FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH

A GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF GRADUATE THESES

Revised March 2007
Students are to consult with their supervisors concerning the general organization of the thesis, and also about special practices or rules that may apply to scholarly writing within the specific discipline. The latter comment relates particularly to the use of footnotes, the method of indicating references, and the tabulation of bibliographic and reference materials. Style manuals are available in the University Library. Regulations concerning paper, print, duplication and binding, etc., are given in Appendix A, page 6. The final copy of the thesis must adhere to these regulations. Failure to comply will result in delays in processing, and the student may incur additional expenses in producing a document acceptable to the corresponding Academic Unit and to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Careful proofreading of the thesis for spelling and grammatical errors as well as for adherence to all other standards is the responsibility of the student and supervisor. Please note important dates Appendix C, page 12. Format The general arrangement of the thesis is: 1. Title Page 2. Abstract (Maximum of two pages, double spaced, and preferably 350 words or less) 3. Acknowledgement (Maximum of one page, double spaced in formal style, and may not include the name of the External Examiner) 3.1 Post Defense Acknowledgement Students who wish to acknowledge the External Examiner may do so as a Post Defense acknowledgement on a separate page. 4. Dedication (Maximum of one page, double spaced) Students who wish to acknowledge family members etc. may do so on a separate Dedication page. 5. Table of Contents 6. List of Tables (where applicable) 7. List of Figures (where applicable) 8. List of Plates (where applicable) 9. List of Appendices (where applicable) 10. List of Abbreviations, Symbols, Nomenclature (where applicable) 11. Body of the Thesis 12. List of References, Literature Cited or Bibliography 13. Appendices

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

Title Page The Title Page must be structured as presented in Appendix B, page 9. It contains the following information: the title of the thesis, the name of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, the degree and major for which the thesis is submitted, the full legal name of the author, the name of the institution and the date. In addition, a copyright claim is placed at the bottom of the page. Please note the copyright year should be the year that the final corrected copies are submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research Office. Abstract The Abstract length may not exceed two double spaced pages, and preferably should be no more than 350 words . It should include a statement or brief description of the problem, the method or procedures followed in its solution, and important conclusions or results. It is a summary of the thesis, emphasizing what has been accomplished through the students research efforts. Students should be sure to point out the primary elements that make the thesis worth consulting. Acknowledgement The Acknowledgement is to be in a formal style, must not exceed a single double spaced page and must be included with the initial copy of the thesis submitted for defense. Reference to scholarships, teaching assistantship or research awards, and other sources of financial aid contributing to the study must be stated. Please note that all funding from the FGSR office must be acknowledged as funding through The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Students may include a Dedication page after the Acknowledgement page. Dedication The Acknowledgement page is to be in a formal style, and the dedication page may be used to recognize the support of others who have aided indirectly in the completion of the work. Post Defense Acknowledgements A separate Post Defense Acknowledgements page may be included with the final corrected copy of the thesis. Students may wish to acknowledge the External Examiner or the Chair of the defense, but since these persons were not known when the draft of the thesis (defense ready) was submitted to FGSR, it is not appropriate to identify such contributors in the formal acknowledgement page. Table of Contents The Table of Contents lists all sections of the thesis, except for the Title Page. The text portion of the Table of Contents lists the chapters or sections of the text, and the beginning page number of each section is indicated. If frequent reference is to be made to particular portions of the thesis, it may be convenient to subdivide the sections and indicate these subdivisions in the Table of Contents. If the chapters are subdivided, a decimal system using Arabic numerals to indicate these subdivisions is to be used. For example, 2.6 would indicate the sixth subdivision of the second chapter. If further subdivision is desirable, the same type of symbolization should be used. This system of subdivision may not be appropriate for all theses, and extensive subdivision is appropriate only for lengthy theses.

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

The title of each chapter or section is written in full capitals with no terminal punctuation. The title of a subdivision of a chapter or section is indented sufficiently to distinguish it from the chapter or section heading, and is to be in lowercase letters with the exception of the first letter of the first word. The same method of lettering should be continued in the body of the thesis. List of Tables and Figures Lists of all Tables, and of all Figures, follow the Table of Contents. Each list must include the number of the Table or Figure, the title, and the page or pages on which each appears. Only the first letter of the first word in each title is to be a capital. Each list should be numbered consecutively. If frequent reference is made to the Figures, etc., in the text, then a decimal classification, using Arabic notation, should be used. For example, Figure 5.3 would refer to the third figure in the fifth chapter. The pages containing the Abstract through the Lists of Tables and/or Figures are numbered consecutively, using Roman numerals placed at the bottom center of the page. The titles of Tables, Figures and Illustrations must be the same in the lists as given in the text. The Title Page is not numbered. Text The organization of the body of the thesis should be discussed with the supervisor. The number and title of each chapter or section are presented in the same form as given in the Table of Contents, and are to be centered on the page. Similarly, the number and title of each subdivision are presented as given in the Table of Contents. The number and title of subdivisions are aligned with the main body of the text along the left-hand side of the page. As an example: 1. 1.1 Nature and scope of the work INTRODUCTION

