Guidelines for Preparation of Your Thesis or Dissertation

UAF Graduate School

Laura Bender, Manager x7319

Juan Goula, Coordinator x5960

Shelly Baumann, Coordinator x7464

gradschool@uaf.edu

http://www.uaf.edu/gradsch

Who Writes a Thesis/Dissertation A dissertation is required of all Ph.D. candidates.

A thesis is required in many Master’s programs Students doing a “Project” do not need to follow

thesis format guidelines. See department for project format guidelines.

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Thesis/Dissertation Formatting Workshop

This workshop helps ensure compliance with UAF Thesis Format Handbook (August 2008)

Most formatting errors can be easily avoided by carefully reviewing the UAF Thesis Format Handbook (August 2008)

Most, but not all, formatting issues are addressed in this workshop. Direct further questions/comments to the UAF Graduate School

The Basics Paper:

– 16-24 pound weight, 75%-100% “rag” or “cotton”, acid-free, watermarked, 81/2 x11 paper for your “library copy”

– Only 1 library copy needs to be on “thesis” paper– Standard “copier” paper for all other copies

Fonts, Font Size, and Font Variations:

Consistent font and font size for all text (including page numbers)– Font size that is no less than 10 and no more than

12

Font Variations and Spacing

Are you using…– Underlining, bolding, or italics? If so, use them

sparingly, consistently or, preferably, not at all.

Spacing: Is the vertical spacing of your text…– Consistently either 1.5 or 2?

• Figure/table captions, footnotes, etc. may be single-spaced

Margins Consistency is the key!

– Margins must be a minimum of 1 1/2 inches (left), 1 1/2 inches (top), 1 inch (right), and 1 inch (bottom)

“Widows and Orphans” – Avoid these by using using “Widow and

Orphan Control” in Word– Insert manual page breaks, if necessary,

in the final version

Things to watch for– Number every page (except for the“Signature” and

“Title” pages)– Assign lower case Roman numerals to all

“preliminary pages” (starting with the Abstract page as “iii”)

– Assign Arabic numerals to all text pages (starting with “1”)

– Place page numbers, so that the upper and right edges are a minimum of 1 inch from the from the top and right edges of the page

Page Numbering

Signature Page

Title must be in CAPS and double spaced

No degree listed with your name

Exact number of lines and committee members

Titles must be EXACT All signatures must be

original, no exceptions or substitutes

Margins must be within limits, 1” on bottom and right, 1.5” on top and left

TITLE OF THESIS

By

Lynn Roberts Smith

RECOMMENDED:

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________Advisory Committee Chair

__________________________________Chair, Department of XXX (or) Head, Program in XXX

APPROVED:

____________________________ Dean, name of College/School

____________________________________Dean of the Graduate School

Date

Common Formatting Mistakes For the Signature Page

– Numbering your signature page “i.” This is incorrect. There is no number physically printed on either the signature or title pages (although both pages are included in the Roman numeral counting and have page numbers listed in the Table of Contents).

– Text should be centered within the page margins (i.e., 1.5 inches left/top, 1.0 inch bottom/right, etc.)

– You should have the EXACT number of signature lines for your committee chair and committee members. No blank lines allowed.

– The outside examiner does not sign the signature page.– The original signature page must have all the original signatures, except the

signature of the Graduate Dean, before turning into the Graduate School.– Titles of persons signing must be correct.– Only the Graduate School Dean dates the signature page.

FAXED SIGNATURES ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

Title Page

Title should be in CAPS and double spaced

Degree being received should be written out, not abbreviated

Name should agree with name being written on diploma

All previous degrees should be listed, no repeats

Location will always be Fairbanks, Alaska

Date will be May, August or December

No comma between month and year

A HISTORY OF PUBLIC AND PRIVA TE SCHOOLS

IN ALASKA

A

THESIS

Presented to the Faculty

of the University of Alaska Fairbanks

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

By

Lynn Roberts Smith, B.A.

Fairbanks, Alaska

August 2006

Common Formatting Mistakes For the Title Page

– Having a page number on Title Page. This is incorrect. There is no number physically printed on either the signature or title pages (although both pages are included in the Roman numeral counting and listed with a page number in the Table of Contents).

– Text should be centered within the page margins (i.e., 1.5 inches left/top, 1.0 inch bottom/right, etc.)

– Correct thesis title! Don’t abbreviate or use acronyms, except in a very few cases where they would be universally understood.

– Correct degree title, not abbreviated: Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Fine Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, etc.

– Correct month/year of graduation (December 2008) Note: there is no comma between month and year.

