FORMAT GUIDELINES FOR MASTER’S

THESES AND REPORTS

The University of Texas at Austin

Graduate School

November 2009

Formatting questions not addressed in these guidelines should be directed to a

Master’s Degree Evaluator in person in Main 101, by phone at 512-471-4511, or
by email at [email protected] or [email protected]
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction to Format Guidelines..…………………………………………..3

II. Your Official Name at the University of Texas ……………………………...4

III. Arrangement of Thesis or Report…………………………………………..…5

IV. Page Format and Layout

a. Font……………...……………………………………………..…….........7

b. Margins…………………………………………………………………...7

c. Spacing……………………………………………………………..……..7

d. Numbering of Pages………………………………………………....….7

e. Tables and Illustrations…………..……………………………………..8

V. Contents

a. Table of Contents…………………………………………………...…...9

b. Footnotes and Bibliography………………………………………..…10

c. Signature Page……………………………………………………….....10

d. Copies Required ……………………………………………………….10

VI. Publication and Copyright Information

a. Publication and Archiving of Master’s Reports and Theses………………11

b. Copyright Registration……………………...……………………….………..11

c. Using Materials Copyrighted by Others…………………………….………11

VII. Sample Documents

a. Copyright Page…………………………………………………………12

b. Signature Page……………………………………………………….....13

c. Title Page……….…………………………………………………….…14

d. Abstract………………………………………………………………….15

e. Vita…………….………………………………………………………...16

VIII. Formatting Checklist…………………………………………….………...17

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 I. INTRODUCTION TO FORMAT GUIDELINES

The Graduate School will accept theses and reports in digital format only. You
may submit the pdf file of your thesis or report to the Graduate School on a CD
or by uploading the pdf file directly to the Texas Digital Library. You are
advised, and in some programs required, to request a format check by a
Graduate School Master’s Degree Evaluator in Main Building, Room 101, prior to
completing your thesis or report. If you do not receive a preliminary format
check, one will be performed at the time that you submit your thesis or report.

Templates to assist you in formatting your thesis or report in MS Word for

Windows and Mac OS are available from the ITS Software Distribution and Sales
at http://www.utexas.edu/its/tds/.

Additional information on preparing digital theses and reports is available at

http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/etd/.

All students submitting a thesis or report, whether uploaded to Texas Digital

Library or copied to a CD, must also submit paper copies of the Title Page,
Signature Page (with original signatures of the supervising committee), and the
Abstract on single-sided, white paper. Additionally, students submitting a thesis
are required to provide the Graduate School with a Copyright Disclaimer form.
This form is available for download at http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/pdn .

NOTE: Committee signatures are not included on the signature page contained
within the pdf file. Committee signatures are required on the loose signature
page that is submitted to the Graduate School with the thesis or report. (See
Section IV-d.)

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 II. YOUR OFFICIAL NAME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Master’s degree candidates must represent their full name as it is officially

recorded at The University of Texas at Austin (first name, middle name, last
name). This official name must be used in reports, theses, and all other required
graduation forms.

Prior to the end of the semester, the Registrar’s Office will mail you a letter
verifying the information that will appear on your diploma, including your name
as it is currently recorded on your academic record. If your name appears to be
incorrect in any way, please report the problem to the Records Section of the
Registrar’s Office. Students are encouraged to initiate formal name changes with
Registrar’s Office as early as possible.

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 III. ARRANGEMENT OF THESIS OR REPORT

Each thesis or report must be arranged in the following order. Italicized pages are
optional.

1. Copyright Page (Sample A) Include this page in the pretext page count, but do
not place a page number on it.

2. Signature Page (Sample C) Include this page in the pretext page count,
but do not place a page number on it.

3. Title Page (Sample B) Include this page in the pretext page count, but do
not place a page number on it.

4. Dedication and/or Epigraph. Include this page in the pretext page count, but
do not place a page number on it.

5. Acknowledgements and/or Preface. Begin placing pretext lowercase Roman

numerals at the bottom of this page, counting all preceding pretext material
except for the fly page. Page numbers are centered one inch from the bottom of
the page.

6. Abstract (Sample D) Continue pretext page numbering with lowercase

Roman numerals.

7. Table of Contents. Continue pretext page numbering with lowercase

Roman numerals.

8. List of Tables. Continue pretext page numbering with lowercase Roman

numerals.

