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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

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UCI Libraries maintains the following  templates to assist in formatting your graduate manuscript. If you are formatting your manuscript in Microsoft Word, feel free to download and use the template. If you would like to see what your manuscript should look like, PDFs have been provided. If you are formatting your manuscript using LaTex, UCI maintains a template on OverLeaf.

• Annotated Template (Dissertation) 2024 PDF of a template with annotations of what to look out for
• Word: Thesis Template 2024 Editable template of the Master's thesis formatting.
• PDF Thesis Template 2024
• Word: Dissertation Template 2024 Editable template of the PhD Dissertation formatting.
• PDF: Dissertation Template 2024
• Overleaf (LaTex) Template
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Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings . In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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• Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Published on 8 June 2022 by Tegan George .

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organise your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation, such as:

• Your anticipated title
• Your abstract
• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)

In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organisational structure of your thesis or dissertation . This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.

Table of contents

How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, frequently asked questions about outlines.

While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.

• Working Title
• ‘Elevator pitch’ of your work (often written last).
• Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
• Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
• Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope, population , and data collection ).
• Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
• Answer the research question in a concise way.
• Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.

To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.

 Download Word template    Download Google Docs template

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilising some of the alternative constructions presented below.

Example 1: Passive construction

The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.

Example 2: IS-AV construction

You can also present your information using the ‘IS-AV’ (inanimate subject with an active verb) construction.

A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.

Example 3: The I construction

Another option is to use the ‘I’ construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.

Example 4: Mix-and-match

To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and ‘I’ construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.

As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as ‘discuss’, ‘present’, ‘prove’, or ‘show’. Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organise your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract   in the table of contents.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

George, T. (2022, June 08). Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved 7 June 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/outline-thesis-dissertation/

Is this article helpful?

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Other students also liked, dissertation table of contents in word | instructions & examples, how to write a dissertation proposal | a step-by-step guide, thesis & dissertation acknowledgements | tips & examples.

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The templates below have been built to ensure a consistent look among most theses and dissertations submitted to the Graduate School. These templates should be used as a guide in formatting your thesis or dissertation with the understanding that your department may require modifications of the template to fit your discipline’s style. Please contact your department’s Format Advisor to discuss any necessary changes.

The Thesis & Dissertation Office recommends using the PurdueThesis.cls file.

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Please download the following template to begin your thesis/dissertation. Formatting within the template is already set up for your convenience.

You will need to select the appropriate answer for all dropdown boxes on page 1.  Ex. Thesis/Dissertation, Choose Degree, Choose Department, Choose Campus Location, Choose Graduation Term.

You will need to manually input your committee information on page 2. We ask that you only list your committee member's primary department. The name after "Approved by:" should match the name listed on your Form 9 as "Thesis Form Head".

Follow instructions within the template to complete the rest of your thesis/dissertation. Please be careful when making changes so that you do not override/change the template formatting.

Please contact us if your department is not listed, or with other questions. 

Last modified January 16, 2024.

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Ku thesis and dissertation formatting: formatting specifics.

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This libguide provides helpful hints and quick tutorials in regards to most aspects of thesis/dissertation formatting.

For specific requirements, please see the KU Office of Graduate Studies Thesis or Dissertation Formatting Guidelines. These can be accessed by visiting https://graduate.ku.edu/formatting

Formatting FAQ

Q: What citation and formatting style (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago) should I use? A: This a decision that you are allowed to make, keeping in mind what style is common in your field, and what style your chair/committee thinks is most appropriate. The important thing is that you use your chosen style consistently.

Q: Which sections do I need to include in my thesis/dissertation? A: See below.

Q: What should my margins be? A: Margins should generally be one inch on all sides. Margins can be wider, but they cannot be smaller. If you are unsure if you need standard or wider margins, consult with your chair/committee.

Q: What font should I use? A: The Office of Graduate Studies recommends 11- or 12-point Times New Roman. However, students can generally work with other, non-Times New Roman fonts as long as they are commonly-used (e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Garamond). If you are unsure as to what fonts to use, or if you need to use a non-standard font for a specific purpose, consult with your chair or your committee. If you use a non-standard font, make sure you embed it before submitting.

Q: How should my lines be spaced? A: Double-spacing is preferred, although single-spacing in the table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, charts, graphs, tables, block quotations, captions, glossary, appendices, and bibliography is acceptable. If you need to use single-spacing throughout your thesis/dissertation, you must secure prior written approval from your dissertation committee and your graduate division.

Q: How should my headers be formatted? Footers? A: Your dissertation—even if it is formatted according to APA rules—should not have any headers. Likewise, the only thing that should appear in the footer is a page number.

Q: Do I include faculty signatures when I upload my PDF to ProQuest? A: To decrease the risk of identity theft, do not upload pages with original signatures to ProQuest. Committee members' signatures will instead be included on the physical copy of your thesis or dissertation that is turned in to your department upon completion.

Q: Should I include spaces in my filename? A: Do not include spaces in your filename. Underscoring is allowed.

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Formatting Guidelines For Theses, Dissertations, and DMA Documents

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

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

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

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

Accessibility Features

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

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

Features and Other Notes

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

Sample Pages and Templates

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

• Graduate Dissertations and Theses Templates - OSU Login Required

FRONTISPIECE (OPTIONAL)

If used, no heading is included on this page.

TITLE PAGE (REQUIRED)

The title page should include:

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

COPYRIGHT PAGE (REQUIRED)

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

Copyright by John James Doe 2017

ABSTRACT (REQUIRED)

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

DEDICATION (OPTIONAL)

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

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

(OPTIONAL, BUT STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)

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

VITA (REQUIRED)

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

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

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS (REQUIRED)

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

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

LISTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS (REQUIRED IF APPLICABLE)

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

BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES (REQUIRED)

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

Include this heading in the table of contents.

APPENDICES (REQUIRED IF APPLICABLE)

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

Other Notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

PAGE NUMBERS

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

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

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

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

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

ILLUSTRATIONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

THESIS OR DISSERTATION IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

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

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

Dissertation and Theses

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

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

Still Have Questions?

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

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

How to format and use a journal template for your research paper

When writing your research paper it is crucial to understand what format your target journal requires, and what journal template you should use (if one at all). Although many of our journals have the basic elements of style in common, each journal can have its own guidelines for formatting. This defines how an article will look when it is published online or in print.

Read on to find out how to format your research paper for submission to your target journal.

Quick links

How to format your research paper.

Go to  Taylor & Francis Online  and search for the title of your chosen journal using the search bar.

Select the relevant journal and click on the instructions for authors tab.

Read your target journal’s instructions for authors, and find out about its formatting guidelines.

Below are a list of Word templates which can be used for many of our journals. Please download the relevant template and apply it to your research paper format.

Each version of the template has its own instructions file. Read the instructions to learn how to save and use the template.

Get familiar with the journal’s instructions for authors

Be prepared, speed up your submission, and make sure nothing is forgotten by understanding the journal’s individual requirements.

Using Taylor & Francis word templates for journal articles

Check to see which version of Word is installed on your computer

Read the instructions for the relevant version of the template in the list below

Download and save the template file to your computer

Apply these styles to your paper as appropriate

Taylor & Francis templates

Format-free submission

Many Taylor & Francis journals allow format-free submission .

If you use a consistent citation format and include all the necessary information, you may be able to submit your work without worrying about formatting your manuscript.

To find out if your journal allows format-free submission, go to your journal’s homepage on Taylor & Francis Online .

Read the instructions for authors’ for your chosen journal to find out if it operates format-free submission.

Submitting your article format-free?

Read our guide for more information on how to submit your article format-free.

Other journal format options

Latex templates.

Some of our journals accept manuscripts that use a LaTeX template.

Please check the instructions for authors on your chosen journal’s homepage on Taylor & Francis Online to know if LaTeX is an accepted format.

Your journal may provide a link to its specific template in the instructions for authors’ section of the journal’s homepage on Taylor & Francis Online.

If no template is provided, please  contact us  for advice.

What is LaTex?

LaTeX is a software system used to design documents for typesetting. It is most often used for mathematicians and researchers in the physical sciences, but it can be used for almost any form of publishing.

It permits advanced formatting of symbols and variables and structuring of formula. LaTeX has to be converted during the document structuring process during typesetting.”

F1000Research

F1000Research publishes different article types offering flexibility in format and structure, although specific requirements may apply to some article types.

You can find out more about article type-specific instructions for submission with F1000Research in the F1000Research Article Guidelines .

To submit to F1000Research, your manuscript can be submitted as:

Word (DOC or DOCX)

Rich text format (RTF) files

What is F1000Research?

This is an Open Research publishing platform offering rapid article publication and other research outputs without editorial bias.

Save time – let us help format your manuscript

Consider using expert editors to help you meet deadlines and make sure your manuscript complies to your target journal’s requirements.

Related resources

Journal manuscript layout guide

Journal submission support

Your submission checklist

Guide to improve your submission experience

• SpringerLink shop

Manuscript preparation

“From the proposal stage to the publication, every stage is process driven. Very systematic communication and the best e-proofing platform for online proof submission!” -  Book Author, 2020

You can keep track of where your book is in the publication process in real-time by signing up for notifications alerting you of all the critical stages, including when your book is published online and ready to share with the research community.

Revising your thesis into a book

Springer  will consider submissions containing material that has previously formed part of a PhD or other academic thesis including those that have been made publicly available according to the requirements of the institution awarding the qualification.

Important downloads

• Manuscript guidelines for English books ↗
• Manuscript guidelines for English textbooks ↗
• Key style points ↗
• LaTeX template for monographs ↗
• LaTeX template for contributed works ↗
• Word template for book chapters ↗
• How to create videos for books ↗
• Guide to open access books for Springer authors ↗

On this page

Layout & templates.

If you are comfortable using templates, we offer Word and LaTeX templates for monographs as well as for contributed books. If you prefer not to use a template, please follow the alternate instructions given under the appropriate template below.

When writing a book for Springer, please do not worry about the final layout. To ensure we always keep pace with all the requirements both online and in print, Springer

• structures the content in XML as the basis for presentation in print or in digital formats for such devices as Amazon Kindle™, Apple iPad™/iPhone™, and Google Android™
• utilizes standard layouts with style specifications suitable for multiple display formats.

What advantages do these provide for you in manuscript preparation? It means you can focus on the structured content and let Springer take care of the rest . We will professionally prepare your book with underlying XML structuring, in such a way that ensures your content becomes not only a professionally typeset printed work but is also available to readers in numerous formats for many years to come.

