duke dissertation template

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Presenting your thesis

 formatting your thesis.

Please refer to Regulation 7.4.2 for important information on how to format your thesis.

The Library Services guide 'Presenting your thesis' has been written as the standard for all theses presented for research degrees in the University of Birmingham. 

It offers guidance on the practicalities of producing your thesis in a format that is acceptable for examination and for deposit in the library. This guide does not deal with the content and academic standard required of a thesis and on these matters you are advised to consult University Regulations, your supervisor and guidance issued by your School.

Please also see the  Getting your thesis ready workshop webpage .

 Thesis word limit

On submitting your thesis for examination you are required to complete a declaration form confirming the word length of your thesis. You should therefore be aware of the maximum word length for your thesis. See  Regulation 7.4.2 (d).

The stated maximum number of words excludes tables, diagrams (including associated legends), appendices, list of references, footnotes and endnotes, the bibliography and any bound published material. For information on referencing styles see the  iCite – referencing at the University of Birmingham  webpages.

A thesis that exceeds the maximum number of words will not be accepted for examination unless permission to exceed the stated word count has been granted by the Research Progress & Awards Sub Panel. Permission to exceed the stated word count is only granted in exceptional circumstances. If you consider that you will not be able to meet the stated word limited, you are advised to discuss this with your supervisor at an early stage.

 Language of your thesis

 acknowledging collaborative work.

If any material is included in your thesis which is a result of collaborative working, you must include details of how much of the work is your own and how much is that of other people. See Regulation 7.4.1 (h).

It is also important to seek the prior agreement of those other people to make your thesis available in the University eTheses Repository. 

 Previously published or submitted work

You may include work that has already been published providing the work is properly integrated, either in the thesis or as an appendix to which reference is made - see  Regulation 7.4.1 (g). It must be adequately referenced and you are advised to consult with your supervisor if you are unsure about the inclusion of any previously published work in your thesis. 

For additional information please refer to the Copyright for Researchers web page

You may not include material for assessment which has already been submitted for another degree awarded at this or any other University, unless all of the conditions set out in Regulation 7.4.1 (f) are satisfied.

If you are considering including published papers in your thesis, please read the alternative format thesis guide (Word - 22KB).

 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a form of cheating and is a serious academic offence. It arises where work submitted is not the student's own and has been taken from another source. The original material is then hidden from the marker, either by not referencing it properly, by paraphrasing it or by not mentioning it at all.

For further information see the University’s Guidance on plagiarism for students .

All theses submitted for examination are checked through plagiarism detection software.

 Editorial help for PGR theses

A thesis submitted for examination at the University of Birmingham must be solely the postgraduate researcher’s own work (except where University Regulations permit the inclusion of appropriately referenced collaborative research or work – see Regulation 7.4.1 . A postgraduate researcher must not employ a ‘ghost writer’ to write parts or all of the thesis, whether in draft or as a final version, on his/her behalf.

Editors, whether they are formal supervisors, informal mentors, family or friends or professional, need to be clear about the extent and nature of help they offer in the editing of University of Birmingham PGRs theses and dissertations. Supervisors of PGRs also need to be clear about the role of the third party editors as well as their own editorial role.

PGRs may use third party editorial assistance (paid or voluntary) from an outside source.  This must be with the knowledge and support of supervisors and the use of third party editorial assistance must be stated in the thesis acknowledgement page.

A ‘third party’ editor cannot be used :

• To change the text of the thesis so as to clarify and/or develop the ideas and arguments;
• To reduce the length of the thesis so it falls within the specified word limit;
• To correct information within the thesis;
• To change ideas and arguments put forward within the thesis; and/or
• To translate the thesis into English.

A ‘third party’ editor can be used to offer advice on:

• Spelling and punctuation;
• Formatting and sorting of footnotes and endnotes for consistency and order;
• Ensuring the thesis follows the conventions of grammar and syntax in written English;
• Shortening long sentences and editing long paragraphs;
• Changing passives and impersonal usages into actives, vice versa as may be appropriate;
• Improving the positioning of tables and illustrations and the clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation of any text in or under tables and illustrations; and
• Ensuring consistency of page numbers, headers and footers.

