Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines and Approval

Spring/Summer 2023 Graduates- please check with your individual program and school for instructions if you need to print out your document and have it reviewed by the library. 

Typically librarians are available 9am-4pm M-Th in-person, but we might have meetings, so we recommend appointments or checking that someone will be available. Chat us from this page.

Thesis and Dissertation Approval

Click here for student forms and guidelines, including the thesis and dissertation formatting guidelines. Be sure to use the approved paper and double-check your margins. Note:

  • The formatting instructions apply to theses/dissertations for all programs in the GTU consortium, except degree programs specific to JST-SCU. (JST-SCU students must refer to the graduate thesis policy for Santa Clara University.)
  • The filing instructions are for the GTU Common M.A. and Ph.D. programs only. Once the Reference Librarian approves the formatting and paper of a GTU Common M.A. or Ph.D. student’s work, the student must take the final product and completed Graduation Check Sheet to the Academic Secretary on the third floor of the Le Conte Building to complete the filing process.
  • Students filing their Common M.A. and Ph.D. projects must provide them in two separate envelopes (M.A.) or boxes (Ph.D.) when they turn them into the Academic Secretary (see filing instructions). 
  • Please contact the Academic Secretary's Office with questions about the thesis/dissertation filing process.
Frequently Asked Questions

When you are completely finished, we will check that you are using the correct paper, have 1.5 inch margins on the left, and that your committee has signed and dated all copies of the title pages. 

No, sorry. We only have one printer, so we do not allow students to put in differerent paper, as we wouldn't be able to prevent other print jobs from being sent to the printer. Please visit a local print shop. 

We reject theses or dissertations most often for not having a left margin of 1.5 inches. All other margins should be 1 inch. Because the final document is bound, the extra space is needed so it is still readable without the text running into the gutter. 

If your document has a left margin that is 1 inch only, you will need to reprint it. 

Yes! We are happy to answer specific questions about Turabian, but we don't have enough staff to proofread your document, or look through the footnotes to see if it's cited correctly. 

All content decisions are between you, your advisor, and your committee. 

No, but you can send PDFs for your personal copies to the monks at Trappist Abbey Bookbindery in Oregon. You can select the paper, color of the cover, lettering, and other options for copies starting at $25.50 each and they will mail the finished product to you. General turnaround is a month, but you can rush order, if necessary. This is the same bindery that the library uses for bound copies of theses, dissertations, and periodicals.

(The monks also make Fruitcake)

 

Thesis/Dissertation Binding

The GTU Library contracts with the Trappist Abbey Bookbindery for all its books and periodicals, as well as the theses/dissertations submitted to the library.  The library does not send personal thesis/dissertation copies for binding.  Students wanting personal copies bound can contact the bindery directly for cost and instructions.