– Text should be evenly spaced or “balanced” on the page

Common Formatting MistakesFor The Abstract Page

– Pagination: This is the first page that has its number printed (Roman numeral “iii”)

– Correct page margins – Maximum length for Masters thesis is 200

words (unless microfilming is desired, then it is 150 words)

– Maximum length for a Ph.D. dissertation is 350 words

Table of Contents Word “Page” above column of

page numbers Leader dots Left & right justified Include all chapters and

sections (at all levels) Each title in the TOC must

match the title in the text EXACTLY

If only one Appendix, list it in TOC without title. If there are multiple appendices, use “List of Appendices”

Common Formatting Mistakes For Table of Contents

– Correct page margins/pagination– “Leader dots” are preferred (no “dashes”) and should extend completely and

consistently to the page number– Page numbers on right-hand side should be “justified” – Each title in the Table of Contents must match the title in the text EXACTLY– The Table of Contents must be spaced in the same manner as the text.– If TABLE OF CONTENTS is more than one page, subsequent pages start at

1 1/2 inches from the top– The word “Page” should be repeated above the right-hand listing of page

numbers– Signature page, title page and Table of Contents must be listed in the Table

of Contents

Common Formatting Mistakes for List of Figures/List of Tables:

– “Leader dots” are preferred (no “dashes”) and should extend completely and consistently to the page number

– Page numbers on right-hand side should be “justified”

– If List of Figures or :List of Tables is more than one page, subsequent pages start at 11/2 inches from the top

– Titles in the text and in the List of Figures and List of Tables must match EXACTLY

– Both the List of Figures and List of Tables must be spaced in the same manner as the text. However, if a second line if required for the title, it can be single-spaced

Figure Example

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

EastWestNorth

Anything that is not a Table is considered a Figure.

Figure captions must appear BELOW the Figure.

All writing in figures should be at least 6 pt., legible, and reproducible. If possible use the same font size as in the text. Small fonts are used only when there isn’t room for a larger one.

Page numbering must be the same orientation and location on all pages including landscape oriented pages.

Color figures are permitted. However, if you are intending to publish, many journals charge a high price for color figures.

Figure 1.13 Plot of Regional Earnings in 1993. This shows the net income in the Orange Flavored Cracker market in the year of the Great Citrus.

Table Example Table captions must appear

ABOVE the table. Table text font and size should

be consistent with the text. Each table and figure should

have 8-10 word title. Tables, Figures and captions

must be within the margins. Color is permitted in tables, but

use only as necessary for clarity.

Landscape figures and tables must be oriented so the top is on the left-hand side of the page. The page number must be in the normal position on the top right.

Arrowheads

Bones

Gems

Mon 7 42 0

Wed 20 57 1

Fri 25 0 0

Sun 5 35 5

Table 2.1 Artifacts Collected at the Black River Site Feb. 19-25, 2006. These artifacts were collected in the third week of a study by the special method of collection and a big group of people.

Landscape Example

Page number is 1” from top & 1” from right edge.

It appears the same as if the page was oriented in portrait view.

Text of thesis:– Consistent heading format. Capitalization, use of bold, italics, or

underlining must be consistent for a particular level of heading or subheading throughout a monograph and within each chapter (consistent with journal requirements) for the manuscript format

– Consistent indentation/spacing at the beginning of paragraphs

– Figures and Tables must be numbered in order of appearance in the text. Imbedded Figures and Tables should be placed within a page of their first mention (i.e., on the same page or on the following page)

Common Formatting Mistakes

Text of thesis (cont’d): – Define all abbreviations and acronyms the first time they

appear in the text, except for those which are generally understood by almost everyone. (DNA; US; standard abbreviations for units like g, ATM, L, or m; and standard abbreviations for states like AK are examples that do not need to be defined)

– The numbers one to ten should be written out, unless the number is a value with associated units (e.g., 1 g or 1 gram, not one gram, but “one large beaker was used to collect the sample” not “1 large beaker was used…”)

– Spell-check AND proofread, carefully. Use U.S. English spelling, unless the intended journal requires British

– “Data” is plural, “datum” is singular; “criteria” is plural, “criterion” is singular. “Affect” is a verb, “Effect” is a noun

Common Formatting Mistakes (cont’d)

Common Formatting Mistakes (cont’d)

Quotes:

– Quotations over three lines must be typed block style with indentation and no quotation marks or in the style appropriate to the field, and must be spaced consistent with the

body of the text

Common Formatting Mistakes (cont’d)

REFERENCES:

– Use a heading (e.g., REFERENCES, LIST OF REFERENCES, LITERATURE CITED, etc.) consistent with the style manual applicable to your discipline

– Avoid splitting entries between pages. These must be kept together on the same page

– Keep your references in alphabetical order– References should be single-spaced within an entry and

must be double-spaced between entries– List your reference section(s) in the Table of Contents– DOUBLE and TRIPLE check that the references you

have cited are listed in the reference section and cited correctly.

