Georgia Southern University
Electronic Thesis and
Dissertation
(ETD)
For help with questions regarding these guidelines, please contact:
College of Graduate Studies
Phone 912-478-2647
Student Guide to
Preparation and Processing
Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies
2019
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Guiding Principles
This manual establishes a set of guidelines designed to ensure consistency,
legibility, and professional appearance for all theses and dissertations. General
principles require theses and dissertations adhere to the following:
• The thesis or dissertation must be the original work of the student.
• Students must conform to the most recent Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines
published by Georgia Southern University, College of Graduate Studies. It is the
student’s responsibility to ensure that the copy of the guidelines they are
following is up-to-date.
• The major advisor is responsible for ensuring student adherence to these
guidelines prior to approval of the thesis or dissertation.
• Both departmental and College of Graduate Studies deadlines must be met and
proper procedures followed for the defense and submission of theses or
dissertations.
• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the copyrights of documents used
in the preparation of the thesis or dissertation are protected and adequately cited,
and that all necessary permissions and/or copyright releases are obtained from
copyright holders.
Approved Style Manuals by Discipline
DEGREE
STYLE MANUAL
Master of Science - Biology
Council of Science Editors Style
Manual. American Institute of Biological
Sciences (Latest edition).
Master of Arts - History
Master of Arts - Social Science
A Manual for Writers of Papers, Theses,
and Dissertations.
Kate
L. Turabian
(Latest edition).
(Also acceptable: APA).
Doctor of Education
Major in Curriculum Studies
Major in Educational Administration
Doctor of Psychology
Master of Science in Nursing Master of
Science – Kinesiology Master of
Science – Psychology Master of
Science – Sport Management
Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association.
American Psychological Association
(Latest edition).
M
aster of Science - Mathematics
Department Style Manual
Please see Dr. Scott Kersey's web page for
the LaTex Graduate Thesis
file. https://
sites.google.com/a/georgiasouthern.edu/
skersey/
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Doctor of Public Health
P
ublication Manual
of
the
American
Psychological Association. American
Psychological Association (Latest edition).
or
AMA
M
anual
of Style (Latest edition)
Master of Fine Arts - Art
A Manual for Writers.
Kate L. Turabian (Latest Edition).
Master of Arts - English
Master of Arts - Spanish
MLA Handbook, Joseph Gibaldi and
Walter S. Achtert (Latest edition).
Master of Science in Applied
Engineering
A Manual for Writers. Kate L.
Turabian (Latest Edition).
Margins
Margins must be consistent throughout the document (they should be
exactly the same on each page of the same type). Centering is always
Note: For all disciplines, students may want to consider following the guidelines
in The Columbia Guide to Online Style (Columbia University Press) for
electronic sources; check with committee chairperson for approval.
Before submitting your thesis or dissertation to the
Digital Commons, your major professor
and committee must review your manuscript for formatting, compliance with the style manual
for the degree, and resolution of any issues identified at the thesis or dissertation defense.
Please review all relevant policies and guidelines prior to submission.
If your manuscript meets all requirements listed below, it will be sent to your committee for
final approval in the Digital Commons. If your manuscript does not meet these requirements,
it will be returned to your committee and will not be accepted for posting in the Digital
Commons (a degree requirement) until all requirements have been met:
• Displays accurate and clear writing.
• Complies with the degree’s style manual as found in the ETD Manual/Student Guide to
Preparation and Processing: https://cogs.georgiasouthern.edu/etd-submission-links/
• Complies with the University’s format template: https://cogs.georgiasouthern.edu/etd-
submission-links/
Once your manuscript is approved by your committee, the College of Graduate Studies will
c
heck the formatting of the manuscript before posting in the Digital Commons. Minor formatting
changes pertaining to compliance with the University template may be requested.
After your final manuscript is accepted by the College of Graduate Studies and all committee
reviews have been received in the Digital Commons as CORRECT, you will be notified that the
process is complete and y
our manuscript will be posted in the Digital Commons.
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Page
Numbering
Every page of the thesis or dissertation, except the abstract, title
and copyright pages must be assigned a page number (see below).
Front Matter Arabic numerals
Abstract
Title Page
Copyright
Approval Page
Page 1
Dedication
Page 2
Acknowledgments
Page 3
Table of Contents
Page 4
List of Tables/Figures
Page 5 and 6
Body Arabic numerals
Line
Spacing
The body of the thesis or dissertation should be consistent
throughout. We recommend 1.5 or double spacing to improve
readability.
Typefaces
(Fonts)
Use of fonts and font sizes should be consistent throughout
the thesis or dissertation. Times New Roman typeface should
be used.
1. General Formatting
Paper Size All pages of the thesis or dissertation must be printable on the following
standard U.S. paper sizes: 8.5 x 11, and 8.5 x 14 or 11 x 17 inch sheets for
charts and graphs.
