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The Graduate School at the University of Missouri–Columbia (Mizzou)

Main Research Section

General Formatting Information

Style Manuals

Most of the academic programs at MU have selected and will recommend a nationally recognized style manual or set of format guidelines.

If your academic program has not selected or does not recommend a style manual or set of guidelines, the Graduate School recommends the latest edition of A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian, available in most bookstores.

The final draft of your thesis or dissertation must be prepared in accordance with nationally recognized standards of formatting. As a courtesy to the outside member of your committee, indicate in a note which style manual you used.

Ask Formatting Questions Early On

Consult with your adviser during the early drafts of your work to determine how to prepare and organize the front materials of your thesis or dissertation (Title page, Table of Contents, Abstract, Approval page), how to handle documentation (endnotes, footnotes, parenthetical insertions), how to prepare and present the list of works cited and how to paginate the research paper.

All research papers must be prepared in standardized format and include: Title page, Table of Contents, continuous pagination, a single list of works cited, etc. If your research paper includes illustrations, tables, maps, figures, etc., then you must also have a page listing each category (i.e., List of Illustrations, List of Tables).

If you have any questions concerning the format of your research paper that cannot be answered by your adviser or director of graduate studies, feel free to contact the Graduate School for consultation: 573-882-9575 or 573-882-3885 or 1-800-877-6312.

Margins

  • Left Margin: 1.5 inches
  • Top, Bottom and Right Margins: 1 inch

The bottom margin may measure more than 1 inch to avoid widows and orphans — incomplete lines, such as those beginning or ending a paragraph, carried over to the top of a new page. You may avoid them by either rewriting text to eliminate or fill out the line, or you may make the bottom margin deeper, moving the line to the next page.)

Line Spacing

All standard text should be double-spaced. Quotations of four lines or longer should be single-spaced with the left and right margins indented on each side. References, bibliographic works, endnotes, et al., should be single-spaced within entries and double-spaced between entries.

Headings

Chapter headings and subheads should be consistent throughout the research paper. If you use all caps and center the chapter heading for the first chapter, be sure to use that format throughout the paper.

Also, there should be a minimum of three lines of space between the chapter heading and the start of the first paragraph.

Page Numbers

Roman Numerals Before the Body, Arabic Numbers in the Body

The pages preceding the main body of the thesis/dissertation should use Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.) for page numbers. The Title page is page i, but the Roman numeral should be omitted from the page. Standard Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) should be used to number the main body of the research paper.

Placement on the Page

Example of placement for a landscape figure

Place page numbers at least one inch from the edge of the paper.

On the first page of each chapter, the page number should be placed at center bottom. Placement of page numbers thereafter may be at center-bottom, center-top or top-right.

Page numbers on landscape figures or tables need to be placed at the same locations as page numbers for other pages.

Note: Landscape figures and tables should be placed with the top of the figure or table to the left side of the page. See the example (marked as page 53).

Fonts

Thesis and dissertation supporting paper materials must be printed using a letter-quality or laser printer. Various printers are available at public computing sites around campus.

Font Style

The font you choose to use in your research paper should be a commonly available font, such as:

  • Arial
  • Verdana
  • Times New Roman
  • Georgia
  • Courier
  • Calibri (Office 2007 default font)

If you are not sure that a font is acceptable, send a sample paragraph to the Graduate School with an inquiry and preferred method of responding (phone number, addresses: e-mail or regular mail).

Size

Use 10-point or 12-point fonts for regular text. Headings may be 14- or 16-point. Tables, figures, etc., may be smaller than 10-point.

Page Order and File Name

The main section of the thesis or dissertation should be included after your …

  • Title page
  • Copyright page (optional)
  • Approval page
  • Dedication page (optional)
  • Acknowledgements page
  • Table of Contents
  • List of Illustrations, Figures, Tables, Nomenclature (if necessary)
  • Academic Abstract (optional for research.pdf)

and before your …

  • Vita page (optional for theses)

in a PDF file saved as “research.pdf.”