochrome) included in the dissertation or thesis should be clearly discernible both on screen and when printed. The dimensions should not exceed the size of the standard letter-size page (8.5” x 11”).

Image resolution should be 150 dots per inch (dpi), though resolutions as low as 72 dpi (and no lower) are acceptable. 

The format of images embedded in the PDF should be JPEG or EPS (the format JPEG2000 is also acceptable when it is supported in future versions of the PDF format). GIF and PNG are not preferred image file formats.

Large images, including maps and charts or other graphics that require high resolution, should not be included in the main dissertation or thesis file. Instead, they can be submitted separately as supplemental files and formatted in other formats as appropriate. 

Multimedia, such as audio, video, animation, etc., must not be embedded in the body of the dissertation or thesis. These media types add size and complexity to the digital file, introducing obstacles to users of the dissertation or thesis who wish to download and read (and “play back”) the content, and making it more difficult to preserve over time.

If you wish to include multimedia with your submission, upload the media separately as a stand-alone file in an appropriate media format. See Supplementary Material section below.

It is acceptable to include “live” (i.e., clickable) web URLs that link to online resources within the dissertation or thesis file. Spell out each URL in its entirety (e.g., http://www.stanford.edu ) rather than embedding the link in text (e.g., Stanford homepage ). By spelling out the URL, you improve a reader’s ability to understand and access the link reference.

Supplementary material may be submitted electronically with the dissertation or thesis. This material includes any supporting content that is useful for understanding the dissertation or thesis, but is not essential to the argument. It also covers core content in a form that can not be adequately represented or embedded in the PDF format, such as an audio recording of a musical performance.

Supplementary materials are submitted separately than the dissertation or thesis file, and are referred to as supplemental files.

A maximum of twenty supplemental files can be submitted. There are no restrictions on the file formats. The maximum file size is 1 GB.

You are encouraged to be judicious about the volume and quality of the supplemental files, and to employ file formats that are widely used by researchers generally, if not also by scholars of the discipline.

The following table outlines recommended file formats for different content types. By following these recommendations, the author is helping to ensure ongoing access to the material.

After uploading each supplemental file, it is important to enter a short description or label (maximum 120 characters for file name and the description). This label will be displayed to readers in a list of the contents for the entire submission.

If copyrighted material is part of the supplementary material, permission to reuse and distribute the content must be obtained from the owner of the copyright. Stanford Libraries requires copies of permission letters (in PDF format) to be uploaded electronically when submitting the files, and assumes no liability for copyright violations. View this sample permission letter .

System restrictions allow for a maximum of 10 individually uploaded permission files. If you have more than 10 permission files we recommend combining all permission letters into a single PDF file for upload.

In choosing an annotation or reference system, you should be guided by the practice of your discipline and the recommendations of your departments. In addition to the general style guides listed in the Style section above, there are specific style guides for some fields. When a reference system has been selected, it should be used consistently throughout the dissertation or thesis. The placement of footnotes is at your discretion with reading committee approval.

An important aspect of modern scholarship is the proper attribution of authorship for joint or group research. If the manuscript includes joint or group research, you must clearly identify your contribution to the enterprise in an introduction.

The inclusion of published papers in a dissertation or thesis is the prerogative of the major department. Where published papers or ready-for-publication papers are included, the following criteria must be met:

• There must be an introduction that integrates the general theme of the research and the relationship between the chapters. The introduction may also include a review of the literature relevant to the dissertation or thesis topic that does not appear in the chapters.
• Multiple authorship of a published paper should be addressed by clearly designating, in an introduction, the role that the dissertation or thesis author had in the research and production of the published paper. The student must have a major contribution to the research and writing of papers included in the dissertation or thesis.
• There must be adequate referencing of where individual papers have been published.
• Written permission must be obtained for all copyrighted materials. Letters of permission must be uploaded electronically in PDF form when submitting the dissertation or thesis. 
• The published material must be reformatted to meet the university's format requirements (e.g., appropriate margins and pagination) of the dissertation. The Office of the University Registrar will approve a dissertation or thesis if there are no deviations from the normal specifications that would prevent proper dissemination and utilization of the dissertation or thesis. If the published material does not correspond to these standards, it will be necessary for you to reformat that portion of the dissertation or thesis.
• Multiple authorship has implications with respect to copyright and public release of the material. Be sure to discuss copyright clearance and embargo options with your co-authors and your advisor well in advance of preparing your thesis for submission.

If copyrighted material belonging to others is used in your dissertation or thesis or is part of your supplementary materials, you must give full credit to the author and publisher of the work in all cases, and obtain permission from the copyright owner for reuse of the material unless you have determined that your use of the work is clearly fair use under US copyright law (17 USC §107). 