The first page of the chapter or section is numbered "1", and the following pages are numbered consecutively. The number for each of these pages should be placed in the bottom centre or top right hand corner of the page. Pagination should be within the specified margins. The Table number and title, as given in the List of Tables, are placed above each Table. The Figure's number and title, as given in the List of Figures, are placed below each Figure. The legend to a given Figure should be on the same page ; the inclusion of additional descriptive material on separate pages from the corresponding Tables and Figures is to be avoided. A Table or Figure is to appear on a separate page (or pages) immediately before or after the page of text in which it is first mentioned. Figures may not be grouped at the end of the thesis. A page with a Table or Figure is numbered consecutively with those of the text of the thesis. If it is necessary to refer again to a Table or Figure in a subsequent part of the thesis, reference is made to the page on which it appears: for example, Figure 3 (page 54). If mathematical equations are numerous, and are referred to frequently in the text, a decimal classification should be adopted for their numbering. Y = ax2 + b The above indicates that this is the fourth equation in Chapter 5. (5.4)

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

Reference to the work of others within the text may be indicated in various ways. A system acceptable to the academic unit must be adopted and be consistently applied throughout the thesis. It should be a system used by a mainstream journal in the particular discipline. If footnotes or chapter notes are desirable, the supervisor should be consulted regarding their use. Such notes should be placed at the bottom of pages; inclusion at the end of chapters, or at the end of the main body of the text immediately preceding the List of References, though not preferred, is also acceptable. The text may end with a summary of the principal results or conclusions, or projections for future work. The student should consult the supervisor about this aspect. Inclusion of a summary does not eliminate the requirement of an abstract. List of References This section must list all the references cited in the text. These are to be arranged in a definite order in accordance with an existing convention. Differences exist between different fields of specialization regarding information required in a reference, the order in which this information is incorporated into the entry, and to the use of punctuation and underlining. The thesis must adhere to a style acceptable to the academic unit. If the information referred to in the text of the thesis was obtained from an abstract, a translation, or a textbook rather than an original publication, this must be indicated in the List of References. The reference should include sufficient detail about the original source from which the information was taken to be accessed by a reader of the thesis. Wherever possible, the original source should be consulted. Subdivision of the Reference List is to be avoided. The term "Bibliography" is to be used when there are works listed that have not been referred to in the text. Appendices Appendices may include a wide range of material pertaining to the thesis, but which is not essential to reaching an understanding of the arguments presented and the conclusions reached. The design of various pieces of equipment, the proof of equations, the preparation of chemicals, and lengthy tabulations of observational data are examples. The student should consult with the supervisor concerning material of this type to decide if it should be housed in an appendix rather than the text, or alternatively, eliminated from the thesis entirely. Appendices are placed after the List of References. In the List of Appendices, separate identification is made as Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. The titles are included, as is the corresponding page number. The pages where the appendices appear are numbered consecutively with those for the main portion of the thesis. Tables or Figures that appear in appendices are listed in the Lists of Tables and Figures. Ethical Clearance All research involving human subjects must have ethical clearance from the University of Regina Research Ethics Board. The approval form from the Ethics Board must be appended and this ethical clearance document is to be placed in the appendices. Additionally, it must be stated in the body of the text that ethical approval was received. A review by the Ethics Board may take from three to six weeks, and research may not commence until approval is received. The name of the Chair of the Research Ethics Board is available from the Office of Research Services.

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

Animal Research Clearance Research involving live organisms, including all vertebrates and certain invertebrates, requires clearance from the Animal Care Committee. Queries related to the conditions of this type of research and the species to which it applies should be directed to the Chair of this committee. Contact the Office of Research Services for the name of the Committee Chair. The Animal Care Committee provides a clearance certificate and it must be referred to and included in the thesis. Length of Thesis The length of the text portion of the thesis varies between and within disciplines. A thesis is to be succinct and articulate, and 50-110 pages of text for a Master thesis and 150-300 pages for a Doctoral thesis, should suffice in most cases. It is recognized that certain research topics may result in shorter or longer theses, but Masters theses are not to exceed 150 pages. Theses exceeding these limits will be returned for editing unless special permission has been sought and received from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Other Aspects: 1 Certification of Thesis Work This form (one copy) will be signed at the time of defense by the examining committee, and returned to FGSR by the Chair immediately following the defense. This form will become a permanent record in the students file but will not be inserted into the thesis. Permission to use Post Graduate Thesis This form (two copies) will be signed at the time of defense by the student and returned to FGSR by the Chair immediately following the defense. One will be placed in the students file and the other will be sent to the University library, but will not be inserted into the thesis.

