Writing Your Paper - CECS and Mathematics

Beginning Fall of 2024 the library's role in the thesis and dissertation process will be the same as with any other papers which you write during your time as a student here. We can help you find background research, develop your research question, organize your writing, and publish your completed work.

All the specific requirements, deadlines, defense, and checks will be done within your department and/or the graduate studies office.

The first step to any research is to find out what questions remain to be answered.

We have all heard the quote from Isaac Newton about standing on the shoulders of giants. It really is true! 
This really is the goal of academic research. We want to be able to take in what has already happened and then go farther. 
To do that you have to find the existent research. Good research will always spark more questions and the process will start all over again. 

Thesis or Dissertation writing can seem like a very daunting task but we are here to help.

Your librarian is available to help you find the background research needed to determine areas where you can contribute to your field. The questions you form while conducting background research on your topic can spark the curiosity that will carry you through your capstone and into your career as a researcher.

Your instructors and research committee will help you with the process of conducting your research and your defense but we will also help you to archive your thesis or dissertation and ensure that it is cataloged and deposited properly into Deep Blue Documents (our institutional repository.)

Please make use of the following resources to work on your formatting and please feel free to reach out to your departmental librarian for any further assistance you may need.

For help with each step of your formatting visit this page created specifically for UM-Dearborn students by our format coordinator, Joel Seewald.

The Master's Thesis Page from CECS - contains the policies, procedures, and formatting guidelines you will need to refer to based on your specific degree.

Before submitting your thesis for your format check you will need to have created your ORCID account. You will need to include this ID number on the copyright page of your work as well as on the submission form so that it can populate the metadata in our institutional repository Deep Blue, where your final approved document will be stored. 

If you would like to request an embargo to delay the release of your thesis to public searching, you will need to indicate that on your submission form and also complete and attach the proper form. The form and other information can be found on the Thesis Release and Embargo Procedures page.

This link is for the Thesis Formatting Guidelines last updated in 2016. Check the Graduate Studies webpage to ensure you are using the most current guidelines.   

This is the checklist we will use to review your thesis to ensure proper formatting before it is accepted for deposit in Deep Blue.

The Doctorial Dissertations Page from CECS - contains the policies, procedures, and formatting guidelines you will need to refer to based on your specific degree.

Before submitting your thesis for your format check you will need to have created your ORCID account. You will need to include this ID number on the copyright page of your work as well as on the submission form so that it can populate the metadata in our institutional repository Deep Blue, where your final approved document will be stored. 

If you would like to request an embargo to delay the release of your thesis to public searching, you will need to indicate that on your submission form and also complete and attach the proper form. The form and other information can be found on the Thesis Release and Embargo Procedures page.

This is the link to the Dissertation Handbook. It includes a list of all the guidelines for formatting your dissertation near the end.

This is the checklist we will use to review your dissertation to ensure proper formatting before it is accepted for deposit in Deep Blue.

Deadlines for defense and submission of the written final draft can be found HERE.