Formatting a Thesis or Dissertation

Introduction In this seminar, we will review the Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation, go over common mistakes and offer suggestions to help in formatting. This presentation is intended as a supplement to the Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation, not a substitute. Be sure to read the entire Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation before uploading your manuscript to OhioLINK.

Agenda Briefly outline the Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation. Highlight common formatting mistakes Give tips on how to make formatting easier Notify of the thesis & dissertation deadline for the upcoming semester Advise on submission procedures for electronic copy Answer any remaining formatting and submission questions

Overview The purpose of the guidelines is to ensure that every thesis or dissertation that will carry the name of The University of Akron meets the same high standards of presentation. The standards are the Graduate School standards and are applied consistently to all departments and programs. Just as the research must be precise and complete, the presentation of that research must be equally precise and complete. It is important that students read and understand the guidelines before preparing and submitting the final manuscript.

Vocabulary manuscript your thesis or dissertation style form for such items as source citations and bibliographic entries. APA, MLA, Turabian, etc. formatting form for such items as page number location, page margins, spacing, etc. Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation etd Electronic Thesis or Dissertation final copy the final copy submitted electronically to OhioLINK and a hard copy of the signed signature page

Page Format/Margins Correct margins are: Left side 1.5 inches no exceptions Right side 1.0 inch no exceptions Top 1.0 inch exception: pages that carry major headings, such as preliminary pages and chapter titles, must have a 2.0-inch top margin Bottom 1.0 inch exception 1: When a 1-inch margin would leave a single line of print on a page, then a margin of no more than 2-inches may be left and text continued on the following page exception 2: where a page is followed by a figure or table on the next page, or when the last page of a chapter Figures and tables must fit within the margins. Oversized material may be reduced to fit.

Formatting Tip to Change Page Margins Within a Word File Set top page margin to 2”. Place cursor after the last word on the chapter title page. Go to Insert Break Section Break Types Click on “Next Page” Place cursor on the next page in the chapter. Set top page margin to 1”. Select option “This Point Forward” on the drop box under Page Margins panel Recommendation : Save each chapter as a separate Word document. This will allow you to make corrections without affecting the entire manuscript.

Widow/Orphan Protection Pages should be spaced so that no page ends or begins with a single line of text. At least two lines of a paragraph must appear together at the top & bottom of every page. Each subheading must be followed by at least two lines of text. Microsoft Word programs have automatic widow/orphan protection located under Format Paragraph Line and Page Breaks Widow/Orphan Control (check box) OK

Spacing Text material is double spaced. Single spacing may be used in : notes long quotations statement of hypothesis figure/table titles and the bibliography. Chapter Title Pages double space between chapter heading and title triple space (leave 2 blank lines) between chapter title and subheading/beginning of text Subheadings Double space before and after subheadings to set them apart from regular text. Additional spacing before or after subheadings can create widow/orphan problems.

Typeface, Justification, Centering, & Paragraphing Font size must be 10 or 12 point. Nearly all types of font face are acceptable. Unusual or scripted fonts are not acceptable. Do not use bold font for major titles or figure/table titles. The left margin must be justified. Right margins may be justified if the department/college approves. right-justified margins may result in unsightly white spaces between words that are not acceptable. Materials must be centered between the text margins rather than the paper edges. Indent the first line of every paragraph consistently, so that each paragraph is indented the same number of spaces.

Page Numbering & Page Number Placement Preliminary pages are in Roman numerals (i,ii,iii, etc.) The title page is page i. It is counted but not numbered on the actual page. The signature page is page ii. It is counted and numbered on the page. Text pages (beginning with Chapter 1) are in Arabic numerals (1,2,3, etc.) Beginning with page 1 of Chapter 1, all following pages are numbered sequentially through the end of the manuscript. Copyright page (if added) is placed as the very first page (before the title page) is neither counted nor numbered

Page Numbering & Page Number Placement Page number embellishments are not permitted (1a, 1b, etc.) All pages have the page number placed at the bottom of the page, centered under the text. In Microsoft Word programs you can set the page number placement under Step 1 File Page Setup Layout  Set Footer to 1.0-inch OK Step 2 View Header/Footer Click on centering icon on tool bar Insert page number Close

Manuscript Organization Preliminary Pages (lower-case Roman numerals) Copyright Notice (not counted or numbered) Title Page (counted, not numbered) Signature Page (page ii) Abstract (mandatory for dissertations) Dedication (optional) Acknowledgements (optional) Table of Contents List of Tables (as needed) List of Figures (as needed) List of Illustrations (as needed) List of Schemes (as needed) Chapters of Text Material (begin Arabic page numbering) Summary/Conclusions Bibliography/References/Literature Cited (select most appropriate) Appendices (including Human Subjects Approval and/or other approvals as required) Index (if required)

Formatting Specific Pages The following slides will explain how to format specific pages in your manuscript. Examples will be included.

