Washington University in St. Louis

McKelvey School of Engineering

Department of Department Name

Thesis Examination Committee:

Katherine Doe, Chair

Michael Allen

Robert Edward Thomas

A Dissertation and Thesis Template in APA Format: For McKelvey Engineering Grad

Students

By

Your Full Name (as recorded in WebSTAC)

A thesis presented to the McKelvey School of Engineering of Washington University in

St. Louis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Month Year

St. Louis, Missouri

© 2016 Your Name

Dedication

Acknowledgements

iTable of Contents

List of Tables...................................................................................................................................ii

List of Figures.................................................................................................................................iii

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................iv

Epigraph...........................................................................................................................................1

Chapter 1: Parts of the Dissertation.................................................................................................2

Introduction................................................................................................................................2

Parts of the Dissertation.............................................................................................................4

Front Matter.........................................................................................................................4

Body of the Dissertation......................................................................................................6

Back Matter..........................................................................................................................6

Dissertation Format....................................................................................................................7

iiList of Tables

Table 1 Components of the Dissertation.........................................................................................3

iiiList of Figures

Figure 1. Center your figure but left justify the caption..................................................................7

ivAbstract

A Thesis Template in APA Format: For McKelvey Engineering Students

By

Full Name

Master of Science in Area of Study

Washington University in St. Louis, Year

Research Advisor: Professor Katherine Doe

After removing these comments, begin typing the body of your abstract here, double-spaced.

Your font should be 12-point (which is the text of this sample paragraph). No part of the abstract

should be bolded. If this is for your master’s degree, be sure to change all occurrences of the

word “dissertation” to display as “thesis,” and change “Doctor of Philosophy” or “Doctor of

Science” to “Master of Science.” In the abstract heading above, make sure you use the year your

degree is to be officially earned. Be sure to use your full name as it is recorded in WebSTAC,

your dissertation or thesis advisor’s full name(s) wherever appropriate, and the correct title of

your degree whenever referencing it. The title of your degree will not always be the same as the

title of your department or program, so please check with your departmental administrative

assistant and adviser(s) to be sure you are using the correct degree title. Please note that an

abstract is required for all dissertation submissions in ProQuest and master’s submissions in

Open Scholarship. There is no word limit on abstracts.

1Chapter 1: Parts of the Dissertation

This chapter describes the components of a dissertation or thesis. You may not have to

include all components described here, but you must follow the prescribed order for the

components you do include. On Page 2, Table 1 lists the required and optional components in the

order that they should appear. Your manuscript should include three main parts: the front matter,

the body, and the back matter. Each of these parts is described below, but the specifics of the

formatting should be apparent from the formatting of the template itself.

Introduction

“Introduction” is not used as a heading in APA journal articles, but it is used in

dissertations. The APA Publication Manual is a publication manual for APA journal authors and

editors. Its formatting is borrowed by other journals, disciplines, and universities for papers,

theses, and dissertations, but the APA has no authority over any usage other than in its journals.

That said, this template is formatted to make it easy to follow APA formatting within MSWord’s

formatting features. This template is formatted to consistently use the word processing features

of MSWord and avoid hand formatting (formatting that has to be done by typing or changing the

automatic or default formatting). Single space after periods is used to make it easier to format

even though APA formatting calls for two spaces after periods. The template has 1.5” left

margins and 1” right, top, and bottom margins in compliance with UMI requirements.

Comments are added throughout to explain formatting. APA compliant formatting styles

have been created, clearly named, and added to the style gallery. All extraneous styles have been

removed, either through deletion or renaming (e.g. Do Not Use 1). Please delete all comments

before you submit your dissertation.

2Table 1

Components of the Dissertation

Major part Thesis Component Required Optional Page Numbers

Front matter Title page

Copyright page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Table of contents Lowercase Roman (i)

List of Tables Lowercase Roman

List of Figures Lowercase Roman

Abstract Lowercase Roman

Preface Lowercase Roman

Epigraph Arabic (1)

Chapters Arabic

References Arabic

Appendices Arabic

Curriculum vitae Arabic

Note. There are two options for the placement of references; they can be listed at the end of each chapter (article dissertations) or at the end of the document (traditional dissertations).