A key part of the publication process (and in response to the changing requirements of the book industry), are the standard corporate book covers that Springer introduced for each subject area in which it publishes. These covers provide a strong, corporate brand identity for Springer books, making them instantly recognizable amongst the scientific community. In addition the covers also assist speed of publication, as having standardized versions greatly reduces the time traditionally spent on creating individual book covers for each title.

Springer provides templates for Word users that help structure the manuscript, e.g., define the heading hierarchy. If you are using Microsoft Word to prepare your manuscript, you do not need to use any special tool for preparation. Please just ensure that the document is clearly structured visually, (e.g., using heading styles, lists, footnotes, etc.). We also provide a Manuscript preparation tool for Word.

• Word template

Note: These templates are not intended for the preparation of the final page layout. The final layout will be created by Springer according to our layout specifications.

The usage of these templates is not mandatory. Alternatively, you may either use a blank Word document or the standard LaTeX book class (for monographs) or article class (for individual contributions) and apply the default settings and styles (e.g., for heading styles, lists, footnotes, etc.).

Springer provides templates for LaTeX users that help structure the manuscript, e.g., define the heading hierarchy. Predefined style formats are available for all the necessary structures that are supposed to be part of the manuscript, and these formats can be quickly accessed via hotkeys or special toolbars.

Note: are not intended for the preparation of the final page layout. The final layout will be created by Springer according to our layout specifications.

LaTeX2e macro packages for 

• contributed books

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Book structure

L Key Style Points August 2023 To guarantee a smooth publication process and a seamless transformation of your manuscript into the final layout and various electronic platforms, the manuscript needs to be structured as follows:

• Front Matter: Title page, Dedication, Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgments, About the book/conference, Table of Contents, About the Author (for authored books), About the Editor/List of Contributors (for edited books), List of Abbreviations, List of Figures and/or Tables

The title page and table of contents must appear in the manuscript’s front matter. All other sections listed above are optional. The above order is not flexible. We have defined this order as our house style and optimized our publication process to follow it strictly.

• Text Body: It comprises the chapters containing the content of the book, i.e. text, figures, tables, and references. Chapters can be grouped together in parts.
• Back Matter: After the last chapter, the back matter can contain an appendix, a glossary, and/or an index, all of which are optional.

Front matter

Title page, preface, and table of contents precede the actual content of a book. The preface should be about the book: why it was written, who it is for, its organization, or the selection of contributors. An introduction in the subject of the book, however, should appear as the first chapter of the book.

Please include all author/editor names, their affiliations, the book title, and the subtitle. Ensure that the sequence of the author names is correct and the title of your book is final when you submit your manuscript. Once the manuscript has been delivered to Production, changes to title, subtitle, or authorship are no longer possible.

If you intend to include a foreword, please submit it with the manuscript.

• A foreword is usually written by an authority in the subject and serves as a recommendation for the book
• The name of the foreword’s contributor is always given at the end of the foreword; affiliations and titles are generally not included, but the date and place of writing may be.

The preface should be about the book: why its important, why it was written, who it is for. It should stimulate interest in the book.

• Front matter material is not listed in the table of contents.
• List all parts, chapters, and back matter material (e.g., an index) in their final sequence.
• If your chapters are numbered, use Arabic numerals and number the chapters consecutively throughout the book (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.), i.e., do not start anew with each part. The introductory chapter must be listed as Chapter 1, if your chapters are numbered. Please do not use subchapters.
• In authored books we present two heading levels under the main chapter titles. In edited books, we present the chapter titles and the chapter author names.
• If there are parts, use Roman numerals for parts (Part I, Part II, etc.). Parts consist of a short title and can contain a short introductory text (optional). Please don’t use subparts.

Chapters contain the actual content of the book, i.e., text, figures, tables, and references. Chapters can be grouped together in parts; subparts are not possible. Only one chapter (e.g. an introduction) may precede the first part and would be the first chapter.

• Decide the numbering style for the chapters and apply this style consistently to all chapters: consecutively numbered (monographs or textbooks) or unnumbered (contributed volumes).
• If an introduction to the subject of the book (historical background, definitions, or methodology) is included, it should appear as the first chapter and thus be included in the chapter numbering. It can contain references, figures, and tables, just as any other chapter.

Either British or American English can be used, but be consistent within your chapter or book. In contributed books chapter-specific consistency is accepted Check for consistent spelling of names, terms and abbreviations, including in tables and figure legends.

For contributed volumes, please include each chapter authors’ names (spelled out as they would be cited), affiliations and e-mail addresses and telephone numbers after the chapter title. Ensure that the sequence of the author names is correct and the title of your book is final when you submit your manuscript. Please supply all emails, telephone numbers and address of each author and editor. Once the manuscript has been delivered to production, changes to title or authorship are no longer possible.

Chapter abstracts are strongly encouraged because they have been proven to significantly increase a book’s visibility. Good abstracts will mean that more people read your book. These will appear online at SpringerLink and other sites and will be available with unrestricted access to facilitate online searching (e.g., Google) and allow unregistered users to read the abstract as a teaser for the complete chapter.

If no abstract is submitted, we will use the first paragraph of the chapter instead.

Some books also publish keywords. Please check with the editor of your book or with the publishing editor to see if keywords are required.

• Heading levels should be clearly identified and each level should be uniquely and consistently formatted and/or numbered.
• Use the decimal system of numbering if your headings are numbered.
• Never skip a heading level. The only exception are run-in headings which can be used at any hierarchical level.
• Technical terms and abbreviations should be defined the first time they appear in the text.
• Please always use internationally accepted signs and symbols for units (also called SI units).
• Numerals should follow the British/American method of decimal points to indicate decimals and commas to separate thousands

Manuscripts will be checked by a copy editor for formal style. Springer Nature follows certain layouts and standards with regard to the presentation of the content, and the copy editors make sure that the manuscript conforms to these styles. When you receive the page proofs during the production of your book, please do not make changes that involve only matters of style.

• Italics should be used for emphasized words or phrases in running text, but do not format entire paragraphs in italics. 
• Use italics for species and genus names, mathematical/physical variables, and prefixes in chemical compounds. 
• Bold formatting should only be used for run-in headings and small capitals for indicating optical activity (D- and L-dopa). 
• Sans serif (e.g., Arial) and nonproportional font (e.g., Courier) can be used to distinguish the literal text of computer programs from running text.
• Do not set entire pages as boxes, because this diminishes online readability.
• Do not set entire pages as boxes, because this affects online readability. 
• For additional didactic elements such as examples, questions, exercises, summaries, or key messages in textbooks and in professional books, please use a consistent style for each of these elements and submit a list of the styles used together with your manuscript. For LaTeX users please use the Springer Nature macro package to highlight these elements.
• In Word, use the Math function, MathType, or Microsoft Equation editor to create your equations. Please don’t include the equations as images.
• In LaTeX, use the Math environment to create your equations.
• Give each table a heading (caption). Add a reference to the table source at the end of the caption if necessary.
• Number tables consecutively using the chapter number (e.g. Table 1.1 for the first table in Chapter 1) and ensure that all tables are cited in the text in sequential order. Do not write “the following table”.
• Use the table function to create and format tables. Do not use the space bar or multiple tabs to separate columns and please do not use Excel to create tables as this can cause problems when converting your tables into the typesetting program and other formats.

Figures and illustrations

Number the figures using the chapter number (e.g. Fig. 1.1 for the first figure in Chap. 1) and ensure that all figures are cited in the text in sequential order. Do not write “the following figure”.

• Give each figure a concise caption, describing accurately what the figure depicts. Include the captions at the end of the text file, not in the figure file.
• Identify all elements found in the figure in the figure caption; and use boxes, circles, etc., as coordinate points in graphs instead of color lines.
• If a figure is reproduced from a previous publication, include the source as the last item in the caption.
• A figure is an object that is drawn or photographed; it does not consist solely of characters and thus cannot be keyed.
• Do not submit tabular material as figures.
• Graphics and diagrams should be saved as EPS file with the fonts embedded. MS Office files (Excel or PowerPoint) can be submitted in the original format (xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx). Scanned graphics in TIFF format should have a minimum resolution of 1200 dpi.
• Photos or drawings with fine shading should be saved as TIFF with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
• A combination of halftone and line art (e.g., photos containing line drawing or extensive lettering, color diagrams, etc.) should be saved as TIFF with a minimum resolution of 600 dpi.

Cite references in the text with author name/s and year of publication in parentheses (“Harvard system”)

• One author: (Miller 1991) or Miller (1991)
• Two authors: (Miller and Smith 1994) or Miller and Smith (1994)
• Three authors or more: (Miller et al. 1995) or Miller et al. (1995)

If it is customary in your field, you can also cite with reference numbers in square brackets either sequential by citation or according to the sequence in an alphabetized list: [3, 7, 12].

Include a reference list at the end of each chapter so that readers of single chapters of the eBook can make full use of the citations. References at the end of the book cannot be linked to citations in the chapters. Please do not include reference lists at the end of a chapter section, at the end of a book part, in a preface or an appendix.

Include all works that are cited in the chapter and that have been published (including on the internet) or accepted for publication. Personal communications and unpublished works should only be mentioned in the text. Do not use footnotes as a substitute for a reference list.

Entries in the list must be listed alphabetically except in the numbered system of sequential citation. The rules for alphabetization are:

• First, all works by the author alone, ordered chronologically by year of publication
• Next, all works by the author with a coauthor, ordered alphabetically by coauthor
• Finally, all works by the author with several coauthors, ordered chronologically by year of publication

Springer Nature follows certain standards with regard to the presentation of the reference list. They are based on reference styles that were established for various disciplines in the past and have been adjusted to facilitate automated processing and citation linking. This allows us, for example, to easily cross link the cited references with the original publication. References will be revised in production in accordance with these house styles. 

Choose the appropriate style for your subject from the list below. Please note that the adapted and standardized forms are based on, but differ slightly from, certain recommended styles (e.g., APA, Chicago)

Back matter

After the last chapter, the back matter of the book can contain an appendix, a glossary or an index.

Do not include a reference list containing the cited literature in the back matter, as references are then not linked to citations in the chapters. Instead, please include reference lists at the end of each chapter. A list of further reading may be included in the back matter.

An appendix cannot include a reference list.

If an index is desired, please submit the entries with the manuscript.

Optimizing for Google – tips for book authors

Contribute to your book's success, long before it's published. By following a few tips when thinking about your book’s title, its back cover description and unique selling points, you can make sure that potential readers are able to find your finished book.

Click here to read our SEO tips for authors.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is about relevance! Help Google and other search engines present your book to the right audience and give these readers what they want.

