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KU Thesis and Dissertation Formatting: Home

• Formatting Specifics
• Title and Acceptance Pages
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• Rotating Charts or Tables
• Working with Footnotes
• Converting to PDF
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• Completed KU Dissertations & Theses
• About: Survey of Earned Doctorates
• Copyright and ETD Release Form
• Resources for KUMC Students
• Thesis/Dissertation Filenames
• LaTeX/BibTeX Support

Intro and Guides

Upcoming Electronic Thesis & Dissertation (ETD) Workshops 

For weekday ETD workshops on the Lawrence campus, click here for the KU Information Technology calendar .

For Saturday workshops on the Lawrence or Edwards campuses, click here for the Writing Center's Graduate Research and Write-In Information page .

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guides

• ETD for Word, 2016 (PC) This guide, and the four below, contain step-by-step, how-to instructions for formatting a thesis or dissertation in Word. Screenshots from the ETD workshop are also included.
• ETD for Word, 2016 (Mac)

ETD Practice Document

• ETD Practice Document: Lawrence Campus Dissertation

Ready to Submit your Thesis or Dissertation?

Link to Submit Final Thesis or Dissertation

If you're ready to submit your final thesis or dissertation, click the blue text above to link over to ProQuest/UMI from the KU Graduate School. When you get there, click on Submit my Thesis or Dissertation then create a new student account or log in to an account you have already created. This is a separate account from KU so your KU login will not work.

ETD Formatting Guides for Older Systems

• ETD for Word, 2013
• ETD for Word, Mac 2011
• ETD for Word 2010
• Thesis and Dissertation Helpful Information This print-able guide book contains links intended to connect readers with sources for more information about department requirements, requirements of the KU Graduate School, the Graduate Studies calendars for the 2016-17 school year for both KUMC and KU Lawrence, and provides additional information on topics such as copyrights, embargoes, the KU Doctoral Completion Survey, the ETD Release Form, and more.
• Submitting Thesis or Dissertation Workshop This ETD workshop is generally given only once per semester (near the end of the semester) and covers a broad range of final tasks for thesis and dissertation completion, with a specific focus on how to submit the thesis or dissertation to ProQuest and the kinds of questions and screens you will see along the way. To find information for the next upcoming live workshop, visit the KU Graduate Studies News and Events page at https://graduate.ku.edu/upcoming-events.

Advanced Formatting Guides

• Managing Footnotes in Word A step-by-step guide for working with footnote spacing, separator lines, breaks across pages and fonts.
• Formatting third level (APA) run-in subheadings (PC) Run-in headings are those that share the same line with the main body paragraph text. Third- through sixth-level subheadings in APA style and fifth-level subheadings in Chicago and Turabian styles currently make use of run-in heading formats.
• Formatting third-level (APA) run-in subheadings (Mac) Run-in headings are those that share the same line with the main body paragraph text. Third- through sixth-level subheadings in APA style and fifth-level subheadings in Chicago and Turabian styles currently make use of run-in heading formats.
• Adding, Captioning and Listing Equations in Word Working with equations may be tricky in Word, especially if you need to caption them and list them in a "List of Equations" somewhere in your document. This video link and brief instructions sheet presents a work-around.
• Easy Document Navigation Tired of scrolling up and down through your 300-page dissertation? Use the Document Map/Navigation Pane features to jump through your document with one click. (Note: You will need to have set up your heading styles to use this function.)
• HELP!! -- Document Style Randomly Reverts, Destroys Formatting Documents originally formatted in Word 2007 or earlier sometimes can appear, when opened in later versions of Word, to have randomly relocated all text and formatting. Here are some tips for handling this frustrating phenomenon.
• Creating Hyperlinks in Word Create click-able bookmarks within your document, or across documents, or add links to web pages or e-mail to your document.
• Outline Style Headings Shawna Kelly provides a nice how-to guide for creating numbered, outline-style headings in Word. Outline style headings can be very tricky to work with, however, and she provides links to some caveats at the bottom of this guide. One additional note: although your department has the final say on the style of your thesis or dissertation, APA style specifically disallows the use of outline-style headings (see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/16/).

