UIC Thesis Manual

The Graduate College has ultimate responsibility for the quality of the thesis and has delegated the responsibility for quality control of content, most aspects of format, choice of style, proofreading, grammar, references and citations, etc., to the student’s academic program. Unless a program has provided an alternative mechanism, the primary responsibility for this review must be assumed by the advisor. The thesis advisor is the closest representative of the Graduate College to the student and is the best person to function as the primary editor.

Non-traditional theses (poems, stories, collections of published papers, etc.) should follow the traditional thesis format as closely as possible.

The academic program is responsible for reviewing and approving most aspects of format before the thesis is submitted to the Graduate College. The Graduate College review is limited to certain aspects of format. Specifically, the Graduate College will receive an electronic copy of the thesis, as well as some additional documents, and check for/review the following:

1. Examination Report from the defense. This should be submitted by your program to the Graduate College within two business days of your defense, even if conditions are listed on the form. (The program should retain a copy and give a copy to the student.)
2. Verification of satisfactory completion of any conditions the defense committee may have specified on the Examination Report (if applicable). If conditions have been specified, the Graduate College also requires confirmation from the committee chair verifying the version of the submitted thesis/dissertation is the final version approved by the committee (email to chair is auto generated during the electronic thesis deposit, and that email includes a link to the submitted thesis).
3. iThenticate Report Form (shared with the Graduate College via Box folder). The Graduate College may review the actual iThenticate analysis if necessary.
4. Accessibility of the thesis document.
5. Information, formatting, and spacing of the title page of the thesis.
6. Content and formatting of the preliminary pages of the thesis.
7. Consistency of formatting in the body of the thesis.
8. Vita (professional biography) included as final item in thesis document.
9. Abstract (submitted electronically as part of the thesis upload process).
10. Library thesis fee payment confirmation (the Graduate College receives electronic confirmation when online payment is completed).
11. Survey of Earned Doctorates submission is mandatory (doctoral only). The student may write “refused” for any question. This is an electronic form and submission, for which the Graduate College receives electronic confirmation when completed.

Federal regulations require that any research involving the use of either human subjects or animals be approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or the Animal Care Committee (ACC). The regulations are all-inclusive in that surveys, interviews, pre-existing data and human tissues obtained for non-research purposes require review by the IRB before the research can be done. If the work is completed without IRB or ACC approval, it cannot be published, even as a thesis. Copies of the IRB or ACC approval must be included as an appendix of the final draft of the thesis submitted for review by the Graduate College. It is University policy that theses which are not in compliance with the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) or the Office of Animal Care and Institutional Biosafety (OACIB) will not be accepted for fulfillment of graduation requirements. For further information on IRB requirements, see the Human Subjects Research page on the website of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) or contact OPRS at 312-996-1711, Room 201, Administrative Office Building. For further information on ACC requirements, see OVCR’s ACC Education & Training page or contact OACIB at 312-996-1972, Room 206, Administrative Office Building.

Graduate theses and dissertations are intended to demonstrate and provide a record of independent thinking, original research, and technical mastery in a field of study. The core contribution of the thesis, as determined by the author’s advisor(s) and thesis committee, must be the original work of the author and cannot be that of any other party or generative AI. Therefore, the student’s research and writing as presented in the thesis must represent that effort, even if AI tools are used as support. That is, the student’s original scholarship, including writing, critical thinking, and analysis, must be evident regardless of other included supportive materials.

Any AI use must receive documented pre-approval by the student’s thesis committee and must be limited to a clearly defined scope. To confirm adherence with this expectation, whenever AI has been used, a clear and comprehensive statement must be included as an appendix of the final thesis or dissertation describing the role of generative AI in the scholarly process and what was authorized as appropriate use. The student and the thesis committee are responsible for ensuring any permitted use of AI aligns with disciplinary standards and reflects the student’s independent judgment and originality. Unauthorized use of generative AI tools is considered unauthorized assistance under UIC’s code of academic integrity. Unauthorized use of AI tools may also be considered a violation of institutional policies on academic honesty and plagiarism, including those related to integrity in research and scholarly activities.