Templates — Thesis

Templates tagged Thesis

Show all Templates

Your thesis or dissertation is often the most important single piece of work you’ll produce as a student (whether it be your final year undergraduate research project or your complete Masters / PhD thesis). These templates, many provided by the university themselves as official layout guidelines, include sections for you to add all the relevant author information (your university, department, supervisor, year, etc) along with placeholder chapters for your introduction, background, method, results, conclusion / discussion, references and appendices.

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Universal Formatting Requirements for All Departments

• Master’s Thesis & EdD Dissertation Formatting Templates
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Review and Publishing Fees

Thesis Deadlines for Upcoming Terms

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Review Procedures

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Optional Formatting Services vs. Editing Services

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Thesis Links

THESIS AND DISSERTATION SERVICES

Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Our register is open to process payments in person or by phone Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm. Hours of operation are subject to change.

Montezuma Publishing (MP) is a non-profit department on campus at SDSU. One of our principal areas of service is graduate publishing. For graduate students, MP is responsible for:

• Reviewing all SDSU theses and dissertations for formatting consistency.
• Publishing SDSU theses and dissertations. Since 2014, publication is electronic through ProQuest , which is the platform that SDSU uses for repositories, reference requests, and on-demand publication. Your thesis or dissertation will be available to a global audience within a matter of weeks after your graduation is posted

Montezuma Publishing is part of Aztec Shops, which is an auxiliary of SDSU. We provide these services on behalf of the College of Graduate Studies, and partner with them to verify that each document meets the requirements adopted by the SDSU Graduate Council. These criteria establish uniformity in style and presentation for all published documents.

The MP reviewers pay particular attention to the aspects of formatting that are discussed in detail below. The MP Reviewer does not read theses for content and does not perform proofreader services. Your faculty thesis committee approves content, and proofreading is your responsibility.

Montezuma Publishing YouTube Channel

Montezuma Publishing’s YouTube Channel provides additional guidance for SDSU Master’s and Ed.D. students that must publish a thesis or dissertation as part of their graduation requirement. There you can find detailed information about formatting and department requirements , SDSU deadlines , and more. We have a growing list of tutorials such as how to apply text styles in a template, how to generate a Table of Contents , and how to perform a subdocument import . These are all designed to help you prepare your document for review and provide you with the knowledge you will need to complete the publication process. We continue to create new content for our channel, so make sure to subscribe today!

Master’s Theses

If you are in a Plan A Master’s program, your submitted thesis needs to be well written, stylistically appropriate, and edited. Your thesis committee is unlikely to approve your thesis (by signing the cover sheet) until it meets those standards.

After your submission is approved for formatting consistency by the MP Reviewer, thesis publication is the final graduation requirement. Even if all your coursework is completed, your Plan A Master’s program requires thesis publication prior to awarding the degree. The thesis is considered to be “published” after your thesis document formatting has been reviewed and approved, and all publishing fees have been paid.

Here are the formatting guidelines that apply to all Master’s degrees University-wide, which will be reviewed by Montezuma Publishing.

After thesis or dissertation committee approval, most students complete the remaining stylistic and formatting adjustments themselves. The remainder choose to hire a professional formatter for these services. The style and formatting requirements are presented here so that you will have the best chance of passing format review with minimal mistakes.

Your Thesis Style

Theses need to be submitted in a consistent and predictable style. Your Master’s program has pre-approved one or more specific styles that can be verified in this style list . If your thesis chair and advisor believe a different style should be approved for you as an exception, then your graduate advisor can notify Montezuma Publishing (MP) via email to [email protected] , stating what reference style you are to use. If the style does not appear on our existing style list , the graduate advisor will also need to provide a sample article and/or author formatting instructions for us to refer to during your review.

Your Thesis Formatting

In addition to adhering to your program’s chosen style, all Master’s theses need to follow some simple universal formatting guidelines. See the SDSU Thesis template for instructions, samples, and formatting assistance. There are 13 rules:

• 1. Your document must follow your program formatting requirements for text organization, in-text citations, and reference pages. See your department guidelines for information about your approved reference style guide and other program-specific requirements.
• 2. Margins: Set your margins at 1.25 inches for the left margin, and 1 inch for the right, top, and bottom margins. Margins may be reduced on some pages to .875 inches all around to accommodate oversized tables or figures.
• 3. Use a professional font in 12pt size. Do not use an ornamental font based on script, cursive, or calligraphic styles. For tables, footnotes, or other material outside of the main text, a font size as low as 8pt may be used. Use black for all text. Figures, tables, and computer code may include color at your discretion (but not captions, legends or titles).
• 4. Line spacing: 1.5 is preferred for the text body, but 2.0 (double-spacing) is acceptable. Exceptions: tables, lists, block quotations, footnotes/endnotes, figure captions, table titles, and bibliographic entries; these must be single line spaced. The transition back to normal text spacing will happen automatically if you use the provided template.
• 5. Start the first page of each section (Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, Lists, Appendix, etc.) and each Chapter on a new page and increase the top margin on that page to 2 inches. The top margin spacing will be applied automatically if you use the provided template.
• 6. Place your Bibliography or Reference section(s) at the end of each chapter or at the end of the main document text (but before the Appendices). The placement will correspond to your department’s style guidelines. Use single line spacing with normal spacing between each entry.
• 7. If your thesis has more than one of these features: figure, table, illustration, plate, etc., then each type of item requires a separate sequential number scheme. Label each item in the category (tables, figures, etc.) uniquely and consecutively.
• 8. Similarly, if your thesis has more than one of these features: figure, table, illustration, plate, etc., then each type of item requires a separate list in the preliminary pages. As you will see in the template, each preliminary page list includes the figure/table number, figure caption/table title and the page number on which it begins.
• 9. The thesis electronic file size may not exceed 1GB. The recommended image resolution for embedded figures and images is 300 dpi. Supplementary electronic documents (such as audio or video) are not part of the 1 GB total.
• 10. Your name, committee members, and degree title must match University records.
• 11. The Table of Contents (TOC) lists each chapter number, chapter title, and the page on which each chapter begins. In the TOC, the word “Chapter” must appear as a heading before listing the numbers and titles of each chapter below. See a sample Table of Contents here.
• 12. Preliminary page numbers are lowercase Roman numerals, starting with page iii. The title page and signature page (representing i and ii) will not have printed numbers.
• 13. Preliminary pages appear in the following order (first numbered page must be page iii):
• Title page : Mandatory; no page number.
• Signature page : Mandatory; no page number.
• Copyright page : Mandatory; numbered iii.
• Dedication : Optional; must have page number.
• Epigraph : Optional; must have page number.
• Abstract : Mandatory; up to 350 words, single-spaced; must have page number.
• Table of Contents : Mandatory; must have page number.
• List of Tables, List of Figures, etc. : Mandatory when the document includes more than one table, figure, etc. (e.g., if you have 2 tables, include a List of Tables; 2 figures, include a List of Figures); must have page number.
• List of Abbreviations, List of Acronyms, List of Symbols : Optional; must have page number.
• Preface : Optional; must have page number.
• Acknowledgements : Optional; must have page number (Department of Biology guidelines requires acknowledgements to appear after the last chapter and before the reference pages).

Download a copy of these SDSU Formatting Guidelines here.

Download a copy of the style guide for the Chicago Author-Number System here.

The Master’s Thesis Formatting Review Checklist

Before submitting your thesis to our office for review, refer to this review checklist to verify that you have addressed the most common formatting errors, and applied the correct format to your document. If you have followed all 13 rules and passed the checklist, then your thesis should pass MP review.

Master’s Thesis & EdD Dissertation Formatting Templates

Nearly all students find it easiest to meet the universal formatting requirements by using the SDSU Thesis Template . The template contains all of the correct formatting for preliminary pages, a page to auto-generate the table of contents and lists of figures or tables, and all of the necessary styles for headings, text, images, and references.

Here are links to download the appropriate template for your discipline:

1a. SDSU Thesis Template

This main template is an MS Word file. It contains styles that will assist you with formatting according to the University guidelines. It contains all the required preliminary page formatting necessary to prepare your thesis. Here are a few extra notes:

• When using the SDSU Thesis Template with Word 2013 or later, you should check the option to “maintain compatibility with previous versions of word,” or may need to save your file in the Word 97-2003 document file type. Failure to do so may create drop margin errors in your document, although this does not occur for all students.
• If your document has any landscape pages, then you’ll need to use this SDSU Dissertation Template for Landscape Pages . The included instructions will tell you how to correctly copy and paste into the main template.
• The SDSU Thesis template is set up to create a Table of Contents (TOC) after you've applied the correct styles to your headings in text. Instructions are included in the template. If you need additional help, see these screenshots and notes for TOC creation .
• The TOC creation notes will also be useful if you are having difficulties with generating the List of Tables and the List of Figures.

1b. SDSU LaTeX Template (for the entire thesis)

Some graduate programs have been approved to use LaTeX rather than MS Word to write the thesis. (See the style list and discuss with your thesis chair if you are unsure.) For those programs, this LaTeX template complies with the SDSU formatting requirements. The template can be found on the Math Department Resources web page, if you follow this link . Downloads are available for Windows or Linux/Unix. If you need guidance beyond the documents on that web page, a good third-party resource on using LaTeX is the LaTeX Wikibook .

1c. Hybrid MS Word - LaTeX Thesis

Some graduate programs require their students to write their thesis using the MS Word SDSU Thesis Template , but format the in-text citations and references pages according to the LaTex requirements. If your program has this “hybrid” requirement, then after writing your thesis in the MS Word template, download the “PDF - sdsu thesis latex” from this web site . Manually edit each citation and each reference so that they all meet the LaTeX requirements.

2a. SDSU Thesis Signature Page Template with 3 Committee Members

If you have a 3-member committee, use this signature page template to fill in your committee information. Print it out to get your committee signatures.

2b. SDSU Thesis Signature Page Template with 4 Committee Members

If you have a 4-member committee, use this signature page template to fill in your committee information. Print it out to get your committee signatures.

2c. SDSU Thesis Signature Page Template with 5 Committee Members

If you have a 5-member committee, replace the main template's signature page with this one. You may use the copy and paste function to do this.

EdD Dissertation Formatting Template

EdD students should use the SDSU APA EdD Dissertation Template , which was developed in partnership with the EdD directors. Here are some additional notes:

• The SDSU APA EdD Dissertation template is set up to create a Table of Contents (TOC) after you've applied the correct styles to your headings in text. Instructions are included in the template. If you need additional help, see these additional screenshots and notes for TOC creation

I Started Without the Template, But Now I Changed My Mind

If you are writing your thesis without the SDSU template and now want to switch, you will not need to start over from the beginning. Follow these instructions or video tutorial for “subdocument import” to safely copy your existing documents into the SDSU template (screenshots are taken from MS Word in Windows). Follow these instructions for “subdocument import” and/or Video Tutorial will ensure that the thesis template styles are not corrupted by conflicting formatting that you could accidentally bring over with a simple copy/paste. on our website to be amended to say the following

Thesis Q&A Sessions and Companion Guide

Montezuma Publishing hosts multiple Zoom Q&A sessions each February for the spring semester and October for the fall semester. Here are the spring session dates and Zoom links:

These sessions cover everything you will need to know from submission to publication. A copy of the material discussed in each session can be found in our Thesis Companion Guide .

