Wesleyan University

Specifications for Preparation of the

Doctoral Dissertation

Abstract- An Abstract is required.  The body of the abstract may not exceed 350 words in length.

Minimum Margins - The minimum acceptable margins for all pages of the dissertation are 1.5 inch on the left and 1.25 inch on the top, bottom, and right.

Paper Requirement - All paper submitted to the Graduate Office must be printed on 8.5 x 11 inch white (ranging from bright white to cream) that is at least 25% cotton fiber (acid free preferred) and of the 20 lb. weight.  Stores such as Staples or Office Depot carry this type of paper.

Font and Point Size - Recommended font include Arial, New Times Roman, and Helvetica with a point size of either 11 or 12.

Printing - Laser printing is suggested.  Photocopying is unacceptable and Inkjet is not allowed as it is water soluble.  Only one side of the paper is to be used for printing.  Printing should be consistently clear and dark.

Spacing - The text of the dissertation should be double spaced.  Long quotations, footnotes, appendices, and references may be single spaced.

Color - When microfilming, colors reproduce as shades if gray.  It is recommended that you not rely on color to convey information (i.e., use symbols or labels rather than colors to differentiate the line on a graph, or use stripes or cross-hatching instead of color to distinguish areas on a map).

Photographs and Graphics - Photograph and graphics in the dissertation should be printed or photocopied directly on the paper as high quality images.  Scanned images must print clearly.  If color is used, only color laser or color photocopy printing is acceptable.

Use of Material Copyrighted by Others - Any material included that goes beyond "fair use" requires written permission from the copyright owner.  Written permission(s) must accompany the dissertation when it is sent to ProQuest for microfilming.  It may be useful to include the permission(s) in the dissertation as an appendix.

Pagination - Preliminary pages (i.e., acknowledgments, table of contents, abstract, and the like) are to be numbered consecutively using lower case Roman numerals.  All pages of the text, appendices (if any), and references must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals.

Landscape pages - The top of a landscape pages should be at the left margin (1.5), the bottom at the right margin (1.25).  The page number is to be in the same relative position as on the portrait pages.

Sequence of the Main Components of the Dissertation - The appropriate order of the major sections of the dissertation are as follows:  the title page, the abstract, the copyright page (if needed), acknowledgements, table of contents, the text, appendices (if any), and the references.  The order of the appendices and the references may be reversed if the appendices are lengthy.

Footnote, Endnotes, and References - The format that is accepted in your discipline or that which is prescribed by your advisory committee should be followed.

Photocopied Journal Articles in the Dissertation - When appropriate, photocopied articles already published in journals may be included in a dissertation.  Photocopying must conform to the margins noted above.  An original letter from each journal granting permission for the inclusion of the photocopied article in the dissertation must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Student Services.  In requesting a letter of permission, it is important to tell the journal that ProQuest will be selling single copies of the dissertation to interested scholars and researchers and that it will become part of the permanent collection of Wesleyan University Libraries.  The journal usually require that the journal be the first publisher of the article.

The Office of Graduate Student Services requires submission of two final copies of the dissertation with two extra copies of your title page (with your advisor's name on it) plus two copies of your abstract.  It is recommended that you use your full legal name on the abstract, the title page, and the copyright page (if appropriate).  Please make certain that your name appears exactly the same way in all places.  Some graduate programs may have additional requirements regarding the format of the dissertation.  Students should check with their faculty advisor.

Proquest's most commonly-experienced delay in microfilming dissertations is missing pages.  Please take a moment to check that all pages in all copies of your dissertation are accounted for and in the proper order when submitting final copies to the Office of Graduate Student Services.