Students should select their committee members early in their research program. Selection guidelines set by the student’s specific program and the Graduate College must be followed (for more information on Graduate College guidelines, see the Exams and Defense page on the Graduate College’s website). The Committee Recommendation Form for the proposed final examination committee must be submitted to the Graduate College for approval no later than three weeks before the date of the thesis defense. After the Graduate College approves the proposed committee, an Examination Report form will be sent to the student’s program for use at the defense.

In an effort to assist graduate students in not inadvertently including previously published work in their theses or dissertations without proper citation, paraphrasing, or quoting, the Graduate College requires students to screen their theses and dissertations using iThenticate. The student must complete the iThenticate analysis and iThenticate Report Form prior to the defense. The analysis and form are shared with the advisor, and the form is provided to the whole committee. Access to iThenticate is available via SSO using your UIC netID and password. Complete information and tutorials are on or linked from the iThenticate Review Procedures page on the Graduate College website.

The iThenticate Report Form will be used to report the results of your iThenticate scan to your committee and the Graduate College. Thus, your review and the form must be completed before your defense and shared with your committee. By signing the Examination Report after a passing result, the defense committee is verifying they have reviewed the iThenticate Report Form and resolved any questions that may arise in a satisfactory manner. If there is a “pass with conditions” listed on the Examination Report, the person charged with verifying the conditions have been met will also verify that the changes have been properly reviewed with iThenticate. The iThenticate Report Form must be submitted to the Graduate College before your thesis submission may be approved.

After the thesis has been defended and approved by the student’s committee, the final revised version first must be submitted to the program for format approval (procedures vary by program). Students are strongly encouraged to ask questions about format from their program early in the thesis writing process.

After the program approves the format of the defended thesis, the student must submit an electronic version of the final, corrected thesis to the Graduate College’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) System by the deadline for final approved thesis submission, as published for that term. In order to be accepted, submissions must be made by 4:30pm Central Time on the day of the deadline. Submissions made after the deadline will apply toward graduation in the following semester. No exceptions will be made.

A PDF version of the thesis is required, though an additional ePub version is recommended for anyone using LaTeX to format their work (see the Graduate College’s Document Accessibility for Theses and Dissertations page for full information). The Graduate College may need approximately three weeks to review the submitted thesis during peak submission periods, especially near the submission deadline.

After you have submitted your thesis online for review, you will receive a series of emails from the Graduate College Thesis Office that will notify you that we have received your submission and alert you to any required corrections or other steps you will need to take to complete your thesis deposit. You may also check the status of our review of your submission, including final approval, at any time by returning to your submission profile in the ETD system.

Students must file for graduation using the online Intent to Graduate. For instructions and a link to the form, see the Graduation Information page on the Graduate College website or use myUIC (Student Self-Service). The deadline to submit your graduation request is the Friday of the third week of the term (second week for Summer Session) of which you intend to graduate.

All thesis submissions will be reviewed for adherence to Graduate College formatting requirements. Please use the available Word template and LaTeX template (LaTeX template also available on Overleaf) to help format your work.

Preliminary (pretext) pages are numbered consecutively using lower case Roman numerals. Black is the only approved font color for all page numbers. The title page, while counted as number i, is unnumbered.

Arabic numerals are used, beginning with number 1 on the first page of the text and continuing consecutively throughout the rest of the thesis, including the bibliography, appendices, and vita. Every page must be numbered consecutively, including diagrams, figures, and tables. Black is the only approved font color for all page numbers.

Except for the title page, every page of the thesis should be numbered.

The title page is page i but it does not receive a page number. The spacing, format, and content of the title page should follow precisely the sample UIC thesis title page and the formatting in the Word and LaTeX templates.

Title and Name

The name of the author and title of the thesis as approved by the Graduate College on the Committee Recommendation Form must appear on the Title Page.

The Graduate College can only approve forms of a student’s name that meet the following criteria:

1. The surname must be listed in Banner as the student’s surname
2. Any first name used must be listed in Banner, either as the student’s legal first name or as the student’s preferred name

If the form of the author’s name or the title of the thesis will be different from that listed on the submitted Committee Recommendation Form, a Request for Change in Thesis Title or Committee Member(s) form must be submitted to and approved by the Graduate College before submission of the thesis.

The thesis title must be in title case (see the title page template). UIC’s title case capitalizes all major words (including the second part of hyphenated words) and uses lowercase only for articles, conjunctions, short prepositions (four letters or fewer), and species names.

Previously Earned Degrees

A list of previously earned degrees should appear below your name on your title page. You should not include the degree for which your thesis is being submitted.

Thesis or Dissertation

Either the word “THESIS” (for master’s theses or doctoral dissertations) or the word “DISSERTATION” (for doctoral dissertations only) must appear—centered on its own line—above your degree statement.

Degree Statement

The degree statement on your title page must use the correct wording and formatting (see the title page template) and must include your official program name. The statement should be centered on the page (see the title page template). Your statement must read (with “[DEGREE]” replaced by the degree you are earning, “[PROGRAM]” replaced by your official program name, and “[YEAR]” replaced by your year of graduation):

Submitted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of [DEGREE] in [PROGRAM] in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois Chicago, [YEAR]

You may include your concentration in parenthesis after your degree, e.g., “. . . for the degree of [DEGREE] in [PROGRAM (CONCENTRATION)] in the . . .”

The words “Chicago, Illinois” should appear below your degree statement (centered and on their own line).

Committee List

Your complete committee (specifying advisor and chair) as approved by the Graduate College on the Committee Recommendation Form must be listed on the title page. The affiliations of any outside members must be listed. You can find directions at the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Format page on the Graduate College’s website. Please format your list according to the examples provided.

After the title page, additional preliminary pages follow in the order listed below. The first numbered page is page ii, and all others follow consecutively. All preliminary pages except the title page must be sequentially numbered in lower case Roman numerals. Black is the only approved font color for all headings. Heading styles (e.g., alignment, capitalization, font size and weight) must be consistent throughout the preliminary pages (e.g, if one of your headings is bolded, centered, in 12-point font, and in all capital letters, the rest of the headings in your preliminary pages must match). The only exception to this is the Dedication (see below).

Dedication (optional) (if used, page number ii)

The dedication contains no special heading.

Acknowledgments (optional)

An acknowledgments page may be included in a preface (see below), or it may stand alone. It is a brief note of appreciation for assistance given the candidate in the research and preparation of the thesis. The word Acknowledgments should appear at the top of the page as the heading.

Preface (optional)

A preface may contain the author’s statement of the purpose of the study, or special notes to the reader. An acknowledgment may be included in the preface or may have a separate section.

Contribution of Authors (required as appropriate)

If the thesis includes co-authored work, a Contribution of Authors statement is required. For further information and a sample statement, please see the final page of the introduction to iThenticate screening document.

Table of Contents (required)

Each entry shown should have a page number that is flush with the right margin. The preliminary pages need not be shown in the table of contents. References, appendices and the vita must be shown in the table of contents.

List of Tables (required if tables are used)

When tables are used, a list of tables should be placed on a separate page immediately following the table of contents. As with the table of contents, page numbers should be flush with the right margin. Appendices which are actually tables must be listed here as sequentially numbered tables.

List of Figures (required if figures are used)

When figures, process flow charts, metabolic pathways or similar schematics are used, a list of figures should be shown on a separate page immediately following the list of tables. Each figure or illustration must have a legend or title and a page number aligned on the righthand side of the page.

List of Abbreviations or Nomenclature (required as appropriate)

If more than three abbreviations of words or phrases which are not in common usage are used in the texts, e.g., ATP, COPD, a list of abbreviations (also called nomenclature) must be included. Page numbers are not required in the list of abbreviations.

Summary (required)

All theses, master’s and doctoral, must have a summary. This summary can be the same as the abstract you submit to the electronic thesis and dissertation site, but it is not required to be. There is no maximum length for the summary.

The text is the main body of the thesis. The organization of the text will vary with different subjects, but a consistent style must be followed through each individual thesis text (e.g., headings must be consistently formatted throughout the body of your thesis).
Black is the only approved font color for all headings.
For dissertations, each chapter must begin on a new page. Master’s theses are not required to have chapters. However, if the thesis table of contents lists sections as chapters, each must begin on a new page.
If a thesis is in two or more distinct parts, the cited literature/references may follow each part.
Students should follow their discipline’s preferred style when structuring the text of their theses or dissertations.