9. List of Figures. Continue pretext page numbering with lowercase Roman

numerals.

10. List of Illustrations/Maps/Slides. Continue pretext page numbering with

lowercase Roman numerals.

11. Text. All pages from the first page of text through the Vita are numbered
consecutively in Arabic numerals, beginning with Arabic numeral “1” on
the first page of the thesis or report text.

12. Appendix. Continue page numbering with Arabic numerals.

13. Glossary. May, instead, be placed after the Table of Contents in the area with the
Lists of Tables, List of Figures, etc. Continue page numbering with Arabic
numerals.

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14. Bibliography. Other possible titles are “References” or “Works Cited.”
Continue page numbering with Arabic numerals.

15. Vita (Sample E) This brief biographical sketch of the author is always the
last page of the thesis or report and the last page listed on the Table of
Contents. Continue page numbering with Arabic numerals.

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 IV. PAGE FORMAT AND LAYOUT

a. Font

A single font must be used throughout the thesis or report, the only exceptions
being in tables, graphs, and appendices. Headings may be bolded and no more
than 2 points larger than the rest of the text.

b. Margins

All theses and reports must have consistent margins of at least 1.25 inches at the
top, bottom, left, and right edges of the page. Page numbers must be placed at
least one inch from the bottom of the page. Margins which are larger than those
required are acceptable, but smaller margins are not.

c. Spacing

The thesis or report must be double-spaced or 1.5-spaced. Single spacing may be

used only in the Table of Contents, footnotes and endnotes, charts, graphs,
tables, quotations, captions, glossary, appendices, and bibliography.

Prose quotations over three lines long should be in block quote, double or
single-spaced, and indented on the left. Do not use quotation marks in the
block quote except when indicating quotations within the block quote.

d. Numbering of Pages

Beginning with the first page of the Acknowledgements or Preface, if used, all
preliminary pages preceding the actual text must be numbered in lowercase
Roman numerals; e.g., iii, iv, v, etc. These numerals must be centered under the
text with at least one inch of space between the number and the bottom of the
page. If no optional pages are used, the page numbers must begin on the
Abstract. Do not number the copyright page, signature page, title page, or
dedication, but do include each of them in the pretext page count.

The first page of the text begins at Arabic numeral 1. All pages within the text
must contain an Arabic page number, bottom-centered, at least one inch from the
bottom edge of the page. The first page of every major section (chapters,
appendices, bibliography, Vita, etc.) must begin on a new page.

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e. Tables and Illustrations

Pages carrying illustrative material must be given page numbers appropriate to

their place in the document. Illustrative material may not be inserted after the
document has been numbered and given numbers such as “10a.”

All tables, figures, illustrations, and other types of examples included and
referenced in the text of the dissertation should be numbered for identification.
There should be no duplication of these numbers; i.e., no two tables should be
assigned the same number. Figures may be numbered in one of two ways:
consecutively throughout the document (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, etc.), or
double-numbered so that illustrations’ numbers reflect their locations in the
document (Figure 9.3 is the third figure in Chapter 9, or Figure A2 is the second
figure in Appendix A.)

Captions and legends must be placed on the same page with the figure, graph,
table or illustration they describe. In order to fit both figure and caption on the
same page, captions may be single-spaced, margins may be decreased to one
inch, and figures may be reduced in size to fit. If the figures are reduced from
their original size, then the page number must be added after the reduction so as
not to alter its size. If there is no other way to manage the amount of material to
be shown, the caption and figures should be side-by-side in continuous view.
This method should only be used in the rare instance where all of the pertinent
material will not fit on the same page. Figures, captions, and page numbers must
be easily readable when the electronic document is viewed at 100 percent.

Questions concerning architectural designs, music compositions, oversized

theses, or theses and reports oriented in alternate ways should be directed to a
Master’s Degree Evaluator in the Graduate School.

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 V. CONTENTS

a. Table of Contents

The Table of Contents must be placed before the text and any lists of tables,
figures, etc. It consists of section titles, chapter titles, and as many or few
subheadings as the author feels are necessary. The section and chapter titles
listed on the Table of Contents must exactly match the titles as they appear
within the text. Chapters labeled in the Table of Contents with Arabic numbers
(Chapter 3) must not lapse into Roman numerals (Chapter III) when they appear
again in the text. Page numbers for chapters and subheadings are right justified
on the Table of Contents and preceded by a dot leader.

