University Guidelines Manual rules for formatting theses or project reports for master's degree students at California State University, Long Beach
transcript
1. A Guide for CSULB Masters Degree Candidates
2. Format Evaluators: Vivian Reed and Laurie Welch
Administrative Assistant: Sue Joshee
3. No One Said It Would Be Easy . . . . . . performing in the
academic three ring circus Keeping your balance on the bureaucratic
tightrope Taming ferocious piles of research Juggling manuscript
format rules
4. Were Part of Your Team Refereeing the University Guidelines
Manual Coaching you through corrections Cheering you on until you
reach your goal
5. Were here to help you prepare your manuscript according to
the University Guidelines Manual and the formatting style guide
approved by your department. Please call or email us whenever you
have questions or problems regarding your manuscript. Manuscripts
are evaluated on a first come first served basis. For a quick
turnaround time, plan to submit as soon as possible within each
submission period, especially if your official transcript with
degree posting is required by a specific date for a graduate school
application, a job or a raise, or if youre relocating.
6. Format Evaluation Process Submit your manuscript to the
Thesis and Dissertation Office before 5 p.m. of the submission
deadline date. Be sure that: > Your manuscript is printed on
standard printer paper > Your signature page is complete with
all signatures > Your manuscript is in a manuscript (or thesis)
box > All three sections of the AUTHOR LOGIN are complete
Formatters read through manuscripts on a first come first served
basis. Pages are flagged and corrections are noted on the pages.
The student is emailed when read-through is done. In Spring
Semester, it may take up to 6 weeks from when you submit your
manuscript to when you receive an email to pick it up Once youve
picked it up and made corrections, return the revised manuscript to
the Thesis and Dissertation Office. Set a 2 week turnaround time
for yourself to ensure completing the process within the term
deadline Formatters read through corrected manuscript and contact
you within a week. There are three possibilities: > Second
correctionPages are marked with corrections needed > Cleared
pendingEmail is sent with list of a few (12 or less) corrections
still needed > ClearedNo further corrections needed
7. Once the formatting is cleared, you take the manuscript to
the Copy Center located on the southwest corner of the University
Bookstore building. You will be asked to fill out the
Dissertation/Masters Thesis Submission Form required by ProQuest,
the database company, and to pay fees (about $200) to ProQuest for
reproduction of your manuscript in microfiche and online. The
University Library now maintains permanent copies of theses and
dissertations on microfiche in the library archives and on an
online database rather than keeping bound copies IMPORTANT LAST
STEP: Email or call the Thesis and Dissertation Office and tell us
your receipt number. We cannot send out the clearance letter to
you, your thesis advisor (committee chair), and Enrollment Services
until we receive the receipt number. Until your clearance letter
has been sent, your requirements for graduation will be
incomplete
8. The formatting rules in the CSULB University Guidelines
Manual ALWAYS take precedence over the style guide (APA, MLA,
Chicago, etc.) or other citation format styles (IEEE, AAA, etc.)
required by your department
9. Thesis and Dissertation Office Web Pages Format Guide Page
(Original Version) Full text of official CSULB University
Guidelines Manual Mini Manuscript (formatting examples for all
pages of manuscript) Links to PowerPoints Links to templates Go to
http://www .csulb.edu /library /guide/serv/thesis_ format.html or
click through from University Library homepage
10. Thesis and Dissertation Office Web Pages Research Guides
Page (New! Improved!) PowerPoints! Templates! Links to other
formatting information Go to http:// csulb.libguides .com/thesis
format or click through from the Thesis and Dissertation Office
Format Guide web page
11. Submit manuscripts printed out on 20 or 24 lb. (standard
weight) white printer paper in a thesis box Only these 4 font
styles allowed: Times Roman, Times New Roman, Courier, or Courier
New in 12 point font size 1 INCH LEFT MARGIN IS USED THROUGHOUT
THESIS; one inch margin on top, right, and bottom except on the
first page of every major section where a two inch top margin is
used Use TWO SPACES AFTER PERIODS (or any other punctuation) AT THE
END OF ALL SENTENCES and two spaces after all colons
12. Overlooking either of these details could mean that you
have to revise and reprint your entire manuscript: Center page
numbers just ABOVE the one inch bottom margin (footer setting
between 0.7 and 0.9 inch for good placement) and match the font
size and font style of page numbers with text Use paragraph format
with uniform double line spacing (one empty line between two lines
of text) with no extra line spacing between paragraphs and around
chapter titles or subheads. Select text above and below wide blank
space and set line spacing to 0 pt. to eliminate wide gaps
13. CHANGING THE POSITION OF PAGE NUMBERS To change the
position of page numbers, go to Insert tab and click on Footer and
then click on Edit Footer near the bottom of the dialog box that
pops up. Look for the Footer from Bottom setting in the Header
& Footer Tools menu bar and change setting to 0.9 inch. Use the
ruler at the left side of the page to see if the position of the
page number has changed. To be sure, print out a test page and
measure the distance from the bottom of the page to the bottom of
the page number. It should be between inch and 1 inch. While in the
Header & Footer Tools mode, you can select a page number and
right click for dialog boxes to change the font style or font size
of the page number (which should be the same as the text).