See Introduction to Screening Your Thesis or Dissertation for examples and more information for the following.

Published Articles

Some disciplines allow a student’s published work to be used as part of their thesis or dissertation. The student should verify with their program the policy for this. If allowed, students must follow the rules of their department and committee, the rules of the Graduate College, and the rules of the publisher who holds the copyright for that work.

Students reusing their own previously published material (including pre-prints on sites like arXiv.org) must include the two following items as part of their final thesis document:

• An acknowledgment (at the beginning of any chapter that contains previously published material) of where the item was published previously; this acknowledgment should include a full citation
• An appendix that includes either proof of permission to reuse the content or proof that permission is not required

Published Figures and Tables

Tables and figures may be copied directly from published documents only with the permission of the holder of the copyright, usually either the author or the publisher. It is not enough to simply cite the source. Rules of the publisher must be followed. Additionally, each table, figure, image, etc. should include a citation of the original source. As with the reuse of published articles, either written permission from the publisher or a statement from the journal’s/publisher’s website outlining their policies must be placed in an appendix of the thesis or dissertation.

Use of Articles with Multiple Authors

When a student is an author of a multiple-author manuscript and wants to include that manuscript in their thesis or dissertation, all of the above rules should be followed and a description of the student’s contribution, as well as the other authors’ contributions, must be included. In these instances, in order to make clear to outside readers what a particular individual’s contributions are, a statement entitled Contribution of Authors should be included in the preliminary pages. This statement should be placed after the acknowledgments and prior to the table of contents.

In some theses, it may be desirable to include certain materials, e.g., text forms, blank record forms, detailed descriptions of apparatus, extensive tables of raw data, etc., which do not form a part of the text. Such materials should be included in an appendix that preferably follows the cited literature unless additional citations are in the appendices. Appendices are paginated consecutively from the preceding pages. Tables and figures in the appendices must be numbered consecutively continuing the numbering in the text.

When there is a single appendix, that section should be headed only with the word Appendix. When there are several, the first page must have the word Appendices centered within the margins. The first appendix should be headed Appendix A.

Copies of any IRB or ACC approval must be included as an appendix of the final draft of the thesis submitted for review by the Graduate College.

Whenever AI has been used, a clear and comprehensive statement must be included as an appendix of the final thesis or dissertation describing the role of generative AI in the scholarly process and what was authorized as appropriate use.

This section should be headed Vita. A vita is a professional biography of the candidate, including educational institutions attended, degrees, professional qualifications (including degree currently receiving from the University of Illinois Chicago), honors, awards, publications, teaching and professional experience, and any other pertinent material. It should be short and written concisely in the style of a curriculum vitae. The vita does not have to be limited to one page in length. The vita must be the final item in any UIC thesis/dissertation document.

All UIC Thesis submissions will be checked for compliance with accessibility requirements related to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination by public entities against individuals with disabilities. This includes an obligation to ensure that all communications, including digital documents, are accessible. All UIC theses and dissertations must comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards. To demonstrate compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA, all UIC thesis and dissertation submissions must pass an accessibility check.

For work created in Word and converted to PDF, the thesis will be checked using Adobe Acrobat’s accessibility checker. In order to pass an accessibility check, your final PDF document must pass 31 of 32 possible options in all categories of Acrobat’s accessibility check. (The only item not required is the table summary.) For more information on Adobe’s accessibility checker, please see this page on Adobe’s website.

Creating an accessible Word document and correctly converting it to PDF should prevent the need to remediate accessibility failures in the PDF. Please use the Word version of the UIC thesis template to create an accessible source document.

When creating your Word document, concentrate on the following aspects:

• Document title must be present.
• Document language must be set.
• Document structure must be set using Word styles pane.
• Space between paragraphs should be set using Word’s Layout tab or Format>Paragraph. Do not use returns to create spaces between paragraphs.
  • To make this process easier in the creation of your title page, please download the UIC thesis title page template. You will need to insert a page break immediately after your committee list in order to begin adding the rest of your thesis.
• Use page breaks to start a chapter on a new page. Do not use returns.
• All informative figures must include alternative text offering a full explanation of the figure.
• Lists must be created using Word’s built-in features.
• Columns must be created using Word’s built-in features.
• Tables should have a simple structure and specified header rows.
• Table of Contents should be created using Word’s built-in features.
• Figures must comply with color use and contrast requirements (See Color Use/Contrast section, below).

