File Name
The pages listed below are all included in a single file named “research.pdf” along with the main content of the thesis or dissertation. They are part of the research document, and so are considered research materials.
The naming convention for this file is very specific. It should be all lowercase, exactly as it appears here: research.pdf.
Section & Page Order for “research.pdf”
The order of the sections in your research.pdf file is listed below. See Formatting Guidelines below for help formatting each section.
- Title Page
- Copyright Page (optional)
- Approval Page
- Dedication Page (optional)
- Acknowledgements Page
- Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations, Figures, Tables, Maps, Nomenclature (if necessary)
- Academic Abstract
- Main Research Content
- Vita Page (optional for thesis)
Formatting Guidelines
- Although the title page is counted as Roman numeral i, the number should not appear on the page.
- The body of the text should be centered on the page, both vertically and horizontally.
- Use the month and year of your graduation, not the month and year of your defense.
- Although the title page is counted as Roman numeral i, the number should not appear on the page.
- The body of the text should be centered on the page, both vertically and horizontally.
- Use the month and year of your graduation, not the month and year of your defense.
- Copyrighting your work is optional. To have your material copyrighted, you must pay an additional fee. Copyright registration provides a measure of security, but does not expand your legal rights to your intellectual property.
- The copyright page will appear after your Title page and before your Approval page.
- This page is not counted, numbered or listed in the Table of Contents.
Use of Copyrighted Materials
See “Use of Copyrighted Material” below for guidelines including copyrighted works in your thesis or dissertation.
- The approval page is not counted, numbered, or listed in the Table of Contents.
- It follows your title page, unless you have included the optional copyright page, in which case it will follow the copyright page.
- The title must be centered.
- Each person on your committee must be listed.
- The approval page in your thesis/dissertation should not have committee signatures.
- The dedication page is optional.
- If used, it comes after the approval page.
- It is not counted, numbered or listed in the Table of Contents.
- It is used to acknowledge those who have supported you during your graduate school. This is not typically the place to recognize those who assisted you in your academic research, which is done on the required Acknowledgements page.
- There are no restrictions on the style or format.
- The Acknowledgements page is required for all theses and dissertations. It follows the Approval page, unless there is the optional Dedication page, in which case it follows the Dedication page.
- Center the term “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.”
- The page number should be Roman numeral “ii”.
- Indent and double-space the body of the text.
- There is no length restriction.
- Center the term “TABLE OF CONTENTS.”
- The Table of Contents should only include listings for the Acknowledgements page and any sections following the Table of Contents.
- Item page numbers should align at the right margin.
- Follow the spacing guidelines included in your chosen style manual.
- Include images, tables, figures, maps, and nomenclature
- The title should centered.
- Single-space lines within entries, and double-space between entries.
- Item page numbers should align at the right margin.
Follow the style manual recommended by your academic program. General guidelines are provided below.
Margins
- Left Margin – 1.5 inches
- Top, Bottom, and Right Margins – 1 inch
Line Spacing
- All standard text should be double-spaced.
- References, bibliographic works, and endnotes should be consistent with the formatting standards of your selected style manual.
Headings
- Chapter headings and subheads should be consistent throughout the research paper.
Figures & Tables
- Landscape figures and tables should be placed with the top of the figure or table to the left side of the page.
Font Type
- The font used should be a commonly available font, such as Arial, Veranda, Times New Roman, etc.
Font Size
- Use 10-point or 12-point fonts for regular text.
- Headings may be 14-point or 16-point.
- Tables, figures, etc., may be smaller than 10-point.
Page Numbers
- The pages preceding the main body of the thesis/dissertation should use Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.) for page numbers.
- Standard Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) should be used to number the main body of the document.
- Page numbers should be placed consistently throughout your document.
- Page numbers on landscape-oriented pages need to be placed and aligned consistently with page numbers on portrait-oriented pages. For example, if you were to print both a landscape-oriented page and a portrait-oriented page from your document, the page numbers would print in the same place and would be aligned correctly on both pages.
- The vita page is required for doctoral students, optional for master’s students.
- It is the final page of the research document and must have a page number.
- This is not a curriculum vitae. Its purpose is to give a bit of background about the author.
- The title “VITA” should be centered.
- Formatting should be consistent with the rest of the research file.
- There is no restriction on the length.
Use of Copyrighted Material
If your work contains material that has been copyrighted by another party, students may need to seek permission to use the material in their thesis or dissertation. Examples of materials for which a student would need to seek copyright permission include but are not limited to:
- Third-Party Software
- Images
- Graphics
- Large Portions of Text
- Maps
If copyright permission is needed, submit written approval for the use of the copyrighted material along with the thesis or dissertation.
Substituting Copyrighted Materials in Theses and Dissertations
The Graduate School encourages students to seek permission to use copyrighted material in their theses and dissertations. The work is published after it is submitted in approved form to the Graduate School and will be available to audiences who wish to know more about the subject you investigate.
The more full and complete the thesis or dissertation, the better the experience for the reader, and therefore the better the response to the fruits of the student’s hard work. However, if the student is unable or unwilling to obtain copyright permission for some of the materials in the research, other items may be substituted for the copyrighted material.
Acceptable substitutions include:
- Redrawing or tracing of maps, images, graphics, etc.
- References to URLs, printed documents or physical locations where the copyrighted material can be found.
A student whose thesis or dissertation has had copyrighted material removed prior to submission must have their advisor sign a document reading:
“[Student’s name] has removed copyrighted material from the copy of the thesis or dissertation submitted to the Graduate School for electronic publication. I certify that I approve the thesis or dissertation in this form. The student has presented accurate information as to where the removed, copyrighted material can be found.”
Advisor’s Name
Date
Policy Regarding Theses and Dissertation Content
Students are prohibited from using research (data, results, methods or other content) in their theses or dissertations that could restrict subsequent publication or public disclosure of these documents. Examples of restricted information include classified or proprietary materials.
It is important to note that these restrictions do not apply to non-thesis or non-dissertation research approved by the student’s advisor and allowed by University of Missouri policies.
This policy was approved by the Graduate Faculty Senate. Questions regarding the applicability of this policy to thesis or dissertation content should be referred to the Graduate School.