The statute sets out four factors that must be considered when assessing Fair Use:

• the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purpose;
• the nature of the copyrighted work;
• the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
• the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The Association of American University Presses requires permission for any quotations that are reproduced as complete units (poems, letters, short stories, essays, journal articles, complete chapters or sections of books, maps, charts, graphs, tables, drawings, or other illustrative materials). You can find this guideline and other detailed information on Fair Use at http://fairuse.stanford.edu . 

If you are in doubt, it is safest to obtain permission. Permission to use copyrighted material must be obtained from the owner of the copyright. Stanford Libraries requires copies of permission letters (in PDF format) to be uploaded electronically when submitting the dissertation or thesis, and assumes no liability for copyright violations. For reference, view this sample permission letter .

Copyright protection is automatically in effect from the time the work is in fixed form. A proper copyright statement consisting of the copyright symbol, the author’s name, year of degree conferral, and the phrase “All Rights Reserved” will be added automatically to the dissertation or thesis in its final form.

Registration of copyright is not required, but it establishes a public record of your copyright claim and enables copyright owners to litigate against infringement. You need not register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office at the outset, although registration must be made before the copyright may be enforced by litigation in case of infringement. 

Early registration does have certain advantages: it establishes a public record of your copyright claim, and if registration has been made prior to the infringement of your work, or within three months after its publication, qualifies you to be awarded statutory damages and attorney fees in addition to the actual damages and profits available to you as the copyright owner (should you ever have to sue because of infringement).

For more information about copyright, see the Stanford Libraries' resource on Copyright Considerations .

For further information on Registration of Copyright, see https://www.copyright.gov/registration/ .

Do not require a password to make changes to your submitted PDF file, or apply other encryption or security measures. Password-protected files will be rejected.

The file name and description will be printed on a page added to your dissertation or thesis, so choose a file name accordingly.

Important note: File names may only consist of alphanumeric characters, hyphen, underscore, at sign, space, ampersand, and comma – before the ending period and file extension.  Specifically,

• A file name cannot start with a space, period (nor contain a period), underscore, or hyphen.
• Files names must be 120 characters or less.

Here is an example of a filename that is allowed, including all of the possible characters:

• A Study of Social Media with a Focus on @Twitter Accounts, Leland Student_30AUG2023.pdf

In submitting a thesis or dissertation to Stanford, the author grants The Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford) the non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable right to reproduce, distribute, display and transmit author's thesis or dissertation, including any supplemental materials (the Work), in whole or in part in such print and electronic formats as may be in existence now or developed in the future, to sub-license others to do the same, and to preserve and protect the Work, subject to any third-party release or display restrictions specified by Author on submission of the Work to Stanford.

Author further represents and warrants that Author is the copyright holder of the Work, and has obtained all necessary rights to permit Stanford to reproduce and distribute third-party materials contained in any part of the Work, including use of third-party images, text, or music, as well as all necessary licenses relating to any non-public, third-party software necessary to access, display, and run or print the Work. Author is solely responsible and will indemnify Stanford for any third party claims related to the Work as submitted for publication.

Author warrants that the Work does not contain information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), confidentiality agreements, or contain Stanford Prohibited, Restricted or Confidential data described on the University IT website , or other data of a private nature.

Stanford is under no obligation to use, display or host the work in any way and may elect not to use the work for any reason including copyright or other legal concerns, financial resources, or programmatic need.

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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

Every page in your manuscript (except the Title and Copyright pages) must be numbered.

All page numbers should be centered at the bottom of each manuscript page.

See specific Pagination guidelines for the Preliminary Pages and the Text and Reference (Body) Pages .

Page Size and Margins

The final version of your thesis/dissertation must be on an  8.5" x 11" (letter size)  page.

All manuscript text, excluding manuscript page numbers, must fit within these specified margin requirements:

Minimum 1-inch margins  from the top, left, right, and bottom edges of each page

Tables, figures, graphs, photographs, and appendices are also included in these margin requirements. Materials may be reduced or enlarged, if necessary, to fit within the required margins. Pages may be rotated to landscape orientation to accommodate tables or illustrations .

Your manuscript must be  double-spaced,  with the exception of footnotes/endnotes, bibliographic entries, long quotations, data in lists and tables, lists in appendices and figure/table captions, all of which should be single-spaced.

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What’s Included: Research Paper Template

If you’re preparing to write an academic research paper, our free research paper template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research papers. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your paper will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The research paper template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Section 1: Introduction 
• Section 2: Literature review 
• Section 3: Methodology
• Section 4: Findings /results
• Section 5: Discussion
• Section 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included links to free resources to help you understand how to write each section.