Copyright Notice Copyright notice appears in front of the title page. It is not numbered or counted. You should check with your advisor to see if copyright is recommended. Copyright must be secured from the Registrar of Copyright in Washington, D.C. with the fee paid directly to that office. Additional Information can be obtained from the Copyright Office. (202)

© Year AUTHOR'S NAME ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Title Page All text on this page is centered. Double space the entire page. The top margin is two-inches. Title Must be in all capital letters. Must be centered immediately below the two- inch top margin. Graduation date Must be month, year of graduation. Must be centered immediately above the on- inch bottom margin. Other text should follow example in wording and capitalization. Title page is counted as page i. Page number is not shown.

TITLE MAY TAKE TWO OR MORE LINES A Thesis or A Dissertation Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of ________ or Doctor of ________ Author’s Name Month, Year

Signature Page Title Must be in all capital letters. Must be centered immediately below the two- inch top margin. Must be double spaced if two or more lines. Author’s name Must be case sensitive. Must be centered below title. Signature page is counted as page ii. Page number is centered above bottom margin. The names of those signing must be typed a single space below their titles. Should it be necessary to have someone other than the appropriate individual sign The signer should write the name listed on the signature page The signature should be followed by a slash / and the initials of the person signing.

COMPLETE TITLE THAT MAY REQUIRE THREE LINES Author's Name Thesis Approved: Accepted: ______________________________ AdvisorDean of the CollegeName ______________________________ Co-Advisor or Faculty ReaderInterim Dean of the Graduate SchoolName ______________________________ Department Chair or School DirectorDate Name ii

COMPLETE TITLE THAT MAY REQUIRE THREE LINES Author's Name Dissertation Approved: Accepted: ______________________________ AdvisorDepartment ChairName ______________________________ Co-Advisor or Committee MemberDean of the CollegeName______________________________ Committee MemberInterim Dean of the Graduate SchoolName______________________________ Committee Member Date Name ______________________________ Committee Member Name ii

Table of Contents All entries in the Table of Contents (TOC) must match exactly as they appear in the text, including: wording, numbering, punctuation, capitalization and spelling and page number on which they appear. Chapter titles and major headings are typed in all capital letters. Subheadings are case-specific. Double Space between entries. Single space within an entry if it falls on two or more lines. Typical indentation in the TOC is on a 2-space basis. However, you may adjust this number provided that all indentations are consistent. Under CHAPTER, the numbers are indented 2 spaces. Subheadings are indented 2 more spaces. Chapter numbers Must use Roman numerals. Must be left-aligned.

Table of Contents, Cont. Tips for the TOC It may be easier to manually generate the TOC rather than link it to the manuscript. It is usually easier to copy and paste the headings from the document into the TOC, List of Tables (LOT), List of Figures (LOF) etc. than to type them. Copy/paste will reduce the occurrence of discrepancies between the LOT and the text. Common Mistake: Do not let entries in TOC, LOT, LOF, etc. invade the page number column. The entry should stop several spaces before the page number column. If the entry comes close, you may want to break the entry into an additional line. See example on next slide.

Right Aligning Page Numbers in TOC, LOF, LOT, etc. Either Before beginning your TOC. After entering all information. Select text to be formatted.  i.e. the entire TOC In MS Word, go to Format Tabs Tab stop position  enter 6.0” Alignment  click on “Right” Leader  click on “2…..: Click on “Set” OK After typing entry Hit tab key (until you see it on the right margin). Enter page number.

List of Tables, List of Figures, etc. “Figure,” “Table, ” or the appropriate heading must be typed above the number designation column (left side). Do not type it before every entry. Do not type it on following pages if LOF exceeds 1 page. “Page” must be typed above the page number column (right side). Do not type it before every entry. Do not type it on following pages if LOF exceeds 1 page. All entries in LOT, LOF, etc must match exactly as they appear in the text, including: wording, numbering, punctuation, capitalization and spelling and page number on which they

List of Tables, List of Figures, etc. It is recommended, but not required, that you include tables, figures etc. that appear in the Appendices. Do not use combinations of letters and number for your table/figure designations. Subtitles are acceptable E.g. Do not use 4A, 4B, 4C for figures 1,2 and 3 in chapter 4. Do use 4.2a and 4.2b if the second figure in Chapter 4 has 2 parts.  Except in Apppendices. Then you may use A.1, A.2, etc. Entries with subtitles must have a main/common title. See example on following slide.

Tables, Figures, etc. Within the Text Landscaped entries must be typed with the title along the 1.5” left margin so the title is read from the left to right of the bound side of the manuscript. The page number must still appear in the bottom center of the portrait view. Entries that continue on more than one page must have the title as on the first page it appears followed by “(continued)” or “(cont.)” Table 1.3 Comparison of the family therapy data (cont.)

Figure 3.2 Tivoli Cliff House 17

Formatting a landscaped figure, table etc. Insert the item at the desired location. You will need to select the item In MS Word go to Format Picture/or other (it will be the last item on the list) Use various tabs to get item to fit, such as Size, Rotation Layout, Behind text Work with this until you get the desired result. For figure title go to Insert Text box Enter your complete title Select the text box Format Text Box (again this is the last item, just as above) Use various tabs to get item to fit, such as Textbox, Resize AutoShape Colors and Lines, No Lines Work with this until you get the desired result.