Please note that legal counsel for the National Library and Archives Canada have determined that original signatures, which are considered personal information, cannot be submitted with the thesis for publication, and therefore under the terms of the Canadian Privacy Act, the Permission to Use Postgraduate Thesis and the Certification of Thesis forms may no longer be included in the thesis. These forms will be included in the defense documents, one original Permission to Use Postgraduate Thesis form will remain with the students file in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research Office and the other will be submitted to the University Library for their records. Students may request a copy of the Permission to Use Postgraduate Thesis form for their own records. The Certification of Thesis form will be signed by the examining committee at the time of defense and returned to FGSR immediately following the defense by the Chair of the examining committee. This form will become a permanent record in the students file. From the signed Certification of Thesis form the FGSR office will prepare a post defense Certification of Thesis that will have the names of the examining committee. This form will be available to the student upon receipt of final corrected copies of the thesis and is be included in the thesis for binding.

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

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APPENDIX A GENERAL REGULATIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A THESIS Paper High quality white bond paper must be used throughout the thesis. The copy for the University Library is to be on 20-24 lb. weight bond, 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Typescript, Point Size, and Print Quality The print in the body of the thesis must be double-spaced with the exception of footnotes and long quotations, which may be single-spaced. Single-spaced quotations are to be indented. The List of References and the appendices may be single spaced depending on conventional practice. The entire thesis must use the same font and font size throughout, possibly excluding Figures, Tables, graphs, and chapter headings. Times, Times New Roman, Arial or Courier fonts are recommended. Print should not be smaller than 12 pt. (points) or 10 cpi (characters per inch). Smaller print may be used for footnotes, graphs, formulas, and other additions to the text. The footnote/reference method, pagination, and margins are to be consistent throughout the thesis. The thesis must be printed on one side of the paper only in order to conform to a requirement of the National Library. The original copy of the thesis must be of laser-print or letter quality. Margins The margins are required to be 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) on the left to allow for binding, and one inch on all other margins (including page numbers). These margin requirements apply to text, tables, figures, pagination, etc. Photo-reduction is suggested for over-margin pages of Tables or Figures. Tables, graphs, maps, etc. Graphs and other illustrations are to be placed on a separate sheet of paper situated immediately before or immediately after the page containing the text where it is discussed. Illustrations that do not fit on the standard page size are to be avoided. Maps, suitably folded, may be placed in an envelope attached to the inner side of the back cover. A large graph or map will be reproduced on microfilm as a single frame, and as a result, much of the fine detail may be difficult to discern in the microfilm version. Thus, the original copies (black ink) are to be included with the first copy of the thesis. A high quality photocopy is also acceptable. If Figures in the body of the thesis are in color, a bracketed insertion below the Figure, or in its title, should specify "(original in color)". The B/W representation produced for microfilming may be difficult to interpret and the reader is thereby alerted to the problem and can take steps to get the color version from the University holding the original copy. Color should only be used where it is absolutely necessary. Computer printouts included in a thesis are to be on unlined paper and the program should be written in a manner to ensure that the printout will fit on a thesis page without reduction. Oversize pages Oversize pages are not amenable to microfilming and photo-reduced, legible reproductions are required. It is recommended that these oversize pages be avoided. In instances that an oversize