ETD @ KU: Grad School Links

• Complete Formatting Requirements -- KU Graduate Studies Theses and dissertations must conform to the formatting requirements for both the KU Graduate School and ProQuest, where the final document will reside. Complete formatting requirements for KU Graduate Studies are located here.
• Complete Formatting Requirements -- ProQuest Theses and dissertations must conform to the formatting requirements for both the KU Graduate School and ProQuest, where the final document will reside. Complete formatting requirements for ProQuest are located here.
• KU College Office of Graduate Affairs Complete Master's Degree and Ph.D. Degree checklists for finishing up
• KU Grad School: Preparing to Graduate A first stop for becoming acquainted with the final steps in finishing your degree.
• Thesis/Dissertation Embargo Policy An embargo allows you to keep your thesis or dissertation from appearing in ProQuest's public listings after you submit it. There is special paperwork that your advisor must complete in advance, however.

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• LaTeX, LyX and Sweave Notes KU Prof. Paul Johnson's guide to getting started on LaTeX and LyX
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Other Helpful Thesis and Dissertation Links

• Library Research Tutorials and Help General info about the KU libraries including video tours, information about InterLibrary Loan, instructions on how to use the databases and library catalog, library equipment you can use, plus finding, evaluating and citing sources (and much more!).
• EndNote, Zotero and other Citation Tools For more information about: - comparing and choosing citation tools - installing and using EndNote - installing and using Zotero
• Next: Formatting Specifics >>
• Last Updated: Aug 25, 2023 10:49 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.ku.edu/etd

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ETD Formatting and Working With Multimedia Files

Etd formatting requirements.

All theses and dissertations completed at KU must meet KU's requirements for formatting specific components, including Title and Acceptance pages. Please refer to the formatting guidelines on the KU Libraries Formatting page to ensure that the final PDF version of your thesis or dissertation will meet the standards required to earn your degree, that it will be accepted by ProQuest and KU ScholarWorks, and that it will print correctly if you choose to purchase bound copies.

KU Thesis and Dissertation Formatting: Formatting Specifics

KU Thesis Formatting Requirements — Updated 19 July 2016  (pdf)

KU Dissertation Formatting Requirements — Updated 19 July 2016  (pdf)

KU's requirements for thesis and dissertation formatting include and comply with ProQuest's formatting requirements. You can find ProQuest's formatting requirements outlined separately below.

• ProQuest Formatting Requirements

Working with Multimedia Files

Including digital images.

• Multimedia, Images, and PDF: Creating Effective and Enduring Digital Files  (pdf)

Support for Formatting Theses and Dissertations

Ms word users: etd formatting libguides.

Staff at the KU Libraries maintain thorough LibGuides and tutorials concerning how to meet KU's Formatting Requirements using Microsoft Word. You can find this instructional support in the  ETD Formatting LibGuide .

LaTeX Users: KU Thesis and Dissertation Template

• A primer on document preparation in LaTeX
• KU LaTex Thesis/Dissertation Template   (zip) - Template created by Aaron Barrett, MA Student in the KU Department of Mathematics, Spring 2022

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Master's thesis submission and publication.

This policy describes the requirements and submission process for a master's thesis.

Graduate students on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses

When the master’s candidate has passed the final oral examination and the members of the committee have signed the thesis, a title page and acceptance page with original signatures are to be delivered to the Graduate Affairs office of the school in which the student’s program resides so that completion of degree requirements may be officially certified. As a requirement of graduation, the candidate must arrange publication of the thesis and payment of all applicable fees through the electronic submission process found here .

Theses will be made available through UMI/Proquest and KU ScholarWorks unless there is an embargo in place or special circumstances pertain as outlined in the KU Embargo policy .