Parts of the Dissertation

Front Matter

The front matter includes all material that appears before the beginning of the body of the

text: The title page, the copyright page, dedication, acknowledgements, table of contents, list of

3tables, and list of figures. Page numbering starts with the table of contents using lowercase

roman numerals.

Title page. If you are writing a thesis, substitute the word “thesis” wherever the word

“dissertation” appears in this document. Master’s students should not include their thesis

examination committee members on the title page. The date on the title page should reflect the

month and year the degree is to be officially earned and must be December, May, or August. The

second line (or second and third lines) on the page must name your administrative unit.

If your degree is offered by one department of Arts & Sciences on the Danforth

Campus, your unit is that department:

Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures

For a co-sponsored degree such as English & Comparative Literature, credit both:

Department of English

Program in Comparative Literature

For the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences, credit DBBS and your

program:

Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences

Neurosciences

Credit only the program for any of the non-DBBS PhDs on the Medical Campus:

Interdisciplinary Program in Movement Science

or

Program in Speech & Hearing Sciences

If you are in a department in Engineering, credit the School and the department:

McKelvey School of Engineering

4Department of Biomedical Engineering

If you are in Brown School (social work, public health, social policy) or Olin

Business School, your administrative unit is the School:

Brown School

or

Olin Business School

Copyright page. It is always suggested that upon completion of the text, the student add

the copyright symbol © with the year and the student’s name on one line, on a page following

the title page. Format your copyright page exactly as it is shown in this template. Once you

create a work, it is automatically protected by U.S. copyright law with you as the author. You do

not need to register the copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, though doing so provides

certain advantages. More information about copyright registration can be found at

http://libguides.wustl.edu/copyright/registration.

Table of contents. The Table of Contents is formatted using the table of contents feature

(in References tab in Windows and Document Elements in Mac). Update the Table of Contents

on a regular basis using the table of contents feature—do not manually update it. The Table of

Contents is set to pick up three levels of heading: APA Level 0, APA Level 1, and APA Level 2.

To update, click References (in Windows) on the top tab or Document Elements (in

Mac), then click Update Table after which you can choose to “Update page numbers only” or

“Update entire table.” More information on how to create and update a table of contents can be

found by searching the Help link in Microsoft Word.

5Make certain that any long titles align nicely with the body of text. Multilined chapter or

section titles will break logically in the Table of Contents, although it is generally better not to

have multiline chapter or section titles.

List of Tables. The List of Tables is formatted using the table of figures feature in the

References tab (Windows) or Format: Index and Tables (Mac). Like the table of contents feature,

it will update automatically, so don’t try to edit it manually.

List of Figures. All images are figures (charts, graphs, figures, illustrations, photos, etc.).

The List of Figures is formatted using the table of figures feature in the References tab

(Windows) or Format: Index and Tables (Mac). Like the table of contents feature, it will update

automatically, so don’t try to edit it manually.

Dedication. The dedication page is optional.

Acknowledgements. An acknowledgments section must be included. Use it to thank

those who supported your research through contributions of time, money, or other resources.

Some grants require an acknowledgment. If the acknowledgments fill more than one page, put

the heading only on the first page.

Abstract. An abstract is required in the dissertation or thesis when you submit your

manuscript electronically. See Appendix for further details.

Preface. A preface is optional. If you include a preface, use it to explain the motivation

behind your work. Format the preface the same way the acknowledgments section is formatted,

but use the word Preface in the heading.

Body of the Dissertation

Chapters. The body of the dissertation or thesis should be divided into chapters, sections,

and subsections as required by your discipline. Do not number the sections or subsections.

6Back Matter

References. There are two options for the placement of references; they can be placed at

the end of each chapter or at the end of the document. If placed at the end of your document, this

section should follow the conclusion of the text before the appendices.

Appendices. Appendices may be used for including reference material that is too lengthy

or inappropriate for the dissertation or thesis body. If one appendix is included, an appendix title

is optional. If more than one appendix is included, each one should be titled and lettered. In

general, appendices should be formatted like chapters. However, they may be single-spaced

and/or include photocopied or scanned materials. If these are used, you must add page numbers

at the bottom, putting those page numbers in square brackets to indicate that they are not part of

the original document.

