Body of the Disquisition

Content in the body of the disquisition should adhere to the same general requirements as the rest of the disquisition, including font type, font size, and margin size. For more information, see General Requirements and the following sections:

• Tables, Figures, Schemes, etc.
• Listings and Code
• Equations
• References or Works Cited

Page numbers in the disquisition body must use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, and so on). The first page of the first chapter should be designated as page 1.

Contents

1. Chapters
2. Lists & Block Quotes
3. Non-text Items
4. Listings and Code
5. Equations
6. References/Works Cited

Chapters

The chapters contain the main content of your disquisition. This section of the guidelines covers formatting considerations for chapter naming, numbering, headings, and setting an individual paper or study as a chapter.

• Chapter titles are major headings and should be consistent with all other major headings in the document, such as the major headings on the prefatory material. The titles should be centered, written in ALL CAPS, and appear at the top of a new page.
  • You may not have more than one heading level formatted as a major heading. Subsections within a chapter must be formatted as subheadings. See the Headings section in General Requirements or the Headings wiki page for more information and examples on different levels of subheadings and numbered subheadings.
• Chapter label not required – You are not required to use the label “Chapter” in the title of each chapter. However, each chapter must begin with a major heading and appear at the top of a new page.
• Numbering chapters – You are not required to number each chapter unless you use numbered headings. For more information about numbered headings, see Headings.
  • When using numbered headings – If you use numbered headings, then the heading number must precede the chapter title (such as “1. INTRODUCTION”). You may include the chapter label (such as "CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION"), but it must be present for all major chapter headings. You must use a period after the chapter number, and the chapter number must be in Arabic numerals.
  • When using non-numbered headings – If you choose not to use numbered headings in the body of the disquisition but still want to use numbers in the chapter titles, then you must integrate them into the chapter title (such as “CHAPTER ONE. INTRODUCTION” or “CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION”). If you use a number in a chapter title, either written or numeric, you must use a period after the chapter number.
• Papers as chapters – If a chapter is an individual paper, study, or experiment, only the title of the paper or study should appear as a major heading (such as “PAPER 1. THE EFFECT OF RAINFALL ON SUGARBEET PRODUCTION”). The section headings within the paper (such as “Abstract”, “Introduction”, “Literature Review” and so on) are subsections within the chapter and must appear as subheadings under the major title heading.
  • You are not required to use “Chapter” in the name of each chapter. If you use individual papers, studies, or experiments for each chapter, then you can name the chapters “Paper 1”, “Study 1”, “Experiment 1”, and so on. However, the naming must be consistent for all chapters of such content.

Bulleted/Numbered Lists and Block Quotations

• Bulleted or Numbered Lists – When you include bulleted or numbered lists in the paragraph text, indent the bullets/numbers from the left margin so that the list is easier to read and distinguish from the rest of the normal paragraph text. Additionally, the text should be aligned with each other to the right of the bullet or number. Bulleted or numbered lists should be double spaced. We recommend aligning top-level bullets or numbers at one-quarter inches (0.25”) and the text at one-half inches (0.5”).
• Block quotations – Make sure block quotations use the same indent (one-half inches (0.5”) is recommended) throughout the document. Block quotations may be single spaced, as long as this is applied consistently to all block quotations.

Tables, Figures, Schemes, Etc.

Tables, figures, schemes, and other non-text items should be integrated into the text of your disquisition rather than grouped at the end of a chapter. All non-text items should be inserted at the first natural break point (between paragraphs or at the top or bottom of the page) after the first in-text reference; ideally, a non-text item should appear on the same page with its first in-text reference, but this is frequently not possible. All tables, figures, schemes, and other non-text items must have a label, number, and title, must fit within the page margins, and must have consistent styling across all occurrences of that type of item in the disquisition.

This document outlines the general requirements for non-text items in your disquisition. Beyond these general requirements, the tables and figures in the disquisition should follow the requirements of the style manual of your disquisition (to include titles, borders, alignment, and so forth). For example, if your citations follow APA style, then your table and figure titles should also follow APA style. For more information about how to format tables, figures, schemes, and non-text items, refer to the style manual for your discipline.