Dissertation Q&A Sessions and Companion Guide

February 6, 2024 - 2:00 pm

Register for Zoom Meeting

https://SDSU.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMud-GqqDwjG930GTwegv8qBqDp6j6cHzfa

February 8, 2024 - 11:00 am

https://SDSU.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlceCuqTkrHNWhcPvrJxUbVISHXw_KJfr3

These sessions cover everything you will need to know from submission to publication. A copy of the material discussed in each session can be found in our Dissertation Companion Guide .

Although thesis/dissertation content and writing are the sole responsibility of the student, some students do not believe that final formatting is an effective use of their personal time. If the thesis has met all of your committee’s expectations, you are permitted to hire another individual for final formatting. If a formatter is hired, please note that you are still responsible for assuring that the thesis does not violate academic standards.

Optional formatting services are available from freelance formatters, or from Montezuma Formatting. Montezuma Formatting is an optional on-campus, fee-based formatting service, and a separate department from Montezuma Publishing (the unit that conducts required thesis review and publication). Montezuma Formatting and Montezuma Publishing have separate staff. However, a supervisor from Montezuma Publishing does train Montezuma Formatting staff to assure that their services are aligned with campus requirements.

If you elect to use Montezuma Formatting services, MP will ensure that the document passes MP internal review, and you will not be charged a separate review fee to validate the formatting. When you hire a freelance formatter (not MP), you will be working with them directly for turnaround time and associated costs. When the freelance formatter provides you with a final draft, you will submit your document to MP for review.

Contact information for freelance formatters (who are not Aztec Shops or SDSU employees) can be found here: Optional Professional Support .

To hire formatters from the Montezuma Formatting department, see this section of our web page . Their current prices are $3 per page. A 50% deposit is required at the time of submission.

Master’s Student Milestones and Typical Timeline

Graduate Studies posts graduation deadline fliers for each term on this web page: https://grad.sdsu.edu/announcements-and-deadlines

Here is a typical Master's student timeline:

This flowchart shows a typical sequence for review: Flowchart - Review . Each round of formatting review takes 2-4 weeks, and an average student passes review on their first or second attempt. Overall, a typical timeline for two reviews might be:

Submission → 1st Review: 4 weeks Review → Resubmission: <2 weeks Resubmission → 2nd Review → MP approval: 4 weeks First submission → MP approval ≈ 10 weeks total

• After the formatting is approved, thesis or dissertation publishing with ProQuest is an additional $45 fee (Prices are subject to change without notice.) The SDSU library no longer maintains physical copies of theses and dissertations.
• You may wish to purchase a print copy for yourself. Information and pricing for print copies through MP can be found here . It is also possible to purchase a personal copy from ProQuest.
• Your department, graduate program or thesis committee members may require you to purchase additional copies for their libraries. Discuss with these individuals, and also review your graduate program’s entry in the department style list to verify. To maintain consistency with prior submissions, departments and graduate programs usually request that their copy be published by MP with a specific binding.

Disclaimer: You must be enrolled in 799 A or B at the time of your initial document submission to MP, see The College of Graduate Studies for more information .

Are you ready to submit?

If your committee-approved thesis does not yet meet the 13 SDSU formatting guidelines described above, then you should not submit it to Montezuma Publishing for formatting review. For example, we cannot accept the thesis if any mandatory preliminary pages are missing (Title page, Signature page, Copyright page, Abstract, Table of Contents, List of Figures/Tables if applicable), or if it has been written in a style your department does not approve of. We also cannot accept your submission if it is not organized into a single Word Document or PDF.

Some students are unable to complete all formatting requirements themselves due to competing time constraints. If you fall into this category, please see the “Optional Montezuma Formatting” section below.

Spring 2024 Deadlines

Submission Deadline: March 15, 2024, by 3:45 pm

Publication Deadline: May 10, 2024, by 3:45 pm

Avoid Re-enrollment in 799B: May 16, 2024 at 3:45 pm

Summer 2024 Deadlines

Submission Deadline: June 21, 2024, by 3:45 pm

Publication Deadline: August 9, 2024, by 3:45 pm

Avoid Re-enrollment in 799B: August 14, 2024, at 3:45 pm

Fall 2024 Deadlines

Submission Deadline: October 25, 2024, by 3:45 pm

Publication Deadline: December 13, 2024, by 3:45 pm

Avoid Re-enrollment in 799B: December 20, 2024, at 12:00 pm

Submission Deadlines

If you submit your well-written and properly formatted thesis and complete payment ($50) to Montezuma Publishing (MP) by this deadline, MP will review your thesis within 2-4 weeks. If you need to make formatting corrections and resubmit within 2 weeks, your next round of formatting review will be given priority status.

To have the best possibility for graduation during the current semester, work with your thesis chair and committee to meet the Submission Deadline. Thesis submission is not received until payment is made, and our register is open to process payments Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm. Sent emails are not considered to be submissions until payment is made.

Publication Deadlines

If your thesis receives final formatting approval from MP and you pay the $45 ProQuest publishing fee by the 3:45pm deadline, you are eligible for the Master’s degree in the current semester. If your department requires you to purchase a thesis copy for the department library, this payment must be made at the same time as the ProQuest fee. Students who miss the Publication Deadline (even by one day) are eligible for the Master’s degree in a future semester.

Thesis publication is not approved until payment is made, and our register is open to process payments Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm. Emails sent overnight are not considered for publication until payment is made the following day.

Avoid Re-enrollment in 799B Deadline (Last Day of Term)

The last day of the term is the “avoid re-enrollment in 799B” deadline. If you submit your thesis on any day prior to the “avoid re-enrollment in 799B” deadline, you will not have to register for 799B in the following term. Note that your thesis cannot be accepted for review if it does not meet the requirements listed above. Pay special attention to the “Are you ready to submit?” section before attempting submission.

Thesis submission is not received until payment is made, and our register is open to process payments Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm. Emails sent overnight are not considered to be submissions until payment is made the following day.

For more information, visit our YouTube channel for our "San Diego State University Thesis Deadlines Explained" video.

Master’s Thesis Submission Procedure

To submit for review, please supply your signed signature page(s), old RED ID, new my.SDSU EMPL ID, and the attached thesis file in one email to [email protected] . If supplementary materials are needed (such as audio, video, oversized tables/figures), then these must be submitted at the same time as the thesis. Upon receipt of these documents, we will verify your enrollment in 799 and create a record for you in our system. You will then receive an email with instructions on how to make payments in person or by phone.

Please review the Submission Deadline information above. Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Our register is open to process payments Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm. Hours of operation are subject to change.

The Committee Signature Page

The thesis committee signature page is one of the most important parts of the thesis. The signed committee page is confirmation that all committee members approve of your scholarly work. Montezuma Publishing can accept electronic or physical signatures for the thesis signature page.

Download a signature page template from the Templates section above. Fill in your personal and thesis information. When your committee members are ready to approve, here are the options:

• You can email your completed signature page to each committee member. They can print the document, sign it, scan it, and email it back to you. It is not necessary that all signatures appear on the same document; you can instead collect the scanned documents with one signature each.
• Your committee members can electronically sign your signature page in sequence via Adobe Sign, if you or your committee chair know how to initiate this process.
• You may print the thesis committee page and obtain physical signatures from one or more committee members. You can submit the paper document in person or scan it and save a pdf.

Regardless of which approach you choose, submit all signatures to MP in person or by pdf email attachment. If you submit multiple documents, our staff will combine them into a single committee signature page for publication.

Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Our register is open to process payments Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm. Hours of operation are subject to change.

The Review Process

Note: You must be enrolled in Thesis 799A or 799B, or Dissertation 899 at SDSU at the time of your initial document submission before MP will accept your manuscript for format review.

• If you are using LaTex formatting, ask your Master’s program graduate advisor if special review procedures are needed after thesis committee approval, but before Montezuma Publishing submission.
• Email your thesis file to [email protected] . Attach your signed signature page(s) to the same email. If you are unable to email the signature pages, you can submit them in person to our office in ED 107 during business hours. Your email must include contact information: your new (my.SDSU) EMPLID, old Red ID if you have one, primary email address*, billing address, and phone number. *Provide an email address that you frequently check. Email is our primary means of communication. We will be sending you essential information that may require a quick response or action on your part. Please monitor your spam folder so that emails from [email protected] are not lost. Please know that SDSU email addresses are deactivated for students who stop registering for classes, lose matriculation, or graduate. Your email address must remain active throughout the entire review and publishing process. MP will do our best to contact you through all available means, but cannot be responsible for emails that you do not receive or do not read.
• After submitting the electronic thesis document and signed committee page, call (619) 594-7551 or visit our office (ED-107) to pay the required $50 review fee. MP must verify your enrollment in 799A or 799B, prior to accepting your review payment.Your submission is not complete until your review payment has been received. *All Doctoral Students must consult the College of Graduate Studies before submitting their dissertation to Montezuma Publishing.
• Your thesis is now in the queue to be reviewed. The MP Reviewer will check your document for style and formatting as described above. *If your thesis requires corrections after the first review, see the steps below. If it is approved on the first review, skip to step #12.
• If corrections are needed, you will receive an email with your thesis document attached. It will have comments from the reviewer, and specific instructions for each error.
• Read all comments, and make all required corrections. Check your entire document for all errors in accordance with the SDSU 13 rules , your department style guide , and the review checklist before resubmission. Your thorough examination of the entire thesis is especially important if your review includes the following comment: We have stopped reviewing at this point in the document, as there are too many style and/or formatting discrepancies in the remainder of the thesis to continue reviewing…
• After completing all necessary stylistic and formatting corrections, resubmit your thesis via email to [email protected] .
• Your thesis is now in the queue to be reviewed again for formatting. * If your thesis requires corrections after a second review, repeat steps 5-6. If it’s approved on the second review, skip to step #12.
• Be advised: An additional $25 review fee is required before the third review will be conducted. Your thesis is now in the queue to be reviewed a third time. * If your thesis requires corrections after the third review, repeat steps 5-6. If it’s approved on the third review, skip to step #12.
• Very rarely, a thesis must be reviewed four or more times for formatting errors. * If your thesis requires corrections after the fourth review, repeat steps 5-6. If it’s approved on the fourth review, skip to step #12.
• Be advised: An additional $25 review fee is required before the fifth review will be conducted. Your thesis is now in the queue to be reviewed a fifth time. * If your thesis requires corrections after the fifth review, repeat steps 5-6. If it’s approved on fifth review, skip to step #12.
• Your thesis is now in the queue to be reviewed a sixth time. * If it’s approved on sixth review, move to step #12. Very rarely, a thesis does not pass the sixth review. If this happens, you will need to either hire a professional formatter to assist, or possibly re-enroll in 799 and begin the process again from step #2. Contact your thesis chair and MP for further instructions before resubmitting.  
• Upon review approval, you will be emailed final instructions and a quote for the ProQuest required publishing fees (currently $45). Once the publishing fees are paid, MP will notify the College of Graduate Studies that you have published your thesis. Orders for personal copies can be placed at this time.

