Formatting requirements

The Library's Theses Office assists with formatting theses, projects and extended
essays for submission to the Library. You are encouraged to use the Library's
thesis template to help format your thesis. The requirements stated on this page
are default settings for the thesis template

Parts of a thesis
Section Page Required/Optional; notes

1: Title Title page - no page

Required
page number

Approval page always

Required
page ii

Ethics Statement Required if the research was subject to ethics approval

Abstract Required

Dedication Optional

Acknowledgements Optional
2:
Preliminary Table of Contents Required
pages

(Roman page List of Tables Required if the document contains tables

numbers)
List of Figures Required if the document contains figures

Other lists Optional

List of Acronyms Optional

Glossary Optional

Preface/Executive
Optional
Summary/Image

3: Main Chaptersalways Chapters and subsections may be numbered or

 beginning with page 1 unnumbered

body
You may use a single reference section at the end of
References the document or include references at the end of each
(Arabic page
chapter
numbers)

Appendix(es) Optional

Optional pages in the thesis template may be removed if not used.

File format and page size

The final copy of the thesis must be converted to .pdf for submission to the
Library.
Theses must be formatted for US Letter (8.5X11) pages. Landscape 8.5X11 and
11X17 pages are permitted. Legal, A4, or other paper sizes are not permitted.

Font
Arial 11 point Word template default

Recommended serif font for

Times New Roman 12 point
Word

Computer Modern LaTeX template default

Arial is the preferred font for SFU thesis submissions. You may use other fonts with
the approval of your committee. See the Thesis Template Instructions for
directions to change the default template font.

Line spacing
The default template line spacing is 1.5 for text, with single-spaced block
quotations.

Margins
Margins should be set to:
1.25" left/right
1" top/bottom
Pagination
All pages must be numbered, with the exception of the title page. Page numbers
should appear at the bottom centre of each page, at a minimum of 0.5 from the
edge of the page.
Preliminary pages of the thesis must be numbered with Roman numerals. On the
first page of the main body, page numbers must restart with 1. The thesis
template is preset with this numbering style.

Citation style
SFU Library does not require a specific citation style. Consult your supervisor, your
departments graduate handbook, or a liaison librarian for help determining which
style is appropriate for your research.
The default formatting in the librarys thesis template may differ from some
requirements of your citation style, but it is acceptable for SFU library submission.

Cumulative theses
Cumulative, or paper-based, theses must use the same general format as other
submissions. Consult your supervisor or your department's graduate handbook for
more information. If including published papers in a thesis, please consult
the Copyright and your thesis FAQ.

Language
For theses written in a language other than English, the Library requires a second
complete English title page. Supporting documentation must be in English.

Personal information
Individual personal information must be removed from the thesis before
publication, including signatures, email addresses, and phone numbers. For
example, if you are including a survey instrument or consent form, your own
contact information must be removed.

Blank pages
Blank pages in the thesis must be removed before publication.