University of Michigan - Flint

A. Paper and Quality of Draft

1. Use white, good quality 8 ½ by 11” paper.
2. The text must be laser printed, black print, with non-ornamental type.
3. Do not use colored inks except for special diagrams etc.
4. All errors must be corrected for the final draft.
5. Graphs and pictures should be printed out, or photocopied so there are no taped pictures that would interfere with copying for binding.

B. Text Formatting

1. Times New Roman is the preferred type face with twelve point font.
2. All text and quotations are double spaced throughout unless required otherwise by your discipline.
3. Footnotes and labeling for graphs and figures are single spaced and may be reduced to 10 point. 
4. Use one inch margins for all margins except for the left-hand margin. 
5. For the left-hand margin, leave 1.5 inches to inches to allow for binding.
6. All footnotes, endnotes, graphs and illustrations must follow margin requirements as well.
7. All graphs, pictures etc. should be carefully checked for quality. Do not use poor quality photocopies for any of your illustrations, since they mar the appearance.
8. Page numbers appear preferably on the top, right hand corner or on the bottom, middle to allow for binding. They should be arabic numerals throughout except for the preliminary pages, which are numbered with small roman numerals.

C. Format for Chapters, Heading and Subheadings

1. The thesis is divided into individual chapters, and chapters are divided into specific, clearly labeled sections which are numbered consistently.
2. Headings for chapters should be bold faced and may be slightly larger type (14 point).
3. Subheadings should follow a consistent format and numbered for clarity. 
4. Use of bold face and italics will help to vary the headings and make the level of the subheading clear to the reader.
5. Use a detailed outline of the thesis as the basis for the headings.
6. A subheading at the bottom of a page must have at least two full lines of type below it. Otherwise, the heading should start on the next page.

Preliminary Pages of the Thesis

Preliminary pages should be numbered with small Roman numerals. Format headings should appear centered in bold-faced capital letters approximately 2 inches from the top of the page. View sample preliminary pages (Word document)

Pages should be included in the following order:

1. Title Page

• Choose a clear title which indicates the subject to be discussed and contains key words that tell the reader what to expect in the paper
• Sciences: Use a more technical title
• Humanities: Literature generally uses a two-part title divided by a colon. The first part may be more imaginative, the second part should be factual and should include the name of the writer or writer’s, the work(s) discussed

2. Signature Page

• includes the signatures of the advisor, the honors director, and the readers
• must follow required format

3. Preface (Narrative)

• This part of the thesis is the narrative of your experience, which was completed as part of your off-campus report
• The narrative may include some of the following: how you decided on the project, where you went, under whose guidance you worked, what you did and saw there, and what you learned from the experience

4. Abstract (In the School of Management, the abstract is called an Executive Summary)

• Should be a brief outline (350 to 300 words or fewer) of the entire thesis, indicating previous research, purpose of your project, findings and their implications
• If your abstract is highly technical, include in your thesis a more general abstract, designed for an intelligent layperson
• The abstract should also be included as the outline of your paper at the beginning of your introduction

5. Acknowledgments
Thank various people who have helped you during the research, or in any aspect of the project from start to finish

6. Table of Contents/Outline

• The table of contents should include detailed headings that provide an overview of the work
• It should be an outline, which includes not only the major headings but also the subheadings, so that the reader can get an overview of the research by reading the table of contents
• A thesis with no or very few subheadings is not acceptable
  

7. List of Tables
Include the number of the table and its caption

8. List of Figures
Include the number of the figure and its caption

9. Key to symbols, abbreviations, or special terms

Thesis Body (Number using Arabic numerals)

1. First page of thesis

• Repeat the title, several lines down from the top of the page, as in the chapter beginning of a book to signal the beginning of the actual text
• Pages are numbered, starting with page one on first page
• Place numbers in the middle bottom, or on the upper right so that they will not disappear when the material is bound

2. New chapters

• Should start on a new page after the conclusion of the previous chapter
• Chapter heading should be clearly indicated by bold faced caps
• Place heading one or two lines from top of page to signal new beginning

3. Individual Headings

• Individual headings should be consistently numbered throughout and should correspond to the outline presented in the table of contents
• All subheadings should be in the table of contents with a page reference given

Appendix

The Appendix contains supplementary illustrative materials, original data, quotations too long for inclusion in the text. It is separated from previous material by a cover sheet with the heading APPENDIX OR APPENDICES (Plural form), centered. Appendices may be divided into APPENDIX A, APPENDIX B, etc., depending on the type and amounts of material used. Each appendix with its title should be listed in the table of contents. Tables and figures in the appendices must be numbered, captioned, and listed in the List of Tables and List of Figures in the preliminary pages of the thesis.

Information about tables and figures

Include any additional material such as tables and figures at the end of the paper. You should refer to this additional material by a consistent method. For example, See Figure 1 in the appendix.

What are tables?
The word “Table” designates tabulated numerical data used in the body of the thesis and in the appendices. Tables consist of an arrangement of facts, figures, and values, in an orderly sequence, usually in rows or columns.

What are figures?
The word “Figure” designates all other non-verbal material used in the body of the dissertation and the appendices. It includes charts, graphs, maps, photographs, plates, drawings, recording discs, diagrams etc.

Preparation of tables and figures

• Tables and figures must be of professional quality. Diagrams, drawings, etc. must be sufficiently clear, sharp, and large enough to be easily readable and suitable for copying.
• All tables and figures must be clearly and consistently labeled. For example, Table 1 Chart of Results; Figure 2 Map of Research Site.
• Table and figures of one-half page or less may appear on the same page with the text separated from the text above and below by triple spacing. If larger than half a page, they must be on a separate page.
• Two or more small tables or figures may appear together on a single page.
• Wide tables or figures should be placed landscape view or broadside.
• Photographs should be scanned and printed or color photocopied onto the page where they appear.

Placement of tables and figures

• Tables and figures are inserted as near as possible to the text they illustrate, or they may be placed in the appendices
• The number of the table and its caption are generally placed two spaces above the top line of the table
• The number of the figure and its caption are generally placed two spaces below the last line or bottom edge of the figure

Captions for tables and figures

• Captions are the descriptive titles of tables and figures and should be kept to one line of type, the shorter the better. These same titles are used in the list of tables and figures in the preliminary pages.
• The captions as they appear on the figures and tables must be identical in every way to their listing in the preliminary pages of the thesis.
• Every table and figure must bear a number and caption.
• Placement of the number and caption should be consistent, either centered or beginning at the left margin.