Margins Margins must be consistent throughout the document (they
should be exactly
the same on each page of the same type).
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All fonts used in a thesis or dissertation must be
embedded in the PDF file, which ensures the document will be
readable on most platforms.
oriented
Pages
Page numbering for landscape-oriented pages can be set in one of
the two following ways:
1. For best on-
screen readability: page numbers appear in the
correct positio
n when the page is viewed on a screen. Note
that “screen-
centric” page numbers may end up being
obscured in bound (printed) copies of the document.
2. For best on-paper readability: “print-
centric” page numbers
appear in the correct position when the page is
printed and
bound, i.e., as if the page was actually portrait-oriented.
Headings
and
Subheadings
The location, font, and font size for headers and
subheaders should be consistent throughout the document.
Paragraphs
Consistent indenting between paragraphs should distinguish each
paragraph.
Widows and
Orphans
The first or last line of a paragraph, a heading, or a subheading
must not be isolated by a page
break. Such isolated lines
are called “widows” and “orphans” and should be prevented.
Tables and
Figures
All figures and tables must fit within the margins described earlier in
this manual. Follow the g
uidelines in your discipline’s style manual
for formatting of tables and figures. Figures and tables must be
numbered uniquely following one of the formats below:
1. Consecutive numbering
throughout the thesis or
dissertation, or
2. Combination chapter and figu
re/table number designation,
e.g., Figure 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, etc.
Placement of Tables and Figures. Tables and figures should be:
a) Embedded in the text,
b)
Placed on separate pages following the text where they are
first cited, or
c) Placed at the end of their respective chapters.
If the table or figure is embedded in the text, reasonable but not
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excessive blank space should be left above and below it. The
text may not contain editorial instructions about placement of
tables or figures.
Table Captions:
Follow guidelines in the preferred style manual for the placement
of table numbers and captions. If the caption consists of more
than one sentence, the first sentence constitutes the title of the
table and is the only part of the caption listed in the List of
Tables.
Figure Captions:
Follow guidelines in the preferred style manual for the placement
of figure numbers and captions. If the caption consists of more
than one sentence, the first sentence constitutes the figure title
and is the only part of the caption listed in the List of Figures.
2. Organization
The thesis or dissertation must be assembled in the following order and must conform
to the sample pages in this manual:
Front-matter Sections:
Abstract
(Required)
Page number suppressed
A statement
of the problem, the procedure or methods, the
results and the conclusions. There is a 350 word
maximum on the length of an abstract. This page must
include Index Words related to the topic. Index Words are
used to locate the document in the library’s databases.
Maximum word count does not include index words.
Title Page
(Required)
Page number suppressed
The first page of the thesis or dissertation. The title
page must include all of the information indicated
by the appropriate sample title page in the ETD template.
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Copyright Page
(Required)
Page number supressed
You automatically own the copyright on your thesis or
dissertation. A copyright page is placed in your document to
call this to the reader’s attention. It is not necessary to
register the copyright to protect your rights.
The copyright page should include the copyright symbol (©)
followed by the year of copyright (usually the date the thesis
or dissertation is accepted, that is, the year of
graduation), and the name of the owner of the copyright
(the author).
Approval Page
(Required)
Page number 1
Include the names of all committee members listed on the
latest approved advisory committee form.
Note: the date at the bottom of the Approval Page is the
month and year of graduation (not the month in which you
submit the document).
Dedication Page
(Optional)
Page number 2
Not listed in the Table of Contents.
Acknowledgments
(Optional)
If present, must be listed in Table of Contents.
Page number 3
You may wish to acknowledge those who have contributed to
the work represented by the thesis or dissertation, or you
may wish to preface the work with an account of the process.
Table of Contents
(Required)
Page number 4
This is the map to your document. Each entry in the Table of
Contents must match the corresponding entry in the text
exactly in terms of wording, capitalization, punctuation, page
number, etc. A complete Table of Contents, including
correct page number of entries, is required for the first
format check. Page numbers should be right aligned.
List of Tables
(Optional)
Page number 5
If present, must be listed in the Table of Contents.
Entries in the List of Tables must match table captions in the
text exactly. Follow the same guidelines to format the List of
Tables as for the Table of Contents.
List of Figures
(Optional)
Page number 6
If present, must be listed in the Table of Contents.
Entries in the List of Figures must match figure captions in
the text exactly. Follow the same guidelines to format the List
of Figures as for the Table of Contents.
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Main Body Sections
All pages of the main body of the document are numbered with Arabic numerals. The
first page of all major sections in the main body of the text is listed in the Table of
Contents.
Forward
or
Introduction
(Optional)
If present, list it in the Table of Contents.
Chapters
Sections
(Required)
Each chapter begins on a new page. A section within a
c
hapter does not begin on a new page unless the previous
page
is
filled. Any section that begins at the bottom of a
page must include at least two lines of text before the page
break and at least two lines at the top of the following
page (see “Widows and Orphans”).
