Format Requirements

The Format requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies are applicable to the following research documents:

• Doctoral dissertation and Master’s thesis (all programs), and Master’s creative writing project (English);
• Master’s major paper (all programs) and major internship paper (Political Science).

Note: effective November 2024, students will be required to submit to graduate studies for format checking before the final oral defence. Refer to the updated Faculty of Graduate Studies pre-defence guidelines for format checking.

Template & How to Prepare - Physical Format - Page Order - Page margins, numbering, and other formatting - Contact  - Page Samples

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Template & How to Prepare:

• Download the SAMPLE TEMPLATE for Thesis/Dissertation/Major Paper Document (MS Word) based on the requirements for the Traditional physical format
• Review the FORMAT CHECKLIST for a quick reference before submitting the thesis copy for format-checking
• Browse online UWindsor repositories for digital copies of: theses and dissertations or major research papers and internship papers
• For individual technical assistance, the University's IT services help desk provide support for MS Word and can be contacted for technical issues: www.uwindsor.ca/itservices/support.   

The Faculty of Graduate Studies format guidelines concern copyright, authorship, and physical format. The required elements in this regard are outlined below and are to be included within the front-matter and back-matter of the document. For the main body of the document, no particular style of presentation is required and students may use any format of their choice (such as the APA or Chicago style manual, etc.) for chapter headings and sub-headings, heading levels, style for references, etc. Students are advised to consult with their Committee and academic program for a recommended particular style for their document body.

The document is to be prepared using the format requirements outlined on this page and submitted to the Graduate Studies office to be reviewed for format conformity prior to the final oral defence - refer to the instructions for pre-defence format checking. 

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Physical Format:

Students may choose between two format types for the thesis or dissertation: the traditional format or the manuscript format.

1. Traditional format
   • This format organizes chapters around a central problem and is normally used when no part of the thesis has been published or submitted for publication.
2. Manuscript format
   • The manuscript format comprises the text of one or more papers/manuscripts that have been, or will be, submitted for publication. These texts must follow the guidelines for format given elsewhere in this document with respect to font size, line spacing and margin sizes. Each chapter in a manuscript format has an individual chapter "References" (or 'Bibliography") placed at the end of the chapter; however, the document must be more than a collection of manuscripts, in that all the components must be brought together into one cohesive unit, with a single Abstract for the entire document (i.e. no individual chapter abstracts), with logical progression from one chapter to the next, and following one consistent style throughout in each chapter, e.g. same formatting of chapter headings, sub-headings, heading levels, same citation style for the chapter references regardless of the citation formats of the journals in which the manuscript may have appeared or will be published.

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Page order:

The document consists of three main sections:

1. front matter: the pages preceding the thesis body
2. thesis body
3. back matter: the pages following the thesis body

Details are outlined below. Pages marked with an asterisk (*) are optional.

(1) Traditional format:

Front matter section:

No particular style of the page titles is required, however, all front-matter page titles must follow the same consistent style (e.g. all titles in UPPERCASE, all centered on the page, all in bold text, etc.).

1. Title page
2. Copyright page (only if separate)
3. Unsigned approval page
4. Either Declaration of Originality or Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication 
5. Abstract
6. *Dedication (where applicable)
7. *Acknowledgements (where applicable)
8. Table of Contents
9. *List of Tables (where applicable)
10. *List of Figures (where applicable)
11. *List of Appendices (where applicable)
12. *List of Abbreviations, Symbols,
13. *Nomenclature (where applicable)

 Thesis body:

Body of the sis (divided into various chapters)

Back matter section: 

No particular style for the page titles is required, however, all back-matter page titles must follow the same consistent style (e.g. all titles in UPPERCASE, all centered on the page, all in bold text, etc.). 

 Bibliography/References (note that the Bibliography/References section can either precede or follow the Appendices)

*Appendices (include copyright releases here, if applicable).

Vita Auctoris 

(2) Manuscript format

Front matter section (similar to the traditional thesis format except for the Declaration):

1. Title page
2. Copyright page (only if separate)
3. Unsigned approval page
4. Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication
5. Abstract
6. *Dedication (where applicable)
7. *Acknowledgements (where applicable)
8. Table of Contents
9. *List of Tables (where applicable)
10. *List of Figures (where applicable)
11. *List of Appendices (where applicable)
12. *List of Abbreviations, Symbols,
13. *Nomenclature (where applicable)

 Thesis body for manuscript format - divided into chapters as follows:

• Introductory chapter to the entire thesis with its own bibliography
• Each subsequent chapter presented in a manuscript format without an abstract, but with its own bibliography and following consistently the same style, e.g. style of chapter headings, sub-headings, heading levels, same style for references, etc. regardless of the citation formats of the journals in which the manuscript may have appeared or will be published.
• Final chapter (general discussions and conclusions) to relate the separate studies to each other and to a relevant discipline or field of study. 

Back matter section:

*Appendices (include copyright releases here, if applicable).

Vita Auctoris

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Front matter section (the pages preceding the thesis body) should appear in the following order:

Title page

• Assigned page number one (i), but not physically numbered. 
• A title page must follow exactly both the layout and wording as shown in the example under Page Samples.
• In selecting your title, keep in mind that the systems used by libraries to retrieve the information contained in your document rely on title keywords. The title should therefore be accurate, specific, and brief.

Copyright page (*optional)

• Not necessary if the copyright symbol appears at the bottom of the Title page.
• If included as a separate page, the copyright page is assigned page number two (ii), but is not physically numbered; the page numbering on the subsequent pages is adjusted consecutively, e.g. next page/Approval page is counted as page three (iii), etc.

