Graduate School website: http://www.csustan.edu/grad/thesis_project.html Link to graduate services from the Library s website: http://library.csustan.edu/graduatestudents/services-graduate-students
Master Thesis/Project/Doctoral Dissertation Preparation Guidelines http://www.csustan.edu/grad/documents/gui delinesforthesisdissertationrev102013.pdf In the case of a conflict between the departmental style manual and the guidelines, the guidelines take precedence.
Formatting templates, Microsoft Word documents preformatted according to the preparation guidelines, are available at the Graduate School website: http://library.csustan.edu/s/purl.php?1638 Template D Template E The only difference between these two templates is the format of the table of contents.
Preliminary Pages Title page Certification of Approval Copyright (optional) Dedication (optional) Acknowledgements (optional) Table of Contents List of Tables (if used) List of Figures (if used) Abstract Body of the Text Chapters or sections, tables (if used), and figures (if used) Documentation References or bibliography (determined by department s style manual) Appendix or Appendices Elaborative material (if used)
ENTER YOUR TITLE HERE IN ALL CAPS, DOUBLE -SPACED, INVERTED PYRAMID IF LONGER THAN ONE 5-INCH LINE A [Thesis] Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Stanislaus In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of [Master] of [Your Degree] By [Name of Student Author] [Month] [Year]
The title is in all capital letters and double-spaced If the title is longer than 5, use an inverted pyramid All other content on the title page is single-spaced Do not list a concentration with the degree (see next slide or page 12 of the Guidelines) Do not put a comma between the month and year The top and bottom page margins are approximately 1¾ ; space evenly between entries Count title page as page one of the preliminary pages, but do not put a number on the page
LIST YOUR GRADUATE DEGREE ON THE TITLE PAGE AS FOLLOWS (no concentration should be listed in the degree area): Master of Business Administration Master of Science in Business Administration Master of Arts in Education Master of Arts in Psychology Master of Science in Psychology Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Master of Social Work Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Master of Arts in English Master of Arts in History Master of Public Administration Master of Science in Marine Science Master of Science in Ecology and Sustainability Master of Science in Nursing Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
The title of your document on the Certification of Approval page must appear exactly as it does on your title page Add your name and the names and titles of your faculty committee Leave the lines blank on this page for original signatures and dates Count the approval page as page two of the preliminary pages, but do not put a number on the page The top margin of this page is1¾ and the bottom margin must be at least 1
The copyright page is optional If you chose to use this page, it is page three of the preliminary pages, but does not have a number on the page The only text on the page is 1 from the bottom - a sample is below (remove the brackets and add the year and your name) [Year Thesis Completed] [Name of Student Author] ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The dedication page is optional If you choose to use this page, indent all paragraphs and double-space the text Your dedication may be as brief or lengthy as you like This page is numbered in Roman numeral 1 from the bottom in the center of the page; the page margins are as follows: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 See sample below of the page header and beginning text DEDICATION The dedication page is optional. If used, the title is typed in capital letters and the text should be double spaced, in paragraph form, like this example.
The acknowledgements page is optional If you choose to use this page, indent all paragraphs and double-space the text Your acknowledgements may be as brief or lengthy as you like This page is numbered in Roman numeral 1 from the bottom in the center of the page; the page margins are as follows: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 See sample below of the page header and beginning text ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The acknowledgements page is optional. If used, the title is typed in capital letters and the text should be double spaced, in paragraph form, like this example.
Table of Contents samples D and E illustrate possible formats for a table of contents. These samples correspond to the two formatting templates available on the Graduate School website. The choice of format for the table of contents may depend on your discipline, style manual, or committee recommendation. Chapter titles and headers in the table of contents must match the body of the text The layout and spacing of the table of contents page are as follows: Top margin is 1½ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 Page number(s) are Roman numerals and centered 1 from the bottom of the page The table of contents may be one or more pages Use leader dots, not periods, to line up chapter or section headings with the page numbers
Do not use this page unless you have more than one table in your document The page margins are as follows: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 List the tables in the order they appear in the text; tables in the body of the text should be placed after the discussion related to each List each title exactly as in the body of the text, including capitalization of words Format the titles according to the style manual used Titles longer than one line are single-spaced with double spacing between entries The page number for this page is a Roman numeral and centered 1 from the bottom of the page
Do not use this page unless you have more than one figure in your document The page margins are as follows: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 List the figures in the order they appear in the text; figures in the body of the text should be placed after the discussion related to each List each title exactly as in the body of the text, including capitalization of words Format the titles in this list according to the style manual used Titles longer than one line are single-spaced with double spacing between entries The page number for this page is a Roman numeral and centered 1 from the bottom of the page
An abstract must be submitted as part of your document The abstract should be a single paragraph on a single page, double-spaced, without indentation and should normally not exceed 350 words (or one page) The page margins are as follows: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 The page number for this page is a Roman numeral and centered 1 from the bottom of the page The abstract is the last of the preliminary pages ABSTRACT An abstract must be submitted as part of the thesis. The abstract should report rather than comment or evaluate. Do not include mathematical formulae, diagrams, footnotes, illustrative material, or quotations in the abstract. Consult your program s style guide for guidance.