14. CREATING UNIFORM DOUBLE LINE SPACING Uniform double line
spacing means that the line spacing between chapter titles,
subheads, and paragraphs is the same as the line spacing within
paragraphs (about inch of blank space in 12 point font). For
instance, the spacing above this line is not uniform double line
spacing. To create uniform double line spacing, select text before
and after any gaps, then click on the Page Layout tab and look for
the Spacing settings. The Before and After settings should both be
0 pt. If the spacing between the lines still seems uneven, click on
the little arrow underneath the spacing settings to open the
Paragraph dialog box and set the Line Spacing to Double.
15. Order of Elements AbstractIf only one page, do NOT use a
page number; otherwise use Arabic numerals (1, 2) for page numbers;
2 inch top margin for first page Guard Sheet (completely blank
pagenot even a page number) Title Page Signature Page Copyright
Page (optional) Acknowledgements (optional)Use lowercase Roman
numerals (begin with iii) for page numbers; 2 inch top margin for
first page Table of ContentsUse lowercase Roman numerals (begin
with iii if there is no acknowledgements page); 2 inch top margin
for first page List of Tables, List of Figures, List of Works, and
so on (as needed)Use lowercase Roman numerals; 2 inch top margin
for first page of each ChaptersUse Arabic numerals for page numbers
from here to the end of the manuscript (Chapter 1 starts with page
1); 2 inch top margin for first page of each chapter Appendices
(optional)Each one begins with a title page; if there is more than
one appendix, begin with a title page with APPENDICES centered on
the page followed by title page for appendix A References List or
BibliographyBegins with a title page with REFERENCES or
BIBLIOGRAPHY centered on page; 2 inch top margin for first page
Guard Sheet (completely blank pagenot even a page number)
16. Frequently Asked Questions How do I create a 2 inch top
margin? The easiest way to create a 2 inch top margin is to space
down from the existing 1 inch top margin. Hit the ENTER key 5 times
(using single line spacing) or hit the ENTER key 3 times (using
double line spacing) to create an extra inch of blank space. How do
I create different page numbers in the same document? The easiest
way to create pages with different kinds of page numbers is to
create three separate documents. One document will have pages with
no page numbers (title page, signature page, etc.), another
document will have pages with lowercase Roman numeral page numbers
(table of contents, list of tables, etc.), and another document
will have pages with Arabic numerals (the chapters, references
list, etc.). If you use section breaks to change format of page
numbers within a document, be sure to go to Insert and then Edit
Footer to deactivate the Link to Previous section feature within
sections where a change in page number format occurs. What happened
to my signature page? During the first read-through of your
manuscript, the signature page is removed from your manuscript.
Because of concern about signatures being readily available (and
easy to copy) online, the signature page is no longer part of PDF
that is made available through the ProQuest database. The signature
pages are kept on file in the Thesis Office, and students can
contact the office to request a copy of their signature page if one
is needed.
