Margins
All copies of a thesis/dissertation must have the following uniform margins throughout the entire document:
Left: 1 1/4” (to ensure sufficient room for binding the work)
Right: 1" or 1 1/4" for front and back reproduction (UMI copies are bound front and back)
Bottom: 1” (with allowances for page numbers, see section on Pagination)
Top: 1”
Exceptions: The title page, abstract, first page of the dedication, acknowledgements(s) and preface (if any), first page of the table of contents, and the first page of each chapter (including the introduction, if any) begin 2” from the top of the page.
Font Type and Size
To ensure clear and legible text for all copies, choose a medium width font that is either 10, 11, or 12 points in size. Superscripts and subscripts (e.g., formulas, footnote numbers) should be no more than 2 points smaller than the font size used for the body of the text.
For ease of conversion to a PDF document, UMI recommends using standard fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial. If you choose an unusual font, be sure to use embeddable Type 1 or TrueType fonts.
Spacing and Indentation
The text of a thesis/dissertation must appear in a single column on each page and double-spaced throughout. Exceptions are blocked quotations, notes, captions, legends, and long headings, which should be single-spaced with a space between items.
New paragraphs should be indicated by a consistent tab indentation. For blocked quotations, indent the entire body consistently from the left margin.
Pagination
Use lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) on all pages preceding the first page of chapter one. The title page counts as page i, but the number does not appear. Therefore, the first page showing a number will be page ii (the copyright page or first page of the abstract if not including a copyright page).
Arabic numerals (beginning with 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) start at chapter one or the introduction, if applicable, and include the text, illustrations, notes, and any other materials that follow. The first page of each chapter should be counted when you paginate the thesis/dissertation, but should not be identified with any numeral. Thus, the second page of chapter one is the first to show an Arabic numeral: 2. Do not use page numbers accompanied by letters, hyphens, periods, or parentheses (e.g. 1., 1-2, -1-, (1), and 1a).
Center all page numbers at the bottom of the page 1/2” from the bottom edge.
If your document contains landscape pages (pages in which the top of the page is the long side of a sheet of paper), make sure that your page numbers nevertheless appear in the same place as they do on other sheets for consistency. For assistance with landscape pages in Microsoft Word, see http://help.unc.edu/?id=202 or http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=211930.
Thesis/dissertation pages should not contain headers.
Footnotes and Endnotes
Place the footnote at the bottom of the page, separated from the text by a solid line one to two inches long, beginning at the left-hand margin on the first line below the text.
Single-space footnotes that are more than one line long. Double-space between more than one footnote on a page.
Divide a footnote if it cannot be accommodated in the space remaining at the bottom of one page. To maintain the required margins, break the note within a sentence and carry the remainder into the footnote area of the next page, where it will precede the footnotes for that page, if any. Do not indicate the continuation of a footnote.
Number all footnotes consecutively with Arabic numerals. You may number notes continuously, without repeating any numbers, through the entire thesis/dissertation. Alternatively, you may begin repeating note numbers with each new chapter, numbering the first note in each new chapter with the number 1.
Note numbers should precede the note, be placed slightly above the line (superscripted), and leave no extra space between the number and the note. Alternatively, note numbers can appear on the same line as the note (not superscripted) followed by a period and two spaces. Choose one style to follow consistently.
Endnotes are an acceptable alternative to footnotes. The same overall format guidelines apply. However, endnotes should always begin on a separate page following the end of each chapter with a 1” margin at the top of the page. A heading at the top of the endnotes page is optional.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures vary widely by discipline. Therefore, formatting of these components is largely at the discretion of the author. Headings may appear above or below tables and figures. Tables and figures may be placed within text or grouped together in a separate section. Most importantly, the format you choose for your tables and figures must be consistent throughout the document and comply with The Graduate School's margin and pagination requirements.
Appendices
If your thesis/dissertation has appendices, they should appear at the end of the document, not the chapter to which they pertain. When there is more than one appendix, assign each appendix a number or a letter heading (e.g., Appendix 1D, Appendix One, or Appendix A) and a descriptive title. The heading(s) should be centered and appear 1” below the top of the page. All headings and titles must appear in the table of contents. All appendix pages should be numbered with Arabic numerals, continued from and subject to the same guidelines as the rest of the document.
Bibilography/References
You are required to list all the references you consulted. Because the form of bibliographical entries varies from discipline to discipline, consult and be consistent in applying one of the published manuals listed at the beginning of this Guide and/or a professional journal in your discipline for the proper form.
Select an appropriate heading (such as Bibliography, Works Cited, References, or Sources Consulted). It should be centered and appear 1” below the top of the page. All bibliography pages should be numbered with Arabic numbers, continued from and subject to the same guidelines as the rest of the document.
Citations are single-spaced within each entry and double-spaced between entries.
If you choose to put references at the end of each chapter, they must begin on a separate page with a 1” margin at the top of the page.
Fees
UMI charges a standard fee for archiving documents. If you choose to have UMI file for copyright on your behalf, you must also pay a copyright registration fee. All fees must be paid by credit card.
Doctoral dissertations:
Open Access Publishing: $160
Traditional Publishing: $65Master's theses:
Open Access Publishing:$150
Traditional Publishing: $55Copyright Registration Fee: $65
The new fees will apply to dissertations and theses submitted on or after 9/1/08
Note: Fees for filing theses and dissertations are subject to change without prior notice. Consult the UMI Submission website for current information.
Internet Distribution
All theses and dissertations will be included in the UMI database and the University Library database and made available to the general public over the internet. UMI search services allow different levels of access depending on payment, ranging from metadata only searching to accessing only the first portion of the paper, or the entire paper. UMI collects fees from anyone who orders a thesis or dissertation from it and, then, shares a portion of the fee with the author. Students will sign an agreement with UMI setting forth the terms of UMI’s services.
The University Library database will make theses and dissertations available in their entirety to the general public for free. As a condition of enrollment, each student grants the University a limited, non-exclusive royalty-free license to reproduce the student’s dissertation, in whole or in part, in electronic form to be posted on the University’s library database and made available to the general public at no charge.
Under certain circumstances, students may restrict distribution of a portion of their theses or dissertations over the internet. Such restrictions, if allowed, will only be for a limited period of time.
