Guidelines for Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electronic Theses  |  Electronic Dissertations

Completed Thesis for Print Submission:

• Two copies of the completed thesis are turned in to the F.W. Olin Library by 5pm on the day designated in the Academic Calendar. This is generally about one month prior to graduation.
• Theses should be turned in unbound with the pages in the proper order in a small box. Theses must include all the necessary signatures, with the exception of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty.
• The thesis must be in final form. 
• Accompanying matter: Submit 2 copies of companion CDs/DVDs in separate sleeves or plastic containers. Each disc must be labeled with the following: author's name, thesis title, thesis date, kind of disc (CD, DVD, DVD-R). Contents of the discs and special playing instructions should appear directly on the disc or on an insterted sheet AND as an appendix to the thesis.
• All students submitting a print thesis are required to pay a $45 Thesis Fee. These fees will be charged to students' accounts when they submit a Petition for Candidacy Form.

General Information and Instructions:

The Library serves as a depository for theses and dissertations required for a number of graduate programs at Mills College. The following are formatting guidelines required for Mills theses and dissertations.  

Paper and margins:

• Theses must be printed on white 8.5 x 11” paper.
• Paper must be 20 pound weight.
• Paper must be at least 25% cotton, acid-free paper for preservation purposes. All pages, including the title-signature page, should be on 25% cotton paper.  There must be a title-signature page for each of the two copies of the thesis. 
• Left-hand margin is 1.5 inches to allow for binding
• Top, bottom and right-hand margins should be 1 inch.
• Margin of 2 inches or more at the top of chapters or sections is acceptable.
• Left justify all text.
• Suggestions for paper: Crane’s Thesis Bond, Fox River Bond, Howard Permalife, Perma-Dur, Permalife. Other papers which meet the above standards are acceptable.

Page Set-Up, Type-Face, Printing:

• Generally, use 12-point fonts.
• Times New Roman, Arial and Courier are frequently recommended.
• Use the same type-face and font size throughout the document. For creative theses, some type-face and font variations may be acceptable if approved by thesis advisors.
• Use a laser printer for the final copies.
• Print using a portrait orientation.
• Double space the text. Long quotations, footnotes, endnotes, bibliography may be single-spaced.
• Print on one side of the page only.

Assembly of Thesis:

• A thesis consists of three sections: the preliminary pages, the body of the text, and the reference section. Creative Writing theses generally do not include reference matter. For most Mills departments, with the exception of Education, required signatures are noted on the title page (sample).

Preliminaries

Illustrations

• Remember to observe the same margin requirements as in the written text: 1.5 on left-hand margin, 1 inch elsewhere.
• Paper used for illustrations must be 20 lb weight, at least 25% cotton.

Pagination:

• Page numbers may be centered at the bottom, or located in the upper right-hand corner. Be consistent in whichever style you use and follow any guidelines set by your department.

Support:

• The primary source of guidance in terms of content, organization and documentation are your thesis advisors.
• Michael Beller (430-2051) can advise on questions regarding research strategies and thesis format.

Bibliographic Style:

• Style manuals give practical information and examples on preparing your paper. They vary slightly in the methods used to cite sources. Your department and thesis advisors will determine which style manual is most appropriate for your discipline. Sample citations are available for the following: MLA, APA, World Wide Web.
• Several manuals are available in the library. They include the following:

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington DC: The American Psychological Association, 2010.

Ref 808.06615 P976 2010

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2009.

Ref 808.02 G437 2009

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Ref 808.02 T929m 1996