You can download a copy of the Review Flowchart here: Flowchart - Review

What is Checked During Formatting Review?

Your submitted thesis needs to be well written, stylistically appropriate, and edited. Your thesis committee is unlikely to approve your thesis (by signing the cover sheet) until it meets those standards. However, even with careful preparation, most students have minor formatting errors due to the complexity of the document. Your thesis will be a globally published document through ProQuest, and the MP reviewers are tasked with assuring formatting consistency for these publications. They will ensure that both your department style requirements and the SDSU Master’s formatting guidelines (or EdD Dissertation formatting guidelines ) are met.

A comment will be placed in your thesis file where each correction is needed. For repetitions of the same mistake, you can expect to receive comments only the first two times. After that, you will need to personally review the entire document to ensure that the error does not appear again. As a reminder, you can refer to this review checklist for the most common formatting errors.

If your thesis has more than 20 errors, the reviewer will stop prior to the end of your thesis. In these cases, the student must complete all corrections and thoroughly review the thesis to its end, in order to minimize additional rounds of review.

After the Thesis or EdD Dissertation is Approved for Publication

Master’s thesis or EdD dissertation publication is the final graduation requirement. Even if all your coursework is completed and your thesis/dissertation committee has signed the cover page, thesis publication is necessary to award the degree. The thesis or dissertation is considered to be “published” after document formatting has been reviewed and approved, and all publishing fees have been paid.

All fees must be paid by the Publication Deadline in order to graduate during the current semester. After formatting review is approved, you will be emailed a quote for the ProQuest publishing fee and payment instructions. Once all fees are paid, MP will notify the College of Graduate Studies that you have completed publication.

Please visit the Thesis Publishing section below for costs associated with print copies, if you choose to purchase these.

EdD students should follow the graduation and dissertation steps posted on the

Graduate Studies website

as a “Graduation and Dissertation Steps for Ed. D Students” flyer.

After successfully defending their dissertation and obtaining committee approval, EdD students submit their dissertation packet through the SDSU Doctoral Dissertation Submission Form . Pat Walls ( [email protected] ) in Graduate Studies will evaluate the packet and transcripts, and then send the dissertation and associated documents to Montezuma Publishing. You will be emailed submission confirmation.

EdD Dissertation Formatting and Review

If you format the dissertation yourself, MP will review it for consistency with APA formatting and your program’s preliminary page requirements. These requirements are described in the SDSU APA EdD Dissertation Template . You can use the APA manual checklist or the SDSU Dissertation Review Checklist to find potential errors before submission.

Your Dissertation Formatting

In addition to adhering to your program’s chosen style, all Master’s theses need to follow some simple universal formatting guidelines. See the SDSU APA EdD Dissertation Template for instructions, samples, and formatting assistance. There are 13 rules:

• Your name, committee members and degree title must match University records.
• Follow the current APA formatting style guide (7 th ed.).
• Set your margins at 1.25 inches for the left margin, and 1 inch on the right, top, and bottom margins. Margins may be reduced to .875 inches all around to accommodate oversized tables or figures.
• Use a professional font in 12pt size. Do not use an ornamental font based on script, cursive, or calligraphic styles. For tables, footnotes, or other material outside of the main text, a font size as low as 8pts may be used. Use black for all text apart from figures, tables, and computer code, which may include color.
• Line spacing: Double-spaced, with the exception of tables, lists, block quotations, footnotes/endnotes, figure captions, table titles, and bibliographic entries, which are to be single-line spaced.
• Start the first page of each section (Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, Lists, etc.), chapter, and appendix on a new page and increase the top margin on that page to 2 inches.
• Place your Reference section(s) at the end of the main document text (but before the Appendices). Use single-line spacing.
• If including more than one figure, table, or illustration, create a separate list for each type of item, which includes the figure/table number, figure caption/table title and the page number on which it begins.
• Label tables, figures, illustrations, etc. uniquely and number each consecutively throughout your document.
• Recommend image resolution: 300 dpi. Supplementary materials such as audio, video, and oversized tables/figures must be submitted to Montezuma Publishing at the same time the thesis is submitted.
• The Table of Contents lists each chapter number, chapter title, and the page on which each chapter begins. Type the word “Chapter” as a heading before listing the numbers and titles of each chapter below. See the template for examples.
• Preliminary page numbers are lowercase Roman numerals, starting with page iii (preferably centered at the bottom of the page).
• Preliminary pages appear in the following order (first numbered page must be page iii):

Title page : Mandatory; no page number

Signature page : Mandatory; no page number Copyright page : Mandatory; numbered iii Dedication : Optional; must have page number

Abstract : Mandatory; up to 350 words, single-spaced; must have page number

Table of Contents : Mandatory; must have page number

List of Tables, List of Figures, etc. : Mandatory when the document includes more than one table, figure, etc. (e.g., if you have 2 tables, include a List of Tables; 2 figures, include a List of Figures); must have page number

Acknowledgements : Optional; must have page number

Download a copy of these SDSU APA EdD Formatting Guidelines here.

If you choose not to format the approved dissertation yourself, please see the Optional Montezuma Formatting section below. You can also find contact information for freelance formatters (who are not Aztec Shops or SDSU employees) here: Optional Professional Support

For publishing information, please visit the Publishing section on this page.

PhD students should follow the graduation and dissertation steps posted on the Graduate Studies website as a “Graduation and Dissertation Steps for Ph. D Students” flyer.

After publication at the partner campus, PhD students must complete the SDSU Doctoral Dissertation Submission Form . As of May 2020, all official SDSU communications must use official SDSU emails. The form requires being logged into your SDSU email account. Within five business days of submitting the form, Pat Walls ( [email protected] ) in Graduate Studies will evaluate the packet and transcripts, and then send the dissertation and associated documents to Montezuma Publishing. You will be emailed submission confirmation.

PhD Dissertation Formatting and Review

Students in joint PhD programs must follow their partner campus dissertation defense deadlines, formatting requirements, and submission procedures. Please visit the College of Graduate Studies website for more information.

University Requirements

A $45.00 processing fee includes ProQuest submission, an electronic file, metadata file, and abstract for SDSU Library.

As of Fall 2013, SDSU has partnered with ProQuest, an online archival database. It provides full text dissertations and theses from over 700 academic institutions, allowing students and researchers to access and share relevant material quickly and conveniently.

Visit ProQuest or the SDSU Library website to access currently published dissertations and theses.

An “embargo” is a restriction of access to the use of a thesis, dissertation, or project. Embargoed theses and dissertations will only feature the author’s abstract and the document title.

If you and/or your committee chair would like to request protection for potential copyrights or patents of the thesis or dissertation, a memorandum must be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies for the Associate Dean’s approval. If the Associate Dean approves the delay of publication, a signed copy of the request must be submitted to MP at the time of thesis submission. The embargo must be supplied to MP before the thesis formatting is approved and publication fees are paid.

Department Requirements/Personal Copies

Some departments require a hard-bound copy for their own department libraries. Check with your department for specific requirements. For your personal copy, you have a choice of binding, cover color,* and paper type for your thesis.

*Due to variances among color monitors, the colors on your computer monitor may appear differently than the actual products. If color is important to you, please stop by the Montezuma Publishing office to make your selection.

Hard Bound $45.00

Soft (vinyl) Bound $15.00

Paper Options

Cotton bond: $0.12 per page Regular paper: $0.08 per page Color copies: $1.00 per page

Pages are printed single sided unless double sided printing is requested.

MP can bind original copies. Binding charges apply.

Pricing Example:

This example includes the University Requirements and 1 personal hardbound cotton copy for a 130-page thesis.

Hard-bound copies take 6-8 weeks.

Soft-bound copies take 2-4 weeks.

Students purchasing their thesis closer to deadlines or the winter holiday season may experience a longer waiting period. MP will email you when your copies are ready. If printed copies are required by your department, then the publishing requirement is dependent only on the final publishing payment; you do not have to wait for copies to arrive in order to be cleared for graduation.

Pick-Up & Shipping

Department copies will be delivered to the designated department, free of charge. Personal copies can be either picked up at our office or shipped to your address. We use USPS flat-rate shipping. As such, the shipping fee is determined by the length of your document and subsequent size of your book. MP will email you with the tracking information once the copies are shipped.

• Re-Submission/Publication Policy

Copyright Policy

• Theses in Foreign Languages

Rejection of Theses/Dissertations

• Restricted Use of Thesis Request

*Policies are established by the College of Graduate Studies. If you have questions, call (619) 594-5213.

If a student submits for review before the "Avoid Re-enrollment in 799B" deadline but does not pass, the student can resubmit at any point until the "Avoid Re-enrollment in 799B" deadline or within 45 days of receiving a corrections email, whichever comes later. If the student does not pass or resubmit within this time frame, the thesis will be rejected and the student will have to register in 799B the following semester and re-apply for graduation.

A student must pay for publication within 90 days of the notification that they have passed review. If a student fails to pay for publishing within this timeframe, the thesis will be rejected and the student will have to register in 799B the following semester and re-apply for graduation.

Copyright law is highly complex and what follows is offered as only a general guide. This information is not a substitute for a legal opinion.

Ownership of a dissertation, thesis or project begins at the moment the manuscript or "object" is created. Although no further act of the author is required, the law does provide some advantages in giving formal notice and registration of a copyright.

Formal notice of copyright is given by including a copyright page in the manuscript. This notice does not establish any copyright privileges, but it does signal acknowledgment of a legal right and copyright ownership. Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is optional, but it provides a record of the work, the fact of copyright, and the author's name and address. Registration would probably be most important if the author wished to file in the future a lawsuit over copyright infringement.