Monograph vs. ManuscriptHow to Choose If you intend to publish your thesis as two or

more separate papers, the manuscript format is highly recommended. It is not necessary that the manuscripts be accepted or published already.

In the manuscript format, material that does not “fit” in one of the manuscripts may be included in Appendices.

The monographic format is fine for relatively short Master’s theses, especially if they are not intended for publication.

You may use the monographic format for Ph.D. dissertations, but you will have a lot of extra work to prepare publishable manuscripts.

Manuscript

Authorship – You must be first author on each manuscript included in thesis. You

must include a footnote to the chapter title indicating authors and name of journal.

Arrangement of Pages– See page 25, Thesis Format Workbook

Abstract– Chapters can have separate abstracts in addition to the required

general abstract.

Figures, Tables, References, and Appendices– References and appendices for each manuscript appear at the end

of that manuscript (chapter).

Manuscript (cont.)

DO NOT photocopy the published paper out of the journal and include the copy in your thesis (nor can you just bind in a reprint). Rather, you must print it anew, in a font and style consistent with the rest of the thesis

Names and addresses required for journals SHOULD NOT appear in the text of your thesis at the beginning of each chapter.

Example of Authorship for Manuscript Format

Monograph

AuthorshipA thesis written in collaboration w/others must include a statement in the

Acknowledgements clearly stating who contributed to the research and writing.

Arrangement of Pages– See page 13, Thesis Format Workbook

Abstract– Only ONE general abstract

Figures, Tables, References, and Appendices– Figures and Tables must be imbedded. References and Appendices must

be placed at the end of the Thesis (not after each chapter).

General Information Copyrighted Material within your thesis:

– Obtain written, “hard copy” permission from holders of copyrighted material you wish to use in your thesis. This is mandatory.

– “Hard copy” permission can come in the form of a letter, e-mail, etc and must be included somewhere (appendix is fine) in the thesis.

IRB/IACUC/Biosafety, etc.– Approvals must be included in the thesis.

General InformationCopyrighting your thesis:

– The University retains the right to reproduce or display your thesis for educational purposes

– You can, if you desire, formally apply for copyright directly to the U.S. Copyright Office, or you can authorize University Microfilms International (UMI) to apply for a copyright in your name. This requires an additional fee as noted on the Thesis Submittal Form

General Information (Cont.)

Microfilming Is required for Ph.D. dissertations. The Ph.D. student pays

the fee to cover the cost Is optional for M.S. student

Delayed Publication Can delay the binding up to one year

Fold-out Pages The fold of fold-out pages must be at least 1/4”

inside the right margin so the pages don’t get cut off!

Now that you have the thesis written………

Defend your thesis and turn in your “Report on Thesis/Dissertation Defense” form– If you are a Ph.D. student, you must request

an “Outside Examiner” from the UAF Graduate School

Have your thesis reviewed by your committee, Dept. Chair and Dean (be aware of their deadlines)

Have them sign the signature page (1 copy must be on thesis paper)

Steps to turning in your thesis/dissertation (All students):

Turn into the Graduate School by the

appropriate deadline:1) Thesis Submittal Form

2) Receipt for payment

3 ) One copy of thesis on regular paper

4) All original signature pages

5) An electronic copy (must be searchable e.g. .pdf

or .doc)

Ph.D. Students also need to turn in:

• SED Survey

• Microfilm document

• 50-word abstract

Thesis Submittal Form

Fill out Thesis Submittal Form

Pay for binding at UAF Business Office

Attach yellow receipt and any JV’s

Maximum of 10 copies (including 2 library copies)– If you are a Ph.D. candidate

the Graduate School pays for the 2 library copies

What Happens Next? The Graduate School does a “format check”

on your thesis You will receive an email stating the changes

that need to be made You have one week from receipt of the email

to make the necessary changes and to submit the corrected thesis and the correct number of copies that you paid to have bound.

We keep the signed signature pages in our office and we will make the correct number of copies (if there are not enough originals) and insert them into your copies to be bound.

What Happens Next Continued… The Graduate School checks to make sure all the required corrections

are made. Copies to be bound are boxed up and sent to the Rasmuson Library

(who sends the thesis out of state to be bound) A “Final Clearance” form is sent to the Graduation Department stating

that all required paperwork and theses have been received. The Graduation Department certifies your requirements have been met

for graduation. Thesis (699) Grades

– All Thesis grades (699) should currently appear “DF”– Grades will only be changed when the Graduate School receives your final

thesis copies for binding and a “Final Clearance” is issued to the Graduation Department.

YOU GRADUATE!

Questions?

Please fill out and Evaluation form.

Thank you for attending!

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