Format Requirements

The format requirements are applicable to the following research documents:

  • Doctoral dissertation and Master’s thesis (all programs), and Master’s creative writing project (English);
  • Master’s major paper (all programs) and major internship paper (Political Science).

Upon completion of the final oral defense and prior to completing the final submission (deposit), the document must be submitted to the Graduate Studies office to be reviewed for conformity with the format requirements outlined below. Review the instructions for format checking and final submission (deposit). 

Template & How to Prepare - Physical Format - Page Order - Page margins, numbering, and other formatting - Contact  - Page Samples


Template & How to Prepare:

The Faculty of Graduate Studies format guidelines concern copyright, authorship, and physical format. The required elements in this regard are outlined below and are to be included within the front-matter and back-matter of the document. For the main body of the document, no particular style of presentation is required and students may use any format of their choice (such as the APA or Chicago style manual, etc.) for chapter headings and sub-headings, heading levels, style for references, etc. Students are advised to consult with their academic program for a recommended particular style for their document body.


Physical Format:

Students may choose between two format types for the thesis or dissertation: the traditional format or the manuscript format.

  1. Traditional format
    • This format organizes chapters around a central problem and is normally used when no part of the thesis has been published or submitted for publication.
  2. Manuscript format
    • The manuscript format comprises the text of one or more papers/manuscripts that have been, or will be, submitted for publication. These texts must follow the guidelines for format given elsewhere in this document with respect to font size, line spacing and margin sizes.  Each chapter in a manuscript format has an individual chapter "References" (or 'Bibliography") placed at the end of the chapter; however, the document must be more than a collection of manuscripts, in that all the components must be brought together into one cohesive unit, with a single Abstract for the entire document (i.e. no individual chapter abstracts), with logical progression from one chapter to the next, and following one consistent style throughout in each chapter, e.g. same formatting of chapter headings, sub-headings, heading levels, same citation style for the chapter references, etc.

Page order:

The document consists of three main sections:

  1. front matter: the pages preceding the thesis body
  2. thesis body
  3. back matter: the pages following the thesis body

Details are outlined below. Pages marked with an asterisk (*) are optional.

(1) Traditional format:

Front matter section:

No particular style of the page titles is required, however, all front-matter page titles must follow the same consistent style (e.g. all titles in UPPERCASE, all centered on the page, all in bold text, etc.).

  1. Title page
  2. Copyright page (only if separate)
  3. Unsigned approval page
  4. Either Declaration of Originality or Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication 
  5. Abstract
  6. *Dedication (where applicable)
  7. *Acknowledgements (where applicable)
  8. Table of Contents
  9. *List of Tables (where applicable)
  10. *List of Figures (where applicable)
  11. *List of Appendices (where applicable)
  12. *List of Abbreviations, Symbols,
  13. *Nomenclature (where applicable)

Thesis body:

Body of thesis (divided into various chapters)

Back matter section: 

No particular style for the page titles is required, however, all back-matter page titles must follow the same consistent style (e.g. all titles in UPPERCASE, all centered on the page, all in bold text, etc.).

Bibliography/References (note that the Bibliography/References section can either precede or follow the Appendices)

*Appendices (include copyright releases here, if applicable).

Vita Auctoris

(2) Manuscript format

Front matter section (similar to the traditional thesis format except for the Declaration):

  1. Title page
  2. Copyright page (only if separate)
  3. Unsigned approval page
  4. Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication
  5. Abstract
  6. *Dedication (where applicable)
  7. *Acknowledgements (where applicable)
  8. Table of Contents
  9. *List of Tables (where applicable)
  10. *List of Figures (where applicable)
  11. *List of Appendices (where applicable)
  12. *List of Abbreviations, Symbols,
  13. *Nomenclature (where applicable)

Thesis body for manuscript format - divided into chapters as follows:

  • Introductory chapter to the entire thesis with its own bibliography
  • Each subsequent chapter presented in a manuscript format without an abstract, but with its own bibliography and following consistently the same style, e.g. style of chapter headings, sub-headings, heading levels, same style for references, etc. regardless of the citation formats of the journals in which the manuscript may have appeared or will be published.
  • Final chapter (general discussions and conclusions) to relate the separate studies to each other and to a relevant discipline or field of study. 

Back matter section:

*Appendices (include copyright releases here, if applicable).

Vita Auctoris


Front matter section (the pages preceding the thesis body) should appear in the following order:

Title page

  • Assigned page number one (i), but not physically numbered. 
  • A title page must follow exactly both the layout and wording as shown in the example under Page Samples.
  • In selecting your title, keep in mind that the systems used by libraries to retrieve the information contained in your document rely on title keywords. The title should therefore be accurate, specific, and brief.

Copyright page (*optional)

  • Not necessary if the copyright symbol appears at the bottom of the Title page.
  • If included as a separate page, the copyright page is assigned page number two (ii), but is not physically numbered; the page numbering on the subsequent pages is adjusted consecutively, e.g. next page/Approval page is counted as page three (iii), etc.

