Workshops Presented by the Assistant for Theses

• Before signing up—for each workshop—read the description and registrant requirements below.
• To sign up for a workshop, please register via the Student Learning Commons Workshops webpage.
• Each workshop lasts 2 to 3 hours. 
• See the Student Learning Commons workshops webpage. Demonstrations are usually posted on the SLC's calendar early in the semester.
       

1. Thesis Template & Submission Resources

[formerly the "Using the (New) Thesis Template" Workshop]

For Graduate Students and Undergraduate Honours Students only, this demonstration-style presentation introduces you to the Thesis Submission Resouces and the Thesis Template.  You are walked through the resources on the website and how to download the template-based file and its instructions.  The majority of time focusses on how to write in the MS Word template-based file, formatting your text using styles, bringing text in from other documents, inserting figures/images, formatting table and figure titles (manual-numbered and auto-numbered), and generating the Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, etc. During the workshop, you are welcome to mention any specific needs you know you'll have and, if not already included in the template, the styles you need will be added during the workshop. 

Students who have begun writing are encouraged to send their document to theses@sfu.ca in advance of the workshop. One or two of these examples will be used to demonstrate the Library’s thesis template. Those documents formatted during the session will be returned to students.

View a Video of the Thesis Template & Submission Workshop

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The plan is to offer 3 workshops (1 per week) in the first month of each term (semester), then 1 or 2 workshops in the second and third months, which will depend upon demand.  Workshops will be offered on different days (Tuesday through Friday) and at varied times with the hope that students will be able to attend.

If there is a demand, I can offer another on Apr 17 1:30-3:30 (theses@sfu.ca). 
 

2. Theses: Tables, Images, PDFs, High-Quality Print, etc.

This demonstration-style workshop shows users how to create and (easily) format tables in MSWord; how to create high-quality images from MSWord documents (e.g., questionnaires, landscaped tables, flowcharts, etc.); how to crop, resize, and rotate images in Photoshop for inserting into other Word documents (e.g., your thesis); and how to block-out signatures on letters and forms as well. This bypasses the need for reformatting such documents and eliminates the need to have landscaped pages in documents.  Having landscaped pages within a document with a portrait-layout requires the insertion of section breaks, and these often play havoc with both page number and footnote number placement, and page numbering and footnote numbering. Changing PDF conversion settings for high- or press-quality print and converting PDFs to high-quality jpgs for inclusion in your document are also addressed.  If time permits, specific issues can be addressed as well—please send your file(s) and outline what you'd like to do with them 1-day in advance to theses@sfu.ca.

Workshop Handout

View a Video of the Tables, Images, PDFs, High-Quality Print, etc.

Depending upon demand, one to three workshops will be offered each each semester. 

If there is a demand, I can offer another on Apr 17 1:30-3:30 (theses@sfu.ca).
 

3. Thesis Template: Fine-tuning and Trouble-shooting

For Graduate Students and Undergraduate Honours Students only, who are already using one of the Library's MSWord thesis templates.  Please send your thesis to theses@sfu.ca the day before the workshop outlining your questions/concerns/issues and these will be addressed in the workshop. 

This workshop covers personal preferences you might have or issues with your thesis that is based on am MS Word Library template.  For example, topics that could be addressed are: fixing margins and page numbering errors, adding committee members to (and optimizing space on) the Approval page, adjusting the Title Page and Table of Contents for aesthetics, generating List(s) of Tables/Figures, table design and tweaking tables, converting to high-resolution PDFs, optimizing Word's settings, etc.

Two workshops will be offered, one in each of the 3rd and 4th months of the semester and, again, the number offered will depend upon demand. 
 

4. APA (6th ed.): Essentials for Academic Writing

Mainly for Graduate Students, Faculty, and Honours Students, this presentation provides a comprehensive user-friendly overview of APA citation and referencing style including an interactive component to ensure an understanding of its application. Expect also to learn a variety of APA conventions for headings and their levels, quotations, numbers, tables and figures, caps, italics, punctuation, lists, etc.

Workshop Handout: please print and bring with you to the workshop.

Two presentations per semester.