Margins for all pages located in the body of the text are as follows: 1¾ top margin on the first page of each chapter 1¼ top margin on all pages with the exception of the first page of each chapter 1¾ left margin on all pages 1 right margin on all pages (text should not be right-justified) 1¼ bottom margin of text 1 bottom margin for the first page of each chapter s centered page number 1 top right margin for page numbers on all pages with the exception of the first page of each chapter 1 right margin for page numbers in upper right corner
Margins for the first page of each chapter are as follows: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 Double space the text and indent paragraphs Chapter numbers, if used, are labeled in Roman numerals A possible scheme for chapter organization is: CHAPTER I Introduction to the Study CHAPTER II Review of the Literature CHAPTER III Methodology CHAPTER IV Results CHAPTER V Discussion and Summary
Level of Heading Format Level 0 (chapter number & title) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Centered, Uppercase Centered, Boldface, Uppercase & Lowercase Flush left, Boldface, Uppercase & Lowercase Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph ending with a period. [text follows] Indented, boldface, italicized lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. [text follows]
The references are preceded by a single title page with the word REFERENCES in all capital letters centered 5½ from the top of page; this title page is counted, but not numbered Margins for the first of the reference pages: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 Margins for the remaining reference pages: top margin is 1¼ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1
Reference citations are to be formatted according to your department s style manual References are listed with a hanging indent in alphabetical order Reference pages are numbered in the upper right corner URLs should not be underlined or appear in color (remove hyperlink) Check that all references which were cited in the text are included in your reference list
The appendix (or appendices, if there is more than one appendix) is preceded by a single title page with the word APPENDIX (or APPENDICES) in all capital letters centered 5½ from the top of page This title page is counted, but not numbered Do not insert a title page for each appendix
Margins for the first page of each appendix: top margin is 1¾ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 Margins for the remaining pages of an appendix: top margin is 1¼ ; bottom margin is 1¼ ; left margin is 1¾ ; right margin is 1 Place your appendices in the order which you refer to them in the text If you have more than one appendix, label them as A, B, C, etc. (noted in the Table of Contents as such) each appendix should have a title double-spaced below the appendix label on the first page of each appendix
The thesis/dissertation is to be double-spaced. Single spacing is acceptable for longer block quotations (i.e., quotation comprising more than 40 words, displayed in a freestanding block of text without quotation marks). Judicious triple and quadruple spacing is acceptable where it improves readability (e.g., before or after tables and figures). Use the tabs feature or the ruler in your word processing program to indent paragraphs uniformly. The preferred font is Times New Roman or a similar serif font in 10 or 12 point. Typefaces larger than 12 point are not acceptable. The same font must be used throughout the document. Sans serif, cursive, or script fonts are not acceptable. Boldface is not acceptable except where specifically required by a style manual (e.g., boldface headings in APA style). Color is acceptable within tables and figures. For formatting tips, and some general writing issues you may encounter with your thesis/project/dissertation, see Tips for Formatting and Writing via the following link: http://www.csustan.edu/grad/documents/tipsthesesdiss_000.pdf
Please review the Clearance Process via the link below for the electronic submission of your thesis or project: https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/final_cle arance_process_electronic_thesis.rev1_.2015.pdf Submission dates by semester are included on the following: http://www.csustan.edu/grad/dates_deadlines.html
Please review the Clearance Process via the link below for the electronic submission of your dissertation: https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/final_cle arance_process_dissertations.rev1_.2015.pdf Submission dates by semester are included on the following: http://www.csustan.edu/grad/dates_deadlines.html
Graduate School 209-667-3129 http://www.csustan.edu/grad/ University Library 209-667-3232 http://library.csustan.edu/