General Format Requirements

Most students prepare their theses using a word-processing program on a personal computer. Professional quality, up-to-date software is recommended. Some suggested programs:

IBM (PC) Windows
• MS Word
• WordPerfect
• MS Works

Macintosh
• MS Word
• WordPerfect
• AppleWorks
• FrameMaker
 

2. Grammar and Standard Usage
 

As a reference for general rules of American usage for such things as sentence structure, word form, pronoun usage, grammatical consistency and punctuation, students should refer to a grammar handbook such as The Bedford Handbook for Writers by Diana Hacker, the Keys for Writers by Ann Raimes, or the Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage by Muriel Harris. These guides are currently recommended by the writing skills staff of our English Department.
 

In general, students should follow the stylebook for their field.

NOTE: For your thesis, all specific guidelines (such as those pertaining to margins, font style, block quotes, bibliography) described in this thesis guide take precedence over the professional stylebook.

If the University Thesis Writing Guide seems to be in conflict with your professional style guide, choose to follow the thesis guide. If you have questions about this, call the Academic Programs and Graduate Studies Student Services office at (510) 885-3286.

The following professional stylebooks and guidelines used by the graduate departments of this university are listed below (use the most recent edition):

• Anthropology: "Style Guide and Information for Authors," American Anthropologist

• Departments of the College of Business and Economics: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian, University of Chicago Press

• Educational Psychology: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, rev. by APA, Inc., Washington, D.C.

• English: The MLA Style Sheet, MLA, New York

• Geography: Editorial Policy Statement, rep. from Annual of the Association of American Geographer vol. 60, no. 1, March 1970

• History: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian, University of Chicago Press
 

4. Paper Stock
 

Paper must be 8 1/2" x 11", white, and of such quality as to ensure reproduction of perfect copies. (Onion-skin or textured papers are unacceptable.) 20-24 lb. white or bright white paper (as found at professional copy centers) is acceptable. (You may use 28 lb. paper if you have colored illustrations.) Type or print on only the right facing side of each sheet.
 

5. Type, Fonts, Point Size, Styles
 

A University Thesis should have a clean and simple look, without ornamentation or unnecessary complexity. Font, point size, and type style (use of boldface, italics, and underlining) must be consistent throughout the thesis. Changes in font or point size are not permitted.

The following fonts/point sizes (and their corresponding italic and bold typefaces) are approved for theses. If you wish to use another font, contact the Thesis Editor in the Office of Graduate Programs for approval.

Courier (12 pt)
Geneva (10 pt)
Helvetica (12 pt)
Palatino (12 pt)
Times or Times Roman (12 pt)

Exceptions
A smaller point size may be used for footnotes, graphs, tables or figures. See No. 10, "Footnote Requirements," and No. 13, "Requirements for Charts, Figures, Graphs, Tables, etc." Appendices may also include original items in different fonts or point sizes. See the "Appendices" section under Specific Format Requirements.
 

6. Spacing, Margins, Indention, and Alignment of Text
 

Spacing
• Double-space the text. See sections on "Quotations," "Footnotes," and "Appendices" for exceptions.

• Leave one space after each word, comma, colon, and semicolon. Leave one or two spaces after periods, question marks, and exclamation points. Either is acceptable, as long as the spacing is consistently the same throughout the document.

• To form a dash, use your program’s command for a dash if it has one; otherwise, type two hyphens with no added space between. Do not add a space to either side of a dash.

Margins
• All pages of your thesis must have the same margins. This includes Table of Contents, Acknowledgments, Lists of Figures/Tables, all figures, illustrations, appendices and bibliography.

• The left margin must be at least 1 1/2" to allow for binding area.

• The right margin must be at least 1".

• The top and bottom margins must be at least 1 1/4".

Page numbers may be placed outside these margins. See "Pagination Requirements."

Indenting
Indent paragraphs five to eight spaces. Do not add extra spaces between paragraphs within sections of text. Also, see the section on "Quotation Requirements" for indent requirements.

Alignment of Text Requirements
All text must be left aligned (jagged right edge). Centered or justified (even right edge) alignment is not allowed. (Word-processing programs are unable to produce justified text without leaving unsightly gaps in the text.)
 

7. Pagination Requirements
 

Each page in the thesis (except the title page) should have a page number.

Type of Numbering
• Roman Numerals: Use lower case Roman numerals for the preliminary pages, beginning with "ii" for the page following the Title Page.

• Arabic Numbers: Use Arabic numbers for the balance of the thesis, beginning with number "1" for the first page of text. From here on, the entire thesis should be numbered consecutively. This includes maps, figures, illustrations, bibliography and appendices.

Font
Use the same font, point size and style (no italic or bold) for page numbers (Roman and Arabic) as you use for the text of your thesis.

Adjust the default setting for page numbers in your word-processing program to match the font and point size you have chosen for your thesis.

Placement of Number on the Page
• Roman Numerals: For the preliminary pages which require lower case Roman numerals ( I, ii, iii, iv, etc).

• Arabic Numbers: For the other pages, beginning with the first chapter of the text, the page number should be placed in the upper right-hand corner approximately 1/2" to 1" from the top of the page and 1" from the right margin. Use the number only. Do not add a header or ornamentation (parentheses, dashes, etc.).

The default position in most word-processing programs for centered and upper right-hand page numbers is usually acceptable. The page number should be at least 1/2" from the body of the text.

Tip: If your word-processor does not have the ability to number pages in one file in two different places (e.g., the upper-right corner and at the bottom/center of the page), you could cut and paste the pages requiring Roman numerals into a separate file, then number these pages.
 

In general, you should follow the recommended format for subhead sequencing in the stylebook you are using. We recommend, however, that you put three or four blank lines before subheads and two blank lines after subheads.

Subheads that are centered carry more weight than subheads that are flush left. You may use a combination of all caps, bold, italic or underlining to distinguish between different weights of subheads. Whatever format you choose for subheads, check to be sure that all subheads of the same weight are formatted in the same way.
 

9. Quotation Requirements
 

For all quotations, use the same font and point size for the quotation as used in the main body of your thesis.

Block Quotations
Block quotation format is normally used for quotations of four or more lines of text within a single quote.
Format extended quotations as block quotations. Single-space the block quotation and double-space between quotation paragraphs. Also double-space between the quotation and the main body of the text.

Indent a block quotation five to eight spaces from the left and right margins. (Center the quotation between the margins.) If you wish, you may also indent the beginning of a paragraph in a block quotation another five spaces.
 

10. Footnote Requirements
 

Footnotes are usually at the bottom of the page for the citations made on that page, although some departments require that the "notes" be collected at the end of each chapter or at the end of the text before the bibliography as endnotes. Follow the directions of your department for content, format, and placement of footnotes/endnotes.

Footnotes or endnotes appearing within, or at the end of a chapter should be numbered beginning with number 1 for each chapter. If endnotes are placed at the end of the thesis before the bibliography, include the chapter headings on your endnotes pages followed by the notes pertaining to that chapter. This allows readers to easily find the notes pertaining to a particular chapter.

Requirements for Footnotes at the Bottom of the Page
Use the footnoting style of your word-processing program as long as the program provides a line separating the footnote from the text and left justifies the footnote. Any variation from this standard format requires approval from the Office of Academic Programs and Graduate Studies.

Single-space each footnote and double-space between footnotes. There should be at least 1/4" between the last line of the text and the line separating the footnote (1/2" is preferred). The lines separating the footnotes should all be the same length (1 1/2" to 2" is recommended).

As a general rule, use the same font and point size as the main body of your thesis. If, however, you have extensive footnotes, you may reduce the footnote point size to 9 or 10 points. Whatever point size you select, use it for all the footnotes of your thesis.
 