The student must be the author of the thesis, and every publication from it must indicate that authorship. Practices vary among disciplines—and even among scholars in a given field—as to whether the mentor’s name may appear as a co-author, and whether as senior or junior author co-author, on subsequent publication of the thesis (usually revised) or on articles prepared from it. It is expected that clear understandings in individual cases will be established during the apprenticeship period when ethical practices in publication are addressed within the professional development training of the program.

Graduate Studies 785-864-8040 [email protected]

Embargo Policy for Theses and Dissertations  Doctoral Dissertation

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Release Form Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Release Form for Creative Writing MFA/PhD Students 

07/27/2023: Updated links, removed repetitive language, updated Approved by to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. 09/06/2013: Revisions of this policy approved by Graduate Studies and the Office of the Provost. 10/29/2010: Revisions of this policy approved by Graduate Studies and the Office of the Provost. This policy pre-dates the KU online Policy Library. The dates listed in the approval and effective date fields reflect the date it was moved into the Policy Library.

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Dissertation Guidelines

A dissertation should be the culmination of course work completed in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications by a doctoral student. A dissertation is theoretically based, scientific research directed and critiqued by an academic committee selected by the graduate student.

Dissertation Proposal

The proposal consists of the first three chapters of the dissertation and outlines the capstone research to be conducted as part of completion of the doctoral degree. The proposal must be presented to the student’s academic committee and formally defended in front of that committee before the start of primary data collection. The proposal includes:

• An  introduction  that outlines the problem that will be examined, the purpose and importance of the research, a brief introduction of the theory and methods used in the study, and an overview of the dissertation’s chapters. (12-15 pages)
• An exhaustive  literature review  outlining the previous research conducted on the subject, an extensive explanation of the theory being used in the study, and research questions and/or hypotheses that the dissertation will address. (30-40 pages)
• A  methodology  of the data being used in the study. As applicable to the research method used in the study, the methodology will include but may not be limited to the sample and how it will be collected, operationalization of definitions used in the study, measurements used in the study, timeline for gathering/analyzing data, and other materials pertaining to the validity of the data collection. The methodology is the most important aspect of research design. Be thorough in explaining plans for data collection. Fail in the methodology and the research fails. (15-20 pages)
• A  plan of action  will outline the timetable for the dissertation, beginning with a proposal defense date and ending with a dissertation defense. Be specific with dates about data collection, writing the results and conclusions. (1-2 pages)
• References  of all materials used in the proposal (pages as needed)
• Dissertation proposal total: About 60-80 pages (+ references)

NOTE : The dissertation proposal generally will be presented and defended following successful completion of the comprehensive exams. The proposal and comprehensive exams may be defended at the same time.

Dissertation

The dissertation generally consists of five chapters: the introduction, literature review, and methods, each revised in accordance with committee recommendations; and the results and discussion/conclusion chapters. Other organizational schemes may be more appropriate for some topics. The complete dissertation must be presented to the student’s academic committee and formally defended in front of that committee. The dissertation includes:

• A revised  introduction . (12-15 pages)
• A revised  literature review . (30-40 pages)
• A revised  methodology . (15-20 pages)
• Results  of the research that answers the research questions or addressed the hypotheses. Analysis of data should be explained. A clear understanding and summation of the results are to be included. Charts, tables and graphs are to be included in the results section. (15-20 pages)
• A  discussion  provides context to the results and explains why the results are what they are. The discussion can also introduce additional results that are not addressed by the RQs or Hs. The discussion should circle back to the literature review and explain how and why this study added to the theory and the practical implications. The discussion should incorporate the results of the current study into the results from previous work. The author should be able to contextualize what it all means to the larger research. The discussion should include the study’s limitations and questions for future research. (15-20 pages)
• Conclusions  summarize the key points of the research and its implications. (5-10 pages)
• References  of all materials used in the proposal. (pages as needed)
• Dissertation total: about 100-125 pages (+ references)

NOTE : Page numbers are rough estimates. Actual length of each dissertation chapter will vary depending on each student’s research questions and research approach. KU Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines.

