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Auburn University > COSAM > Academic Departments > Mathematics & Statistics > Graduate Program
New Information



Effective Fall Semester (August 17, 2009), the Graduate School will no longer require that students submit paper copies of theses and dissertations; however, some departments and advisory committees may continue to require paper copies. Graduate students are advised to consult with their departments and advisory committee about these requirements.

Effective at the same time, the Ralph Draughon Library will no longer bind theses and dissertations. Students who need bound copies of theses and dissertations will need to use a commercial binder, such as CopyCat. Because for many years the library has subsidized the cost of binding, students can expect to pay more for bound copies (if required).

Some of the significant formatting changes are highlighted below. For a complete description of the changes, see our new Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Guide (ETD Guide). The new ETD Guide includes sample preliminary pages and templates, which should make it easier for students to format these pages.

1. Style Guides. Each department is encouraged to provide specific guidance to students by selecting or developing a style guide (or guides) that is appropriate to the academic discipline of the graduate student preparing the thesis or dissertation for publication. Students should consult with their advisor and/or department for requirements. If a department has not selected a guide, students may use any of a number of published style guides, in addition to the Graduate School's own ETD Guide.

The Graduate School will also accept theses and dissertations in alternative formats provided that 1) they include the required components in the prescribed order described in the ETD Guide; 2) they are paginated; 3) they have the approval of the student's advisory committee; and 4) they are deemed acceptable for publication on the World Wide Web by the Dean of the Graduate School. Students preparing theses or dissertations in an alternative format are encouraged to consult with the Academic Evaluator of Theses and Dissertations at an early stage in the preparation of the electronic document.

2. Since the Graduate School now only requires an electronic copy of the thesis or dissertation, the formatting requirements for margins and line spacing have been relaxed. Students should find it easier, for example, to paginate the thesis or dissertation using the new guidelines. See the ETD Guide for details.

3. The signature page is replaced by the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form.

The new ETD Guide (including links to sample pages and templates) can be found at the following address: ETD Guide

The new Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Final Approval form can be found at this address: form

Students who began theses or dissertations using the previous Graduate School guide and who plan to submit theses or dissertations after August 17, 2009 should contact Julie Renfro. Likewise, please direct questions and/or comments to Julie Renfro at renfrjb@auburn.edu

George Crandell
Acting Associate Dean

Style Files for Creating a Dissertation, Thesis, or Project for Auburn University

The following package is for creating PhD dissertations, MS theses (or projects), and Honors College theses. It uses the LaTex2e typesetting program.

Download the following file and put it in a separate directory of folder. Unzip it using whatever unzipping program is your favorite.

Rename "ausample.tex" to an appropriate name for your project. Use it as a template.

The bibliography of "ausample.tex" consists of sources for LaTex2e.

These files are compatible only with LaTex2e.

LAST UPDATE: September 21, 2008

These files were created by Dr. Darrell R. Hankerson hankedr@auburn.edu, with assistance from Dr. Edward E. Slaminka slam@auburn.edu, and cooperation with and guidance from the Graduate School of Auburn University.