In the text of the thesis or report, major sections must begin on a fresh page and
be designated in the Table of Contents by left justified headings (not indented).
Sub-sections, which do not need to begin on fresh pages, must be indented in the
Table of Contents. The page numbers listed on the Table of Contents must
correlate with the beginning of each section or chapter.

Table of Contents entries are generally double-spaced. However, chapter titles

and subheadings, when more than one line long, should be indented at the
second line and single-spaced. For example:

Chapter One: Title……………………………………………………………………...1

Chapter Two: Title……………………………………………………………………23

Subheading Title……………………………………………………………….24

Subheading Title Extending Over One

Or More Lines, at the Author’s Discretion………..…………………………38

It is acceptable to have a minimal Table of Contents, consisting only of the

sections Text, Bibliography, and Vita with their respective page numbers if the
text itself has no divisible chapters or major sections.

The Table of Contents must conform to the margin requirements set forth in
Section III-b. More information about formatting may be found in the Chicago
Manual of Style.

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b. Footnotes and Bibliography

A Bibliography, or Reference, section must immediately precede the Vita at the

end of the thesis or report, even in theses where chapter end notes have been
used. Bibliographies may be omitted only in wholly original theses such as
novels or musical compositions. The bibliography must include materials used
including the edition, if not the first, so the citation can be readily verified.
Footnote citations must be sufficiently exact to enable the reader to find the
source with ease.

Any standardized form for footnotes and bibliography approved by your

supervisor is acceptable if followed consistently. Several useful manuals for
selecting a footnote/bibliography format include the Chicago Manual of Style and
W.G. Campbell’s Form and Style in Thesis Writing.

c. Signature Page

Digital theses and reports, whether uploaded to Texas Digital Library or

submitted on a disk, must include an unsigned copy of the signature page. The
members’ names must be typed under the signature lines, omitting titles such as
“Ph.D.” and “Dr.” The original signature page containing committee signatures
must be submitted to the Graduate School on white paper and meet the same
margin requirements as the rest of the thesis or report. Extensions will not be
granted simply because committee members are out of town and cannot sign.
For this reason, take committee members’ travel plans into account when
preparing your thesis or report for submission.

d. Copies Required

Effective fall 2009, report- and thesis-option master’s degree candidates at The
University of Texas at Austin must submit a pdf file of their thesis or report to
the Graduate School. This file can be submitted on a CD or it may be uploaded
to the Texas Digital Library submission site at http://etd.lib.utexas.edu/. The
electronic pdf file serves as the University’s archival copy of the document.
Students are strongly encouraged to keep a copy of their report or thesis and to
provide an additional copy to their supervisor or department/program library, if
applicable. By keeping an electronic backup on hand, students can easily
provide scholars with a copy of their report or thesis during the time between
submission and publication through the Texas Digital Library, if necessary. A
paper copy of the report or thesis is not required by the Graduate School, though
one may be required by the student’s graduate department or program.

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 VI. PUBLICATION AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

a. Publication and Archiving of Master’s Reports and Theses

Theses and reports which are uploaded directly to the Texas Digital Library will
be archived with the University of Texas Libraries. The full text of these
documents will also be made available on the Web unless the Graduate Dean has
approved a petition requesting delayed publication. Theses and reports
submitted on CD will be permanently archived with the University of Texas
Libraries.
Delay of Publication: The Graduate Dean will consider petitions to delay
publication for a period of one year. These petitions must be submitted to the
Graduate School by the student’s faculty supervisor at least ten days prior to the
student’s anticipated graduation date.

b. Copyright Registration
Basic information regarding copyrights, copyright registration, and permission
letters is available at www.utexas.edu/ogs/pdn. Students who wish to officially
register their copyright may do so by obtaining and registering the necessary
forms with the U.S. Copyright Office. The address is Library of Congress,
Copyright Office, Washington, D.C., 20599. Students are strongly encouraged to
include a copyright legend in their report or thesis even if they choose not to
officially register their copyright (See Sample A.)

c. Using Materials Copyrighted by Others

Students must certify that any copyrighted material used in their report or thesis,
beyond brief excerpts, is being used with the written permission of the copyright
owner and that the student will hold harmless The University of Texas at Austin
from any damages which may arise from copyright violations. Additional
information about the copyright law, as well as the required Copyright
Disclaimer form, is available at http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/pdn.

