Thesis/Dissertation Office
Purdue Graduate School
Mark D. Jaeger, Manager
Room 170, Ernest C. Young Hall
4-2600
markj@purdue.edu
http://www.purdue.edu/GradSchool/Thesis/thesis.html
What we do….
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Ensure candidate compliance with current thesis
preparation manual (Sixth Edition, 1996)
Perform thesis/dissertation format reviews prior to
final deposits
Process theses/dissertations for placement in
Purdue Undergraduate Library Storage and/or
UMI microfilming
Instructional outreach to candidates, departments,
staff, and faculty
Thesis Format Reviews
Departments were delegated formatting
responsibility in 1994
 Most departments have thesis format
advisors—some do not
 We offer optional “courtesy reviews”
 Reviews are made on a scheduledappointment basis
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Thesis/Dissertation Deposits
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Over 750+ deposits are accepted in a typical year.
For May 2003 alone: 260 Masters and Ph.D.’s!
Two deadlines: “Exam only” and “degree only.”
 Deadlines: Summer 2003 - 11 July and 1
August; Fall 2003 - 17 October and 12
December
Deadlines, deposit checklists, etc. are posted at our
website
50% of “finals” are in the last week of the
deadline! 33% are in the last three days!
New precheck policy
Tips for a Successful Deposit
“The Great Unknown”
 Planning and Preparation are key
 The “5-P Rule”
 Give yourself a “fudge factor”
 Establish contact and rapport with your
departmental thesis advisor
 “Ditto” for the Thesis/Dissertation Office
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Tips - II
Review A Manual for the Preparation of
Graduate Theses (Sixth Edition, 1996)
before commencing
 Manual is available in hard copy (teal
cover) or in Adobe Reader on our website
 “If all else fails….read the directions!”
 Ask questions
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Tips - III
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Monitor the T/D Office and Grad School websites
Constantly review your work. Make backups.
Save drafts and notes.
 Consistency, con
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sistency,
consisten
cy
Personal information must match Purdue records
Thesis title must be consistent too!
Tips - IV
Don’t rely on Bill
Gates to do
your spell-checking
 When correcting errors, avoid “chain
reactions”
 Check for printing errors
 Ensure you receive, complete, and turn in
all required forms
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Tips - V
You are “writing for the ages”
 Put your “best foot forward”
 Theses and dissertations reflect upon your
work and Purdue University
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University Format Requirements
Paper: 20-pound weight (up to 24-pound is
also acceptable), white, “rag” or 100%
cotton
 Typeface: Same size/font as text (e.g., 10-12
“TNR,” Arial, etc.). Must be as consistent as
possible
 Spacing: Driven by style; normally 1.5 or 2
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University Format Requirements
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Margins: As stated in manual; avoid “widows” and
“orphans”; facing pages
Pagination: All pages are numbered (except for
“cover pages”)
 Prelim pages are in “Roman numerals”
 All others are in “Arabic” starting with “1” on
first page of text
 Normally best to paginate in upper right-hand
corner; ECE prefers “centered at the top”
University Format Requirements
Ensure preliminary pages are in correct
order
 Ensure correct information (e.g.,
name/degree) is placed on title page
 Ensure abstract meets requirements and
does not exceed 350 words per UMI
requirement
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Departmental Requirements
Be aware of internal departmental
requirements (these sometimes vary from
the manual)
 Formal approval blocks on G.S. 9, “Thesis
“Acceptance” signed by either committee
chair or departmental format advisor!
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University Procedures for
Depositing Theses
Your situation will determine how many
copies are deposited
 Avoid inkjet/bubblejet printers. Use laser
printers
 Ensure ALL copies of thesis are identical
 Printing/binding may be done anywhere as
long as it meets university requirements
 “Boiler Copy Maker” is best/cheapest
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University Procedures….II
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“An ounce of prevention”
Constantly check before and after printing for
errors
Proxies may be used; under certain conditions
mail-in deposits are also done
 If using proxies, ensure they have a way to
correct minor errors
 Extra paperwork determined by situation
(see final deposit checklist)
University Procedures…III
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Deposit Extensions/Waivers
 Only considered on a case-by-case basis
 Requests, in letter-form, must be routed
through major professor(s) and
department head to the Graduate School
 A failure to plan does not constitute
grounds for approval!
