Formatting of the Thesis Document

Students are responsible for adhering to the formatting requirements of the thesis document set forth by Kettering University. Theses that do not conform to these specifications will be considered incomplete, unacceptable and will be rejected. Formatting will be reviewed by the Thesis Coordinator in your Faculty Advisor's department. Most formatting specifications are derived from the APA manual; however, certain modifications of the APA style are necessary for preparation of the thesis. Please click on the link below to view all of the formatting specifications for a Kettering University thesis document.

Formatting Specifications

To comply with these formatting standards, Kettering University Thesis Services recommends one of the following tools for assembly of the thesis:

VERY IMPORTANT: For students choosing not to use the Word template, please refer to the template for required content and proper assembly. Also, for students using APA PEERLA, you must comply with modifications of the APA style. Please refer to the "Formatting Specifications" for all formatting requirements of the thesis document.

How to use the Word Template

The Word template is a form document and is compatible with version 2003. It is recommended that the template be used as the final step for assembly of the thesis. Therefore, type your text in Word, copy and paste into the template. To use the template, press the tab key to go to each highlighted field and enter your specific information. Some of the highlighted fields will have text inserted that relates to the formatting and writing guidelines. To remove this text, highlight the text to be deleted and start typing your specific information. It is very simple. This template most likely will need to be individually modified as the exact number of chapters, figures, etc. will fluctuate from student to student. The Appendix, which contains preliminary thesis documentation and programs outcomes for each degree, will need to be deleted. Also, a spell check must be done while the form is unlocked. To make these modifications, you must unlock the form on the Forms toolbar. Go to View, Toolbars and click on the checkbox for Forms. The Forms toolbar will include a lock/unlock button. While the template is unlocked you can make modifications to the structure of the document; however, it is necessary to relock the form to continue on. This will help secure the document in respect to formatting specifications.

APA PERRLA is compatible with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5th Edition. APA PERRLA is a macro program that writes into Microsoft Word. This program comes highly recommended from the Business Program and is used by many Management students. Kettering University Thesis Services doesn't provide any technical support of this program. To purchase this software ($24.95), please go to http://www.perrla.com/Pages/1/2.aspx.

PLEASE NOTE: A format review will be required for all theses. While the use of the Word Template & APA Perrla will help minimize formatting errors, errors may still occur. Students will be required to make all corrections as indicated by the Thesis Coordinator.