Paper. The thesis or dissertation is to be typewritten or laser printed, with print no smaller than 12 characters per inch, on white, acid-free (with a minimum of 2% alkaline reserve) paper of at least 25% rag or cotton fiber content and of at least 20-pound weight, standard size (8.5"x11"). Such paper is available at book and stationery stores (such as University Bookstore) and at duplicating centers such as Kinko's. Erasable paper is not acceptable.
Photocopies. A photocopy is acceptable if it is made from a clearly-printed original and the photocopy image is clean, clear, dark, and sharp. The copy should be free of lines, shadows, and other marks. Paper used for a photocopy to be submitted to the Law Library must meet the same requirements specified in the previous paragraph.
Spacing, margins, and pagination. Double-space the body of the document; long quotations, footnotes, bibliographies, or extracts may be single-spaced. Leave a margin of at least 1.5 inches at the left side of each page; leave a margin of 1 inch on the top, bottom, and right side of the page. All pages must be numbered with the exception of the title page and the faculty approval page. LL.M. (but not S.J.D.) theses may be double-sided; if you choose this option, both left and right margins should be 1.5 inches.
Title page. Follow the sample title page shown below for the format of the title page. Use the sample LL.M. title page if you are completing your LL.M. thesis; the S.J.D. title page if you are completing your S.J.D. dissertation. The actual title page in your document is to be 8.5" x 11". Replace the sample title DEVELOPMENT OF AGENCY LAW IN NEW YORK 1880-1900 with the title of your thesis or dissertation. (And replace the "John D. Doe" or "Jane S. Doe" with your own name, of course.)
Footnotes. Footnotes are to be single-spaced. They may be placed at the bottom of the page or grouped at the ends of chapters (or at the end of the document). When in doubt about particular matters of arrangement, consult style books in the General Reference Department of the Memorial Library or look at the theses and dissertations in the Law Library for a general overview of format. Most probably, you will want your footnote citation format to comply with either The Blue Book or the University of Chicago's Manual of Legal Citation.
Plates, tables, or graphs. Plates and tables are to be mounted on numbered blank sheets of the document, while continuing to conform to the margin and paper requirements. If the plates, tables, or graphs are too large to fit within the margins, the sheet may be folded and mounted on a blank sheet.
Reprints within the document. Reprints or copies of reprints of published material may be included as part of the document, provided that margins are properly observed, the print is sharp, clean, clear, and dark, and the print size is comparable to elite type or larger. Page numbers should be added so that there is no break in the pagination of the thesis.
Computer printout within the document. If computer printout is included as part of the thesis or documentation, it should be reduced to 8.5" x 11". Be careful to observe margin requirements and be sure that any reduced print size is no smaller than elite type.
SUBMISSION OF THE THESIS OR DISSERTATION
Two UNBOUND copies of the final document, as approved by the candidate's reading committee, are to be submitted to the Graduate Programs Administrative Office with the correct processing fee. If you wish a bound copy for yourself, make arrangements on your own with a commercial bookbinder or a photocopy service (e.g., Kinko's).
Sample Title Page for LL.M. Thesis
[Center the following on 8.5 x 11 inch page, using your own thesis title and your own name:]
DEVELOPMENT OF AGENCY LAW IN NEW YORK 1880-1900
by
JOHN H. DOE
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF LAWS
(LL.M.)
at the
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
LAW SCHOOL
2005
Sample Title Page for S.J.D. Dissertation
[Center the following on 8.5 x 11 inch page, using your own disseration title and your own name:]
DEVELOPMENT OF AGENCY LAW IN NEW YORK 1880-1900
by
JANE S. DOE
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF JURIDICAL SCIENCE
(S.J.D.)
at the
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
LAW SCHOOL
2005