A&S Departmental Thesis — Some Helpful Hints for Getting It All Together

Honors Thesis Submission Guidelines

Students completing an honors thesis in the College of Arts and Sciences must submit their final thesis electronically for review and approval. Printed or bound copies are no longer required.

Submission Requirements

Students must email the following documents to Adam Brown, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Student Affairs, at browna@ohio.edu:

  1. Final Honors Thesis: Submit your completed thesis electronically as a PDF.
  2. Thesis Approval Form: Include your completed thesis form with the required signatures from both your thesis advisor and department chair.

Both documents must be submitted together. Students are responsible for obtaining all required signatures before submitting their materials to the College.

Thesis Formatting Guidelines

Students should use the provided Title Page and Approval Page templates to ensure their thesis is formatted correctly.

Your thesis should include the following sections in order:

  1. Title Page
  2. Approval Page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Thesis Content
  5. References and Appendices, if applicable

Before submitting, carefully review your thesis to ensure:

  • Your name and thesis title are accurate.
  • Your graduation year is correct.
  • Your thesis advisor's name and title are listed correctly.
  • Your major or degree is accurately identified.
  • Your document follows the required formatting guidelines.
  • You have included all necessary pages and supporting materials.

Any supplemental materials, such as videos, audio recordings, photographs, charts, or software, should be discussed with your thesis advisor before submission.

Final Submission and Approval

Once your thesis is complete and your Thesis Approval Form has been signed by your thesis advisor and department chair, email both documents to browna@ohio.edu.

View Formatting Template

Common Errors

Wrong binder: Use only a black pressboard binder with flat metal spindles. The spindle apparatus allows for three holes, but only two holes need to be punched in your document since the slider obscures the holes, anyway.

Poorly formatted or lopsided labels: This looks positively sloppy! Position the label carefully in its allocated space. ALL labels must be typewritten, never hand written.

Table of Contents page is missing.

Blank "guard" sheet is missing: A clean sheet of your thesis paper should be inserted first, before the first page of your paper, as well as at the end of your thesis. Check to see that the watermark is right side up and facing the reader, rather than on the back side of the sheet.

Thesis/Project Form does not accompany the thesis, or is not signed by the DHC and/or the thesis project adviser: Make sure it is completed accurately, is typewritten, and that the title matches exactly (e.g., any unusual capitalization, italics, or abbreviations) all the other locations where your title is stated.

Pagination: Unless otherwise indicated by your department's style requirements, the page number is properly located at the upper right of the page. Be certain that all page numbers are the same font and size. Begin numbering in the body of the paper, not the title page.

Incorrect date of graduation: Label and title page should show the graduation month and year (not the approval date), i.e., November 2011, March 2012, June 2012, August 2012.

Incorrect degree information: check your DARS if necessary, but provide the correct major or department name, e.g., Honors in Sociology, not Honors in Criminology.