17. Abstract Two inch top margin on first page Uniform double
line spacing in title area and text area Title is centered and in
all uppercase letters Use inverted pyramid format for title
(longest line first followed by progressively shorter lines) Match
wording and line breaks of title on abstract, title page, and
signature page Your name must match on these three pages too Use
Arabic numerals (1, 2) for page numbers ONLY if the abstract is
more than one page long. No page number is used for a one-page
abstract No citations or direct quotations Paragraph format
Template online
18. Title Page Fill page from top margin to bottom margin Use
double line spacing within five blocks of text EXCEPT use single
line spacing between names of committee members Space blocks of
text evenly on the page Title is centered and in all uppercase
letters Use inverted pyramid format for title (longest line first
followed by progressively shorter lines) Match wording and line
breaks of title on abstract, title page, and signature page Your
name must match on these three pages too NO page number Template
online
19. Fill page from top margin to bottom margin Leave enough
room for professors to sign their names The person who signs the
last signature (College Designee) varies by department. The Thesis
Office Format Guide web page has a list with names of college
designees Title is centered and in all uppercase letters Use
inverted pyramid format for title (longest line first followed by
progressively shorter lines) Match wording and line breaks of title
on abstract, title page, and signature page Your name must match on
these three pages too NO page number Template online
20. Two inch top margin for first page Use lowercase Roman
numerals for page numbersbegin with iii if there is no
acknowledgements page List all major sections, all chapter titles
and all first level subheads Match the wording of listings in table
of contents with the wording of titles in text Double check that
page numbers match too If you choose to include even one second or
third level subhead in the table of contents, then ALL second AND
third level subheads must be included in the table of contents
21. Include headingsCHAPTER (above column of chapter numbers)
and Page (above column of page numbers) On the first page, the
headings are located within the other elements. On all other pages,
they are located at the top of the page Subheads and multi-line
chapter titles are single line spaced, but leave a blank line
before and after chapter titles and appendix titles as well as
other elements using all uppercase letters like LIST OF TABLES and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dot leaders end in alignment 3-4 spaces before the
longest page number (programmed as a rightaligned tab) Page numbers
are also right aligned using a right-aligned tab Template
online
22. List of Tables Two inch top margin for first page Use
lowercase Roman numerals for page numbers Match the wording of
listings in list of tables with the wording in text Match page
numbers in text Include headingsTABLE (above column of table
numbers) and Page (above column of page numbers) On the first page,
the headings are located under title (LIST OF TABLES). On all other
pages, they are located at the top of the page Headline style
capitalization for table titles Table titles are indented 3-4
spaces Leave blank line between table titles Use single line
spacing for multi-line table title, increase indent for lines that
follow first line Dot leaders end in alignment 3-4 spaces before
the longest page number (programmed as a right-aligned tab) and
page numbers are also right aligned Template online
23. List of Figures Two inch top margin for first page
Lowercase Roman numeral page numbers Match the wording of listings
in list of figures with the wording in text Include all words up to
the first period in figure captionbegin caption with short
descriptive phrase to simplify list of figures Match page numbers
in text Include headingsFIGURE (above column of figure numbers) and
Page (above column of page numbers) On the first page, the headings
are located under title (LIST OF FIGURES); on all other pages, they
are located at top of page Sentence style capitalization for figure
captions Figure captions are indented 3-4 spaces Leave blank line
between figure captions Use single line spacing for multi-line
figure caption, increase indent for lines that follow first line
Dot leaders end in alignment 3-4 spaces before the longest page
number (programmed as a right-aligned tab) and page numbers are
also right aligned Template online
24. Two inch top margin for first page of each chapter and one
inch top margin for all other pages Chapter 1 begins with page 1
(Arabic numerals) and all pages that follow have page numbers,
numbered in sequence, to the end of the document Paragraph format
throughout chapters Uniform double line spacing in text, chapter
titles and subheads Uppercase letters for chapter number and
chapter title If URLs are used within text, break URLs to fill line
with text before continuing to a new line Be consistent with
capitalization and use of hyphens within words or phrases Block
quotes can use single line spacing or double line spacing with line
spacing consistent for all block quotes
25. FIRST LEVEL SUBHEAD Underlined Headline Style of
Capitalization On a line by itself Centered SECOND LEVEL SUBHEAD
Underlined Headline Style of Capitalization On a line by itself
Begins at left margin THIRD LEVEL SUBHEAD Underlined Sentence style
of capitalization Paragraph indentation On the same line as text
Ends with a period SPACING For first or second level subheads,
subheads of two or more lines are single line spaced
26. TextNumbered Items 1. Microsoft Word automatically formats
numbered items with uniform left indentation as the first three
numbered items illustrate. 2. The University Guidelines Manual
requires paragraph format. 3. University Guidelines Manual wins!
