Thesis / Dissertation Formatting Manual (2024)

Your manuscript must be neat, clean, legible, and error-free when it is submitted, whether in paper or electronically (ETD). Spell-check and manually proofread your text prior to submission. 

All electronically submitted theses and dissertations must comply with the ProQuest ETD submission requirements. These requirements form the basis of the UCI Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Manual. 

Please keep in mind that your thesis/dissertation is part of your individual permanent academic record. It is also part of the permanent record of scholarship and research undertaken by all graduate student graduates of UCI, and it will be permanently accessible to the worldwide community of scholars.

The manuscript that the UCI Libraries approves is considered final; any errors you may discover after the Libraries accepts it cannot be corrected.

It is the student's responsibility to properly format the manuscript.

Manuscripts are normally composed of two sections: (1) Preliminary pages, and (1) Text and References pages (aka the "Body" of the manuscript) 

Preliminary Pages require very specific wording, spacing, and layout, and MUST appear in this order:

1. Title Page (no page number)
2. Copyright Page (no page number)
3. Dedication Page (optional, if included, page ii)
4. Table of Contents (page ii or page iii depending on if Dedication Page is present)
5. List(s) of Figures/Illustrations/Tables/Formulas/Terms, etc. 
6. Acknowledgments
7. Vita (PhD only)
8. Abstract

Text and References is the body of your thesis or dissertation. The content and style is determined by your committee and field of study. Typical elements include:

• Introduction or preface
• Main body (usually consisting of well-defined subdivisions such as chapters, parts, etc.)
• Conclusion
• Bibliography or References (may appear at end, or with each subdivision)
• Appendices (if applicable)
  • List each appendix separately in the Table of Contents
  • Tables, figures, charts, or photos placed at the end of the manuscript form an appendix and should not be in a list of figures, tables, or illustrations in your Preliminary Pages