Useful Guidelines on How to Organize a Dissertation Title Page

A dissertation is a formal, detailed, and stylized document that follows strict guidelines in its format. Although all pages that are part of your dissertation are important, the title page is the door into your work. This page is also the one that gets the short shift most easily. Do not ignore the guidelines of formatting your title page. Be careful about margins and distances as prescribed by your department and University. Individual universities have specific requirements, but this is how you are supposed to organize your dissertation’s title page:

1. You must place the title of your dissertation in all Capital letters 2 inches below the top of the page. It should be smack center from the side margins.
2. Write your full name without titles or qualifications an inch below the title of your dissertation. You are usually not required to write your name exactly as it appears in the records of the university. You must consider that this is how your name will appear later in published form.
3. Next is the statement regarding the authority you are addressing your dissertation. Example: A Dissertation submitted to [University Name] in [full or partial] fulfillment of the requirement of [Degree Name] in the [Department Name].
4. Place the location or address of your University below this statement.
5. When you mention the requirement of a degree, you must write the full name of the degree. Do not use abbreviations, such as, PhD. Example: ….in Partial fulfillment of the requirement of MASTERS OF SOCIAL WORK.
6. You can include your subject or specialty area in brackets after writing the name of your main department. Example: …In [Full or Partial] requirement of [Degree Name] in the DEPARTMENT OF CLASSIC LANGUAGES (GREEK)
7. Write the year in which your faculty approves the thesis one single-spaced line below the above statement and address of the university.
8. Write, “Approved by” one inch under the year on the right side of the page with double spaces between the lines. List the names of the faculty members in one line each. Keep the names stacked and left aligned under the words “Approved by.”

   Example: Approved by:

   Jane Doe
   Steven P. Lukens

   *Do not include titles, qualifications, or positions in the department (Advisor, Chair etc.)

9. The title page should not be numbered or initialed.

That is all you need to know