Graduate School website:

http://www.csustan.edu/Grad/thesis_project.html Link to graduate services from the Library’s website:

http://library.csustan.edu/graduate-students/services-graduate-students

Master Thesis/Project/Doctoral Dissertation Preparation Guidelines

http://www.csustan.edu/Grad/documents/GuidelinesforThesisDissertationREV102013.pdf

In the case of a conflict between the departmental style manual and the guidelines, the guidelines take precedence.

Formatting templates, Microsoft Word documents pre-

formatted 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

Format Level of Heading

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_clearance_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/