The following steps should be completed to submit your undergraduate honors thesis for inclusion in the Wheaton College Library collection.
1. Ensure that your thesis is complete and formatted properly
Front matter: Your honors thesis must contain the following pages, in this order: fly leaf (blank sheet), title page, certification page (actual signatures should be only on any paper copies; refer to example of certification page below), disclaimer page, body of thesis, bibliography / Works Cited.
End matter: Your honors thesis must contain a blank endpaper (blank sheet).
Margins: 1 ½ inches on the left side of each page, 1 inch on the other three sides.
Pagination: Paginate front matter using lowercase roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv and so forth). Paginate the body of your thesis, including bibliography, appendixes, etc., using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, and so forth). Use your word processor’s tools for creating tables of contents and cross references in order to ensure that pagination remains consistent.
Formatting: To align text, use tabs instead of the space bar. Insert page breaks to start a new page. Use section breaks to change the format between pages. The text should be double space, justified, 12-point font (footnotes 10 or 12-point font).
Sequence: Front matter numbered ii, iii, iv, etc. beginning at ii with the certification page; * = required:
- *Fly leaf (blank page)
- *Title page (view example)
- *Certification page (ii; page supplied by adviser and inserted into document). (view example)
- *Declaration/disclaimer page (iii, etc.; page supplied by adviser and inserted into document). (view example)
- Dedication page (if desired)
- *Abstract
- *Table of contents
- List of illustrations (if any)
- List of tables (if any)
- Acknowledgements (optional)
- List of Abbreviations (if any)
- Body of thesis (Arabic 1, etc.)
- Bibliography (works cited; numbered)
- Blank endpaper (numbered)
2. Submit the formatted document to Wheaton College Library
Upload your WORD (*.docx) to the undergraduate honors thesis form.
3. Submit the following other items to Wheaton College Library
a) Paper: A paper copy is no longer required by the library. You may submit copies to be bound for your own use or for your department, if desired. You many print on regular copy paper or any other paper you choose. Print one side only. Wheaton College closed its copy center in June 2019. Please consult this information about printing vendors options for students. Printed copies must match the final approved PDF you submit to the library.
b) All fees for binding and shipping personal copies, as listed on the form. To submit your thesis:
- Package securely and send through campus mail, addressed to Library Administrative Office.
- Package securely and send through postal mail, addressed to Library Administrative Office, Wheaton College, 501 College Avenue, Wheaton, IL, 60187.
- Deliver in person to Room 221, Library. To ensure that we will be available when you arrive, please email library.admin@wheaton.edu or call (630) 752-5953 to make an appointment.
4. A note about copyright
As the author of your thesis, you automatically own the copyright to your work. You do not need to register your copyright with the U.S. copyright office, although you may want to do so for the following reasons. First, registration creates a public record of copyright, which will provide other parties with a means of contacting you to ask permission for uses of your work that exceed the standard provisions granted in US. copyright law. Second, registration is required if ever you wish to bring suit against another party for violating your copyright.
If you wish to register your copyright, you may register directly at https://www.copyright.gov. There is a registration fee.
The copy of your thesis that you supply for the library’s collection may be used by others according to the provisions granted in U.S. copyright law, in the same manner as all other library materials.