Dissertation Guidelines

Thesis and Dissertation Checklist 

• Thesis/Dissertation title and your name are identical on the Title page, Copyright page, and Abstract 

• Month and year of dissertation defense on the title and copyright pages

• Consistent spacing and font is used throughout the entire document 

• The required preliminary pages and body of text sections are in the correct order 

• The headings for all major chapter titles and section headings are formatted identically throughout the manuscript 

• There are no orphaned titles, lines or words at the bottom or top of a page. (You should have at least two lines of print on each and every page) 

• There are no broken references in the literature cited section

• Margins should be 1 inch throughout 

• Document has been checked for spelling errors. (Please do not rely on spell check) 

• All pages are numbered consecutively at the bottom center except the title page and the copyright page. There are no duplication of page numbers and no page numbers are omitted 

• Roman numerals are used for the preliminary pages and Arabic numerals are used for the body of the text  

Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables 

• All of the titles match word for word as they are stated in the text 

• A correct page number is listed for each item 

• The page numbers are aligned neatly on the right hand side of the page 

• All of the major sections and subsections are aligned similarly 

• Each table and figure are uniquely named. 

• Each table and figure are referenced in the text prior to its placement 

Reminder: You must file for copyright!