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Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines

A guide through the entire thesis/dissertation process, from getting started to submitting.

As part of the graduation requirements for students completing theses, dissertations, or doctoral projects, once final documents are accepted by the Graduate College as complete, approved, and properly formatted, students must then submit their final approved document electronically to ProQuest and Digital Scholarship@UNLV by the appropriate deadline each semester.

Theses and dissertations must be properly formatted according to both the style guidelines used in your discipline and the format required by UNLV.

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1. Tools to Help with Research

UNLV Research Librarians UNLV Libraries have many resources to help with the research process prior to writing your thesis or dissertation. The most important resource the library offers is your college’s research librarian. You can find contact information and helpful research tips
UNLV Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) A good starting place for research is seeing what has been done by students in your department. Open access to e-theses and e-dissertations (ETDs) benefit graduate students, as research can be shared with prospective or current employers, a valuable career tool. Open access makes research accessible to a global audience and has potential for increased use and higher impact of your work. Students can incorporate interactive features such as multimedia, hyperlinks, and supplemental files by using various forms of creative scholarship.

2. Before You Start Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation

If you have concerns about how to start writing the thesis or dissertation so that it complies with the Graduate College policies or if you have concerns about what forms need to be submitted prior to and after your master’s and/ or doctoral defense, this section should help alleviate these concerns. The “Things to Think About Before Writing the Thesis or Dissertation” provides helpful suggestions about how to start the formatting before you start writing. Presetting your formatting will ease formatting-induced frustrations in the long-term. The “Paperwork to Complete Your Master’s Defense and Degree Program” and “Paperwork to Complete Your Master’s Defense and Degree Program” help with concerns about making sure all paperwork has been turned in when it should be. Finally, check the graduation and submission deadlines for the semester you wish to graduate. Make sure you submit your graduation application, defend, submit, and upload your thesis or dissertation on or before the listed deadline.

Things to Think About Before Writing the Thesis or Dissertation
Graduation & Submission Deadlines

3. General Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations

This section just provides some general guidelines for the theses and dissertations. Reading it will help to answer questions about whether the theses or dissertation is collaborative (it is not), how to choose a style guide, who is responsible for judging the acceptability of the thesis or dissertation, and so forth.

General Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations
Thesis/Dissertation Document Order
Most Common Formatting Issues
Announcing your Thesis or Dissertation Defense
Novice Webex Users Simple Tips for Virtual Defense
Advanced Webex Users: Preparing for Oral Thesis/Dissertation Defenses using Webex

4. Use of Previously Published Material

This section discusses the nature of using previously published material. Please read if you are planning on incorporating such material into your theses or dissertation.

Use of Previously Published Material

5. Organization of the Thesis and Dissertation

This section includes guidelines, tips and examples for each section of the thesis or dissertation. Simply click on the hyperlink and it will lead to a pdf. The sections are presented in the order of how the material must be presented in your document.

YouTube Instructional Video - Graduate College TD Series: Cover Page.
YouTube Instructional Video - Graduate College TD Series: Copyright Page
YouTube Instructional Video - Graduate College TD Series: Abstract
Acknowledgments
Dedication (optional)
Preface (optional)
Table of Contents
Tables and List of Tables
Figures and List of Figures
Any other lists, including: List of Definitions, List of Algorithms, List of Equations
Headings and Subheadings Manual
Manual for Formatting Requirements for Font Size, Style, and Type and Spacing: Changing the Default Paragraph Styles
Manual for Format Requirements for Margins and Page Numbers
Appendix or appendices
Bibliography/ References
Curriculum Vitae

6. Thesis & Dissertation Checklist

All theses, dissertations, and doctoral projects are checked by reviewers using this checklist. We recommend that students compare their document to this checklist prior to Graduate College format review.

Thesis and Dissertation Format Review Checklist

7. Copyright Information

Thesis or dissertation authors automatically own the copyright to their documents since it represents the author’s original work, fixed in any tangible medium.

Registering a copyright on a thesis or dissertation is optional. Students may consider it because they want the public record to show they own the work’s copyright; they want a certificate of registration; or because in successful litigation, works that are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office may be eligible for attorney’s fees and statutory damage.

Students can register a copyright on their thesis or dissertation with the U.S. Copyright Office by:

Working through ProQuest, which collects a fee for its service
Filing a registration of copyright themselves by sending an application form, a nonrefundable filing fee, and a non-returnable copy of their thesis or dissertation to the U.S. Copyright Office

More information on copyright is available on the U.S. Copyright Office’s website . Answers to frequently asked copyright questions on the FAQs page .

If students choose to register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, they must indicate it with a copyright page in their thesis or dissertation. This page is optional, but encouraged, for students who do not register a copyright.

Please follow the guidelines below if including a copyright page:

The copyright page is inserted after the title page
This page is not numbered
This page does not have headers or footers in the margins
First line: Copyright by Name (First then Last), YEAR
Second line: All Rights Reserved
If submitting in December, date for January of the following year.