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 (Sample A: Copyright Page)

Copyright

by

Full Official Name

2009

(No page number on the actual copyright page)

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 (Sample B: Signature Page)
The Thesis (or Report) committee for (Insert your Official UT Name)

Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis

(or report):

Title of Thesis or Report Centered

and Double-Spaced

APPROVED BY

SUPERVISING COMMITTEE:

Supervisor: ________________________________________

(Name typed under line, omitting Ph.D. or Dr.)

__________________________________________

(Name typed under line, omitting Ph.D. or Dr.)

___________Do Not Include Information Below This Line on the Signature Page __________

In the electronic document, this page should be unsigned, but should include the members’ typed names under
the blank lines. An additional loose signature page with original committee signatures must be submitted to the
Graduate School by the published submission deadline.

(No page number on the actual signature page)

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 (Sample C: Title Page)

Title of Thesis or Report, Centered

and Double-Spaced

by

Full Official Name as it Appears on your UT Transcript, Previous Academic

Degrees (B.A.; B.S.; M.A.; etc.)

Thesis or Report

Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School

of the University of Texas at Austin

in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements

for the Degree of

Name of Degree

(The degree sought must be worded in the form given in the

Graduate Catalog. If dual degree, list both.)

The University of Texas at Austin

Month (May, August, or December only) Year

(No page number on the actual title page)

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 (Sample D: Abstract)

Title of Thesis or Report Centered

and Double-Spaced

by

Full Official Name, (Official Abbreviation of Degree Sought)

The University of Texas at Austin, 2008

SUPERVISOR: (Name of Supervisor, no titles)

Indent and begin abstract here. It should be a concise statement of the

nature and content of the thesis or report. The text must be either double-spaced

or 1.5-spaced. Abstracts should be limited to one page, when possible.

______________Do Not Include Information Below This Line on the Actual Abstract__________

The degree sought must be the abbreviation of the degree as listed in the Graduate Catalog;

e.g., Master of Fine Arts is abbreviated MFA; Master of Science in Engineering is abbreviated

MSE, etc. The supervisor’s name should not include any academic titles such as “Dr.” or

“PhD.”

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 (Sample E: Vita)

VITA

Elizabeth Marie Smith was born in Dallas, Texas. After completing her work at

Lamar High School, Houston, Texas, she entered Southwest Texas State

University in San Marcos, Texas. During the summers of 1979 and 1980 she

attended Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She received the

degree of Bachelor of Science from Sarah Lawrence College in May, 1982. During

the following years she was employed as a biology teacher at Austin High

School. In September, 1997, she entered the Graduate School at The University of

Texas at Austin.

Permanent Address: 1908 Oldham

Austin, Texas 78723

This thesis was typed by the author.

or
This thesis was typed by John L. Jones.

______________Do Not Include Information Below This Line on the Actual Vita____________

The Vita is a brief biographical sketch of the writer that provides information for future

readers. The vita must include the author’s full name and a permanent address or email where

he or she can be reached. Because the thesis/report may be available electronically, be aware

that certain personal information could be used to steal your identity. For this reason, you are

advised not to include your date of birth, parents’ names, or children’s names. The name of

the typist should always appear at the end of the page.

 VI. FORMATTING CHECKLIST

1. Is every page of the thesis or report numbered correctly, from the pretext
pages through the Vita?
2. Did you use your full, official University of Texas name as it appears on
your UT transcript on the title page and abstract?
3. Are the titles on the title page, signature page, and abstract identical?
4. Do your margins conform to the margin requirements set forth on page 7?
5. Does your signature page include the original signatures of the
supervising committee members listed on your online Master’s
Application for Graduation?
6. Are all charts, graphs, and other illustrations legible? Are they all labeled
and numbered properly?
7. If you are formatting an oversized thesis or report, such as those required
for an architectural design thesis or music composition, did you take a
sample to Main 101 for a format check well in advance of the deadline?
8. Is your name and thesis/report title exactly the same on your title page,
signature page, and Abstract?
9. Have you had a degree evaluator from Main 101 check your format?
10. Do you have the following forms to submit to the Graduate School along
with your digital thesis or report?

 One loose copy each of the Title Page, Signature Page (with original
signatures), and Abstract

 Copyright Disclaimer form

If the answer to all of these is “Yes,” you may submit your thesis or report.

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