Depending on your discipline, your thesis or dissertation should conform to one of the following style manuals:

  • American Mathematical Society. A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers. Providence, RI: Author.
  • American Political Science Association Committee on Publications. Style Manual for Political Science. Washington, DC: Author.
  • American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (revised). Washington, DC: Author.
  • Campbell, William Giles. Form and Style in Thesis Writing. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company.
  • Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Author.
  • Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Chicago: University Press.

Some guides focus on manuscript preparation rather than thesis or dissertation preparation so some features differ from those required for a thesis or dissertation. If you have questions concerning style, contact the Doctoral Programs Coordinator or Master's Programs Coordinator.

Departmental Style Manuals

Some departments have designated specific style manuals for their theses and dissertations. Always check with your advisor or department chair to determine which style/format is preferred.

  • Actuarial Science: A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers
  • Anthropology: American Anthropologist
  • Business College, Accountancy: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations or Form and Style in Thesis Writing
  • Business College, Marketing: Current style sheet of The Journal of Marketing Research or The Journal of Consumer Research
  • Chemistry: The ACS style guide: effective communication of scientific information
  • Communication Studies: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
  • Community and Regional Planning: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
  • English: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
  • Geosciences: Geowriting or Suggestions to Authors, U.S. Geological Survey or Suggestions to Authors, Canadian Geological Survey, supplemented by A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations; a paper may be prepared in format required by a specific journal if the paper is to be submitted as is for publication.
  • Journalism: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association; MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations; Harvard Law School Blue Book
  • Mathematics and Statistics: How to write mathematics (Steenrod, Halmos, Schiffer and Dieudonne’) for style; AMS Author Handbook for general advice on TeX
  • Physics and Astronomy: American Institute of Physics Style Manual
  • Political Science: Style Manual for Political Science, American Political Science Association Committee on Publications
  • Sociology: Current style sheet of the American Sociological Review or American Journal of Sociology, supplemented by A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
  • Theatre Arts: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations