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Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines

All the steps for submitting your dissertation, thesis, or clinical project to the Leatherby Libraries.

Common Formatting Issues

Below is a list of the most common formatting issues that students are asked to correct before resubmitting their thesis or dissertation.

 

Title page:

  • The spacing between the three sections of the title page is wrong. There should be one blank line after the author’s name and one blank line after the date.
  • The top line of text should not be at the very top of the page, but a few lines down so there is a little bit of white space at the top of the page. You can move the text down by hitting Enter/Return on your keyboard a few times.
  • The date should be the month and year that your degree will be conferred. For spring, this is May; for summer, August; and for winter, December.

 

Approval page:

  • Your name should match exactly with whatever is on your title page.
  • The date should be the month and year of your defense. This may be different (earlier) than the date on the title page.
  • This page is scanned at a low size or quality. It should be at least 300 dpi and visually match the rest of the thesis or dissertation in size and clarity.
  • There should not be a page number on this page.

 

Copyright page:

  • This page should be numbered iii or III (not i, I, 1, or anything else).

 

Page numbers:

  • Use section breaks to divide your document to accommodate the varying page number requirements.
    • The title and approval page will be one section, without page numbers.
    • The rest of the front matter, starting with the copyright page, will be another section, with Roman numerals.
    • And the main body of the thesis/dissertation itself will be a third section, with Arabic numerals.
       
  • To insert a section break in Word:
    • Up on the ribbon bar, go to the Page Layout tab, click "Breaks", and select "Next page" from the drop-down to allow for different pagination on the following page OR select "Continuous" to allow for different pagination starting with the page you are on.
      • Note that within each "Section," you can specify "different first page." You can also set the page numbering to start at a specific number (like "iii").
      • You may need to repeat this once you get the portion of your document that requires Arabic numeral page numbering.
      • Make sure "Link to Previous" is NOT selected for each new section.
         
  • This guide on Microsoft's website is helpful as well. There are also numerous YouTube tutorials available.

 

Table of Contents, List of Figures, and/or List of Tables:

  • Make sure the page numbers listed match the actual body of your thesis or dissertation.
     
  • The page numbers listed should be right-aligned.
    • If you are using automated Tables of Contents in Word, select "Table of Contents" from the References menu, then "Custom Table of Contents". Check the box that says "Right align page numbers".
    • If you are creating your Table of Contents manually in Word, then highlight your text, right-click, select "Paragraph", and then select the "Tabs" menu.
      • In the Tabs menu, use the following settings:
        • Tab stop position: 6.5
        • Alignment: Right
        • Leader: 2
      • Once the tabs have been set, place your cursor between the text and the page number and press the Tab key to move the page number to the right margin.
      • You may have to adjust your Tabs menu settings, or add additional tab stop positions, if your Table of Contents features indented subheadings.
         
  • Single-space the entries within each chapter, and double-space between each chapter.
    • You can create this double-space either by hitting Enter (or Shift + Enter) to insert a blank line between chapters, or by highlighting the text, right-clicking and selecting "Paragraph", and setting the following:
      • Spacing: Before: 12 pt
      • Spacing: After: 6 pt
      • You may need to check or uncheck the box that says "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style."
         
  • For entries that reference a Roman numeral page number, make sure the ToC entries match the actual pages in terms of case (i.e. the page numbers on both the actual pages and the ToC entries should be either upper- or lowercase).

    • If you are using the templates and used lowercase Roman numeral page numbers in the front matter, but the page numbers in the ToC revert to uppercase, highlight the text in the ToC, right-click, and select “Font”. Then uncheck “All Caps.” If you need to change the page numbers in the ToC to uppercase Roman numerals, then make sure the “All Caps” box is checked.

  • If a table or figure spreads across multiple pages, make sure the relevant List states the page number on which the table or figure begins, not ends. If you are using the auto-update feature, it will often list whatever page the caption is on, even if that's at the end of the table or figure. You can edit the page number manually in the appropriate List, but be aware that if you then update the List, it will overwrite your edits. Thus, it may be better to make these sorts of manual updates using Adobe Acrobat after you have converted your thesis or dissertation to a PDF.
     

Main body of the thesis or dissertation:

  • The first page of the main body of your thesis or dissertation (i.e. the first page of your Introduction, Chapter 1, or however your thesis or dissertation starts) should be page 1. Do not continue the page numbering from the front matter.
  • Tables and figures must fit within the 1” margins.
  • Make sure you don’t have any widows or orphans.
  • Make sure that your Roman and Arabic numeral page numbers are at the same height on their respective pages.

 

Finally, be sure to review the checklist carefully before submitting your thesis and dissertation so that all the required elements are in compliance. Please also see the Frequently Asked Questions page if you have additional questions about formatting or procedures.