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

graph or other illustration must be used, it is to be folded to the size of the standard sheet. The fold must not extend to the full width of the page in order to leave room for binding. Reproduction of Copies Copies other than the original are to be high-quality photocopies on high-quality paper. Procedures Prior to Defense Once the student and supervisor are satisfied that the thesis is acceptable in form and content, the work is presented to the supervisory committee. If the committee is satisfied that the work meets the standards of the academic unit the members sign the Committee Thesis Release form. At this point, one copy of the thesis is required for Master candidates and two copies are required for doctoral candidates. Once these are received in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research office, along with the Committee Thesis Release form, the Nomination Form for External Examiner and Chair and the Submission of Thesis Checklist form, procedures to schedule the oral defense begin. (A c.v. or resume is to be included for all suggested externals that are not from the University of Regina). External examiners have a minimum of fourteen days to review Masters theses and four weeks for review of doctoral theses before oral examination. Students should be aware that determining a mutually agreeable date for the examination might require additional time and should take this into consideration when planning for completion and graduation. Please allow up to four weeks for Master and six weeks for Doctoral students from the time of submission of the draft of the thesis to FGSR to the date of defense. All students must register in the semester of defense. Binding, number of copies, etc. The thesis must not be bound prior to the oral examination, since the Examining Committee may require corrections or revisions. All corrections and revisions are to be done using the same kind of type and ink as used previously in the thesis. If the corrections and revisions require additional pages, the numbering of the pages is to be adjusted so that all pages are numbered consecutively. As soon as possible after the thesis examination, and not later than 4 months, a candidate for a Master or a Ph.D. degree must, after making any required corrections or revisions, submit two unbound copies (original and one photocopy) to the Department Head, Dean or designate for approval. The unbound copies, accompanied by a memo from the Supervisor, or External Examiner (as determined by the committee at the defense), are then submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research office. If approved by FGSR, these copies are forwarded by FGSR to the University Librarian for approval. Students are not required to submit copies to the library. Students will be notified by email once Library approval has been granted and will then be able to have the thesis bound. The University Librarian is responsible for sending one copy of the thesis to the National Library of Canada for microfilming. The other copy of the thesis will be bound by the University Library and will remain in the library. The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research requires the student to have two copies of the thesis bound (one for the supervisor and one for the Department). Some academic units require additional copies for members of the supervisory committee, funding agencies, or the external examiner. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of the respective policies in the academic unit, and to make arrangements for binding. Currently, Perkins Bookbinders, located at 1214 Argyle St. (tel: 306.757.2216), is the only bookbinder in the city of Regina.

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

The title of the thesis, the name of the author, and the year must appear on the outside of the front cover. The title (or an abbreviated version of it), the surname of the author, and the year, also appear on the back edge of the cover. All recently submitted theses have had a red binding with gold lettering, and it is recommended that this practice be continued to maintain uniformity. (examples are available in the Main Library.) Copyright and permission to copy Only the author of the thesis can claim copyright. This is done on the title page as indicated in Appendix B, page 9. As a condition for the award of the degree, the student is required to sign a form giving permission to the University Library to make the thesis available for inspection. Permission is also given to the supervisor of the research and to the Academic Unit in which the research was done, to copy and circulate the thesis for scholarly purposes only, and to make use of material and ideas included in the thesis in the preparation of papers for publication. The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research supplies copies of the required forms at the time of the defense and places the documents on the students file. Master and Ph.D. degree candidates are also required to sign a form giving the National Library of Canada permission for microfilming and to lend or sell copies of the film. The author reserves other publication rights and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research supplies copies of the required forms at the time of the defense and places the documents on the students file. Signatures The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research provides the following documents at the time of the thesis defense: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Certification of Thesis Work (one copy) for external examiner and members of the examining committee who attend the defense. Permission to use Postgraduate Thesis contents for scholarly purposes (two copies). Report of the Examining Committee National Library Form UMI Form (for microfilming)

All of the original forms with actual signatures in black ink, the Report of the Examining Committee, and the two library forms are to be returned to the office of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research immediately following the defense.

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APPENDIX B Sample of a thesis title page

A STUDY OF SEMICONDUCTOR MODULATORS FOR USE IN SENSITIVE D.C. AMPLIFIERS

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Physics University of Regina

by Larry Michael Doe Regina, Saskatchewan September, 1983 Copyright 1983: L.M. Doe (As an alternative to the copyright symbol, a statement such as the following may be used - "The author claims copyright. Use shall not be made of the material contained herein without proper acknowledgement, as indicated on the following page.")

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

THESIS PREPARATION Summary of Requirements 1. Correct paper The first copy is to be on 20-24 lb. bond. All other copies of the original document must be high quality photocopies. 2. Table of Contents The Table of Contents is to include the Abstract, Acknowledgements and all sections of the thesis, Appendices, Ethics Approval etc. See page 2 of the thesis directions. 3. Acknowledgement Acknowledgment of all sources of funding must be made. As may apply, the full name of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research is to be used when indicating such. 4. Margins Proper margins of 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) on the left side of the page and 1 inch on all other margins must be observed. This applies to text, pagination, tables, figures and appendices. This is most easily accomplished with a framing page. 5. Literature Cited or References Care must be taken to ensure that any reference material cited in the body of the thesis, tables, figures, and appendices is correctly cited in the reference section. Be consistent in the form of citation used. 6. Copyright or patented material or equipment Any material (literature, tests, surveys, questionnaires, figures, etc.) covered by copyright that was used in the thesis must have the proper reference or permission for its use. Patented equipment must be referred to by name. Where copyrighted material has been used in the thesis, letters of permission from the person/s or publishing company holding the copyright must be included.