Text The Body of the Manuscript The text begins with page one of Chapter I. This begins the Arabic numbering (1,2,3) page numbers are centered at the 1’ bottom margin. All text is double spaced except for long quotations. At least two lines of text must appear at the top and bottom of each page. No widows/orphans All subheading must be followed by at least two lines of text. Even if they are further subdivided. Page margins are 1” for top, right, bottom. 1.5” for left. except: top margin on chapter title pages.

Text Chapter Title Pages All chapter titles pages have a 2” top margin. CHAPTER I is typed is all capital letters without punctuation, centered between the margins. The chapter title is typed in all capital letters two spaces below the heading, centered between the margins. Should the title be more than one line, it will be double spaced. Text of the chapter begins three spaces (1 ½ double spaces) below the chapter title. If a subheading follows a chapter title, it is placed three spaces below the chapter title. Text is then two spaces below the subheading.

End Notes & Foot Notes There is no single approved style for notes. Either footnotes or endnotes are acceptable. Endnotes are preferred. Footnotes Placed at the bottom of each page. Separated from the text by a line. Same size, style, font as text. Single spaced within a note. Double spaced between notes. Endnotes Placed at the end of each chapter or end of manuscript. Separated from the text by a line and/or header of “Endnotes.” Same size, style, font as text. Single spaced within a note. Double spaced between notes.

Bibliography, References or Literature Cited First page is treated as a chapter title page. 2” top margin. BIBLIOGRPAHY in all caps & centered. Lists all sources used in the work. May be subdivided. Subdivisions should be labeled with only the first letter capitalized. E.g. “Primary Sources,” “Manuscripts,” ”Articles,” etc. Subdivisions should be separated consistently. E.g. Each separation three single spaces. Subdivisions should be at the left margin. Page numbering continues in Arabic numerals. Single space within entries. Double space between entries.

Bibliography, References or Literature Cited, cont. Note: Bibliography refers to all sources read for research, including material not cited. References refers only to those sources cited in the manuscript. Students should contact their department to see which they should use. More than one can be used. Bibliography would appear first, then References or Literature Cited.

Appendices If there is only one appendix The material must be set up like a new chapter. APPENDIX centered below the 2” top margin. Text/material to follow three spaces below. If there are two or more appendices Each appendix should be treated as a separate chapter with its own title page (see above). Labeled Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. Be sure to add the individual appendices titles in the TOC. A half title or division page is inserted before Appendix A. The word APPENDICES will be centered between the margins, slightly above the center of the page. Page number placement continues as in text. This page will appear in the TOC as well.

Approvals Human Subject Any project that uses human subjects or their by-products (E.g. tissue, blood samples) requires review and a letter of permission from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects before research is conducted. The letter of permission must be included in the manuscript as an appendix. The letter should be scanned and inserted to fit within the proper margins.

Approvals Other Projects involving animals, hazardous materials, radiation or affecting general campus safety may require review of the research design by, and a letter of permission from, one of the following committees: Animal Welfare Committee, Biohazard Committee, Radiation Committee, Safety Committee Letters of permission (if applicable) must be included as an appendix. Students who believe their projects may require such review should check with their advisors and with the Office of Research Services

Submitting your manuscript to the Graduate School Final Thesis/Dissertation Deadline Spring 2015 graduation: April 6 Summer 2015 graduation: July 13 Fall 2015 graduation: November 16 Both the hard copy signature page and the uploaded, electronic copy manuscript are due by the final deadline. Make sure the formatting is correct before submitting your final copy to OhioLINK or they will not be approved by The Graduate School.

What to Submit Thesis & Dissertation Original signature page with all signature except the Interim Dean of the Graduate School and the date. on white paper more than one copy may be submitted A copy of the Letter of Approval from IRB, etc. as appendix if applicable Electronic submission via OhioLINK signature page will be unsigned Doctoral students must also complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates. found online

Electronic Submission Procedures Before you can upload your etd You must convert the document(s) into one pdf file. Uploading your etd Go to Select to submit the full text Complete all sections requested by OhioLINK Preview your record to be sure it can be viewed and that all information is correct. Click “SUBMIT MY PAPER NOW.”

After You Submit The Graduate School will review the formatting prior to signing the signature page. You will be notified (via ) If there are corrections required. You must make all corrections. If corrections are required You will need to make the corrections to the original document. Convert the corrected document to a pdf file. the corrected pdf to Graduate School can replace the original pdf with the corrected one. Milestone will be added to DARS once the document has received final approval.

Additional Information Plagiarism University Rule prohibits plagiarism. Definition & How to Avoid Plagiarism sm.php sm.php Site also covers How to detect plagiarism Why it is wrong. What can result from it.

Where to Get More Information All information can be found at the Thesis/Dissertation web page. Graduation applications can be found in your My Akron account Late Graduation application can be found online and must be submitted to the Graduate School directly students/currforms.dot or students/currforms.dot In the Graduate School office Deadlines can be found at All students should complete the UA Graduate School Exit Survey online at

Contacts Graduate School Polsky 469 Degree Completion Leanne McNicholas (330)