Approval page:

The "Approval page" is a list of the student's Master's or doctoral committee members. It must be prepared following exactly the layout and instructions within the template provided: review the Approval page sample as a reference, and prepare your approval page using the Approval Page Template for: Doctoral Dissertation / Master's Thesis / Major Paper

  • UNSIGNED Approval page: within the thesis document, the Approval page remains unsigned i.e. without committee members' signatures; it counts as page number two (ii) of the thesis but is not physically numbered.
  • SIGNED version of the Approval page: note that after a successful completion of the oral defense, one signed copy of the approval page (with committee members' signatures) is to be submitted separately (under Deposit step 3 of 3). For this purpose, the Approval page from the thesis is to be copied in a separate file and presented to your committee members to obtain their signatures after the defense; however, leave the Approval page unsigned within your final thesis PDF document.

Begin physically numbering pages after the Approval page.

Either Declaration of Originality (option #1), or Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication (option #2):

Option 1: "Declaration of Originality":

  • Assigned page number three (iii) and physically numbered.
  • This declaration option should be used in the traditional thesis format provided the thesis does not include material based on joint research or material that has been published or submitted for publication. Review also the guidelines below regarding the alternative declaration, "Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication".
  • Download and insert the Declaration of Originality in your thesis.

Option 2: "Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication":

  • Assigned page number four (iv) and physically numbered.
  • This declaration option should be used as an alternative to “Declaration of Originality”, when the thesis incorporates material based on joint research (published or unpublished), and/or when the thesis incorporates the text of one or more papers that the student has published or submitted for publication.
  • It is the responsibility of the student to obtain proper permission from any co-authors as well as from the journal/copyright holder to use the published material in their thesis. Refer to Guidelines regarding Copyright and Authorship
  • This declaration is normally used in the manuscript thesis format (or in the traditional format, in case of co-authorship). 
  • Download the "Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication" template.

Abstract:

  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.
  • All theses, dissertations, and major papers as well as creative writing projects must contain an abstract, which should not exceed 2 pages (for Doctoral dissertations), and 1 page (for Master's theses, major research papers, and creative writing projects). 
  • Note: no particular style is recommended for the titles of pages within the Front matter section, however, the font and style of each title within the front matter must be consistent, for example, all titles in the same font size, centered on the page, in UPPERCASE,  and in bold text (e.g.  “DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY”, “ABSTRACT”, etc.).

Dedication (*optional):

  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

Acknowledgements (*optional):

  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

Table of Contents:

  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.
  • All front-matter pages should be listed, except for the title page, the copyright page (if applicable), the approval page, and the table of contents itself.
  • All pages within the back-matter (pages following the thesis body) must be listed too, including the Vita Auctoris page.
  • When subheadings are included in the Table of Contents, they may be indented differently from the chapter titles or set in another type style.
  • Examples of both Traditional and Manuscript format Table of Contents can be found below under Page Samples

List of Tables (*optional):

  • Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style - list not only the table captions but also their page number. 
  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

List of Figures (*optional):

  • Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style - list not only the figure captions but also their page number. 
  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

List of Appendices (*optional):

  • Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style.
  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.
  • This section to contain details of methodology, tabulated data, and other pertinent data.
  • Copyright releases from previous publications may be included in the Appendices.
  • Remove any private information from appended materials, such as signatures, personal phone numbers, addresses, etc.

List of Abbreviations, or Nomenclature (*optional):

  • Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style.
  • Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

Body of the Thesis:

  • The body of the thesis follows, divided into chapters.
  • Remember that pages in the body of the thesis are assigned Arabic numerals beginning with one ("1") which run consecutively to the very end of the thesis (including the Vita Auctoris page).
  • If using the manuscript format, each chapter is without an individual chapter abstract but has its own bibliography/references section at the end of the chapter.
  • If using the traditional format, there is a single bibliography/references section for the entire thesis placed at the end (after the thesis body, within the back-matter)
  • No particular style of presentation is recommended for the body of the thesis document (e.g. style of chapter titles, headings and sub-headings, heading levels, etc.). The single most important aspect of style is consistency: the same style must be followed throughout. If your program does not recommend any particular style manual, the following are widely-accepted examples of the numerous style manuals available: 

Students in engineering and the sciences should consult their advisors for information about style manuals. Review also Research Guidelines and Resources​.

Back matter (the pages following the thesis body) should appear in the following order:

Note: similarly to the Front matter, no particular style is recommended for the titles of pages within the Back matter section, however, the font and style of each title within the back matter must be consistent, for example, all titles in the same font size, centered on the page, in UPPERCASE,  and in bold text (e.g.  “REFERENCES”, “APPENDICES”, etc.).

References (or Bibliography):

  • No particular style for references is recommended so students should consult their supervisors about the appropriate style for their discipline.
  • In the traditional format, there is a single References/Bibliography section that appears at the end after the body of the thesis, and can either precede or follow the Appendices.
  • In the manuscript format, there are individual References/Bibliography sections that appear after each chapter within the thesis body.