The cleanly formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Research Paper Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The research paper template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of research papers can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research papers, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level research paper?

This template can be used for a research paper at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my research paper be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. We include generic word count ranges for each section within the template, but these are purely indicative. 

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this research paper template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my research paper?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our private coaching services .

Honors Guidelines: Page Numbering/Thesis Organization

• General Submission Guidelines/Approvals
• Submitting Your Project
• Page Numbering/Thesis Organization
• Support and Questions

Page Numbering Tips

There is no prescribed page numbering style for all honors project. We only ask that you do not print the page number on the title page.    The easiest way to format page numbers for different sections, for example using roman and arabic numbers, is to create section breaks in your document. Instructions for Word users.   . If you have difficulty with the page numbering appearing as would like, please do not hesitate to con tact us for help .

You may use the formatting style recommended by your discipline's style manual, or whatever style is acceptable to your advisor and department .  (For a list of print & online style manuals, see Style and Citation Guides, by Title or Subject .)  

You may also wish to view theses submitted by others in your department in previous years to get some ideas for formatting.

Below is an example of the order of pages, and the Roman or Arabic page numbering, as recommended in one of the style guides, Turabian’s  A Manual for Writers of Research papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, 8 th  ed. 

Not every thesis will contain all the parts listed below:

1.    Front Matter (preliminary pages):  use lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) in this order:

Title Page (required):  counts as page i, but  the number is not printed on the page .  Title Page is  not  listed in the Table of Contents.

Dedication; Epigraph  (both optional): these count in sequence of Roman numerals, but the number is not printed on the page.  These are  not  listed in the Table of Contents.

Table of Contents (required for all papers divided into chapters; recommended for all)  Your Table of Contents would list all items shown below, IF your thesis includes them. (See  Chicago Manual of Style  for more about Tables of Content )

List of Figures, Tables, or Illustrations  (optional, but recommended if appropriate): should be listed in Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgments; List of Abbreviations or Glossary; Abstract  (all optional):  should be listed in Table of Contents

2.     Text:  includes everything between the front matter and the back matter; begins a new numbering sequence, using         Arabic numerals.   (Introduction, chapters and/or major sections typically are listed in the Table of Contents.)

Introduction  (optional): if included, this is page 1.

Chapters or Sections :  if no Introduction, Chapter 1 would be page 1.  Begin each new chapter on a new page.  Continue sequence of Arabic numbering.

 3.     Back Matter: continues numbering with Arabic numerals.   (List these parts in the Table of Contents.)

Illustrations  (optional)

Appendixes  (optional): this is where you could put black & white copies of color images from the body of the text.

Endnotes, Bibliography, or Reference List  (required in most papers): One of these lists will be the final section of the paper.

If you have difficulty with the page numbering appearing as would like, please do not hesitate to con tact us for help.

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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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HOW TO DRAFT EXCELLENT PRELIMINARY PAGES IN RESEARCH WRITING

November 13, 2014 By Divine Nwachukwu

For a research to be termed acceptable to your research coordinator or project supervisor, the preliminary pages of the work must be all encompassing and concise enough to make great meaning. Preliminary pages are those write ups that come before the chapter one of every project or research work. Standard preliminary pages has the following features in these chronological order

• Declaration
• Certification
• Acknowledgement
• Table of contents

Cover page of the research work The cover page of a research page is the first page of the work which contains:

• The full topic of the project work.
• The case study of the project/research work.
• The researchers/student’s name, starting with the surname and registration number.
• The institution of study.
• The year and month the project work was completed.

The above specifications must be done with block letters. Below is an example of a cover page of a project work:  

APPRAISING THE ROLES OF AN ACCOUNTANT IN LOANS AND CREDIT CONTROLS MANAGEMENT (A CASE STUDY OF THE UNITED BANK OF AFRICA PLC, LAGOS BRANCH (2009-2011)

A RESEARCH PROJECT BY

OKORO MOHAMMED BOLA 10/PG/CE/BSC/DBA/100

SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA ENUGU STATE.

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF A POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

NOVEMBER, 2015.

Declaration of the research work Every research work must be deemed original and void of plagiarism. To this effect the declaration is more of an affidavit stating in clear terms that the work is an original work and was not copied from any source.  In declaring that your work as a researcher is original, it has to be done with your full name and the full name of the researcher observer or project supervisor who guided you through the research work and the date the research was concluded. Below is an example of a declaration of a research work:

DECLARATION I declare that this project on “appraising the roles of an accountant in loans and credit controls and management” is an original work done by me under the supervision of Dr. A.A. Akai, faculty of business administration, university of Nigeria, Nsukka.