Please use the following Word and PDF accessibility resources created by UIC’s Digital Accessibility Team to help create accessible thesis documents.

• Creating an Accessible MS Word Document
• Microsoft Word Accessibility Checklist
• Converting a Word Document to an Accessible PDF
• PDF Accessibility Checklist

For work created using LaTeX, please use the accessible UIC LaTeX template created by UIC MSCS professor Julius Ross. An Overleaf version of the template, created by UIC ECE professor Debjit Pal, is also available. (Directions for forking the Overleaf template to your Overleaf login are also available.)

Theses and dissertations created with LaTeX should be converted to both PDF and ePub formats. The ePub format will be checked for accessibility using the Ace by DAISY app. Please see the directions at the GitHub link above for information on converting to each format. You may also find arXiv’s “LaTeX Markup Best Practices for Successful HTML Papers” and “Error messages in HTML papers” pages helpful in creating an ePub that will pass an accessibility check.

In order to pass an accessibility check, your ePub document must show a total of zero (0) violations on all WCAG 2.0 lines and on the WCAG 2.1 A and AA lines in the Ace by DAISY Report Summary. If any violations arise, please check them using the Violations tab in the report and make sure they are remediated before submitting your work to UIC’s electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) system.

If you are using LaTeX and do not wish to use the new template/submit an ePub version, your PDF version will be required to pass an accessibility check. One option is to try using the directions on Overleaf’s “Creating Accessible PDFs in LaTeX” page. Your PDF may require extensive remediation to pass an accessibility check.

Two accessibility aspects cannot currently be checked using automated accessibility checkers: reading order and color use/contrast.

Reading Order

Document reading order must be logical (i.e., the sequence in which content is presented by screen readers must ensure that meaning is preserved).

• In PDFs, the reading order can be checked by using the Reading Order Panel (open by clicking on the image on the right side that looks like a “Z”). When no other accessibility failures are present, the most common issue that arises with reading order is that image tags will appear at the bottom of a page rather than where they actually appear in the page sequence. Dragging and dropping the tag in the reading order panel will fix this issue.
• For ePubs, please use an eBook editor like Sigil to ensure that the reading order of your HTML files is logical.

Color Use/Contrast

Please use the following as a guide when including any figures/images in your thesis:

• Figures must not rely on color alone to convey information or distinguish a visual element.
• The color of any text must have a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 with its background (unless it is large text—at least 18-point for regular text and 14-point for bold text—which requires a 3:1 color contrast ratio with its background). Black text on a white background is always compliant.
• The color of any graphical (non-textual) element must have at least a 3:1 ratio with its background
• If your figures cannot be adjusted to comply with all three of the above points, you must provide an accessible alternative. Options for accessible alternatives include:
  • a long description of the content of the figure placed either directly before or after the figure or in an appendix to your thesis (if in an appendix, please reference the appendix and, if possible, link to it, in the figure caption)
  • an accessible data table

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure accessibility of the final thesis document.

Any work that fails an accessibility check will be sent back to the author for remediation. In order to have your submission approved, your work must pass the accessibility check. To prevent the need to remediate accessibility issues, please prepare accessible source documents and use accessibility checkers on your own final documents to ensure they will pass.

Students who do not have access to a version of Adobe Acrobat that includes an accessibility checker may use UIC’s Virtual Computer Lab or may make an appointment to use the computer in University Hall (UH) 613 during its open hours.

Students who do not have access to Ace by DAISY may make an appointment to use the computer in UH 613 during its open hours.

Publication of your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation online at UIC INDIGO and through ProQuest is mandatory. During the submission process, you may choose to embargo your work (hold the full text back from publication) for a limited period of time.

• INDIGO embargo options are Open Access (thesis is available immediately after date of degree conferral), Journal Hold (closed to all for a period of two years, after which it becomes publicly available), and Book Hold (closed to all for a period of five years, after which it becomes publicly available).
• ProQuest options are no embargo, 6-month embargo, 1-year embargo, or 2-year embargo.

