Checklist - Thesis and Dissertation Guide - UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School

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Submission Checklist

The following checklist items should be used to ensure your document is properly formatted prior to submission. These items will be reviewed by staff in The Graduate School and your document will not be accepted until all items are confirmed.

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Submission

Be sure you have read and reviewed the information in this Thesis and Dissertation Guide prior to finalizing your document and preparing it for submission.
Successfully submit an application to graduate in ConnectCarolina before submitting your document.
Submit your thesis or dissertation after your defense has occurred and all final edits are approved by your advisor and committee.
Your Committee Composition and Exam Report forms (with all approval signatures) must be submitted to The Graduate School before submitting your document.

General Formatting

Uniform left (1″ or 1.25″) and right (1″) margins continue throughout the entire document
Fonts are 10, 11 or 12 points in size and consistent
Paragraphs are indented consistently throughout
Text appears in a single column on each page and is double-spaced (except for blocked quotations, notes, captions, legends, and long headings, which are single-spaced)
Document text is left-justified
All page numbers are centered at the bottom of the page, 1/2″ from the bottom edge
Pages do not contain running headers or footers, aside from page numbers; special spacing is present for any landscape pages
Formatting for tables, figures, and illustrations is consistent throughout the entire document; headings and captions for the associated element are on the same page
Sections and subheadings within chapters are not left “hanging” on the bottom of pages

Title Page

2″ margin at the top of the page
Title in all capital letters and centered
Your full name centered 1″ below the title
Statement correctly specifying the department/program and school granting your degree, centered 1″below your name
Chapel Hill centered 1″ below the statement
The year your thesis or dissertation is committee-approved (20xx) one line below
The phrase Approved by: 1″ below the year; under that include your committee members' names (without signatures or identifiers), all double-spaced, 2/3 across the page, and left-aligned under the Approved by: phrase
No page number, even though it counts in numbering

Copyright Page

Copyright symbol followed by year
Your name exactly as it appears on the title page
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
All text centered, single-spaced, and 2″ from the bottom of the page
The page is numbered in lower case Roman numerals (ii)

Abstract

2″ margin at the top of the page; the second page, if any, returns to a 1″ top margin
The heading “ABSTRACT” centered in all capital letters at top of page
Your full name followed by the title worded exactly as it is on the title page, centered and one double-spaced line below “ABSTRACT”
The phrase “(Under the direction of [advisor's name])” in parentheses, centered, and one single-spaced line below the title
The text of your abstract must be double-spaced and no longer than 150 words for a thesis or 350 words for a dissertation
Pages are numbered in lower case Roman numerals

Dedication, Acknowledgement(s) and/or Preface (if any)

The dedication, acknowledgements(s) and preface each begin on a new page
2″ margin at the top of each first page
Subsequent pages of Acknowledgements or Preface return to the 1″ top margin
Short text of the dedication is centered 2″ below top of page
Required headings for “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS” and “PREFACE” are in all capital letters and centered 2″ below top of page
Text of Acknowledgements and/or Preface begins one double-spaced line below the heading, is left-justified, and is double spaced throughout
Pages are numbered in lower case Roman numerals

2″ margin at the top of the page; the second page, if any, returns to a 1″ top margin
The heading “TABLE OF CONTENTS” centered in all capital letters at top of page
One double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry
Pages preceding the table of contents are not included, but all parts of the document that follow are included (i.e., tables/figures/abbreviations lists, chapters, appendices, references)
Each entry is aligned with the document's left margin or indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs
Major subheadings within chapters are listed and indented to the right of the left page margin
Entries taking up more than one line are broken up about three-fourths of the way across the page and the rest of the text is placed on a second line, single-spaced between the two lines of text
Each entry is single-spaced, with a double space between entries
All corresponding page numbers are accurate and leaders (lines of periods) fill out the space between the end of the entry and the page number; the last digit of each number lines up on the right margin
Information included in the table of contents matches the headings, major subheadings, and numbering used in the body of the document
Pages are numbered in lower case Roman numerals

Lists of Tables, Figures, Illustrations

Heading(s) in all capital letters centered 1″ below the top of the page
One double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry
Each entry includes a number, title, and page number
Each table, figure, or illustration has been assigned an Arabic numeral
Numerals and titles align with the left margin or are indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs
Entries taking up more than one line are broken up about three-fourths of the way across the page and the rest of the text is placed on a second line, single-spaced between the two lines of text
Each entry is single-spaced, with a double space between entries
All corresponding page numbers are accurate and leaders (lines of periods) fill out the space between the end of the entry and the page number; the last digit of each number lines up on the right margin
Numbers, titles, and page numbers match the corresponding information as it appears in the document
Pages are numbered in lower case Roman numerals

List of Abbreviations

The heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters centered 1″ below the top of the page
One double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry
Abbreviations are arranged alphabetically
Each entry is aligned with the document's left margin or indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs
Each entry is single-spaced, with a double space between entries
Pages are numbered in lower case Roman numerals

List of Symbols

Symbols are listed with abbreviations under the heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS” or listed in a separate section following the formatting instructions for abbreviations

Chapters

The first page (only) of each chapter begins 2″ from the top of the page
The second and subsequent pages of each chapter begin 1″ from the top of the page
Page numbers are consecutive and consistent throughout the document

Footnotes

Notes are placed at the bottom of the page and are separated from the text by a solid line one to two inches long
Notes begin at the left page margin, one single-spaced line below the solid line
Longer notes are single-spaced between lines
One double-spaced line between notes
All notes are numbered with Arabic numerals consecutively within each chapter starting over with number 1 for the first note in each chapter, or notes are numbered consecutively through the entire document
Numbers precede the note, are superscripted (placed slightly above the line), and no space is placed between the number and the note

Endnotes

Endnotes always begin on a separate page either immediately following the end of each chapter, or at the end of the entire document
If endnotes are placed at the end of the entire document, they appear after the appendices and before the references
The heading “ENDNOTES” in all capital letters centered 1″ below the top of the first page of your endnotes section(s)
Longer notes are single-spaced between lines
One double-spaced line between notes
All notes are numbered with Arabic numerals consecutively within each chapter starting over with number 1 for the first note in each chapter, or notes are numbered consecutively through the entire document
Numbers precede the note, are superscripted (placed slightly above the line), and no space is placed between the number and the note

Appendices

All appendices appear after the last chapter and before the references (not after the chapter to which they pertain)
1″ margin at the top of the page with the appropriate heading centered in all capital letters
For one appendix use the heading “APPENDIX”; for multiple appendices assign each appendix a number or letter heading (APPENDIX 1 or APPENDIX A)
All appendix headings and titles are included in the table of contents
Page numbering continues consistently throughout the appendix or appendices

References

References begin on a separate page, either immediately following the end of the chapter, or at the end of the entire document
Each reference page has a 1″ margin at the top
An appropriate heading is centered, in all capital letters at the top of the page (e.g., “REFERENCES”, “BIBLIOGRAPHY”, or “WORKS CITED”)
All entries are single-spaced within each entry and double-spaced between entries
Page numbering continues consistently throughout the references section(s)

Helpful Tips

Your thesis or dissertation must be in PDF form for submission online
Be sure to include an email address that you check regularly when you set up your account for online submission
Specific formatting requirements are explained in detail in The Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Guide

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Thesis and Dissertation Guide