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Word Thesis template and instructions

Please note that all theses must be converted to PDF/A format for submission. See the guide Saving your thesis in PDF/A format for instructions on saving to PDF/A in Microsoft Word.

Thesis template

Thesis template help:

The SFU Library thesis template is a Microsoft Word file designed to assist students in preparing theses, projects, and extended essays.  The template and instructions are .docx files, and have been tested in Word 2011 (Mac), Word 2013 (Windows), and Word 2016/365 (Windows and Mac).  

LaTeX template

Please note that SFU Library does not provide technical support for LaTeX users.  However, the Library has worked with previous SFU graduate students to provide a template and LaTeX class that sets your thesis according to SFU's requirements and format before submission.

Download the SFU thesis LaTeX template and class here.

Current release: v2.3.3 - this release makes a small modification on the committee page where a % sign was missing at the end of a line in a particular macro causing overfull hbox warnings. This is now the required release for all users of the template.
 
If you run into a problem with the LaTeX template or class, please let us know at thesis_assistant@sfu.ca. Note that although we do not provide technical support for LaTeX users, we would appreciate being alerted to problems with the template.

Students with general questions about using LaTeX or problems are encouraged to consult one of the following resources:

The SFU thesis LaTeX project is a volunteer effort made by many SFU graduate students over the years. Thanks to the following students who contributed to the old template: Stephen Chan (1989), Margaret Sharon (1996), Pepe Kubon (1997-98), Greg Baker (2003-06), Chris McIntosh (2011), Bradley Coleman (2012), Juan Galvez (2012), Firuz Demir (2013), Ahmed Saad (2013), Reynaldo Arteaga (2014). Version 2.0 of the template was written by Ross Churchley (2014-15).

Version history

v2.3.2 - this release makes a small modification to the copyright language on the title page.
 
v2.3.1 - this release makes a very minor change to the title page of the thesis template by including in the commented notes a list of all possible Faculty options at SFU.

v2.2.1 (renamed to v.2.3.0) (bugfix - Summer 2018) - this release fixes a bug introduced in v2.2.0 and is recommended for all users of the template. 

v2.2.1 (July 21, 2017): Version 2.2.0 tightened the spacing of chapter and section titles that go on for multiple lines. Unfortunately, the code that fixed that issue had unexpected side effects when using \ref{} and \autoref{} with chapter and section titles, regardless of their lengths. This release fixes the spacing issue in a safer way. (Ross Churchley)

v2.2.0 (Summer 2017): Introduces a redesigned approval page, matching the Spring 2017 update to the official Word template; tightens spacing for chapter and section titles that go on for multiple lines; separates footnotes from body text with vertical space instead of a dividing line; simplifies standard copyright disclaimer; documents the process for adding an Ethics Statement; adds helpful defaults, such as \frenchspacing, to the template's customization suggestions. (Ross Churchley)