Bibliography (or
References or
Works Cited)
(Required)
Treat the title of this section as you do those of all other
chapters or sections, including continuous pagination.
Format the entries according to your academic department’s
choice of style manual.
List the Bibliography, References, or Works Cited page in the
Table of Contents and format the first page as you would
the first page of a chapter or main section.
Appendix or
Appendices
(Optional)
If present, should be labeled and listed in the Table of
Contents.
Should be placed after the bibliography, list of references, or list
of works cited.
3. Journal Articles
In many departments, theses or dissertations may include articles that have been
or will be submitted to scholarly journals for publication.
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Students must have the approval of their departments to use these articles in their
theses or dissertations. You may also need permission from the journal or
publisher to re-publish the article in your thesis or dissertation.
Authorship
The student must be either the sole author or the first co-author
of each article included.
Copyright
Release
Evidence of permission from the publisher or journal editor (if
published) or from any co-
authors (if not published) to use articles
that have been published or accepted for publication must be
included. It is the student’
s responsibility to secure such copyright
releases prior to submitting the thesis or dissertation to the College
of Graduate Studies. The College of Graduate Studies will accept
a letter of permission or an email from the publisher. Final
submission of t
heses and dissertations will not be accepted without
all necessary copyright releases on file. (For more information, see
instructions for final submission in this manual.)
General
Formatting
Formatting requirements for journal articles are identical to
those of non-journal submissions, e.g., margin sizes, line spacing,
consistency of heading styles, spacing between sections or
before tables and figures, etc.
OR You may include a small, selected digital reproduction of
your article if it is in print.
Overall
Document
Structure
A thesis or dissertation written in manuscript style must also
include the following:
a)
A literature review that defines the objectives of the research,
and
b)
A concluding chapter that ties together the major results
presented in the thesis or dissertation,
c)
Any additional material required by the department style
manual.
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4. Electronic Submission
ETD
Submission
The student must submit their completed and appropriately
formatted thesis or dissertation to the University Digital
Commons by the appropriate deadline (see below) for review
prior to the final submission date.
IMPORTANT! If it is apparent that the student has not
followed this manual’s formatting guidelines, the thesis or
dissertation will not be accepted and the student’s
graduation date may be moved to the next semester.
If the manuscript requires additional formatting corrections,
these corrections, along with any required by the student’s
thesis or dissertation committee, must be completed in time
to meet the final submission deadline in order to graduate that
term.
Final
Submission
The corrected, final ETD (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation) may
be
uploaded (submitted) to the ETD /Digital Commons only after:
1. All revisions have been completed,
2. All formatting problems identified during the review
process have been corrected,
3. The student has successfully defended the document
(thesis or dissertation defense) and the Thesis Defense
Report or Dissertation Defense Report
form has been
submitted to the College of Graduate Studies by the
Committee Chair by the deadline identified in the
Academic Calendar. The Thesis or Dissertation Defense
Report form must report a pass.
4. Signed copyright permission forms for any copyrighted
materials contained in the ETD have been submitted to
the College of Graduate Studies.
The final ETD must be electronically submitted by the term
submission deadline posted on the
Georgia Southern University
Academic Calendar.
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The student will receive an email when the final ETD document is
electronically verified (approved) by the committee. This final
approved copy is considered to be the official copy. After
processing by the College of Graduate Studies, the electronic
file is posted in the University Digital Commons.
No changes can be made to the thesis or dissertation after it
has been accepted as the final copy.
Printed
Copies
If the student desires, bound paper copies of the official ETD
manuscript may be printed and bound at student expense at the
University Printing and Postal Services. The only files Printing and
Postal Services will process are the final copies stored in the
University Digital Commons. Since these files cannot be changed
after final submission, students must make sure that they are
satisfied with the format and content of their document at the time
of submission.
University Printing and Postal Services only prints files they
receive from the University Digital Commons. Printing and Postal
Services cannot modify these files in any way. Any format errors
found in the printed copies are errors that existed in the final
document submitted by the student. University Printing and Postal
Services and The College of Graduate Studies are not responsible
in any way for these errors. It is entirely up to the student to
ensure that the final PDF file will print correctly.
All bound copies will be made at the student’s expense.
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Dissertation
Abstracts
International
(DAI)
Doctoral students may elect to submit the abstract of their
dissertation or the entire dissertation for publication in UMI’s
Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI) database. UMI
submission is not required, however, since the dissertation may
be accessed through the University Digital Commons.
5. Sample Pages
This supplementary packet contains a link to sample pages in the ETD template to
help you see what the pages in your thesis or dissertation should look like.
NOTE:
In the ETD template sample pages, false names and identifying terms are
used to help you understand the kind of information that should appear at a
particular location.
Sample pages are available through the ETD Template:
https://cogs.georgiasouthern.edu/etd-submission-links/