Indent the first line of each item, including the number, like a
paragraph, and start all other lines at the left margin. The
highlighted lines to the left and items 4 and 5 below illustrate
numbered items formatted like paragraphs. 4. One way to create
numbered paragraphs is to type in the text of the numbered items
without the numbers and indent the first line of each item. 5.
Start with the last item in the numbered list and add a number, a
period and two spaces before the first word. Add a number, a period
and two spaces to each item, working in reverse order and ending
with 1.
27. No bold font No font color other than black No highlighting
or shading No contractions No outlines No bulleted lists No right
justification
28. Use 12 point font size for text, page numbers, footnotes,
table titles and table notes, and figure captions Periods and
commas, inside quotation marks. Use two hyphenswith no space before
or after dashesto create em (long) dash Widows and orphans (single
lines at top or bottom of page) are not allowed; move subheads at
bottom of page to the top of the next page The first time each
acronym (or abbreviation) is used in text, write out the complete
term followed by the acronym in parentheses; after that, the
acronym can be used in all text that follows without the term being
written out Use consistent style for quotation marks: "straight"
versus smart (curved) For ellipsis . . . use 3-4 period dots with a
space before and after each dot
29. Tables Table titles are placed ABOVE the table Each line of
the table title begins at the left margin. The table title begins
with the header TABLE (all uppercase letters) then the number of
the table, a period and two spaces The wording of the table title
uses Headline Style of Capitalization (first word and all
significant words capitalized). Multi-line table titles are single
line spaced Align all numbers in each column of a table by decimal
or assumed decimal and use commas in numbers 1,000 or more
30. Do not box tables; omit lines on the left and right edge
Notes are placed underneath tables. Each line of a note begins at
the left margin. Use single line spacing for table notes Font style
within a table matches font style of text, but a slightly smaller
font size (10 or 11 point font) can be used Tables must fill a
complete page before continuing to another page. For subsequent
pages of a table, include the column headers used on the first page
of the table and use the title: TABLE [# of table]. Continued
31. Figure captions are placed BELOW the figure Each line of
the figure caption begins at the left margin. The caption begins
with the header FIGURE (all uppercase letters) then the number of
the figure, a period and two spaces The wording of the caption uses
Sentence style of capitalization (first word capitalized plus
anything that would be uppercase in a sentence). Multiline figure
captions are single line spaced A figure must be complete on one
page
32. Different font styles and font sizes and can be used in
figures as long as text is legible Color and shading can be used in
figures Figure captions end with a period but do not have to be
grammatically correct sentences To simplify the list of figures,
begin captions with a short descriptive phrase ending with a period
and then add as much information as needed. In the list of figures,
you only need to include the words of each caption up to the first
period Landscape orientation can be used for figures or tables. A
text box is used to insert a page number to match location of page
number on other pages 1 inch left margin is the top margin in a
landscape oriented page Use a text box to insert page number
33. OPTIONS Tables and figures can be placed in an appendix OR
on pages by themselves (one, two, or three on a page) OR on pages
with text OR any combination of these options IN APPENDIX Placement
of tables or figures in sequence with no text simplifies formatting
of tables and figures and makes them easy for readers to locate ON
PAGE WITHOUT TEXT If a table or figure appears on a page without
text, center the table or figure on the page; that is, use the same
amount of blank space above and below the table or figure ON PAGE
WITH TEXT If a table or figure appears on a page with text, there
should be extra spacing3 to 4 blank single line-spaced lines (from
to inch of blank space)between the text and the table or figure.
