Dissertation & Thesis Formatting Frequently Asked Questions

[Updated August 1, 2020]

The following are frequently asked questions regarding dissertation and thesis formatting.   We provide the following information as further support to answering commonly asked questions.  


Question:

Using memos in the body of a thesis. I am not aware of any UBC-specific formatting rules for memos. In other words, the UBC Grad Studies page has rules for block quotes but not for other things like memos. What about consistency? What about “complete memos” at the end of the thesis as appendices, but a shortened memo as a block paragraph in one of her chapters. Is this permissible? 

Answer:

  • APA has its own rules about writing memos, so  this is a grey area where citation style may/may not affect formatting in the thesis
  • Please check with your department supervisor and also with previous dissertations/theses in your area of research for examples and best practices

Question:

Are there any formatting rules for creating captions for images/tables/figures that are in appendices? And is it a requirement to have these captions included in the Table of images/tables/figures of a thesis?

Answer:

  • No, there are no specific rules for captions in the appendices 
  • Appendices must be limited to supporting material genuinely subsidiary to the main argument of the thesis. They must only include material that is referred to in the thesis.
  • The following are appropriate for inclusion in the appendices:
    • Additional details of methodology and/or data.
    • Diagrams of specialized equipment developed.
    • Copies of questionnaires or surveys used in the research.

Question:

How does citation style its impact paragraph spacing?   In my thesis, there is a space between every new section, sub-section, et cetera. But how would this change if a student is required to follow a very specific citation format?  (e.g. APA format in the thesis). 

Answer:

If you are still unsure, please contact your supervisor/advisor 


Question:

What is the main distinction between the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G&PS) pre-review service and the RC Thesis Formatting service? 

Answer:

  • G+PS offers a general review to see if you’re on the right path with very general guidelines; it won’t answer any specific questions about formatting or other services
  • The RC service offers help with technical issues with formatting (table of contents, etc.)
    • RC service will help refer you to correct resources for more nuanced questions (e.g. Copyright, ethics approval, etc.)
    • RC provides a pre-formatted dissertation template for you to populate with your content
    • RC provides support using this template 
    • RC offers one-on-one consultations for specific questions on your template

Question:

What is the turn-around time for G&PS pre-reviews?

Answer:


Question:

What are the deadlines for Dissertation and Thesis Formatting submission?

Answer:


Question:

Do I  have the option to embargo my work?

Answer:

Yes, all information about delaying and embargo of your thesis/dissertation can be found on G+PS – https://www.grad.ubc.ca/current-students/final-dissertation-thesis-submission/delaying-publication-your-thesis


Question:

If I am an undergraduate student, should I still be using the Thesis Formatting template even though it seems to be intended for graduate students? Are there any formatting differences between an undergraduate thesis and a graduate thesis?

Answer:


Question:

I found that in the thesis template, Chapter 1 doesn’t start at page 1 after the roman numerals.  I hope you can help me with this. It might be a problem with the Table of Content.  I am using the UBC thesis template.

Answer:

  • For your pagination issue, you can start with the two guides:

Question:

I have an issue with converting my thesis into a PDF.  Some of the words (e.g. chapter headings in the table of contents and sub-section numbers) become blurry in the pdf format of the file. 

Answer:


Question:

I need to create sub-sections in my Appendix C (e.g., C.2.1, C.4.1.1), but I don’t know how to do that. The UBC Research Commons template seems to only program to Heading 8.

Secondly, I also don’t know why the figure name sequence does not work in Appendices.

Answer:

  • Please watch the following YouTube video.  After that, you may use the heading 9 (in the styles) and modify it to your own needs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLoHkh6QyPE
    • First, Copy the template caption into Appendix B as it shows Figure 0.1. 
    • Second, Right click the “0” choosing “edit field” and then change the file properties to Heading 7 (this is the heading level for appendices in the template). 
    • Third, right-click the “1” choosing “edit field”.   The original field code is “SEQFigure \* ARABIC \s 2 “, the 2 after \s resets the sequence after each Heading 2, but appendices are under Heading 7.
    • Fourth, change the whole code to “SEQFigure \* ARABIC \s 7 “
    • Lastly, update the table of figures 
    • Done!
      • ** Remember to separate each figure/table with its own page so that the Table of Contents will reflect these new sub-appendices