The dissertation angel and the dissertation devil! both of us are going to give us tips regarding dissertation format. interviewer: first let’s start with the dissertation angel. To follow a proper format for such dissertation, what should a student do first? dissertation angel: start with the title page where you mention the title of your dissertation along with your name and other necessities. Who wants to read all the rubbish when you are going to end up with a conclusion anyway! ok. Different point of views! my second question is what comes next after dissertation title? dissertation angel: go on to the acknowledgement where you thank people who have helped you with your dissertation writing. Why do you want to thank some fool who has helped you with three or four lines? i say scrap the acknowledgement section altogether.

It should not be counted in the format! interviewer: again different point of views. So now after the dissertation title and the dissertation acknowledgement what next? literature review. dissertation angel: no. Then go on to table of contents, where you give the page numbers of all the chapters. dissertation devil: i don’t know where dissertation angel learnt the i say after the dissertation title, go directly to the literature review. They would get so tired they would instantly accept your dissertation because it has become such a pain to read! dissertation angel: after you have written the table of content start with the introduction. dissertation devil: i say move on to the bibliography and then the table of contents.

Won’t the readers be overjoyed when they go through the table of content, and then realize what exactly the previous pages were! interviewer: ok i see that both of your point of views varies a lot when it comes to dissertation format. How would you end a dissertation? dissertation angel: after the literature review move on to the methodology, where you define your population size etc. Pay utmost importance to the dissertation format students! dissertation devil: nonsense.

It will only get you in trouble because a goat like you can never come up with a population size and data collection method. Dissertation format is given more importance then it truly deserves any way!

so finally we come to the end of our interview. Here is the dissertation format according to both our guests.

our thesis formatting tutorial takes you step by step through the process of formatting your thesis from our template file.

For more information on how to format and edit your manuscript, see our thesis amp dissertation formatting general advice page. note: the rules and guidelines for thesis and dissertation formatting are developed by the graduate school. Questions about the guidelines, or interpretation of them, should be directed to the office of degree requirements at 413 545 0025. The thesis or dissertation culminates an important stage of your graduate career. In preparing and defending this document, you prove that you have acquired essential skills of research or scholarship as well as the ability to effectively communicate the results of your inquiry to the academic community. To assist you and your advisory committee in this process, the graduate school has prepared an etd format manual, one that deals with basic formatting and illustration preparation.

Our goal is to help you produce a thesis that looks professional and makes the findings accessible to readers. We also hope that the thesis format recommended in this guide will facilitate publication of the work in a professional journal appropriate to the discipline. The requirements described in the manual are derived from standard practice among american universities, libraries, and publishers. We encourage you to become familiar with the manual upon beginning your first draft. Following this manual from the beginning will help you anticipate and avoid problems, locate answers to your questions, and spend less time making corrections. The graduate school requires that students follow this guide in producing their thesis, unless they are students in the departments of english, history or creative writing. Students in the department of english follow the format of publications of the modern language association of america, and the department of history the format of american historical review.

In the department of creative writing, where novels, short story and poetry collections rely on the publication format norms of their respective genres, the choice is up to you and your committee. Although thesis advisors and committee members play an important role in the development, guidance and final evaluation of the overall project, an individual and not a group of persons author the thesis. While the graduate school recognizes the important input that advisors or committee members often make in a person's thesis, they are not co authors. Theses should be written either in the first person singular i or in the third person. The third person is probably the best way to write a thesis in some areas but may not be appropriate for all areas.

Individuals who provide assistance in the research project should be mentioned in the acknowledgments. Obviously, if the work is published, co authorship is often necessary and appropriate. When you submit your thesis for formal evaluation, the graduate school will see that it meets the requirements described in this manual or follows the style guide you have chosen if you are from one of the departments mentioned above. You and your committee are responsible for the content and quality of your thesis. The arrangement of tables or whether material belongs in an appendix , turn first to your committee chair, or to other members of your committee.

They will be most familiar with your work and will know the standards in your field. A format advisor in the graduate school can assist you in interpreting this manual or your style guide, but your committee is the best resource for advice about writing and organizing your work. Except for those few aspects of your paper that the format advisor will evaluate, committee members are the final judges of your paper.

Do not use another thesis as a model for your work as a particular style or example in a previous work may be incorrect or out of date. When your committee agrees that you have produced a complete, nearly final copy of your manuscript, you must email the draft to nancy holland [email protected] . You must fill out and submit the thesis format approval sheet to the graduate school and it must be signed by the chair of your committee. The graduate school will not review your work without the signed format approval sheet. Do not schedule your oral defense until the graduate school has approved your thesis formatting.