Research Essay & Thesis Guidelines
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An electronic copy of each M.A. Research Essay or M.A. Creative Thesis must be uploaded to the UPR Digital Repository. Graduation Certifications will not be processed until the document is deposited.
For students who wish to bind a copy of the Research Essay or Thesis for themselves, their advisor, or for family members, we advise using white quality bond paper, 20-24 lbs.
Formatting
- The format should conform to the current MLA Handbook for literature and APA for linguistics.
- Use standard double-spaced and 12 pt font Times New Roman.
- Page margins are 1½ inches on the left side and 1 inch on the right side, top and bottom. ONLY the left margin should be justified.
- The title page should follow the model attached to this document.
- Pagination: pages of the text proper should be numbered in the top upper right-hand corner. Pages are numbered consecutively, beginning with the first page of the text and including any charts or appendices. The first page of each chapter should be counted but the number should be “suppressed” (i.e., does not appear). Preliminary pages, starting with the title page, are numbered with lower-case Roman numerals on the bottom center of the page. All pages of the introductory material are counted, but the numbers are “suppressed” unless a preliminary section (see item 6 below) includes more than one page.
- Preliminary pages should be in the following order:
- blank page (not counted in numbering)
- title page (see attached)
- Table of Contents (must include Introduction, numbered chapters, Conclusion, Notes, Works Cited, as well as appendices)
- list of tables and graphs (when applicable)
- list of illustrations, photos, or maps (when applicable)
- Abbreviations (when applicable)
- Glossary (when applicable)
- Dedication (optional)
- Acknowledgments
- Abstract
- Biographical Information