8. Creating a PDF

This document discusses how to create a pdf. This is the format required for when you submit your document (thesis or dissertation) to the Graduate College for review.

Creating a PDF

9. iThenticate

All theses and dissertations must be submitted to iThenticate for a similarity check prior to submission of the final document to the Graduate College. A copy of the similarity report must be submitted to the student’s advisory committee at the time of the final defense, and it will be taken into account when determining the outcome of the defense. If the student passes their defense, the report shall be attached to the Culminating Experience Results form before submission to the Graduate College.

More information on iThenticate
Generating a Similarity Report

10. Format Review

Please submit your committee-approved thesis, dissertation or doctoral project through our submission website . Note : You can only submit your document using your Rebelmail account. If you are simultaneously logged into other Gmail accounts, you will need to sign out of them and log in to your Rebelmail account only.

Please note that Professional Papers should not be submitted for Graduate College format review. Please work with your respective department if you have any format-related questions.

Theses, dissertations, and doctoral projects must be submitted to the Graduate College for format check through the online submission form. If you have any difficulty with your online submission process please email [email protected] so we can assist you as soon as possible.

11. Thesis and Dissertation Submission Process

Once the formatting of your thesis, dissertation, or doctoral project is approved by the Graduate College, you will receive your final document and instructions on how to submit it to ProQuest and Digital Scholarship@UNLV . Students must submit their final document electronically to ProQuest and Digital Scholarship@UNLV by the appropriate deadline each semester as part of their graduation requirements.

Thesis & Dissertation Assistance

Students with questions about their thesis or dissertation can take advantage of the Graduate College's thesis and dissertation office hours every Tuesday and Thursday from 12-2 p.m. Email [email protected] at least 48 hours in advance to schedule a virtual appointment (via Google Meets or WebEx).

Option to Embargo

Some students may have a compelling reason to embargo their thesis or dissertation for a period of time to protect intellectual property rights or due to other publication restrictions.

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Student Handbook
Master’s Thesis

Master's Thesis

Writing a thesis is optional for some master’s programs and not required. There are abundant opportunities for personalized interaction with faculty through research courses, independent studies, and seminars. If a student chooses to write a thesis, it requires eight courses and either two research credits (5970), or in some cases with program specific approval, one research credit (5970) and one independent study (5990). Two credits must be completed for a letter grade for successful completion of the master’s thesis.

A thesis or research paper based on joint work with other researchers is allowed, provided that a unique and separate document is presented by each degree candidate. The candidate must include a concise account of his or her contribution to the whole work. Authorship of a master’s thesis or research paper by more than one degree candidate is not allowed.

University Style Guide for Master’s Thesis

Please submit your thesis electronically at this time to Graduate Engineering. Directions will be sent via email after the graduation application closes for that period.

Font, Spacing, and Margin Requirements Any non-italic font 10-12 points in size should be used. Headings may be larger. For enhanced screen readability, use Arial (10pt), Courier New (10pt), Georgia (11pt), Times New Roman (12 pt), or Verdana (10pt) font. For footnotes, figures, citations, charts and graphs, a font of 8 point or larger should be used. Italic type may be used for quotations, words in a foreign language, occasional emphasis, or book titles. For the sake of readability, it is recommended that the text of the dissertation be double-spaced (except for footnotes, long quoted passages, and lists of tables and figures, which are single-spaced). If desired, authors may chose to single-space the abstract and/or thesis manuscript.

Allow one and one-half inches for the left margin and one inch for all other margins. All text, including page numbers, must fit within these margins. Please remember to include the title page in the margin allowance. Organization of the Manuscript Pages must appear in the following order:

Title Page Dedication (optional) Acknowledgment (optional) Abstract (optional) Table of Contents (mandatory for theses 50 pages or longer) List of Tables (optional) List of Figures/Illustrations (optional) Main Text Appendices (optional) Bibliography/Works Cited

Title Page The Title Page must follow the sample format . The author’s full legal name must appear on the Title Page and the completed thesis must have electronic signatures when deposited electronically to Graduate Engineering. The sample shows how to list a co-supervisor if you have one. If not, please omit from your Title Page and list only the supervisor and director/chair’s names and signatures. Some Master’s Program’s have a Program Director, while others only have their Graduate Group Chair. If you are unsure if you have a director or chair, please talk with your program coordinator/administrator so you have that person’s title listed properly on the Title Page. Although the Title Page counts as page “i” of the preliminary pages, no page number appears on the Title Page. A Table of Contents m ust be included if the thesis is 50 pages or longer.

Pagination All pages (except the Title Page: page i) must have a page number. For the preliminary pages (dedication, acknowledgements, table of contents, lists of graphs, tables, and illustrations), use small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, …). For the text and appendices (if any), use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, …). Remember that page numbers must also appear within the margins specified above.

Other Requirements For citations, footnotes, references, and grammar, you may follow the guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style, the MLA Handbook, or the appropriate manual in your field of study.