• Location in the text – When you insert a table, figure, or non-text item into the text, try to do so as close to the first in-text reference as possible, and at a natural break on the page (at the top or bottom of a page, between pages, or between paragraphs). In other words, as much as possible, body paragraph text should not be interrupted by an item. If a non-text item cannot fit on the same page where it is mentioned, then move it to the next page.
• Do not split the item, if possible – If a table or figure can feasibly fit onto a single page (to include its title and any notes), it should not be broken across two pages (some white space at the bottom of a page is acceptable to allow for this).
• Multiple-page items – Sometimes a non-text item simply cannot fit on a single page. When a table or figure continues over multiple pages, make sure that the title of the item appears on all pages of the item. On the subsequent pages, add the phrase “(continued)” to the end of the first sentence of the item title.
  • When a table must extend for multiple pages, the header row of the table should appear at the top of the table on all subsequent pages.
• Portrait vs landscape orientation – Tables, figures, and non-text items should appear in portrait orientation unless they are too large to fit within the required margins; then they can be converted to landscape orientation. However, the page numbers for such landscape items must appear in portrait orientation (on the landscape page, page numbers should appear in the left margin, centered vertically, and rotated 90 degrees). For an example of a landscaped figure, see Figure 3.
  • Note: If a table or figure appears in landscape orientation, only that table or figure (and its title/notes) may appear on the landscape-oriented page. Headings or paragraph text should not appear on a landscape page.
• Numbering – All tables, figures, schemes, and non-text items must be labeled and numbered sequentially based on the type of item (such as “Table 1” and “Figure 1”). For example, you can have a “Table 1” and a “Figure 1”, but you cannot have two tables named “Table 1”.
  • There are two numbering scheme options. You can number the items sequentially according to the chapter in which they appear (such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and so on). Alternatively, you can number the items in the order that they appear, regardless of chapter or section (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on). Whichever option is chosen, it should be used in all item types (i.e., a disquisition should not contain both a Table 1 and a Figure 1.1).
• Titles – All tables, figures, schemes, and non-text items must have a label, number, and title (such as “Figure 1. Diagram of scientific method”) and must be included in the appropriate lists in the prefatory material. See the section on lists for how to format item titles within the appropriate list.
  • Long titles – When the title for a table, figure, scheme, or other non-text item is longer than one line, set it to be single spaced with a single blank line after, to help set it apart from the body text paragraphs.
• Font – The font used in the item titles must be same type as the rest of your disquisition.
  • In titles of tables, figures, schemes, etc., the font must be the same size and type as the text in the body paragraphs.
  • Within tables, the font must be the same type as the rest of your disquisition. The size can be reduced, if necessary, to fit the table onto a single page. Do not reduce the font by more than 4 pts; e.g., if your paragraph text is in 12 pt font, the smallest you may reduce your table text to have the table fit on a single page is 8 pt.
  • Within figures, schemes, and other non-text items, the font may be different from the rest of your disquisition. However, the text must be easily readable at 100% view size/zoom.
• Formatting of item titles – The titles of tables and figures should follow the formatting rules for the style of your discipline. This includes capitalization (title case or sentence case), special formatting (like bold or italics), punctuation (after the item number and in the rest of the title), and location relative to the item being described (above or below). Note that the formatting must be consistent for all items of the same type throughout the disquisition. Refer to the style manual of your discipline for more information about how to format the titles of tables, figures, schemes, etc.
• Alt-text– If your document contains images (such as figures, schemes, etc.), every image must have alt-text. Automatically generated alt-text is not sufficient to meet this requirement. See page 20 of the 2019 PDF Testing and Remediation Guide on the Section 508 website for more information on this process.
• Margins – Tables, figures, schemes, and non-text items must fit in the required 1 inch margins. Non-text items that are too wide to fit in the margins of the page in portrait orientation can be placed on their own page in landscape orientation. However, the page numbers must still appear in portrait orientation. (This requirement ensures that when your disquisition is printed, all the page numbers will appear consistently and correctly.)
• Spacing – Minimize the amount of blank space that appears before and after tables, figures, schemes, and other non-text elements. However, tables and figures and the titles for those items should be clearly distinguishable from the paragraph text. See our entry on the formatting wiki for more information on line spacing.
• Citations – Academic honesty is essential in all disquisitions. If you use a table, figure, or non-text item that is not your original design, you must cite the original source of the item, and ensure the appropriate copyright permissions to use the item have been obtained (if necessary). You may use an in-text citation in the text of the title or caption of the item, or you may include the citation as a footnote under the item. Refer to the style manual of your discipline for more information about citations of non-text items.
  • If you have adapted the design of a figure or non-text item from another source’s original design, then you must include the citation of the original source in the title or caption of the image and ensure the appropriate permissions to use the item have been obtained (if necessary). You must also state that your figure or image has been adapted from the original source.

Listings and Code

You are encouraged to include relevant code snippets within the body of your disquisition, but we recommend placing large amounts of code in a public repository and including a link in your disquisition. You may also place your code in one or more appendices. Listings (code blocks) should follow the same guidelines as other non-text items, with some exceptions noted below.