The University assumes that a dissertation, thesis or project approved by a faculty committee is primarily the product of the student's efforts. Thus, the student will usually be considered the owner of the copyrights associated with the manuscript. Students should be aware, however, that the dissertation, thesis, or project is the actual product submitted in satisfaction of one of the requirements for an advanced degree rather than the basic research or the results of which it reports. In some instances, therefore, individual faculty members may retain some copyright or patent interest in the data or other jointly developed work included in the thesis or dissertation. Students are, therefore, strongly advised to resolve any questions about ownership rights to data or other elements of the thesis/dissertation in which the faculty committee chair may have an interest. Agreement over such issues should be obtained in writing before beginning research on the dissertation, thesis, or project.

In order to foster broad dissemination of the results of scholarly research, the student, upon submission of the dissertation, thesis, or project to the SDSU Graduate Division, agrees to convey to the University a license for the following uses of the product:

• Copying of the work for distribution to other libraries upon the request of those libraries
• Inter-library loans of the work
• Display and use of the work in the University Library
• Circulation of the work by the University Library. These rights become effective upon the shelving of the work in the SDSU University Library. The shelving of the work may be postponed for a period of usually up to one year upon written request of the student and consent of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate Division, Office of Graduate and Research Affairs. (See Requests for Restricted Use of Theses.)

Students wanting more information should access a copy of the U.S. Copyright Office Circular 1, "Copyright Basics" on campus via the SDSU library web site.

The federal government has a very good website - Copyright.gov with complete copyright information including application forms. To speak with an information specialist, call (202) 707-3000. Lastly, students or faculty requiring additional information about copyrights may contact the SDSU Foundation Technology Transfer Office at (619) 594-0516.

Thesis in Foriegn Languages

As presentations of original research to the academic community, theses are ordinarily prepared for the University in the English language. In certain cases, however, for a foreign language degree, a student's thesis in the history and literary analysis of non-English languages and literatures may be presented in the subject’s language. When the departmental graduate adviser and the prospective thesis committee deem this academically appropriate for the specific research topic, the appointment of the student's thesis committee and authorization of the thesis research by the graduate dean shall be based on the provisions that:

• An abstract of the thesis shall be presented in English;
• All members of the thesis committee shall be fluent in the subject language; and
• Student competency in standard written English shall be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a departmental procedure that has been approved by the graduate dean.

To botain approval by the Graduate Dean:

• The "thesis in a foreign language" box must be checked on the appointment of thesis committee form; and
• Written verification by the departmental graduate adviser that provisions 2 and 3 above have been met must be attached to the appointment of thesis committee form when it is submitted to the Division of Graduate Affairs.

Your submitted thesis needs to be well written, stylistically appropriate, and edited. Your thesis committee is unlikely to approve your thesis (by signing the cover sheet) until it meets those standards. Dissertations and theses should be fully formatted as described above prior to their submission for review. As stated in the Bulletin of the Graduate Division under "Thesis Submission," manuscripts deemed unready for submission (those with "gross deficiencies of format or presentation") will be rejected at the time of submission for review, and returned to the student. The Rejection Form lists the criteria for rejection. When a thesis is rejected, the names of the thesis chair and graduate adviser will be listed at the bottom of the form and both will receive copies; a copy will also be placed in your file with MP.

If, because of rejection, you cannot meet the original semester's deadline for the Avoid Re-enrollment in 799B, you will be required to re-enroll in Dissertation/Thesis 899/799.

Restricted Use of Thesis Request - Embargo

On rare occasions, and to protect potential copyrights or patents, thesis accessibility can be restricted on a short-term basis.

Library & Information Access will restrict the use of a thesis or project if the author and the chair of the thesis committee request such action and the Graduate Dean approves. The purpose of the restriction is to protect the author's right to publish or otherwise exploit the new knowledge before making it available to others.

The display of a thesis, dissertation, or project may be embargoed for a period of up to two years upon written request of the student and consent of the Dean of the Graduate Division. In the case of Joint Doctoral degrees, students must notify both schools and comply with each school's policies.

To designate restricted use of a thesis, the author and the thesis committee chair should send a memorandum requesting restricted use to the Dean of the Graduate Division. If the dean approves, a signed copy of the request with approval is provided to Montezuma Publishing at the time of thesis submission. The embargo must be supplied to Montezuma Publishing before the thesis formatting is approved and publication fees are paid. The request is then sent to the Monograph Cataloging Unit, who in turn will withhold from use all copies of the restricted thesis when they are received in the Library & Information Access.

The author's memorandum to the Dean of the Graduate Division requesting restricted use of a thesis should state the following:

• The reason of the request
• THe period of restriction (up to two years)
• The author's address and telephone number. These will be used by the University's achrival librarian in requesting poermission for a reader to consult, borrow, or copy the thesis during the period of restriction. Authors may request a renewal of the restriction period for a second year by sending a memorandum to the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division specifying the reason for the renewal.

Authors may request a renewal of the restriction period for a second year by sending a memorandum to the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate Division specifying the reason for the renewal.

How hard is it to format my thesis myself?

That depends on the complexity of your work. You must be familiar with your department reference style, the SDSU formatting rules, and be an adept Microsoft Word user with regard to the Thesis Template (i.e., you must know how to import your document into the template, apply/remove template styles, change page orientation without losing proper pagination placement, generate a table of contents, work with different types of page breaks, etc.).

I am going to format my thesis myself. How much time should I set aside for this process?

In general, you should plan to spend a minimum of two weeks formatting your thesis. You will need time to:

• Learn how to apply the SDSU formatting rules
• Understand how the Thesis Template works along with the embedded formatting styles
• Do the actual formatting
• Proofread and edit your thesis.

What are the top mistakes people make when formatting their theses?

• Sources on the reference page are not cited in the text, or vice versa
• References are incomplete or do not follow department-required style
• Student's name doesn't match what is on record with the university
• Name of degree, professor's names and/or department names are misspelled or incorrect
• Page numbers are missing or incorrect
• Line items do not match what is given in text
• Page numbers are either missing, out of order, or placed on the page incorrectly
• Not numbered correctly
• Missing captions (figures) or titles (tables)
• Lines or pages are broken in odd places
• Block quotations and/or enumerated lists are not formatted correctly
• The template is altered which affects the entire document in adverse ways

Do you have any information on the Chicago Author-Number System?

Yes. Information can be found here: Chicago Author-Number System .

Whose name should I put on my copyright page: My name or my professor's name?

You need to have your name on the copyright page in the same manner as it is on the title and signature pages. For more information on publication rights, please see the Copyright Policy .

What are the deadlines this semester and can you explain what they are?

See the Thesis Deadlines page ; it contains a list of deadlines for this semester with explanations of each of deadline.

Do we need to take the Submission Deadline seriously?

YES! Never count on graduating if you submit after that deadline.

What are my chances for having my thesis reviewed in time to graduate this semester if I submit it after the submission deadline?

Your chances of having your thesis reviewed after the submission deadline depend on how many theses have been submitted ahead of yours. Additionally, if your thesis is reviewed and returned to you with needed corrections, this will decrease your chances of graduating on-time as your work will need to be revised and reviewed again.

You can increase your chances of getting your thesis approved by using the thesis template and following the SDSU formatting rules precisely or by using Montezuma Publishing.

Do you have any idea how many people will be submitting their theses this semester?

On average, between 100 and 200 students submit their thesis EACH semester. Using the Spring 2022 semester as an example, please note the following statistics:

• Total theses submitted: 156
• Total submitted before the submission deadline: 44
• Total submitted during the at risk timeframe: 73
• Total submitted after publication deadline: 39
• Total studetns that met the Publication Deadline: 118

Does the signature page need to be on special paper (100% cotton or other acid-free paper)?

No. Although an original signature page is required at the time of submission, a scanned and re-printed copy will be bound with your manuscript.

Ink Color: One of my professors signed in blue ink. Will I have to get a new signature page signed?

Black ink is strongly recommended, but blue ink is acceptable as long as the signature is dark enough to be clearly read.

If I use the signature page provided in the Thesis Template, will everything be automatically formatted correctly?

No. The page is formatted for you, but you must type in your name and thesis title correctly as well as your faculty member's names and their department names correctly. Also, the order in which the faculty names appear must be correct and in the same order as on the Thesis Committee Form.

What if my professors sign different signature pages? Do all the signatures need to be on one page?

No. Once your thesis has been approved through Montezuma Publishing, the reviewer will transfer signatures onto one page and create a digital copy. Each signature can be on a separate page if it's easier for you to get it signed that way.

What happens after I submit my thesis?

After your thesis is submitted, it will be put in line to be reviewed in order of submission. If the thesis passes review, it will proceed to the publishing phase. If it does not pass, the thesis will be returned to you with comments regarding revisions that are necessary to bring the work into compliance with the University's formatting rules. You will then need to resubmit your thesis once you complete your revisions, beginning the review process again. See the Review Procedures section for more information.

I am using Montezuma Formatting to format my thesis. What can I do to speed up the process to make sure I graduate on time?

• Don't delay and plan ahead. Finish your thesis and get committee approval as soon as possible to provide enough time for formatting and approval – it often takes longer than you think. Waiting two to three weeks before the final deadline to submit your thesis will put your graduation at risk.
• References cited in-text must be cited on the reference page and vice versa
• Provide all information for each reference (e.g., author names, titles, publication year, publisher name, page numbers, etc.) – you can never provide too much information. You can use the Bibliography Form as a guide.
• Make sure each figure has a caption and each table and appendix has a title.

Document formatting pertains to how the document appears on the page as well as in-text citations and reference department requirements. This includes things like margins, font size, line spacing, etc. Formatting does not involve making changes to the content of the document or correcting typos. Editing involves reading the thesis to correct improper spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and readability. Editing needs to be completed prior to formatting.

Montezuma Formatting offers an optional thesis and dissertation formatting service. We are here to assist you if you do not want to complete the formatting yourself or a freelance formatter is not available. This service is in demand so we do implement a cut-off date for accepting orders to be completed during the current semester. This cut-off date is typically near the Submission Deadline. Our formatting turnaround time depends on the length and complexity of your document, your response time when a correction email is necessary, and the time of the semester that you hire us. Formatting orders placed near the Submission Deadline may take more time to complete as we receive an influx of orders at that time. If we accept your order for the current semester, we will have it formatted and approved in time for you to make your final payments on or before the Publication Deadline. Be sure to respond to any correspondence emails that are sent to you as quickly as possible so we can approve your document formatting in time for you to make the required publishing payments on or before the Publication Deadline.

How to Begin

Note: You must be enrolled in Thesis 799A or 799B, or Dissertation 899 at SDSU at the time of your initial document submission before Montezuma Formatting will accept your manuscript for formatting.