Approval page:

The "Approval page" is a list of the student's Master's or doctoral committee members. The Approval form must be prepared following exactly the layout and instructions within the template provided: review the Approval page samples as a reference, and prepare your approval page using the Approval Page Template for: Doctoral Dissertation / Master's Thesis / Major Paper

• UNSIGNED Approval page: within the thesis document, the Approval page remains unsigned i.e. without committee members' signatures; it counts as page number two (ii) of the thesis but is not physically numbered.
• SIGNED version of the Approval page: print separately 1 copy of the Approval page to obtain approval signatures from your committee after the defence, and submit the signed Approval form separately following the post-defence Deposit instructions.

Begin physically numbering pages after the Appr oval page.

Either Declaration of Originality (option #1), or Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication (option #2):

Option 1: "Declaration of Originality":

• Assigned page number three (iii) and physically numbered.
• This declaration option should be used in the traditional thesis format provided the thesis does not include material based on joint research or material that has been published or submitted for publication. Review also the guidelines below regarding the alternative declaration, "Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication".
• Download and insert the Declaration of Originality in your thesis.

Option 2: "Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication":

• Assigned page number four (iv) and physically numbered.
• This declaration option should be used as an alternative to “Declaration of Originality”, when the thesis incorporates material based on joint research (published or unpublished), and/or when the thesis incorporates the text of one or more papers that the student has published or submitted for publication.
• It is the responsibility of the student to obtain proper permission from any co-authors as well as from the journal/copyright holder to use the published material in their thesis. Refer to Guidelines regarding Copyright and Authorship. 
• This declaration is normally used in the manuscript thesis format (or in the traditional format, in case of co-authorship). 
• Download the "Declaration of Co-Authorship/Previous Publication" template.

Abstract​:

• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.
• All theses, dissertations, and major papers as well as creative writing projects must contain an abstract, which should not exceed 2 pages (for Doctoral dissertations), and 1 page (for Master's theses, major research papers, and creative writing projects). 
• Note: no particular style is recommended for the titles of pages within the Front matter section, however, the font and style of each title within the front matter must be consistent, for example, all titles in the same font size, centered on the page, in UPPERCASE,  and in bold text (e.g.  “DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY”, “ABSTRACT”, etc.).

Dedication (*optional):

• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

Acknowledgements (*optional):

• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

 Table of Contents:

• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.
• All front-matter pages should be listed, except for the title page, the copyright page (if applicable), the approval page, and the table of contents itself.
• All pages within the back-matter (pages following the thesis body) must be listed too, including the Vita Auctoris page.
• When subheadings are included in the Table of Contents, they may be indented differently from the chapter titles or set in another type style.
• Examples of both Traditional and Manuscript format Table of Contents can be found below under Page Samples

List of Tables (*optional):

• Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style - list not only the table captions but also their page number. 
• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

List of Figures (*optional):

• Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style - list not only the figure captions but also their page number. 
• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

List of Appendices (*optional):

• Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style.
• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.
• This section to contain details of methodology, tabulated data, and other pertinent data.
• Copyright releases from previous publications may be included in the Appendices.
• Remove any private information from appended materials, such as signatures, personal phone numbers, addresses, etc.

List of Abbreviations, or Nomenclature (*optional):

• Should match the Table of Contents in font size and general style.
• Assigned a page number and physically numbered.

Body of the Thesis:

• The body of the thesis follows, divided into chapters.
• Remember that pages in the body of the thesis are assigned Arabic numerals beginning with one ("1") which run consecutively to the very end of the thesis (including the Vita Auctoris page).
• If using the manuscript format, each chapter is without an individual chapter abstract but has its own bibliography/references section at the end of the chapter.
• If using the traditional format, there is a single bibliography/references section for the entire thesis placed at the end (after the thesis body, within the back-matter)
• No particular style of presentation is recommended for the body of the thesis document (e.g. style of chapter titles, headings and sub-headings, heading levels, etc.). The single most important aspect of style is consistency: the same style must be followed throughout. If your program does not recommend any particular style manual, the following are widely-accepted examples of the numerous style manuals available: 
  • The Chicago Manual of Style
  • American Psychological Association (APA) style manual
  • Turabian Kate. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

Students in engineering and the sciences should consult their advisors for information about style manuals. Review also Research Guidelines and Resources​.

Back matter (the pages following the thesis body) should appear in the following order:

Note: similarly to the Front matter, no particular style is recommended for the titles of pages within the Back matter section, however, the font and style of each title within the back matter must be consistent, for example, all titles in the same font size, centered on the page, in UPPERCASE,  and in bold text (e.g.  “REFERENCES”, “APPENDICES”, etc.).

References (or Bibliography):

• No particular style for references is recommended so students should consult their supervisors about the appropriate style for their discipline.
• In the traditional format, there is a single References/Bibliography section that appears at the end after the body of the thesis, and can either precede or follow the Appendices.
• In the manuscript format, there are individual References/Bibliography sections that appear after each chapter within the thesis body.

Appendices (*optional):

• Copyright releases from publications may be included in the Appendices.
• Remove any private information from appended materials, such as signatures, personal phone numbers, addresses, etc.

Vita Auctoris ("life of the author"):

• The Vita Auctoris is a required thesis element, however, there are no specific requirements / restrictions about its format or contents. It should include as a minimum:
  • The author's name.
  • Education and degrees.
• For privacy concerns, students should not include personal information such as home address and phone numbers, full date of birth, etc.
• Other information may be included that is directly related to the thesis or academic discipline (e.g., list of student’s publications/conference presentations resulting from their thesis research, etc.).
• The Vita Auctoris page must be the last page of the document, it must be assigned a number and listed in the Table of Contents.
• The title of the Vita Auctoris must be formatted using the same style (e.g. same font type and font size, etc.) as the titles of the rest of the back matter sections (e.g. References and Appendices)
• Examples can be found under Page Samples.

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Formatting: