Guidelines for Theses, Dissertations, and DNP Projects

The following are basic recommendations for incorporating standard styles into a thesis, dissertation, or DNP project. Individuals should contact their advisor for additional department-specific requirements, particularly for non-traditional dissertation options.

The pages of the dissertation must be arranged in the following sequence:

• Title Page (first page, but not numbered)
• Approval Sheet (provided to your department)
• Acknowledgments (if any, page iii) -­‐Dedication (if any, continue numbering in roman numerals to Chapter 1)
• Copyright Statement
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• List of Abbreviations (optional)
• Body of Text (paginate using Arabic numerals beginning with 1)
• Appendices (if any)
• References

• Paper and Font
  • Standard 8 1/2 x 11
  • Standard serif typeface throughout, such as Times or Times New Roman
  • Black Ink
• Margins, Indentations, and Spacing
  • Left margin: 1 ½ inches
  • Right margin: 1 inch
  • Top: 1 inch
  • Bottom: 1 inch
  • Body: Double spaced, printed on one side only
  • Paragraph: The first line of each paragraph is to be indented ½ inch.
• Tables and Figures
  • All tables and figures must be presented within the margins stipulated above.
  • Remember to tag your tables and figures for 508 compliance
• Pagination
  • No punctuation of any kind should be used with the page numbering. Preliminary parts are numbered in the center of each page, 5/8 (0.63) inches from the bottom, in small Roman numerals beginning with the Acknowledgements on page iii. The title page and the dissertation approval sheet do not have page numbers, but are counted as page i and ii respectively.
  • The pages of any chapter or main division are numbered in the center of the page, 5/8 inches from the bottom. The text and reference material are numbered in Arabic numerals and begin at 1 for the first page of the main body of text. All chapters and succeeding pages (including references and appendices) must be continuously numbered without restarting.
  • All pages in the thesis or dissertation, including figures, tables, photographs, illustrations, and the caption pages facing such material must be numbered. Letter suffixes such as, 10a, b, c, etc., are not acceptable. If it is necessary to make additions to the completed manuscript, these additions may be put in the form of an addendum at the end of the thesis or dissertation.
  • No headers are allowed on any page.
• Figure Legends
  • Place the legend on same page as the picture or illustration whenever possible. The text should be single-­spaced, below the figure or to the right of the figure in landscape orientation. Ensure that the legend is not upside down when the text is in its normal reading position. If the space below a figure is insufficient to include the legend on same page, the text should appear on a page facing the figure. This caption should be centered on the page and double-­‐spaced.
  • Remember to tag your tables and figures for 508 compliance
• References
  • Consult your department to determine which reference style to use. GEO theses and dissertations are required to follow the reference style guidelines of the journal Annual Review of Genetics. The references in this style are numbered in alphabetical order. This reference style is built into EndNote, and the citations can be directly inserted into Word from Endnote.
  • Endnote is a reference management application available for free to all students, and is recommended to format citations. Classes on EndNote are offered in the LRC.