To submit for formatting, please supply your signed signature page(s), RED ID, and thesis or dissertation Microsoft Word file in one email to [email protected] . Upon receipt of these documents, we will verify your enrollment in 799 and create a record for you in our system. You will then receive an email with instructions on how to make payments in person or by phone.

We cannot format your document from a PDF, Google Doc, or LaTex template file. We are only able to use Microsoft Word.

A 50% formatting deposit is due at the time of submission. The remaining balance is due after the formatting is approved and the final page count is determined.

Format Pricing

$3.00 per page*

We do not offer partial formatting. We charge for the entire document from the first page to the last. This includes appendices.

$50.00 non-refundable fee will be subtracted from deposit if formatting is canceled.

*Price includes a PDF file of your formatted thesis.

When you hire us to format your thesis or dissertation, we will ensure your document meets the San Diego State University Formatting Guidelines . In addition to meeting the SDSU Formatting Guidelines, we will exceed these standards at no additional charge, providing you with a consistent and professional document.

It is important to note that unless you specifically request an exception before you make your formatting deposit Montezuma Formatting will use:

• 1.5 line spacing
• Times New Roman 12pt font
• Left alignment
• Your department’s preferred reference style for all bibliographic entries, in-text citations, and for other items (like enumerated lists) not covered by the SDSU Formatting Guidelines
• Your department’s preferred text format (chapter, section, or technical style)
• The SDSU Template style for preliminary pages, including the Table of Contents, List of Tables, and List of Figures
• The SDSU Template style for all chapter labels and subsection headings
• The SDSU Template style for equations
• 12 pts above and 18 pts below offset spacing for Tables and Figures

Let us know upfront if there are any special considerations (e.g., oversized pages, maps, landscape pages needed, etc.).

While Montezuma Formatting does work with your document beyond the SDSU formatting requirements, we do not edit for content or grammar unless you have paid for this additional service. Furthermore, once the formatting process has begun, we will not make any grammatical or content changes to your document or accept a new document from you with grammatical or content changes. If you need assistance editing your document, be sure to consult an editor before submitting your file to us.

We format theses and dissertations in the order received; however, the length of time it takes to format your document will depend primarily on its length, complexity, and your response time when a correction email is necessary. If we accept your document for formatting for the current semester, it will be completed in time to meet the Publication Deadline (provided you respond to all correspondence in a timely manner). The average order is completed within 2 months. In some cases it may take longer but will not exceed the Publication Deadline for the semester that you hire us for. If questions arise during the formatting of your document, the formatter assigned to you will send you an email requesting assistance. It is important that you respond as quickly as possible to maintain priority status. Failure to respond may put your graduation at risk.

Completed Formatting

Once we are done formatting your document, it will be placed in line for internal review. Once the formatting is approved, we will contact you to arrange for payment of the formatting balance ($3 per page) and publishing costs ($45 + any required department copies). See the Publishing section for more details.

Editing Pricing

*$3.00 per page (250 words = 1 page)

50% deposit is required at the time of initial order

Editing/Formatting Pricing: $6 per page**

*Editing page count only includes the body of your thesis/dissertation. This does not include preliminary pages, references, figures, or tables.

**Price includes a PDF file of your formatted thesis/dissertation.

Editing Standards

Thye editor will check for the following:

• Punctuation
• Effective use of language
• Dissertations will be edited to follow APA format

The time it takes to complete the editing of your file will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Variables such as document length, the number of edits required, response rate, and your date of submission will affect this timeline. If your defense is after the Submission Deadline, it may impact your ability to graduate during the current semester.

Michael Cook SJSU Graduate Publishing Lead

Bridget Cole SDSU Graduate Publishing Lead

Gabriela Calvo Front Office Assistant

Karalyne Porter Assistant Manager

Steve Murawka Production Manager

Lia Dearborn General Manager

Kathy Brown Division of Campus Stores Director

Phone: (619) 594-7551

Email: [email protected]

Mail: Montezuma Publishing San Diego State University San Diego, CA 92182-1701

In person: Education Building, ED-107 Thesis orders are accepted 9:00am - 3:45pm, Monday through Friday.

Other Websites

Graduate Division

Graduate Division – Doctoral Program

LaTeX website

LaTeX Wikibook

Thesis Companion Guide

Review Checklist

Department Guidelines

Learn how to insert an existing thesis into the template

Learn how to generate a TOC automatically

Chicago Author-Number system

SDSU Thesis Template

SDSU Thesis Template for Landscape Pages

SDSU Thesis Signature Page Template with 3 Committee Members

SDSU Thesis Signature Page Template with 4 Committee Members

SDSU Thesis Signature Page Template with 5 Committee Members

Thesis orders are accepted Monday through Friday, 9:00am - 3:45pm.

Note: When using the SDSU Thesis Template with Word 2013 or later, you must save your file in the Word 97-2003 Document file type. Failure to do so will create errors in your document.

Documents in Word format (DOC) require Microsoft Viewer. Download Word .

Graduate Research Hub

• Preparing my thesis

Incorporating your published work in your thesis

A streamlined procedure has been approved for obtaining co-author authorisation.  You now only need to provide a Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form for the inclusion of in progress or published material in the thesis, that is completed by your Principal Supervisor and the Coordinating Author.

Accepted statuses for publications

• Unpublished material not submitted for publication
• Submitted for publication to [publication name] on [date]
• In revision following peer review by [publication name]
• Accepted for publication by [publication name] on [date]
• Published by [publication name] on [date]

You may include in progress or published material written during your enrolment upon approval from your advisory committee, as part of your thesis, by having either:

• “included publications", in which your publications are included as components that are distinct from the rest of the thesis, in the format described below; or
• “included material” that is drawn from your publications and combined with text that is otherwise written specifically for the thesis.

In this page we refer to both these kinds of inclusion of published work as “incorporated publications”; the first format, where the publications are included as distinct components, is also known as “thesis with publications”.

The  Graduate Research Training Policy (section 4.65) outlines what can be included in the thesis. Your thesis must include a literature review that clearly details the research questions and a general discussion that integrates the work and places the publications into the context of the research question.

You may have to supplement the incorporated publications with additional methods sections as they are often abbreviated in published articles. You are also encouraged to include any data and discussion that was omitted from the article as an addendum in the thesis. Where a publication is included as a distinct component, you are also encouraged to include a critical reflection on the work, which could, for example, acknowledge or address limitations or impacts of the work that have appeared since publication.

When submitting your thesis, you will be required to confirm that:

(a) the work in the incorporated publications is your own, and (b) that any co-authors give permission for the article to be included in the thesis.

To do this, you must complete the  Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form.  You will need to submit a completed form for each in progress or published work included in your thesis.

Your principal supervisor must sign the Declaration form for each publication.  Where there is more than one author of a publication, at least one co-author by agreement amongst the authors, should be nominated as the coordinating author (also known as corresponding author), as defined in the University’s Authorship Policy . The coordinating author is responsible for communication between the publishers and managing communication between the co-authors. The coordinating author must maintain records of any authorship agreement.  The coordinating author must also sign the Declaration form.

You must upload all completed Declaration forms as a single combined file to the Thesis Examination System when submitting your thesis for examination.  The signed forms should not be included in the thesis itself. Plan well ahead to obtain the required signatures to avoid delays to your examination.

Don’t forget to include your ORCID when submitting your work to publishers, conference organisers, etc.  This will help you to distinguish your research activities and outputs, and make sure you get credit for your work throughout your career.

The Preface

As detailed in the  Preparation of Graduate Research Theses rules , your preface should outline:

• the publication status of any incorporated publications
• your contribution to any incorporated publications
• any work carried out in collaboration with others
• editorial assistance received
• parts of the work completed outside of your candidature.

There is no prescribed format for a preface; you may wish to include a written description or a table outlining the tasks performed by others and the proportion of the contribution as a percentage.

Usually this means you will have written the initial draft and you performed any subsequent editing in response to co-authors' and editors' reviews.

As specified in the Graduate Research Training Policy , your principal supervisor and coordinating author must declare that:

(a) you are the primary author of the included material, and

(b) you contributed more than 50% of the work towards the publication.

No. You need to have contributed more than 50 per cent for it to be included. You could, however, include this paper as an appendix.

Yes. It is understood that portions of the thesis that have been published or accepted for publication will have been through an editorial process. Such editorial changes should be explicitly acknowledged.

Refer to the Authorship page for information about the requirements and responsible practice.

Format of the thesis

When including complete publications, you should use the author accepted manuscripts of articles that have been accepted or published. This is the final draft as accepted by the publishers, including any changes based on referees’ suggestions before it has undergone copy-editing, typesetting and proofing. If you are certain you will not breach your agreement with your publisher, you may include the published version in your thesis.

If you are using your author accepted manuscript, while some journals request that the version you send them includes any figures or tables at the end of the submitted document, when you reproduce the article in your thesis you should place them where they logically flow within the text. It is also recommended that you use similar formatting (e.g. line spacing, font type and size) as the rest of the thesis.

You can view suggested formats for arranging the chapters of a thesis that includes publications as distinct components here . See also example theses in the University of Melbourne repository.

In most cases it is preferred that you include a separate literature survey.  Even with the literature reviews included in your publications you may find you still need to add further supplementary material if the publications do not directly address all the research questions you are trying to answer in your thesis.  Your supervisors and advisory committee are best able to advise you whether the literature reviews included in your incorporated publications will meet disciplinary expectations and satisfy your examiners that you: - Have clearly detailed your research question/s and how they integrate with the current literature - Have demonstrated sufficient familiarity with, and understanding and critical appraisal of the relevant literature.

No. The policy allows the thesis to be submitted with publications, it is not a thesis by publication. You must include a literature review that clearly details the research question, and a concluding general discussion that integrates the work and places it into the context of the research questions. You should also introduce each publication that is included as a distinct component, explaining its role in the work, and, where appropriate, provide a critical reflection on its contribution.

Yes, but you must cite it correctly and indicate in the preface the source of the information (eg. that the text on page(s) xx is from [name of publication], or that chapter yy is adapted from [name of publication]. In each case you should give its publication status and your contribution to the publication). It will assist your examiners if, at the start of each chapter that includes work drawn from a publication, there is a footnote explaining where the work came from and how it has been used in the chapter. You may wish to include the entire publication as an appendix so that your examiners can see where the material came from.

• Theses which include publications in a “thesis with publications” style can typically be slightly shorter; for example the typical PhD length is 80,000 words, but a PhD including publications as distinct components has a typical length of 50,000-80,000 words).
• While the writing style may be more concise, there is no difference in the expected volume and requirements of work presented in theses with publications. The examination criteria remain the same whether or not publications are incorporated. Your examiners are asked to consider your thesis on its merits as an independent piece of research. Refer to the information available for examiners .
• Maximum limits apply to all theses.