The final thesis defense must be completed before the submission of the final version of the thesis to the Graduate College. At the defense, the Examination Report is signed by the committee. The completed and endorsed Examination Report must be sent by the student’s program to the Graduate College within two business days of the defense. Following all corrections and revisions of the text resulting from the thesis defense, the thesis is submitted to the department for review of format. Format review is also the advisor’s responsibility, but many programs designate a staff member for this function. Follow the protocol established within your program to ensure you receive clearance. Only after the thesis format is cleared should the document be electronically submitted to the Graduate College ETD system.

Master’s and doctoral students who submit a thesis have to pay a library publishing fee of $12.50. The fee can be paid online, and the Graduate College will receive a report indicating that the fee has been paid. There is no need to submit a copy of the receipt, though it is recommended that a copy be saved for your personal records.

The abstract is not a part of the thesis but is submitted separately as part of the electronic submission process. The abstract should not exceed three hundred and fifty (350) words (maximum two thousand, four hundred and fifty (2,450) typewritten characters, including spaces and punctuation). Outside readers typically view the abstract before deciding to read the thesis, so it should be well written, logical, and a complete reflection on your work.

Any questions about thesis formatting and accessibility—or any other part of the thesis process—can be shared with the UIC Graduate College Thesis Office via email at thesis@uic.edu.

• Apply for graduation for term during the term registration period, through the third week (second week in summer) of the term. The Intent to Graduate is online and available via the Graduation Information page on the Graduate College website or myUIC (Student Self-Service).
• Finalize any issues with the formation of Defense Committee with department.
• Verify with department that the preference for name and thesis title are correctly typed on the Committee Recommendation Form.
• Verify with department that they submit the Committee Recommendation Form to the Graduate College a minimum three weeks before proposed defense date.
• Write an abstract of the thesis. Do not include within body of thesis. It will be submitted electronically as part of the online submission process.
• Access iThenticate and follow directions to achieve a 0% word overlap, completing the iThenticate Report Form as you proceed. The iThenticate reports should be made available in your box account you set up and share with your advisor (and with thesischeck@uic.edu). The iThenticate Report Form is shared with the whole committee before and/or at the defense.
• After successful defense, verify that the Examination Report is endorsed by the Chairperson and members of the committee.
• Submit final defended thesis to thesis advisor or departmental designee for format approval, making any corrections as they may indicate.
• Submit the completed, final thesis to the electronic thesis/dissertation submission system.
• Pay library fee. The Graduate College will receive confirmation of your payment.
• If contacted for corrections to thesis, upload a new version of your thesis to your original submission site by deadline given by reviewer.

• Apply for graduation for term during the term registration period, through the third week (second week in summer) of the term. The Intent to Graduate is online and available via the Graduation Information page on the Graduate College website or myUIC (Student Self-Service).
• Finalize any issues with the formation of Defense Committee with department.
• Verify with department that the preference for name and thesis title are correctly typed on the Committee Recommendation Form.
• Verify with department that they submit the Committee Recommendation Form to the Graduate College a minimum three weeks before proposed defense date.
• Write an abstract of the dissertation. Do not include within body of dissertation. It will be submitted electronically as part of the online submission process.
• Access iThenticate and follow directions to achieve a 0% word overlap, completing the iThenticate Report Form as you proceed. The iThenticate reports should be made available in your box account you set up and share with your advisor (and with thesischeck@uic.edu). The iThenticate Report Form is shared with the whole committee before and/or at the defense.
• After successful defense, verify that the Examination Report is endorsed by the Chairperson and members of the committee.
• Submit final defended dissertation to thesis advisor or departmental designee for format approval, making any corrections as they may indicate.
• Submit the completed, final thesis to the electronic thesis/dissertation submission system.
• Pay library fee. The Graduate College will receive confirmation of your payment.
• Access the Survey of Earned Doctorates. Completion of the survey is mandatory, but you may write “refused” for any specific question you do not wish to answer.
• If contacted for corrections to dissertation, upload a new version of your thesis to your original submission site by deadline given by reviewer.