TOPICS

Specifications of the Document

It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether or not reprint permission letters are necessary for The specifications in the following pages were adopted in consultation with UCSB Library and based on the publication standards of ProQuest. These standards assure uniformity in the degree candidates’ manuscripts to be archived electronically in the Library, as well as to ensure the widest possible dissemination of student-authored knowledge. Samples of a MS Word and LaTex formatted thesis and dissertation, including preliminary pages, body text with figures, references and appendix, are available on-line and may be used as templates. Please note that using one of the templates does not guarantee that formatting (especially page margins and numbers) will be correct. The varying software versions and editing documents can alter the format.

English Required in Text

The manuscript must be written in English, unless the student is a degree candidate in a foreign language department that encourages or requires theses/dissertations in the language of study. Even if the text is in another language, all information in the preliminary pages, except the title, Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents, must be in English.

Font and Font Sizes

The font used must be clear, legible, and large enough to be easily readable on microfilm.

A font size of at least 12 must be used for the text. Standard fonts such as Arial, Century, Helvetica, or Times New Roman are recommended*. A font size of at least 10 must be used for footnotes and captions.

Italics may be used for quotations, headings, labels, book titles, foreign words, scientific names or for occasional emphasis. Fonts and font sizes used for appendices, charts, drawings, graphs, maps and tables may differ from that used for the text. Script, calligraphy, italics, and specialized art fonts are not acceptable for the main body of the text. The print should be letter quality with dark black characters that are clear and dense.

*For the complete list of recommended fonts, please see here: Preparing Your Manuscript Guide

Minimum Margins

Large margins are necessary because of the binding process (some students may choose to purchase bound copies via ProQuest or other vendor). The student may set larger margins, but must be sure that the final text lies well within the following guidelines:

  • PAGE/PAPER SIZE = 8.5 x 11
  • TOP LINE OF TYPE = 1 inch from top of page
  • BOTTOM LINE OF TYPE = 1 inch from bottom of page
  • LEFT = 1.25 inches (this margin is wide for binding requirements and microfilming)
  • RIGHT = 1 inch
  • PAGE NUMBER = centered .75 inches from bottom of page

Except for page numbers, nothing must intrude into the margins. These minimum specifications also apply to all figures, charts, graphs, illustrations and appendices.

Page Numbers and Pagination

Page numbers should be centered .75 inches from the bottom edge of the portrait oriented page. Placement of page numbers must be consistent throughout the manuscript. Word processing software manuals will contain instructions for page number and other formatting procedures.

Except where noted below, each page of the entire manuscript must be numbered consecutively; pages should be counted or numbered in accord with the following standards:

  • Neither the title page nor signature page should have visible page numbers, although these pages are counted as page one (i) and page two (ii).
  • All preliminary pages following the title and signature pages must be numbered consecutively beginning with lower case Roman numeral “iii” and continuing with iv, v, vi, etc. This includes the copyright page, dedication, acknowledgements, vita (required for dissertations only), abstract, table of contents, list of figures/tables/symbols/illustrations, and introduction
  • The main body of the text and any back matter must be numbered consecutively at the bottom of the portrait page with Arabic numerals beginning with “1” (1, 2, 3, etc.), including text, illustrative materials, bibliography, notes, and appendices.
  • Correct pagination is required for the manuscript to be acceptable. The document must be free of missing pages, blank pages, or duplicate numbers or pages.

Double Spacing of Text Required

The abstract and all textual materials in the main body of the manuscript should be double-spaced. Single spacing is acceptable for: vita, dedication/acknowledgements, table of contents, long quotations, footnotes, text that appears within figures or tables or maps, bibliographies, and captions. Survey instruments and other materials used by the student to conduct research that are reproduced in an appendix may be single-spaced.

Questions? Email us graddiv-gradacademics@ucsb.edu 

* For the complete list of recommended fonts, please see here: ProQuest