If you are including the list of references as part of the publication they do not need to be repeated in the overall reference list/bibliography for the thesis.

Incorporated publications can be referenced via a footnote, but if references to them are included in the bibliography an examiner may be unsure as to whether the work was completed as part of the research.

No, but you may do so if you think that it will assist readers of your thesis.

It is up to you whether you update the publication style or not. Whatever you chose, you should acknowledge your choice in the Preface, stating the differences between the publication and thesis, due to the requirements of different publishers.

Yes. Revised and resubmitted theses are examined in their entirety and the inclusion of a new incorporated publication may strengthen your response to examiners.

In most cases you should include the latest version, up to the author accepted version and update the publication status in the preface. If your examiners request changes which conflict with the editorial or peer review advice you have since received from your publisher, you may choose to address this elsewhere in your thesis, or in your written response to the examiners’ reports.

Publication suitability

A work is suitable for inclusion if the research was conducted and the publication was in progress or published during your enrolment in your current degree. This includes:

You may need to supplement this with analysis of literature published between writing the article and submitting your thesis.

All methods need to be covered to a high degree of detail in your thesis.

• literature reviews where you are the primary author .
• systematic reviews of a research question as a results chapter.
• a protocol paper involving novel method development.
• material exploring key methodological issues .

No. Only work completed during your candidature can be included in the thesis. You can cite your earlier work just like you would any work that is relevant to your research. The work should be listed in the preface of your thesis.

Yes. You will need to clearly acknowledge in the preface that its status is ‘in progress’ or, that the paper has been published but not peer reviewed.

Completing the forms

Yes. You may wish to include the entire publication as an appendix so that your examiner can see where the information came from.

Yes. All sections of the form must be completed for any multi-authored material. The coordinating author is required to reassure that all co-authors have had an opportunity to agree to the inclusion of the material in the thesis and to the contribution declared on the form. The authorship agreement template is available here.

No. You can use the figure in your thesis without completing the form but you should acknowledge the origin of the figure in the preface and appropriately cite the publication in your thesis.

No. You should provide this evidence to your advisory committee when you are discussing the proposed format for your thesis. Your principal supervisor must sign the  Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form which confirms their agreement to the inclusion of any publication/s.  The coordinating author will need to sign the form for any multi-authored material.

You can use Adobe Acrobat's 'Combine Files' tool which will allow you to combine files of different filetypes into a PDF. Alternatively, you can open a PDF copy of a file and then use the 'Organise Pages' tool which will allow you to drag additional pages where you can then save it as a single file.

iThenticate report

You should run your whole thesis through iThenticate, including the chapters comprised wholly or partly of your published work.  You can then exclude the specific matching publication source/s that correspond to the publications you have included in your thesis in a “thesis with publications” style. This means that the thesis chapter or publication is reviewed against the other literature in the repository, but not matched to itself. You should only exclude matching sources that are articles which you have appropriately included.  You should outline and explain any filters and exclusions you applied in iThenticate in an accompanying declaration which you can also upload to TES.

You should not exclude publications from which you have included material (but not the complete publication), as the iThenticate report will then show where the material is present in the thesis, allowing your supervisors and Chair of Examiners to verify that it has been included appropriately.

Further information on the use of iThenticate can be found here: https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/funding-contracts-and-ethics/ethics-and-integrity/research-integrity/ithenticate-text-matching-tool

The examination

The criteria for examination remain the same whether or not publications are incorporated. See the Graduate Research Training Policy for more information. You can also view the information for examiners here: https://gradresearch.unimelb.edu.au/staff#examiner-information .

If the publication status of your article changes between submission for examination and submission of your final thesis, it is appropriate to include the most recent version (up to the author-accepted version). You should also update the preface to reflect the new status. If you are submitting a list of corrections for approval and/or resubmitting for re-examination you should also note this in your index of changes.

Examples of theses with publications

The following are theses available openly or with University of Melbourne log-in through the University of Melbourne repository that include publications as distinct components in a “thesis with publications” style.

Al Zein, Eza (2019). Taskscape: Caring for Migrant Materials . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/235841

Arundel, Jonathan Paul (2015) The spatio-temporal distribution of honey bees and floral resources in Australia . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/59612

Bamford, Nicholas James (2016) Relationships between diet, obesity and insulin dysregulation in horses and ponies. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/148423

Bibb, Jennifer Louise (2016) Musical recovery: the role of group singing in regaining healthy relationships with music to promote mental health recovery. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/124271

Burfurd, Ingrid Ellen (2018) Beliefs and learning in the laboratory: essays in experimental economics . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/219180

Fan, Yi (2019) Quantification of mandibular morphological changes in 3D . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/225588

Kriesner, Peter (2017) Wolbachia fitness benefits and symbiont interactions in Drosophila . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/207959

Mody, Fallon (2019) Doctors down under: European medical migrants in Victoria (Australia), 1930-60 .   http://hdl.handle.net/11343/221550

Nencini, Sara (2018) Tackling bone pain at the source: identifying and exploring new therapeutic targets . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/216858

Pan, Xuan (2018) Graphene quantum dot based electronic devices . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/222013

Seibt, Susanne (2018) In-situ investigations of molecular self-assembly using microfluidics. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/214671

Smith, Merryn (2018) Non-structural carbohydrate storage and use in eucalypt trees of south-east Australia. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/221163

Uddin, Shihab (2019) Functional aspects of root and leaf development in dryland crop water use under elevated CO2 .   http://hdl.handle.net/11343/219849

Vahedi, Andisheh (2018) The work-family interface and child mental health: longitudinal associations via family functioning across childhood. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/217236

Al Zein, Eza (2019) Taskscape: Caring for Migrant Materials .  http://hdl.handle.net/11343/235841

Schlichthorst, Marisa (2020)   Engaging men in conversations about masculinity and suicide – An evaluation of the Man Up social media campaign .   http://hdl.handle.net/11343/265962

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Published Dissertation or Thesis References

This page contains reference examples for published dissertations or theses.

Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer satisfaction at a fast food hamburger chain: The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Miranda, C. (2019). Exploring the lived experiences of foster youth who obtained graduate level degrees: Self-efficacy, resilience, and the impact on identity development (Publication No. 27542827) [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/2309521814.html?FMT=AI

Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016). The interaction of state and trait worry on response monitoring in those with worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms [Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona]. UA Campus Repository. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/620615

• Parenthetical citations : (Kabir, 2016; Miranda, 2019; Zambrano-Vazquez, 2016)
• Narrative citations : Kabir (2016), Miranda (2019), and Zambrano-Vazquez (2016)
• A dissertation or thesis is considered published when it is available from a database such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global or PDQT Open, an institutional repository, or an archive.
• If the database assigns publication numbers to dissertations and theses, include the publication number in parentheses after the title of the dissertation or thesis without italics.
• Include the description “Doctoral dissertation” or “Master’s thesis” followed by a comma and the name of the institution that awarded the degree. Place this information in square brackets after the dissertation or thesis title and any publication number.
• In the source element of the reference, provide the name of the database, repository, or archive.
• The same format can be adapted for other published theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate (e.g., “Undergraduate honors thesis”).
• Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis if the URL will resolve for readers (as shown in the Miranda and Zambrano-Vazquez examples).
• If the database or archive requires users to log in before they can view the dissertation or thesis, meaning the URL will not work for readers, end the reference with the database name (as in the Kabir example).

Published dissertation or thesis references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.6 and the Concise Guide Section 10.5

• Publication Process

How to Write a Journal Article from a Thesis

• 3 minute read
• 215.4K views

Table of Contents

You are almost done with your PhD thesis and want to convert it into a journal article. Or, you’re initiating a career as a journal writer and intend to use your thesis as a starting point for an article. Whatever your situation, turning a thesis into a journal article is a logical step and a process that eventually every researcher completes. But…how to start?

The first thing to know about converting a thesis into a journal article is how different they are:

Thesis Characteristics:

• Meets academic requirements
• Reviewed by select committee members
• Contains chapters
• Lengthy, no word limits
• Table of contents
• Lengthy research of literature
• IRB approval described in detail
• Description and copies of tools used
• All findings presented
• Verb tenses may vary

Journal Article Characteristics:

• Meets journalistic standards
• Reviewed by a panel of “blind” reviewers
• Word limits
• Manuscript format
• Succinct research of literature
• IRB described in 1 to 3 sentences
• Essential and succinct tool information
• Selected findings presented
• Verb tenses are fairly consistent

Converting your thesis to a journal article may be complex, but it’s not impossible.

A thesis is a document of academic nature, so it’s more detailed in content. A journal article, however, is shorter, highlighting key points in a more succinct format. Adapting a thesis for conversion into a journal article is a time-consuming and intricate process that can take you away from other important work. In that case, Elsevier’s Language Editing services may help you focus on important matters and provide a high-quality text for submission in no time at all.

If you are going to convert a thesis into a journal article, with or without professional help, here is a list of some of the steps you will likely have to go through:

1. Identify the best journal for your work

• Ensure that your article is within the journal’s aim and scope. How to find the right journal? Find out more .
• Check the journal’s recommended structure and reference style

2. Shorten the length of your thesis

• Treat your thesis as a separate work
• Paraphrase but do not distort meaning
• Select and repurpose parts of your thesis

3. Reformat the introduction as an abstract

• Shorten the introduction to 100-150 words, but maintain key topics to hold the reader’s attention.
• Use the introduction and discussion as basis for the abstract

4. Modify the introduction

• If your thesis has more than one research question or hypothesis, which are not all relevant for your paper, consider combining your research questions or focusing on just one for the article
• Use previously published papers (at least three) from the target journal as examples

5. Tighten the methods section

• Keep the discussion about your research approach short

6. Report main findings in the results

• Expose your main findings in the results section in concise statements

7. Discussion must be clear and concise

• Begin by providing an interpretation of your results: “What is it that we have learned from your research?”
• Situate the findings to the literature
• Discuss how your findings expand known or previous perspectives
• Briefly present ways in which future studies can build upon your work and address limitations in your study

8. Limit the number of references

• To choose the most relevant and recent
• To format them correctly
• Consider using a reference manager system (e.g. Mendeley ) to make your life easier

If you are not a proficient English speaker, the task of converting a thesis into a journal article might make it even more difficult. At Elsevier’s Language Editing services we ensure that your manuscript is written in correct scientific English before submission. Our professional proofers and editors check your manuscript in detail, taking your text as our own and with the guarantee of maximum text quality.

Language editing services by Elsevier Author Services:

• Research Process

How to Choose a Journal to Submit an Article

• Publication Recognition

How to Submit a Paper for Publication in a Journal

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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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