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Dissertations and Theses

Search within this community and its collections:

About these collections

These collections contain dissertations and theses authored by University of Kansas students. Current works are posted here in fulfillment of graduation requirements.

At the author's request, staff at the KU Libraries are happy to digitize and make available in KU ScholarWorks any thesis or dissertation. Please contact Marianne Reed at [email protected] for more information.

Historical Context

Collections in this community, dissertations [4699], pre-1929 dissertations and theses [923], theses [3940], recent submissions.

The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad brings the Mennonites to Nebraska, 1873-1878 

The Social Validity and Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Intervention for Improving Middle School Students’ Social Communication: A Randomized Controlled Study 

Designing Pseudo-Random Staggered PRI Sequences 

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka : Anatomy of a decision 

Regional patterning in the Paleoindian record from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas 

A Structural and Petrographic Study of the Kentland, Indiana Impact Site 

Cultural Identity Construction among Political Refugee Students: The Case of Eritrean College Students in the Midwest 

A Comparison of Precision Teaching Methods With and Without Error Urging 

RNA Analysis of Liquid Biopsies for Cancer Diagnosis 

Conceptualizing Multimorbidities in Older Adults: Chronic Pain, Depression, and the Biopsychosocial Model 

Directing effect of Amide Function in Diastereoselective Reactions of Cyclopropenes and Cyclopropanes 

Examining the Conjoint Impact of Depressive Symptomatology and Mind Wandering on Affective Dynamics in Response to Emotionally Salient Visual Stimuli 

Explorations into the structure modification of amorphous silica surfaces and the implications to water dynamics at the interface: A theoretical study 

Methods Development for Glycopeptide and Glycan Analysis 

Sensitivity of the Urban Boundary Layer to Model Parameterization 

Dijet production at the LHC at next-to-leading order 

Does Aid Delivery Matter? The Role of Aid Delivery Mechanisms in Punishing Recipients, Credibly Signaling to Recipients, and Influencing Public Opinion 

Assessing the links between Internalizing Symptoms and Treatment Motivation in Incarcerated Juveniles 

Reconciling Discrepancies between Entry into Foster Care and Mental Health Service Use for Black and Latinx Youth 

Media Framing of Hybrid War: 2016 Russian Election Interference Case 

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Thesis Preparation

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Science Students

Social science students, new thesis approval form, guideline for thesis approval form completion.

Step 2: Students are requested to select the appropriate template of the Thesis Approval Form at https://www.grad.ku.ac.th/eng/form/thesis/forms.html in accordance with student?s ID, study program, number of thesis advisory committee members, etc.

Step 3: Students are asked to complete the selected template with the font face used in their theses, however the font size and face of the template itself is not to be altered.

Step 4: The appropriate information can be directly typed in the textboxes provided in the template file. The positions of the textboxes are adjustable, as some versions of Microsoft Word have a tendency to distort the data fields.

Step 5: Students are requested to print the completed file on the Thesis Approval Form obtained from the Graduate School.

Step 6: Students need to submit the printed form to the Graduate School for assessment prior the submission to the Thesis Advisory Committee for signatures.

Abstract Template

Instruction.

• The abstract must not be longer than one page.
• For consistency, students must use the same font as in their thesis. Students must set up the page the same as other pages of their thesis — the top and the left margin are 1.5 inch and the bottom margin is 1 inch.
• Students can type directly into the blue frame given and must justify wordings to left alignment.
• Do not adjust the blue frame or its width. If your thesis title is too long or too short for specified row space, students can add or delete more row spaces.
• In “student’s signature” and “Thesis Advisor’s signature” at the bottom part of the template, please use only 16 points of Angsana UPC font.
• Do not forget to change the color of the frame from blue to white before printing.

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