Thesis proposals and the final thesis should generally conform to the guidelines presented below.
Pagination
The title page is not numbered.
All pages prior to the start of the introductory text (i.e., Supervisory Committee Signatory page, Frontispiece, Acknowledgments, Abbreviations, List of Figures and Tables, and Abstract) must be numbered in lower case Roman numerals in the center at the bottom of each page. A template for the title page etc. is provided at the end of this thesis guide (Appendix A: title page, Appendix B: Supervisory Committee Signatory page). This template should be completed for both the thesis proposal and the final thesis.
The first page of the main body text of the thesis is usually the Introduction or Chapter One and is numbered Page 1 in Arabic numerals. Text pages must be numbered in Arabic numerals consecutively throughout the thesis. Page numbers must be in a consistent, exact location on each page.
Each chapter should begin on a new page.
The pagination number font should be of the same font used in the text of the thesis.
Final Thesis Presentation and Layout
The following requirements shall be adhered to in the format of the submitted thesis.
MSc and PhD Supervisory Committees will require candidates to submit manuscripts to approved journals as part of their thesis requirement. In some cases, the manuscript(s) should also be at the accepted or published stage. If a submitted/accepted/published manuscript is a thesis requirement, then this document will be the abstract, introduction, material and methods, results, discussion, conclusions, and references of the thesis and will reflect the formatting of the journal to which it was submitted/accepted or published. The formatting of everything that precedes and follows the inserted manuscript should follow the formatting rules detailed below. The Supervisory Committee may require the candidate to include a more comprehensive Introduction than what is reflected in a journal manuscript. This expanded Introduction should follow the formatting rules detailed below. If a PhD candidate has two or more submitted manuscripts that contribute to their PhD work, an introduction preceding all manuscripts should address the relationship among them; alternatively, they can be presented as separate chapters in the final thesis.
- The thesis shall be presented in letter size format (8½” x 11” standard, 220 x 280mm metric).
The thesis must be typed with double-line spacing (For Exceptions: See Section 2.10.1 Quotations).
- The font of each character used in the main text shall be consistent throughout the thesis and may be Arial or Times New Roman only, with a point size of 12. Tables and legends can have a point size of 10.
- The margin at the binding edge (left-hand side) shall not be less than 2” (50.8mm). All other margins shall not be less than 1” (25.4mm).
- Pages shall be numbered consecutively through the main text.
- The final thesis should be printed using a quality printer, on one side of the paper, which should be white, of good quality and sufficiently opaque to avoid show-through (usually 20 lb. weight).
The following sequence for the thesis layout should be followed:
- Title Page
- Supervisory Committee Signatory Page
- Frontispiece
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Dedication (optional)
- Acronyms
- Abbreviations
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Submitted/Accepted/Published documents and Conference Presentations resulting from work completed for this degree
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Materials and Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusions and Recommendations
- References
- Appendices. This should include copies of any ethical clearance obtained for the study.
The overall length of an MSc, MA, or MEd thesis, whether a dual or stand-alone degree, should not exceed 250 pages, excluding appendices. PhD theses should not exceed 450 pages, excluding appendices. The candidate’s Supervisory Committee may allow an extension of this page limit.