11. Proofreading
 

The University Thesis should be carefully proofread by the student and the student’s committee BEFORE it is submitted to the Academic Programs and Graduate Studies Student Services office for format review.

Check the following items:

• All text references to be sure they are correct and complete in the footnotes/endnotes and bibliography.

• All chapter headings and subheadings, as well as figure and table headings to be sure they are formatted in the same way throughout your thesis.

• The headings in your Table of Contents and Lists of Tables/Figures to be sure they correspond to the headings as they appear in the body of the thesis.

• Page breaks to be sure pages do not begin with the last line of a paragraph from the preceding page or end with the first line of a paragraph.
 

University Theses of unusual size or shape, or those which include special information (for example, tape recordings, musical scores, lengthy music manuscripts) must have format approval from the Academic Programs and Graduate Studies Student Services office. Large maps (pre-folded by the student) or CD's can be inserted in sturdy pockets built by the bindery inside the back cover.

One complete set of folded material must go to the bindery with the multiple copies so that they can build a pocket of the correct size.
 

13. Requirements for Charts, Figures, Graphs, Tables, etc.

The rule for charts, figures, graphs, tables, etc. is that they must be consistent with each other in style and have the same general look. All photocopies and digital images must be clean and sharp. They should use the same font and point size as the text of the thesis if possible.

Exceptions
If it is not possible to use the same font and point size as the text of the thesis (i.e., there is not enough room, or the item has been generated on another computer which does not have the same fonts), it is allowable to use a different font or a smaller/larger point size, as long as all the charts, figures, graphs, tables, etc. in the thesis use the same variations consistently. For example, if a thesis has five maps with legends, the type sizes of the legends should match each other.

Charts, figures, graphs, tables may also be placed vertically on the page if they will not fit horizontally. The page, however, should have the same margins as the rest of the thesis. If possible, (1) place the top or heading at the left margin with the bottom of the item at the right margin, and (2) place the page number so that it appears in the same place and with the same orientation as on all the other pages of your bound thesis.

Hand-written symbols and hand-drawn table or graph lines must be made with black, permanent ink (not with ball-point or water soluble felt tip pen).

Hand-color work on maps/graphs must be done in permanent ink; do not use crayon, colored pencil, or felt tip pen. Each book must contain a complete set of any color illustrations.
 

14. Requirements for Plates and Photos
 

If your thesis includes photos or plates, one complete set of plates/photographs must be submitted to the office with the original, departmentally approved copy of the University Thesis by the thesis format review deadline. You may choose one of the two following options:

Option 1
Include clear black and white or color digital images or photocopies of the photos, on the same thickness/type of paper as the rest of the thesis in each copy of the thesis submitted for binding.

Option 2
After the thesis has been bound, mount actual prints onto a captioned page in each bound copy. To add photographic prints, the bindery requests that plates and photographs be mounted AFTER the thesis is bound, to avoid buckling caused by uneven page thickness.

If you choose this option, insert a captioned (but otherwise blank) page in the appropriate place(s) in each copy of your thesis you submit for binding. You may contact the Valley Library Binding at 559-237-5224 for specific instructions regarding the use of stubbing sheets.

When the bound copies are returned by the bindery, you will tear away the main portion of the perforated stubbing sheet (leaving only the left edge in the spine to provide for the thickness of the plate/photograph) and will then mount the photo on the captioned sheet. It is suggested that you use an adhesive spray to mount your photos such as "Photo-Mount" manufactured by 3-M and available at Office-Max. Using tape to attach the photo or plate to the page is not acceptable
 

ONLY the following types of printers are approved for theses (use "best quality" mode for your final draft).

• Laser printers (preferred)
• Ink Jet printers
• Letter Quality dot matrix

Unacceptable Printers
• Line printers
• Dot matrix printers (not letter quality)
• Any printer with visible and/or unconnected dots forming a letter