University of Richmond

Graduate Thesis - Paper Guidelines

In preparing the paper copy of a master's thesis, a student must observe the following instructions. A separate set of instructions apply to the electronic copy of a master's thesis.

Preparation

  1. Paper and Type
    1. Use bond paper of good quality and weight (acid-free, at least 20-pound weight with a 25% rag content). Paper available in University Printing Services Office
    2. Paper size should be 8-1/2” x 11”.
    3. Standard type. Script and italics are not acceptable for the bulk of the text. Italics are permissible for words and phrases from non-English languages, including scientific names of organisms.”
    4. Use a laser quality printer (dot-matrix is not acceptable).
    5. Charts, graphs, tables and other illustrative materials should be in black and white (this is desirable for reproduction).
  2. Margins
    1. Top and left, 1.5 ”; bottom and right, 1”.
  3. Typing
    1. Type only on one side of each page.
    2. Text should be neat and clean; pen and pencil corrections of errors are not permitted.
    3. Follow the style format for your program (i.e. MLA style, APA style).
    4. Must not be copied on a copy machine.
  4. Spacing
    1. Double space the text.
    2. Single space footnotes, long quotations, and tabular material. 
  5. Pagination
    1. Preliminaries are to be numbered with lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.) at the center bottom of the page. The numerals begin with ii; the title page counts as page i, but the number does not appear.
    2. Text and reference sections should be numbered continuously with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). Page numbers should be in the upper right corner of each page, except for the first page of each chapter or division which should be numbered at the center bottom. (Numbers should be about 3 lines or 1/2” from the text.)

Order of Presentation

The parts of the thesis should be arranged in the following order.

  1. Two blank pages.
  2. Preliminaries
    1. Abstract (see below for instructions).
    2. Approval page, with appropriate signatures. Each thesis must include an approval page with appropriate signatures as determined by the student’s major department. See the sample approval page for proper formatting.
    3. Title Page. The title page should be in exact conformity with the sample title page. The date should be the month and year in which the degree is to be awarded.
    4. Copyright notice (optional—see below for information).
    5. Preface and or acknowledgements (optional).
    6. Table of Contents, with page references (optional).
    7. List of table and/or illustrations, with title and page reference (optional).
  3. Text and References. The introduction, main body, footnotes, tables, appendices, and bibliography should be organized and presented in a format and style approved by the major department.
  4. Vita or brief biography of the author of the thesis.
  5. Two blank pages.

Copies

  1. The Graduate School requires two copies of the thesis. These copies will be deposited in the Boatwright Library where they are available to be checked out by library patrons, and can be ordered by other institutions through Interlibrary Loan.
  2. The major department or thesis director may require one or more additional copies.

Binding

The Graduate School Office arranges for binding of required copies, and will be pleased to provide binding service for personal copies. The student is responsible for the payment of binding fees for all copies at the time the thesis is presented. The cost of binding is $12.00 per copy.

Due Dates

  1. For May candidates, approved copies of the thesis must be submitted by the last Wednesday in March.
  2. For August candidates, the due date is the first Thursday in August.

Abstract

The Graduate School requires publication of an abstract of the thesis in Master Abstracts, University Microfilm International (UMI).  The UMI form is available in the Graduate School Office and must be completed when the thesis is submitted.

  1. Content. The abstract, not to exceed 150 words, should be a carefully prepared, succinct account of the thesis. It should include a statement of the problem, procedure or methods, results, and conclusions.
  2. Format. The abstract must be on a separate sheet of paper, double-spaced, with a heading that includes (a) exact thesis title, (b) author’s full name, (c) degree for which the thesis is written, (d) University of Richmond, (e) year degree is to be granted, and (f) thesis director’s full name.
  3. Agreement. A completed, signed abstract publication agreement with University Microfilms International must be submitted to the Graduate School along with an additional copy of the abstract and title page. A copy of the agreement form is attached to these instructions.
  4. Fees. The Graduate School Office will pay abstract fees.

Publication

The Graduate School encourages, but does not require, publication of the thesis with University Microfilms International. A student wishing to publish his or her thesis must secure the approval of the thesis director and complete a publication agreement with University Microfilms International. The student should contact University Microfilms International to arrange publication.

Copyright

Students wishing to copyright a published thesis may do so by (1) dealing directly with the Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20559 http://www.copyright.gov/; or (2) if the thesis is published with University Microfilms International, using the copyright services of University Microfilms International. A copyrighted thesis must include a copyright notice as follows:

©Copyright by Randall Keith Falls 1982
All Rights Reserved

For additional information concerning the preparation of your thesis, please consult your thesis director, the Graduate Coordinator of your program, or the Graduate School Office.

If you wish to apply a Creative Commons license to your thesis, see the website  http://www.creativecommons.org/ for more information.