Where a third party editor is used it is the PGR’s responsibility to provide the third party editor with a copy of this statement (Word - 20KB)  and ensure they complete the Third Party Editor Declaration Form (Word - 32KB)  confirming their compliance with this statement.

When submitting the thesis the PGR must record in the Acknowledgements page the form of contribution the ‘third party’ editor has made, by stating for example, “this thesis was copy edited for conventions of language, spelling and grammar by ABC Editing Ltd”.

Please also see the Code of Practice on Academic Integrity .

 Intellectual property rights

These rights generally belong to the student, but if your work is considered to be commercially significant students may be required to assign their rights to the University. 

For further information please see:

• University Regulation 5.4 covering Intellectual Property
• Regulation 3.16 covering Patents and The Exploitation of Inventions
• The Copyright for Researchers webpage

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Theses and Dissertations

Defense and submission.

Below is an overview of the main steps in preparing, defending, and submitting your thesis or dissertation. For detailed instructions on each step, see The Graduate School's  Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF) , in addition to this video recording from a workshop given on the subject. 

• Schedule your defense and apply for graduation in DukeHub ( defense and graduation deadlines ).  
• At least 30 days before your defense: Confirm or update your defense committee.  
• Give your thesis/dissertation to your advisor for inspection, and prompt your advisor to send a letter to [email protected] stating that it is complete and ready to defend. Note: For students in School of Medicine Ph.D. programs, their advisor letters are generated through T3.  
• Request your DGSA to send a departmental defense announcement to  [email protected] . Note: For students in School of Medicine Ph.D. programs, their departmental defense announcements are generated through T3.  
• At least 2 weeks before your defense: Submit your complete, correctly formatted dissertation/thesis to ProQuest (initial submission). Also provide it to each member of your committee.  
• Optional: After you receive an email through ProQuest from the Graduate School administrator who reviewed your thesis/dissertation format, you may make an appointment for a brief, virtual meeting with the administrator to discuss any questions you have about the defense process or the recommended formatting revisions.  
• A few days before your defense, The Graduate School will generate your final examination certificate and email it to the chair/co-chair(s) of your examination committee and the DGSA of your department. Note:  For students in School of Medicine Ph.D. programs, their final examination certificates are generated and released through T3.  
• Defend your dissertation. After your final examination, your committee members will vote on whether you passed or failed. Your chair and DGS will record the votes on your final examination certificate, sign it, and submit it to The Graduate School. Your committee may vote that you passed but still require minor edits or corrections before final submission.  
• As soon as possible after your defense, submit to [email protected] the Non-Exclusive Distribution License and Thesis/Dissertation Availability Agreement (“embargo agreement”) signed by yourself and your thesis/dissertation advisor.  
• Within 30 days after your successful defense, or by the established final submission deadline (whichever is first): Submit the final version of your dissertation/thesis to ProQuest.

Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF)

We provide the following templates for your convenience and to help you eliminate common formatting errors. However,  all submitted theses and dissertations must meet the specifications listed in the ETD guide . The manuscript must be a completed document, formatted correctly, with no sections left blank.

• Word Template for Thesis/Dissertation (Word)
• LaTeX Template for Thesis/Dissertation (ZIP)

Notes about the LaTeX Template

• This LaTeX template is for both master's and Ph.D. students. Master's theses must also have an abstract title page.
• Neither The Graduate School nor OIT supports LaTeX beyond providing this template.

Ph.D. and master’s students are required to apply for graduation in  DukeHub  by the established application deadline for the semester in which they plan to graduate.

Review the full graduation guidelines on the  Graduation Information and Deadlines  page. 

When you submit your thesis or dissertation electronically, you will also permit Duke University to make it available online through  DukeSpace  at Duke Libraries. See the pages below for more information about ETDs:

• ETDs Overview
• ETD Availability
• ETD Copyright Information 
• ETD Technical Help 

Check out the writing support  offered by The Graduate School, such as writing spaces, consultations, and access to online writing workshops, communities, and resources.

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Thesis Preparation

Helpful information for preparing your thesis.