Appendices (*optional):

  • Copyright releases from publications may be included in the Appendices.
  • Remove any private information from appended materials, such as signatures, personal phone numbers, addresses, etc.

Vita Auctoris ("life of the author"):

  • The Vita Auctoris is a required thesis element, however, there are no specific requirements / restrictions about its format or contents. It should include as a minimum:
    • The author's name.
    • Education and degrees.
  • For privacy concerns, students should not include personal information such as home address and phone numbers, full date of birth, etc.
  • Other information may be included that is directly related to the thesis or academic discipline (e.g., list of student’s publications/conference presentations resulting from their thesis research, etc.).
  • The Vita Auctoris page must be the last page of the document, it must be assigned a number and listed in the Table of Contents.
  • The title of the Vita Auctoris must be formatted using the same style (e.g. same font type and font size, etc.) as the titles of the rest of the back matter sections (e.g. References and Appendices)
  • Examples can be found under Page Samples.

Formatting:

  • The document must use 2 numeration systems: Roman numerals for the front matter/ preliminary pages, and Arabic numerals for the thesis body and thereafter through the end of the document. Each page must be counted in the numeration. 
  • Front matter (preliminary pages): The pages within the front-matter are those preliminary pages preceding the main thesis body. The following front-matter pages are not physically numbered even though they must be accounted for in the numbering system: title page (counted as page one), copyright page (if separate - counted as page two), and unsigned approval page (counted as page three if there is a separate copyright page, or page two otherwise). The remaining pages within the front-matter beginning with the declaration must be physically numbered in Roman numerals, e.g. declaration - page three (iii), abstract - page four (iv), etc. See further details under 'Page order' where each page is listed. Beginning with the declaration, all pages must be physically numbered through the end of the document.
  • Body of thesis and back matter: pages within the body of the thesis are assigned Arabic numerals, beginning with one ("1") at the beginning of chapter 1/introduction, consecutively to the end of the thesis.
  • Do not begin new pagination sequences at the beginning of appendices. If appendices include material taken from other sources on which page numbers already appear (permission to reproduce this material having been received, if necessary), they must also carry numbers conforming to the pagination of the thesis or dissertation.
  • Every page must have the same margins: 1 inch all around, preferably a larger margin (1½ inches) on the left.
  • To accommodate large graphs and material such as figures, flowcharts, or diagrams, it is acceptable to have the material extend into the margin.
  • Keep illustrative material (e.g. graphs, images, figures,e tc.) within the margins defined above, where possible. To accommodate large graphs and material such as figures, flowcharts, or diagrams, it is acceptable to have the material extend into the left or right page margin.
  • The format of tables, figures, etc. must follow one style consistently.
  • Check with your research supervisor for advice on your program’s preferred style. 
  • The line spacing of the text should be consistent throughout the document. At least 1½ line spacing is recommended, with the exception of notes, long quotations, figure and table captions, appendices, and references. 
  • The font size should be 10 points or larger; a smaller font size may be used for graphs, formulas, figure and table captions, and appendices.
  • No particular font size or style is recommended for the main page titles within the front matter (e.g. titles of the declaration, abstract, acknowledgements, etc), or the main titles within the back-matter (references, appendices, vita auctoris). However, the font size and style of all titles within each of the three sections (front matter, thesis body, and back matter) must be consistent.

 

It is the student’s responsibility (and an important courtesy to the readers) to ensure that grammar and spelling conventions are observed.


Other Questions:

For questions contact the Office of Graduate Studies, Room 309, Chrysler Hall Tower, or call 519-253-3000, extension 2104.

Samples of Pages:

title page sample

Note: For the following three programs there is a slight difference in the wording where the Department name is to be listed (line that begins with "through the Department of") as follows:

1.for students in the Environmental Science program it should read:

"...

through the Faculty of Science

And in support of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research

..."

2.for students in the Biological Sciences programs that are jointly offered by 2 departments, students should list both department names so that it reads:  

"...

 through the Department of Integrative Biology and the Department of Biomedical Sciences

..."

3.for Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) students, the respective doctoral or Master's program should be listed: 

- for Doctoral IMSE students:

"...

through the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Graduate Program 

..."

-for Master's IMSE students: 

"... 

through the Industrial Engineering Graduate Program 

..."

SAMPLE OF AN APPROVAL PAGE FOR A DOCTORAL DISSERTATION:

approval page sample for PhD

SAMPLE OF AN APPROVAL PAGE FOR A MASTER'S THESIS:

sample approval page for Masters

SAMPLE OF AN APPROVAL PAGE FOR A MASTER'S MAJOR PAPER OR INTERNSHIP PAPER:sample approval page for Major and Internship

Mary Scott was born in 1976 in Windsor, Ontario. She graduated from Assumption High School in 1995. From there she went on to the University of Western Ontario where she obtained a B.Sc. in Chemistry in 1999. She is currently a candidate for the Master's degree in Chemistry at the University of Windsor and hopes to graduate in Fall 2001.