Add extra spacing above if text appears above the table or figure,
add extra spacing below if text appears below the table or figure,
and add extra spacing above and below if text appears above and
below the table or figure
34. Extra blank space cannot be left at the bottom of a page of
text to accommodate placement of a table or figure Figures cannot
be split onto two pages and tables can only continue to another
page if the table is long enough to fill more than one page If more
text remains in the chapter following a table or figure, that text
should be moved forward to fill blank space at the bottom of a page
that has text on it Text should be moved forward even if that means
separating a table or figure from text that describes it or even if
that text includes a new subhead Include the required blank space
(1/2 inch or 3-4 blank single linespaced lines) below a table or
figure If only one line of text or a subhead and one line of text
can fit below the space below the table or figure, then that text
can be moved to the next page As a rule of thumb, there should not
be more than an inch of blank space on a page below the text or
below a table or figure on a page with text
35. Use appendices for material that cannot be formatted with
paragraph structure such as flyers, computer code, or instruction
manuals Title pages are used to introduce appendices. Titles use
all uppercase letters and double line spacing and are centered on
the page For appendix titles, fill line with text before continuing
to another line If there is only one appendix, use the word
APPENDIX as the first line and then the title of the appendix on
the next line In the table of contents, refer to the page number of
the title page; for a single appendix, there is only one listing in
the table of contents APPENDIX: TITLE OF APPENDIX and then dot
leaders and page number
36. Multiple Appendices For more than one appendix, begin with
a separate APPENDICES title page followed by the title page for the
first appendix which contains the words APPENDIX A then the
appendix title In the table of contents, refer to the page number
of the title pages APPENDICES... 45 A. TITLE OF APPENDIX 46 Each
page of the material within appendices (as well as all title pages)
must have page numbers in sequence following the last page of the
text All material within appendices must maintain the 1 inch left
margin and 1 inch top, right, and bottom margins Consider blocking
out or omitting personal email addresses and phone numbers if
included on flyers or forms
37. References List Each department has designated a style
guide to use for formatting the citations in the references list
(style guides listed on the Thesis Office web page) A separate
title page comes before the references list with a title like
REFERENCES or BIBLIOGRAPHY (in all uppercase) centered on the page.
The page number of this title page is the page number listed in the
table of contents Begin the first page of citations with a title
(such as REFERENCES or BIBLIOGRAPHY) in all uppercase letters and
centered on the first line; use a two inch top margin for the first
page Format each citation with a hanging indent. The first line
begins at the left margin with subsequent lines indented; both
numbered and unnumbered citations use hanging indent
38. Use single line spacing within the citations and leave a
blank line between citations Do not break up a citation onto two
pages. Move a broken citation to the top of the next page if needed
All sources cited in your manuscript must be included in the
references list Be consistent with spacing within citations: single
spacing following periods and colons is acceptable in the
references list; use one space or zero space consistently between
initials
39. Plagiarism If you are unsure about giving credit to a
source, then for your own protection you should cite the source
Copyright Information A brief discussion of copyright is available
at the Thesis and Dissertation Office web page:
http://www.csulb.edu /library/guide/serv/copyr.html You can
register your manuscript with the Copyright Office. Also, at the
time you pay fees to ProQuest at the Campus Copy Center, the
database company will offer to register your manuscript at the
Copyright Office for you. The registration fee is slightly more
through ProQuest Copyright Permission (from Owner of Copyrighted
Material You Are Using in Your Manuscript) Samples of copyright
permission request forms are available at the Thesis and
Dissertation Office web page. Keep copies of any permission forms
you obtain and bring them to Copy Center with your manuscript when
you go there to pay fees to be sent to ProQuest
40. Referring to Other Theses People often refer to theses on
the ProQuest database, available through the University Library
website, for sources and ideas for topics. Do not base your thesis
formatting completely on these samples. Use the University
Guidelines Manual Working with a Typist If you hire a typist or
editor or formatter, make sure that they are familiar with the
CSULB University Guidelines Manual. Otherwise, you may find
yourself having to pay more to do revisions on the manuscript
41. Do not let your frustration level get too high. Contact us
with any questions or problems. We are here to help and we love
specific questions Many people hire a typist or editor or formatter
if the task becomes too overwhelming You are responsible for your
manuscript being formatted in a professional manner that adheres to
all university and departmental formatting guidelines. The
manuscript should be formatted to the best of your ability when it
is submitted, but there will be opportunities to correct errors
after it has been submitted