Students wishing to complete the Thesis Option in the Physics MS program will have to prepare and defend a thesis which describes the research they conducted. Below are links to some useful resources that you should review to help in the process of preparing your thesis and defending it in the semester you plan to graduate.

• Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations
• Graduation deadlines
• Take a look at how other theses turned out at the Archive of WSU Theses

Thesis Templates

We have prepared a LaTeX template for you to use to begin preparing your theses. We have provided the template in Overleaf (a useful web-based tex editor) and the source to use with your favorite TeX package.

• Overleaf Template (This is a read-only template. Please copy the project inside of your account to beginning editing.)
• Template TeX Source

Please email [email protected] if you have any requests/suggestions for the template.

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• Dissertation

As you prepare your final master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertation, it is vital that you follow all of The Graduate School’s policies and procedures to ensure that the publication of your research adheres to Duke University guidelines. Review the online dissertation guidelines.

Recent Dissertations

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• Dissertation Defense

Your dissertation defense could be scheduled as early as the end of your fifth year, though it is more customary to be held at the end of your sixth year. An “Intention to Receive Degree” form must be filed prior to scheduling the defense. Be sure to schedule your defense well in advance, and work with the DGSA to make sure that everything is in order well before the date approaches.

As per the Graduate School requirements:

[o]ne month before the dissertation is presented and no later than January 25 for a May commencement, June 15 for a September degree, and October 15 for a December degree, students must apply for graduation electronically by following the appropriate procedure in their student account on DukeHub. This application indicates the title of the dissertation, which must be approved by both the DGS of the student’s degree program and the professor who directs the dissertation.

[t]he dissertation must be completed to the satisfaction of the professor who directs the dissertation (dissertation advisor), members of the student’s milestone committee, and the academic dean of The Graduate School. The dissertation advisor must examine and approve that the dissertation is ready for defense prior to submission to The Graduate School, as indicated by a letter to The Graduate School stating this approval. An electronic copy of the approved dissertation must be uploaded to ProQuest for review and approval by The Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the defense. Deadlines for dissertation submission are posted on The Graduate School website and must be respected if the student wishes to receive the degree in the semester when the intention to graduate has been formally declared ; if the deadlines are missed, the student must register and reapply to graduate in a subsequent term, and pay continuation tuition accordingly. Final doctoral dissertations are scholarly products of Duke University, and must become publicly available for reading, though they may be embargoed for a specified period before becoming publicly accessible. Dissertations must be submitted electronically to ProQuest in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and to DukeSpace in the Duke Libraries, where they are openly accessible online after any embargo. See The Graduate School/ Academics/Theses and Dissertations website for information about electronic submission and about procedures for obtaining a copyright, and the possibility of a temporary embargo before public accessibility. Abstracts are published in Dissertation Abstracts International .

See the corresponding “Bulletin of Duke University: The Graduate School” at: https://registrar.duke.edu/university-bulletins/graduate-school

Note that these regulations cannot be changed by the DGS or the dissertation advisor . All students are required to familiarize themselves with this process well before they intend to submit their dissertation. Students should note that these rules include detailed instructions on layout, footnotes, and citation techniques for the dissertation and the rules governing this process , found in the Guide for Electronic Submission of Theses and Dissertations (The Graduate School/Academics/Theses and Dissertations website: https://gradschool.duke.edu/academics/theses-and-dissertations ).

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Template for Duke Dissertations

bheebsh/duke-dissertation-template

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Duke dissertation template.

To copy this repository to your local machine, either download from your browser or use the command line:

Once you have a local copy:

• Move all chapters and sections to individual .tex files with no preamble and no \begin{document} .
• All packages and preamble options should be added to the preamble of main.tex .
• For each section, add \input{section} to the body of main.tex .
• Update title, author, committee and any other fields in the premable which need to be personalized.

This should account for most people's options. dukethesis.cls takes care of formatting the document. In the event guidelines change and this must be updated, changes should be made there.

This work is largely built on the dissertation template distributed by the Duke Graduate School. A few modifications have been made to account for changes in dissertation formatting guidelines.

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