Formatting Guidelines, Templates, and Forms

Your disquisition must meet the Graduate School’s requirements for formatting and construction in order to obtain final approval. These requirements are intended to maintain a consistent standard of quality among all published NDSU disquisitions and to make sure that your disquisition reflects well upon your work as a student.

Graduate School Formatting Guidelines

Our formatting guidelines are available on our formatting wiki as well as in a downloadable PDF. We recommend that you review the disquisition formatting guidelines before you format your disquisition.

The Graduate School does not edit, proofread, or otherwise review disquisitions for content. You should proofread your text, images, and front and back matter prior to submitting your document to the Graduate School. Your disquisition content must be complete and approved by your committee before you begin the disquisition review process--your submission to the Graduate School indicates your intent to publish your document in its current form.

Accessing the Format Guidelines

You can access our online format guidelines through:

  • The Disquisitions dropdown menu at the top of the page, which links to the major sections of the guidelines;
  • The "IN THIS SECTION" button to the right of the page breadcrumb bar, which links to the wiki pages in that major section;
  • The site map at the bottom of every page.

You can also use our formatting wiki index to find requirements, technical help, and tips specific for each part of your disquisition.

NDSU Disquisition Templates

NDSU’s disquisition templates are designed to minimize the work you need to do to complete your dissertation, thesis, or Master’s paper. We maintain Word templates for both numbered headings and non-numbered headings, each with pre-formatted styles that can be used to format your content and produce a document that complies with our formatting and accessibility requirements.

While our templates have been designed to help you format your disquisition, they are complex documents with interconnected settings that use features you may not be familiar with. You can find our manual that explains how to use the styles and automated features of our templates below, as well as a style cheat sheet. We highly recommend reviewing them as you begin formatting your document.

You can also find a video demonstration of the templates and related topics in our Word Crash Course video series.

If you have any questions or would like further assistance with formatting, please reach out to the disquisition coordinator through the link at the bottom of this page. The graduate consultants at Center for Writers and the Instructional Design Center offers one-on-one meetings and workshops to help you with formatting; you can schedule an appointment and find more information through their respective pages.

Disquisition Templates

Use the disquisition templates below to get started with a document that complies with the Graduate School Format Guidelines. You are encouraged to modify the existing settings and styles according to the conventions of your discipline or to your own preference, within the constraints of the Format Guidelines.

Individual Page Templates

Forms

You'll need to submit two separate copies of the Disquisition Approval page: one for the Graduate School files (Copy 1) and one to include in your disquisition (Copy 2).

Copy 1: For Graduate School Files ONLY

This copy requires original signatures from your committee and department chairperson, along with your student ID number. Submit it to the Graduate School before your disquisition review.

  1. Initiate the Disquisition Approval Page form on DocuSign.
  2. Type in the necessary information.
  3. Collect original signatures from your committee members and department chair.
  4. After all signatures are completed, the form will route to the Graduate School to add to your file.
Copy 2: Included in Your Disquisition

This copy has the same information as Copy 1, but no signatures or student ID number. Instead, type the names of your committee members, department chairperson, and the approval date. Do not submit a scanned image of Copy 1.

The NDSU template includes this page, but you may need a different copy if you have a co-chaired committee.

  1. Download the appropriate Copy 2 version based on your degree type (Ph.D., M.S., etc.).
  2. Type in all required information, including names and the approval date.
  3. Insert this page as the second page of your disquisition, directly after the Title page. This page should not have a page number.

You may wish to delay the release of your disquisition if your work is:

  • Under a patent application review or requires protection of proprietary material
  • Sensitive information provided by a data source
  • Academic or commercial publication

NDSU allows for a delayed release period of six months, one year, or two years. This period will begin on the final day of the semester in which you graduate, and will extend for the period requested. During this time, the disquisition will not be available to the public (including employers and other researchers) for the time requested. Additionally, if you have ordered printed copies through ProQuest, they will not be delivered until the end of the requested time period.

To request a delayed release of your disquisition:

  1. submit your disquisition, then
  2. complete the Delayed Release form.

You are welcome to begin the delayed release form before you submit your disquisition, but it will not be processed until you have submitted your disquisition. The completed form must be approved and signed by your adviser, your department chair or program director, and the graduate dean. While obtaining these signatures, consult with your adviser and your department to make sure a delayed release is necessary.

You will not be contacted regarding the expiration of your delayed release, and you are solely responsible for requesting any extensions to an approved delayed release.

Extending a Delayed Release

If you have a delayed release already in place, you may request an extension by contacting filing a Delayed Release Extension Form. Delayed release extensions may only be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. You will not be contacted regarding the expiration of your delayed release, and you are solely responsible for requesting any extensions to an approved delayed release.

Center for Writers

Email: ndsu.cfw@ndsu.edu Phone: (701) 231-7927 Campus location: Library 16 Contact Page Manager