Union College

Geology
Department
Thesis Formatting
Requirements

Large garnet cluster surrounded by coarse hornblende,

pyroxene, and plagioclase. Metamorphosed gabbro,
Adirondacks.

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accurate formatting

FORMAT GUIDELINES FOR A SENIOR THESIS DOCUMENT

UNION COLLEGE GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT
FALL 1995
Your senior thesis is the final product of months of hard work. It is important that the
thesis be printed in a standard, professional way so that it will give a good impression to
future generations of faculty, students, and current and future alumni. Following these
guidelines will also give you practice using a format that, with minor modifications, is
used throughout much of the geologic profession. The thesis format described below is,
with the exception of one line in the title page, acceptable for submission as an Honors
Thesis.
THESIS FORMAT GUIDELINES
Due Date
The complete thesis (but not extra copies) is due on the day two weeks prior to the last
day of classes in the term that the thesis is to be finished. The thesis must be complete in
all respects, including all preface pages, text, figures, tables, references, and appendices,
all in the the proper format specified in this document.
Paper, Typing, Margins
The thesis must be typed on a word processor, and the final printout must be done on a
laser printer or other high-quality printer. The paper used should be plain white 11" by

8.5" and of high quality. The final copy should be single-sided, double spaced, with 1.5"
margins on the left side of the paper and 1" margins on all other sides. The type used in
all text, tables, and captions should be Helvetica 10 point, as is used here, or a font as
similar to Helvetica 10 as possible. All text, including captions and references, should be
justified left and right. First lines of paragraphs should be indented about 0.4 inches, and
blank lines should not separate paragraphs. Two blank spaces should separate sentences.
Sections of the Thesis
The thesis will have sections placed in the following order:

Title page
Abstract
Dedication (optional)
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Body of the text divided into its own sections, with figures and tables
References
Appendices
Pagination of the Thesis

All preface pages including the Title Page, Abstract, Dedication, Acknowledgments,
Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables, should be numbered in sequence
with lower case roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.). The title page is the first page (page i)
but is not numbered. All other pages from the first page of text to the end of the document
should be numbered in sequence with Arabic numerals. All page numbers should be
centered at the bottom of each page 0.5" above the bottom margin, except the title page
(page i) which is not numbered.
Figures, tables, and appendices should be numbered in the same sequence they are
referred to in the text. Most word processors have automatic functions for numbering
pages, but do it last.
Levels of Headings
The various levels of headings separate your thesis into its different parts. No more
than three levels of headings are allowed. First order headings separate the thesis into its
major parts, such as the Abstract, Introduction, Conclusions, and References. Second
order headings separate the major parts into intermediate parts. Third order headings
separate the intermediate parts into minor parts. Headings of any order must be on the
same page as the first line of text below it (headings may not be alone on the bottom of a
page).
1. First order headings are FULLY CAPITALIZED, centered, and in bold type.

2. Second order headings have Major Words Capitalized, are centered, and are in
bold type.
3. Third order headings have Major Words Capitalized, are left justified, and are in
bold type.
The Body of the Text
Title Page
The format of the title page must follow that shown in the attached example. The title
should give the reader a clear idea of the nature of the material in the thesis. It is
important that the title be clear and informative rather than mysterious or imaginative.
Abstract
The abstract should be on its own page and may not exceed 250 words. Most word
processors have a function to count words. The abstract should succinctly state the nature
of the thesis project, the reasons for conducting the work, the results of the research, and
your conclusions.
Text, Figures, and Tables
The body of the text also contains the figures and tables, all of which must be cited in
sequential order in the text. Each figure and table should be located as soon after its first
citation in the text as possible. Figures and tables should be cited using the full
capitalized word, for example "Figure 1" and "Table 1". Each figure and table caption
should start with the figure or table number, followed by the text of the caption (for
example: "Figure 6. Sketch of mylonite fabric in thin section."). Captions should appear
above tables, and below figures. Captions should be single-spaced, fully justified (if
possible) with no indents or hanging indents.
Number of Copies to Make
You should make a minimum of four copies, including the original: one for yourself,
one for your advisor, one for the Geology Department, and one for the library. All four
copies should be submitted in separate binders that do not damage the paper.
Additionally, one complete copy must be submitted on electronic media (e.g., a floppy
disk) to the student's advisor. Only the original is due two weeks prior to the last day of
classes in the term the thesis is due. Do not submit extra copies at that time. No punched
holes, staples, or tape are allowed.
References
All references cited in the thesis must have a complete citation in the Reference
section. Here are examples of the two types of citation usually used in the text:

