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A. Standard Format. Most theses or dissertations will follow a STANDARD FORMAT, that is, the work will contain a single theme which may be organized into chapters and which must include a bibliography at the end that includes all the literature consulted in the work. The use of appendices is discouraged in the STANDARD FORMAT except when it is necessary to explain essential elements in the main body of the thesis or dissertation. Examples would be:

	The candidate would provide equations in the main body, but place a lengthy digital computer program in an appendix.
	The candidate might describe an instrument's use in the main body but place manufacturer's drawings and specifications of the instrument in an appendix.
	The candidate may give the primary tabulated results in the main body, but relegate extensive tables of raw preliminary data to an appendix.

Appendices appear at the end of the text, before the Bibliography. A Bibliography must also be provided which contains ALL the literature used for the entire work. The Bibliography must have complete citations to all works used; no abbreviations are allowed.

The work must be presented following an accepted Style Manual and following the other requirements set out under Definitions/Specifications for a Thesis/Dissertation. 

B. Manuscript Format. A MANUSCRIPT FORMAT contains one or more themes which may be organized into chapters (or manuscripts) which when combined constitute the entire work. In other words, two or more articles may be combined to satisfy the requirements of a department in the production of the entire thesis or dissertation. This format is most often used in scientific disciplines where a candidate has written or published articles on more than one topic and those publications are used to satisfy the department’s requirements for graduation. If the department allows the manuscript format to be used, the work must still be presented following an accepted Style Manual and following other requirements set out under Definitions/Specifications for a Thesis/Dissertation. 

Title pages within the main body of the work for each manuscript are not allowed. The use of chapter headings is preferred. The manuscript(s) should avoid extreme brevity and be understandable, even if this necessitates some condensing of the work afterward for submission to a scholarly journal. Although the information and material in a manuscript(s) may be identical to the material submitted to or published in a journal, the examining committee may require changes.  A thesis or dissertation using the Manuscript format often contains appropriate appendices needed for detailed and ancillary information required by the University, but not usually presented in a published paper.

Each manuscript may also contain its own " List of References" or " Literature Cited" section. A Bibliography must also be provided which contains ALL the literature used for the entire work. The Bibliography must have complete citations to all works used; no abbreviations are allowed.

             The recommended organization for the MANUSCRIPT FORMAT is as follows:

      Title Page (Not numbered)
           Approval Page (Counted but not numbered)
           Abstract (For the entire thesis or dissertation, counted but not numbered )
           Acknowledgement
           Preface
           Table of Contents
           List of Tables
           List of Figures
           Manuscript(s)
           Appendices (typical)

                      A.                  Introduction and review of the problem
                      B.                   Details of methods, instrumentation, techniques, etc.
                      C.                   Speculative discussion
                      D.                  Theoretical implications

          Bibliography of the complete thesis /dissertation.

The PREFACE should alert the reader to the manuscript format and contain other introductory remarks.  The ABSTRACT           should be a summary of the entire thesis (or dissertation), including manuscript(s) and appendices.  Each manuscript should contain its own List of References or Literature Cited section.  The Bibliography, at the end of the thesis (or dissertation), includes all the literature cited for the complete thesis (or dissertation); no abbreviations are allowed.

Except for the text portion of a thesis written in the Manuscipt form, the requirements and guidelines on thesis preparation as outlined in the Graduate School website shall govern.

The candidate’s major professor decides which of the two formats should be used and supervises the preparation of the thesis (or dissertation).  Regardless of style and format all theses (dissertations) must be prepared in accordance with accepted standards of academic integrity, including proper citation and attribution of all material which is not the original product of the writer.