Thesis Guidelines revised March 2007

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Thesis Defense Checklist The thesis is written and has been approved by the supervisor and the supervisory committee. What else? Have the required copies of the draft (one for Masters and two for Doctoral) been submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research along with the relevant documents as outlined in Procedures Prior to Defense on page 7? Have you registered in the semester in which you are going to defend? You must be a registered student in order to defend. The thesis has been defended. Now what? Make any corrections/revisions requested by the Examining Committee. Ensure that the Supervisor and or External Examiner have approved the revisions. A memo from the Supervisor and or External Examiner must be submitted with the final copies indicating approval of corrections. Is the thesis title the same as the title on the documents that were signed at the time of defense? Bind any copies needed to fulfill departmental requirements once library approval is received. Dont forget about convocation! The deadlines to apply for convocation are attached as Appendix C, page 12. These dates are general and as such are subject to weekends, holidays, and other changes in scheduling. Dont wait until the last minute to complete an application since it is not possible to be added to the list of graduates after the deadlines have passed, even if all requirements for the degree have been completed. If the deadline date is missed, waiting until the next ceremony is the only option. Even if one does not plan to attend the ceremony, an application for graduation must be submitted in order to have the degree conferred.

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IMPORTANT DEADLINES
I. FOR SUBMISSION OF THESES for processing to go to defense: Semester Winter: Spring/Summer: Fall: Doctoral Theses March 15th July 15th November 15th Masters Theses March 31st July 31st November 25th

These deadlines are established for the purpose of ensuring a regularized, fair and efficient means for processing theses. Submission Requirements: The thesis must be accompanied by the following documents: 1. Committee Thesis Release Form - signed by all committee members agreeing to the acceptability of the thesis to go to defense. 2. Nomination Form: External Examiner (a current CV is required for nominees who are not accredited members of the Faculty) 3. Checklist for Submission of a Thesis Form. ****The completed thesis (including the abstract, formal acknowledgements page, and dedication page if applicable) must be submitted to the FGSR office by these dates in order to ensure that there is adequate time available for processing the thesis in the given semester. Normally, from the date of submission of the thesis and the required documentation, to the date of a defense, a minimum of 4 weeks is required for a masters thesis, and 6 weeks for a doctoral thesis.**** If any of the above documents are missing, or if the writing in the thesis is of substandard quality (i.e., major editing for grammar or spelling is required), the entire submission will be returned to the academic unit through interoffice mail. The deadline dates and registration requirements as stated above also apply for resubmission. Important Notes: a) Processing is available to registered students and where the thesis has been submitted by the deadline. Theses received after the deadline will be processed in the semester immediately following, and students will need to register for that semester. Students must be registered in the semester in which the defense is to occur. When exceptional circumstances preclude a defense from taking place in the prescribed semester, and if all of the following three conditions are met, a subsequent registration will not be required in order to defend in the next semester: a) the thesis must have been submitted by the corresponding deadline stated above; b) the External Examiner must have judged the work acceptable for defense by the end of the initial semester; c), the defense must take place within three weeks of the start of the next semester (i.e. st st st up to January 21 , May 21 , and September 21 ). Please note that when selecting a Chair for the defense, the person is to be an accredited member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.

II. CONVOCATION/GRADUATION
**All students must apply for graduation whether they plan to attend the Convocation ceremony or not.** A. Deadlines for Graduation and Attendance at Convocation: January 31 Students who apply by January 31, and who successfully complete ALL of their program requirements **by April 30 will be eligible to attend Spring Convocation. Students who apply by July 31 and who successfully complete ALL their program requirements **by August 31 are eligible to attend Fall Convocation.

July 31

**Please note that completion of requirements includes: all outstanding grades, receipt of official transcripts for those students seeking transfer credit for courses taken elsewhere, receipt of library approval of the final corrected copies of the thesis and the signed Project/Practicum/Report Completion Form and title page. B. Thesis: final corrected copies The final corrected copies of the thesis must be in the FGSR office no later than 4:30 pm on March 31 for Spring convocation, and no later than 4:30 pm on July 31 for Fall convocation. C. Project/Practicum Report The signed Project/Practicum completion form must be submitted to the FGSR office by no later than 4:30 pm on April 30 for Spring convocation and by no later than 4:30 pm August 31 for Fall convocation. A copy of the title page must accompany the form.