General Information
All Ph.D.’s are microfilmed by
UMI/ProQuest; microfilming fee is paid at
Bursar
 Candidates do receive modest royalty
payments for dissertations purchased
 Any copyrighted material (text, figures,
etc.) must be accompanied by permission
from copyright-holder
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General Information…II
Confidentality sometimes necessary (e.g.,
patent information) but should be applied
judiciously
 Signed/completed Request for
Confidentiality form must be submitted at
time of deposit
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General Information…III
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Tables and Figures
 Color may be used for all bound copies
 Unbound copy (Ph.D.’s only) must be in b x w
or gray-scale due to UMI requirements
 Facing and oversize pages are permissible
 Tables and figures have unique Arabic numerals
and captions (e.g., Table 1; Figure 2.1; Table
A.3, etc.)
 For facing pages: These are always on the right
and, in portrait, “bottom” always faces right
(See page 23 of manual)
General Information…IV
Theses over 350 pages must come in two
volumes and have an additional “Volume II”
title page and appropriate annotation in
table of contents
 Style: Driven by departmental requirements
(e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago, academic
journals, etc.)
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Purdue Format
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Title Page
 No page number but technically “i.”
 Spacing must be consistent (see example)
 Text centered between right and left
margins
 Name/title/degree must match
 Date is graduation month/year
Purdue Format…II
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Dedication Page
 Optional
 Brief and “centered” on the page
 No heading is used
 Paginated “ii”
 Not listed in table of contents
Purdue Format…III
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 “Major division” heading between right
and left margins, 2 inches from top
 Text begins three single-space lines
below
 Spacing same as text (1.5 or 2)
 Paginated in lowercase Roman numerals
 Not listed in “TOC”
Purdue Format…IV
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PREFACE: Treated as previously mentioned. This
is optional.
TABLE OF CONTENTS: See example. Watch
consistency, “leader dots,” etc.
LIST OF TABLES: Optional but strongly
recommended.
 Include same numbers/captions as found above
tables in text
 Allow 1 inch top margin on subsequent page(s)
 Repeat “Table” and “Page” on subsequent
page(s)
Purdue Format…V
LIST OF FIGURES: “Ditto”
 LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS,
NOMENCLATURE, GLOSSARY
 Generally “Ditto”
 If glossaries are more than 2 pages, they
may be placed in the back between notes
and bibliography
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Purdue Format…VI
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ABSTRACT: See example
 Name/title/degree must match!
 Titles/departments of major professor(s)
not required since they’re “understood”
 Illustrative materials not recommended
for inclusion
 Max words: 350 per UMI
Purdue Format…VII
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PUBLICATION(S)
 Placed immediately after ABSTRACT
and given Roman numeral pagination
 Placed after VITA and given Arabic
pagination
 In either case, preceded by a “cover
page” neither numbered nor counted
Purdue Format…VIII
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Text
 Must be organized in a consistent manner
 Ensure major division headings are
consistent (i.e., 2 inches from top, all
caps, etc.)
 Text always starts 3 single-space lines
below the heading
Purdue Format…IX
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LIST OF REFERENCES or
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Preceded by “cover page” neither
numbered nor counted
 Major division heading
 Organized in consistent manner (e.g.,
MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)
 Avoid “split entries”
Purdue Format…X
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APPENDIX or APPENDICES
 Preceded by “cover page” neither
numbered nor counted
 Internal cover pages are
numbered/counted
 APPENDIX: “Major division heading”
 APPENDICES: “First order
subdivisions”
Purdue Format…XI
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NOTES and FOOTNOTES
 Consistency
 After each chapter: “first order
subdivisions”; Notes listed in “TOC”
 End notes treated as “major division”
 Footnotes must be kept together on same
page; may be single-spaced and in “10”
font
Purdue Format…XII
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VITA
 Mandatory only for Ph.D.’s
 Preceded by cover page
 Treated as major division
 Arabic paginated
 Content of VITA driven by department;
sometimes one sentence; sometimes
“curriculum vitae” of multiple pages
Tip o’ the Day from Joe Friday
“Just give’em the facts!”
Thesis/Dissertation Office
Purdue Graduate School
Mark D. Jaeger, Manager
Room 170, Ernest C. Young Hall
4-2600
markj@purdue.edu
http://www.purdue.edu/GradSchool/Thesis/thesis.html