1. "Despite using a paleontology textbook, Mylonite (1992) did not conclusively

demonstrate Devonian age for his corals."
2. "Though not well known, some isotropic and uniaxial minerals can have a 2V
under some circumstances (Optic and Axis, 1878)."
The formats for citing other peoples' work in the text and in the reference section
should follow the Geological Society of America Bulletin. The first line of each
reference should be printed with a hanging indent, and references should be separated
from one another by blank lines.
REFERENCES CITED
Mylonite, J.F., 1992, Garnet pseudomorphs after Devonian rugose coral in a skarn
inclusion in the Schenectady kimberlite pipe: Journal of Paleontology, v. 2, p. 15261565.
Optic, K.N. and Axis, L.M., 1878, The 2V of uniaxial and isotropic minerals. American
Mineralogist, v. 1, p. 1004.
Shaw, George, 1993, Reversing the Earth's magnetic field using an equatorial solenoid:
potential for innovative, simultaneous experiments in undergraduate science labs
throughout the world. Midnight Star, v. 57, no. 5, p. 6.
Appendix 1
Appendices should contain any substantial length of material that, while pertinent to
the thesis, would detract from a reading of the thesis if left in the main body of the text.
In general, material that is important to the thesis but not critical for understanding the
main points are put in appendices. Such things include lengthy tabular data or values
from model calculations, lengthy details of mathematical or analytical procedures, or
sample location or specimen descriptions. The usual text, caption, figure, table, and
citation guidelines apply. Table and figure numbers should simply continue the
numbering used in the text. For example, if Table 7 is the last table in the body of the
text, the first table in the appendix will be Table 8.
All appendices must be cited in the body of the text (e.g., see Appendix 2) just like all
figures, tables, and references. Appendices should be labeled in sequence with Arabic
numerals: APPENDIX 1, APPENDIX 2, and so on. If there is only one appendix, it
should also be labeled as APPENDIX 1.
Appendix 2
STEINMETZ SYMPOSIUM
All theses will be presented as poster or oral papers at the annual Union College
Steinmetz Symposium, which is usually held in early May.

Appendix 3
Citing Web resources
It's not as easy to cite Web resources in your bibliography as it is to cite books because
(1) standards for citing Web resources are still being developed and (2) Web resources
don't have a title page where you can easily locate the information needed for a reference.
This guide tries to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about citing Web
resources, including how to cite articles from databases. If you need more assistance,
contact the Reference Desk. For information on creating parenthetical notes to Web
resources, see the separate Skillman reference guide. These components should be
included in a reference to a Web resource:
Author and organization

If author information is not listed at the top of a document, check the bottom or
follow any links to the Web site's home page to search for author information.
Try to distinguish the author of the content from the page designer and avoid
listing the designer as an author.
Remember that organizations or government agencies can be authors.
If no author is listed, begin the reference with the title.

Title

If you have trouble identifying the title, check the top left corner of your Web
browser. The title of the document should appear there, above the File menu. It
also may appear in the top left corner of a printout from your Web browser.

Date of publication

The date a Web document was created or last updated is frequently listed at the
bottom.
If a document includes both a date of creation and a date it was last updated, use
only the latter.
Include a day and month in addition to a year if they are included on the
document.
If the Web site does not include a date of publication or a date that the resource
was last updated, use the abbreviation n.d. (for no date) just as you would for a
book or article with no date.

URL

The URL or address of a Web document is located near the top of the screen in the
box often labelled "Location." or "Address."
The URL may appear in the upper right corner of a printout from your Web
browser.

Date accessed

Because Web documents can change or disappear at any time, your reference
must include the date that you looked at the document.
The date of use usually appears in the bottom right corner of a printout from your
Web browser.

AN EXAMPLE TITLE PAGE SHOWING

THE REQUIRED TITLE PAGE FORMAT
By
Jack Fitzpatrick Mylonite
*******
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Science
Department of Geology
UNION COLLEGE
June, 1996

ABSTRACT
MYLONITE, JACK FITZPATRICK, An example abstract page showing the required
abstract page format, including the thesis title which is this sentence. Department of
Geology, Union College, Schenectady, New York, June 1993.
The part of the abstract shown above, with your name, the thesis title, the department
name, and the school is single spaced. The text of the abstract is double spaced. All new
paragraphs are indented about 0.4 inches on the first line.
A blank line should separate all paragraphs in the abstract. Remember that abstracts may
not have more than 250 words of text, must be alone on the page, and must cover no

more than one page. Since the Abstract is required to follow the Title Page, the abstract
page number must be ii.