                                                                                                                                                                OKORO, MOHAMMED BOLA.                                                                 Certification of the research work As the name depicts, certification of a research work is just a confirmation that the work or research was actually embarked upon by you. In drafting your certification of the research work, it has to come with your full name beginning with your surname followed by your other names, your registration number, space for the name date and signature of your project supervisor and finally a space for the name, signature and date of the external supervisor. Below is an example of a certification of a project work:

CERTIFICATION This is to certify that this research work on “appraising the roles of accountants in loan and credit controls and management was carried out OKORO, MOHAMMED BOLA; with the registration Number: 10/PG/CE/BSC/DBA/100. We examined and found it acceptable for the award of postgraduate diploma in Business Administration, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Dr. A.A. Akai: ………………………………………………………………. Signature ………………………   Date…………………………………… Supervisor/head of accounting department

Dr. W.S. Ugwu: ………………………………………………………………. Signature ………………………   Date…………………………………… Coordinator, post graduate diploma Business administration

Dedication of the research work Dedication is one of the preliminary pages of a research work. It has to do with dedicating the complete work to loved ones or people your hold in high regard. Below is an example of a dedication of a research work:

DEDICATION This research project is dedicated first to “THE ALMIGHTY GOD” forhis enabling strength he bestowed on me in completing this work.Secondly to my wonderful wife Mrs.Okoro Mohammed Bola

Acknowledgement of the research work This is where the researcher appreciates people who contributed directly or indirectly in the actualization of the project work. Acknowledgement in a research work takes into cognizance, your project or research supervisor for availing his time to making your work a success, your parents or loved ones for morally and financially supporting you through this work and other people you may have in mind for what they did towards their direct or indirect contribution to the success of your work.Below is an example

ACKNOWLEDEGEMNT I am most grateful to God Almighty, the sole provider of knowledge, wisdom, love, mercy and grace for his protections throughout the period of the programme. I sincerely appreciate my supervisor, Dr. A.A. Akai who offered timely criticism and corrections that led me through the various stages of this project. I appreciate my parents, Mr. and Mrs. AfikaAkara, my siblings and friends for their unquantifiable love and financial assistance during this period. May God bless you all in Jesus name, Amen.

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The State of Food and Agriculture 2023

Revealing the true cost of food to transform agrifood systems.

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 150 p.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (series)

ISBN 978-92-5-138167-0

Series title The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA)

Series number 2023

Synopsis (short abstract) Agrifood systems generate significant benefits to society, including the food that nourishes us and jobs and livelihoods for over a billion people. However, their negative impacts due to unsustainable business-as-usual activities and practices are contributing to climate change, natural resource degradation and the unaffordability of healthy diets. Addressing these negative impacts is challenging, because people, businesses, governments and other stakeholders lack a complete picture of how their activities affect economic, social and environmental sustainability when they make decisions on a day-to-day basis.The State of Food and Agriculture 2023 looks into the true cost of food for sustainable agrifood systems. The report introduces the concept of hidden environmental, health and social costs and benefits of agrifood systems and proposes an approach – true cost accounting (TCA) – to assess them. To operationalize the TCA approach, the report proposes a two-phase assessment process, first relying on national-level TCA assessments to raise awareness and then moving towards in-depth and targeted evaluations to prioritize solutions and guide transformative actions. It provides a first attempt at national-level assessments for 154 countries, suggesting that global hidden costs from agrifood systems amount to at least to 10 trillion 2020 PPP dollars. The estimates indicate that low-income countries bear the highest burden of the hidden costs of agrifood systems relative to national income. Despite the preliminary nature of these estimates, the analysis reveals the urgent need to factor hidden costs into decision-making for the transformation of agrifood systems. Innovations in research and data, alongside investments in data collection and capacity building, are needed to scale the application of TCA, especially in low- and middle-income countries, so that it can become a viable tool to inform decision- and policymaking in a transparent and consistent way.

• Read the full digital report
• Read the In Brief
• Read the Policy Brief
• Read the Interactive story: Beyond the price tag
• Watch the Video: State of Food and Agriculture 2023. Revealing the true cost of food to transform agrifood systems
• Read the press release: Hidden costs of global agrifood systems worth at least $10 trillion

Read the background papers:

• Hidden costs of agrifood systems and recent trends from 2016 to 2023
• Accounting for the hidden costs of agrifood systems in data-scarce contexts
• The role of true cost accounting in guiding agrifood businesses and investments towards sustainability
• True cost accounting applications for agrifood systems policymakers

Help us improve your reading experience

FAO. 2023.  The State of Food and Agriculture 2023. Revealing the true cost of food to transform agrifood systems . Rome.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cc7724en

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Language English

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