• Multiple-page listings – If a listing cannot fit on a single page, you should consider placing it in an appendix. Listings that continue over multiple pages do not need their titles repeated on each page, as the borders around the listing are sufficient to indicate its continuation.
• Font – The font used in listing titles and notes must be same type as the rest of your disquisition. The font used within the listing may be the same type as the rest of your disquisition, or you may use a monospaced font from our list of approved fonts: Courier New (size 10) or Computer Modern Typewriter (size 11).
• Border – The code should be enclosed in a border, with only one top and one bottom border that appear at the beginning and end of the listing, even if it extends over multiple pages.
• Line numbers are optional – Line numbers help readers distinguish between lines of code, especially when the code must wrap onto a new line. If you use line numbers in any listings, you must use them for all listings. You may include the line numbers within the listing border, or not, but all listings should be formatted similarly. We recommend, but do not require, including a period or colon after the line number to help separate it from the code on its line.
• Portrait vs landscape orientation – Do not place listings on landscape pages.

Equations

Equations should be integrated into the text of your disquisition and not grouped at the end of a chapter. Equations may be introduced and integrated into body paragraphs or placed at a natural break point (between paragraphs or at the top or bottom of a page) following their first in-text reference.

• Equation position – Equations should be centered on the page. (Using the requisite 1" margins, the center of the page is at 3.25".)
• Number position – If an equation is numbered, the equation number should be flush with the right 1" page margin.
• Numbering is optional – When you use several equations in your disquisition, you may want to number the equations to make it easy to reference them within the text. If you number one equation in the text, then you should number all of the equations that appear in the disquisition; if your disquisition contains proofs or series of equations, you may elect to number only the final step or product.
• Number sequence – All equation numbers must be sequential. You can number the equations sequentially by chapter (such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc.), or you can number them in order of appearance, regardless of chapter or section (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on).
• Number label – Equation numbers must be enclosed in parentheses: "(1)". You may optionally include the label “Equation” or “Eq.” in the parentheses before the equation number: "(Equation 3.2)" or "(Eq. 3.2)". If you include a label, you must use the same label for all equation numbers.
• Font – The number of an equation must use the same font type and size as the paragraph text, while the numbers in an equation can use different font, if necessary for the equation.

Examples of formatted equations with an equation number can be found in our example document of non-text items.

If you use a large number of equations in your disquisition, you should include a List of Equations in the prefatory material. Unless otherwise directed by the style manual of your discipline, including a List of Equations is optional. For information about how to format a List of Equations, see our wiki page on List of Tables, Figures, Schemes, Etc.

In the List of Equations, a brief title or description of the equation should be included in each entry. However, equations in the document chapters should not be given a title, and the equation should be described in your text.

References/Works Cited

Whenever you use information from another source, or reference data that you did not create or discover, you must cite the original source of the data. This includes, but is not limited to, text, tables, figures, and other forms of data.

Academic honesty is essential in all disquisitions. For more information, see the NDSU Policy on Academic Responsibility and Conduct.

• Citations – For in-text citations, footnotes, endnotes, or other citation formats, refer to the style manual of your discipline (such as MLA, APA, Chicago, and so on). References should follow one style manual consistently throughout the disquisition. When you include a URL (or other linked text) in a citation (such as citations for internet sources), make sure that it is not underlined or otherwise appearing as a hyperlink.
• Copyright – In some instances, copyright permission might be required to re-print content in its entirety. Most commonly, copyright permission is required to reprint your own previously published work.
• References sections (individual chapters and general) – If each chapter in your disquisition is a self-contained study or experiment, then you may insert a References or Works Cited section at the end of each chapter that lists the sources used in that chapter. Otherwise, you should insert a References or Works Cited section after the body of the disquisition, but before the appendix or appendices (if used).

In other words, you may include a References section either as a subsection at the end of each chapter (containing only the references that appear in that chapter), or as one References section at the end of the disquisition body (containing all references used in the entire document). If you have a mix of content, such as previously-published works and chapters containing as-yet-unpublished material, you may have References sections at the end of each chapter as well as a References section at the end of the document.

For detailed information about how to format a References or Works Cited section, and where to place the section in the disquisition, refer to the style manual of your discipline.

• Spacing and indentation – The line spacing and indentation should follow the directions of the style manual that is used in your discipline. Spacing must be consistent throughout the References or Works Cited section(s).

For more information about how to use the style manual that is used in your discipline, contact your advisor or the NDSU Center for Writers.