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Formatting Your Thesis: Title Page

 

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Specifications

  • The title page requires the following elements. (Title, Your Previous Degrees, in partial fulfilment..., your department/school/program and faculty, copyright statement and semester, all rights reserved statement).
  • The Title Page spans only one page and requires no page number on the page.
  • Ensure there is space between all the elements on the Title Page.
    • When using the new template's title page layout, apply the correct style to the various elements (see template instructions) and use the [Shift] + [Enter] (PC) or [Shift] + [Return] (Mac) to end line within elements.  Delete any empty paragraphs between elements.
  • Please use punctuation as specified in the instructions below.
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1. Title

  • The title of the thesis needs to be the same on all documents: the Title Page, signed Approval Page, unsigned Approval page, Partial Copyright Licence, Library & Archives Canada Licence.
  • Avoid using quotations marks around the title.  When necessary, single- or double- quotation marks within a title are permitted.
  • Do not include a period after the title.
  • Avoid using acronyms in the title when possible. Spell out words fully.
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2. by Author (i.e., You)

  • Type your Firstname Lastname
  • Use the same name on all documentation
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3. Your Previous Degree(s)

  • The degree is only abbreviated on the Title Page [B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., etc.] and not on any other forms/documents. "Masters" or  "Doctorate" are not acceptable on any documentation.
  • Indicate your most recent degree is first.
  • Each degree must fit on one line.
  • Use the short-form/abbreviated versions for the actual degrees [B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., etc.].
  • Use punctuation as indicated below (be sure to use periods and commas as indicated)
  • If from a foreign university, please consult that institution for the appropriate short-form degree abbreviation.
  • The discipline is not necessary (e.g., Communications)--see examples below--leave this out if a degree line becomes 2 lines.
  • City/State/Country: This is only needed for universities that stipulate these in their names--if there is punctuation, put these in brackets--but, if the line becomes 2 lines, leave this out.
  • Only include country if there is a university with the same name in another country. 
  • Spell out the institution.

 

Format

M.Sc., Name of University, YEAR
B.Sc., Name of University, YEAR

M.A., Name of University (City or State--only if necessary), YEAR
B.A. (Hons.), Name of University, YEAR

Examples:

B.A., University of California (Berkeley), 2009

M.Sc., Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2000
B.Sc., Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1997

M.A. (Communication), Simon Fraser University, 2004
B.A.Sc. (Hons., Communication), Simon Fraser University, 1995

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4. "...in partial fulfilment..." element

  • This element appears on 3 lines
  • A Master of Arts or Science, etc.--singular--(not Masters)
     

Examples:

Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Urban Studies


Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education
 


Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts

Extended Essays Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts 
 

Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

 

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5. Department, School, or Program and the Faculty

 

  • include on 3 lines as in format and examples below
  • state both the department, school, or Program and the Faculty
  • single-spaced or 1.5" line-spacing
  • use the correct Department, School, Program and Faculty names--check the SFU web site and see below for examples.

 

Format (3 lines):

in the
Department, School, or Program
Faculty

NB. No abbreviations,e.g., C & I = Curriculum and Instruction

Attention Faculty of Education Doctoral and Masters students:  See Faculty of Education Degrees and Diplomas

The only exception to the Rule:

under Special Arrangements with
Dean of Graduate Studies
School of Communication
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

Examples:

in the
School of Public Policy
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

in the
Master of Science Program
Faculty of Health Sciences

in the
Doctor of Philosophy Program
Faculty of Health Sciences

in the
Master of Public Health Program
Faculty of Health Sciences

in the
Latin American Studies Program
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

in the
Graduate Liberal Studies Program
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

in the
School of Computing Science
Faculty of Applied Sciences

in the
Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science
Faculty of Sciences

in the
School of Engineering Science
Faculty of Applied Sciences

in the
Urban Studies Program
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

in the
Department of Mathematics
Faculty of Science

in the
 Individual Program
Faculty of Education

in the
Mathematics Education Program
Faculty of Education

in the
Arts Education Program
Faculty of Education

in the
Educational Leadership Program
Faculty of Education

in the
Educational Technology and Learning Design Program
Faculty of Education

in the
Curriculum and Instruction Program
Faculty of Education

in the
Department of Geography
Faculty of Environment

in the
.Publishing Program
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology 

in the
School of Communication
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

in the
School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology 

in the
Department of Psychology
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 

in the
Segal Graduate School
Beedie School of Business Faculty

 

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6. Copyright YEAR and Semester YEAR

  • Use 1.5" line-spacing
  • Rather than the semester in which you defended, semester (as below) refers to the semester in which you hand in your thesis to the Library. 
  • The year is needed both beside your name (for the copyright) and beside the semester. The format and an example follow:

 

Format (use 1.5" line-spacing please) :
© Your Name YEAR
Simon Fraser University
Semester YEAR

Example:
© Joanie Wolfe 2011
Simon Fraser University
Fall 2011

 

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7. All Rights Reserved statement

The Library's template includes the following statement on the title page. Single-spaced, 10pt font-size. To copy from below, select the text, press [Ctrl + c] and paste it into your document ([Ctrl + v]). Indent left and right 0.5".
 

All rights reserved.
However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be
reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for "Fair Dealing."
Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study,
research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be
in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately.

 

 

Some students prefer using the Creative Common licences.  If you choose to do  this, you still need to complete and hand-in a PCL form.  Two of these are appropriate for theses.　

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/) 

 

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ca/)

 

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Sample Title Pages

 

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Owned by: Joanie Wolfe
Last Modified: 2013-05-01