Curriculum vitae. Including a curriculum vitae with your dissertation or thesis is

optional. It should be the last page(s) of your document. Include your name, the month and year

you will be earning your degree, and relevant academic and professional achievements, including

publications and professional society memberships. Note that personally identifiable information

such as birth date, place of birth, and social security number should NOT be included.

Dissertation Format

Use the formatting provided in this template.

Page Numbers

The pages in this template are already numbered. Front matter uses lowercase Roman

numerals, and the body and back matter uses Arabic numerals. All page numbers go in the upper

right corner.

7Text

This template uses a 12-point, Times New Roman font throughout and is recommended

for your dissertation or thesis. However, should you choose to use a different font, you should

match the font size as close as possible. Use double-spacing for body text. Use left justification

with a ragged right edge.

Sections

Begin each chapter on a new page on the first line. Never insert extra space around a

heading. Type the chapter number followed by the chapter title, all on the same line. Follow

APA formatting for headings (six levels, 0 to 5).

Table and Figures

APA numbers tables and figures sequentially rather than by chapter. Use Table Title and

Figure Caption style. Table titles go above the table; figure captions go below the figure.

Place figures and tables as close to their reference in the text as possible. Do not let

figures or tables spill out into the margins. Center your figure, but double space and left justify

the caption.

Figure 1. Center your figure but left justify the caption.

Lists

For seriated lists in a sentence, use lowercase letters in parentheses: (a) first item, which

is first; (b) second item, which is second; (c) third item, which goes last. Use numbered list to

connote ordinal position and bulleted lists (round bullet points) to prevent such connotations.

8Generally, capitalize each item and end it with a period, though list can be capitalized and

punctuated like sentences (only first item capitalized, semicolons or commas at the end of each

item). Indent lists half an inch (use List style).

Footnotes and Endnotes

APA discourages the use of footnotes and endnotes. If you need to use notes, use

footnotes.1

Quotations

You must use quotation marks and parenthetical references to indicate words that are not

your own. Put quotation marks around short quotes. Use the Block Quote style for quotations 40

words or longer (indented/nested half an inch and double spaced).

Equations

Equation numbering and formatting should follow the usual convention of your discipline

and be acceptable to your committee. Equations may be set in line with the text or numbered and

placed in separate paragraphs. If placed in a separate paragraph, do not add extra space before or

after, unless necessary for clarity. Here is an example of an equation set in line with a paragraph:

E = mc2. Here is an example equation placed in a separate paragraph:

E = mc2

1 In this dissertation/thesis I use singular they, their, and themself to recognize the concept of the gender spectrum in accordance with the American Psychological Association’s (2015) “Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People.”

9References

American Psychological Association. (2015). Guidelines for psychological practice with

transgender and gender nonconforming people. American Psychologist, 70, 832–864.

doi:10.1037/a0039906

Lastname, I. (2010). Title of article or dependent document. Title of Journal or Periodical: With

All Major Words Capitalized, 11(2), 15–19. doi:alphanumeric.1.1.12.1983.x

Lastname, I. (2010). Title of article or dependent document without doi. Title of Journal or

Periodical: With All Major Words Capitalized, 11(2), 15–19. Retrieved from

www.journalwebsite.org

Lastname, I. (2011). Title of book: With proper capitalization. City, ST: Publisher.

Lastname, I. (2012). Title of article: With proper capitalization. In A. Lastname (Ed.), Title of

collection of essays (pp. 45–57). City, ST: Publisher.

Lastname, I. (2013). Title of webpage. Retrieved from www.something.com

Lastname, I. (2014, May 25). Title of article: Proper Noun. Title of Newspaper, pp. 33–35.

Retrieved from www.newspapersite.com/titleofarticle2014525

Organization Name. (2014). Title of white paper: Or gray literature. Retrieved from

www.something.com/whitepapers.pdf

10Appendix A: Title of Appendix

If you only have one appendix, call it Appendix: Title of Appendix. If you have more

than one, seriate alphabetically (Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.).