A thesis or dissertation manuscript has three basic parts: the preliminary pages, the text itself, and the material following the text (bibliography and appendices). The manuscript must be arranged in the order below, even if this order differs from the one specified in your style manual. Templates of these pages and a final checklist are available in Chapter VI.

Preliminary Pages

The pages that come before the text or body of the manuscript are called preliminary pages. These must be modeled after the examples shown at the end of this Handbook.

Title Page

The title must be in all caps and should accurately and concisely describe your topic. Avoid vague beginnings, such as "A Study of…" or "A Report on the Development of…" Do not use abbreviations or acronyms in titles. The date on the title page should be the month and year in which the degree is to be granted.

Copyright Page

Copyrighting your thesis or dissertation is optional. If included, the copyright page follows the title page and is not numbered. Copyright information is available from the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20559, or in the Government Documents section of the library. Copyrighting is also available through ProQuest Information and Learning.

Abstract

The abstract is an essential part of your thesis or dissertation: other scholars will read it to determine whether your manuscript will be helpful to their own research. It must be clear, informative, and concise. The abstract may not exceed 350 words (approximately 1-1/2 pages double-spaced). It is the first numbered page: use a lowercase Roman numeral in the top right corner, "ii" if there is no copyright page and "iii" if there is one. The advisor's name (e.g., "Mary E. Smith, Advisor") must appear between the page heading and the text.

Since the abstract describes a completed study, it is ordinarily written in the past tense, using the third person. It should include the following:

1. Statement of Problem: A brief statement of the study's specific objective.
2. Methods and Procedures: A brief statement of the research plan and, if appropriate, of the methods employed, especially if the methods are essential to the interpretation of the results.
3. Results: A summary of the major results obtained. In quantitative research, the basic statistical techniques which were applied to the data should be stated.
4. Conclusions: The major conclusions derived from the research study, including interpretation of results, basic implications, deductions, etc.

Consult Dissertation Abstracts International for examples appropriate to your discipline. Keep in mind that scholars reading the abstract in DAI will have no context for in-text citations, so avoid these if at all possible.

Frontispiece

Some students choose to personalize their manuscripts with an appropriate quotation or illustration.

Dedication

A dedication page is optional.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments serve as a means to recognize and express appreciation to the people who were influential in preparing and completing the manuscript. The Graduate College strongly recommends including an Acknowledgments page, but does not mandate it.

Table of Contents

A Table of Contents is mandatory. It must list all chapter/major section headings, the bibliography, and (if applicable) appendices; preliminary pages are not included. Entries are consistently double-spaced, without extra spaces between sections, and each successive level of subheading, if these are included, is block-indented by an additional half an inch. The headings of major sections (chapters, bibliography, appendices) are written in all capital letters. Table of Contents headings must be identical to those in the text, including spelling, wording, punctuation, and capitalization, but should not include word format such as italics or underlining, with the exception of Latin names and book/journal/film/play titles.

Page numbers listed in the Table of Contents must be right-justified. To do this, highlight the body of the typed Table of Contents and insert a right-tab just before the one-inch right margin. Then add a tab between the leader dots and the page number for each Table of Contents entry.

List of Tables, List of Figures. List of Illustrations, Etc.

If your manuscript contains three or more tables, figures, illustrations, etc., then these must be listed on separate pages following the Table of Contents, formatted as shown in the sample at the end of the Handbook. Word the headings exactly as they appear in the text.

Preface

A preface is optional. It is used to provide background information such as the motivation for the study and the purpose of the manuscript. If included, it is placed immediately before page 1 of the text.

The Text

With the exception of the basic formatting requirements described in FORMAT AND STYLE, below, there are no special formatting requirements for the body of the manuscript. Text should be more or less continuous, without excessive white space between sections or before/after illustrative materials.

Tables, Figures, Illustrations, Etc.

Many manuscripts contain tables, figures, and/or other illustrative materials. The term "Table" refers to data sets, while "figure" refers to graphs, diagrams, drawings, maps, photographs, or charts. All such items are to be inserted in the text near where they are first mentioned or placed together in an appendix at the end of the manuscript. If they are over 4-l/2" in height, including table title heading and any footnotes, they may be given a page of their own after the textual reference. Because of their size, many tables or figures require their placement on the page to be broadside. These should be printed with their tops against the left margin, and should fit within the Graduate College's required margins. (See FORMAT AND STYLE, below).

Tables, figures, etc., should include a heading, source, and any required footnotes or other explanations. Footnotes crediting an outside source should appear immediately below the table or figure. If a paragraph of explanation is required, it should be single-spaced and placed immediately below the table or figure; if there is insufficient room, put it on a separate page placed to face the table. Number the facing page at the top left-hand corner, instead of the normal top right corner. This is a cumbersome format and should be avoided if possible.

Illustrations, photographs, or other accompanying materials smaller than 8-1/2" x 11" must be firmly mounted (rubber cement or photographic dry-mounting tissue is best) on a full-size sheet of paper stiff enough to resist curling. Photographs and photostats may be made the full-page size, provided one inch is left free at the left for binding. Color plates or figures are permissible; however, keep in mind that colors often cause problems in photocopying.

Concluding Section

Bibliography/References

The bibliography or reference list includes all works cited in the text, as well as sources consulted during the preparation and writing of the manuscript but not actually cited. Dictionary entries are ordinarily not listed. The spacing, indentation style, information given, and arrangement of the works listed must follow the specifics given in your style manual. (The importance of consulting the style manual before compiling the bibliography is illustrated on the following page which shows the same six references as documented in MLA, ACS, and APA styles.)

Appendix/Appendices

An appendix is a supplementary item or group of items not placed within the body of the work: it may include tables, illustrations, photographs, figures, charts, graphs, sample questionnaires, and the like. It appears after the Bibliography, and is listed (with an all-capped heading) in the Table of Contents. When previously printed items are included, they should be reduced in size using a high quality photocopier to fit within the Graduate College's required margins.

Sample Style Format (please consult the most current edition of style manual available)

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