MSIS

FORMAT GUIDELINES FOR MSIS PAPERS AND FINAL PROJECT
General Guidelines
All papers written for any MSIS course will follow these guidelines (see the Specific
Formatting Features section for more detail).
• double spaced
• no paragraph or page border
• no extra space before or after each line or between paragraphs, extra space can be left
before or after a table/figure/chart (see paragraph menu for options, by default MS Word
adds extra space after a paragraph, ensure you set that to 0 before and 0 after)
• all text should be in black, no special colors
• headers/footers maybe used in course papers except for the final paper in BIT 595
• Times New Roman or Arial are acceptable fonts and 12pt
• tables/charts/graphs should be single spaced and can be presented landscape and in
smaller point size
• all tables/charts/graphs must have a caption, placed after the discussion, and listed in the
appropriate List of Figures, Tables, or Charts.
o use the caption feature
o change the color of the font to black and the size to the same in the document
• use hard return (ctrl enter) to create a page break, do not use several returns to move text
to new page
• Table of Contents/List of Figure/List of Charts should be in the same font and size as the
rest of the document, no color, no italics, with numbers right aligned (create a right dot
leader tab at the right margin)
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The components of the final project/thesis includes:
• Title page
• Copyright page (or blank page)
• Signature page
• Executive Summary or Abstract
• Acknowledgments (optional)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Introduction
• Project Detail (this will vary depending on the type of project completed)
• Results/Discussion
• References Cited
• Appendices (optional)
Each of these components is discussed in full detail in the Thesis and Major Paper Guide
provided on the Graduate school website,. It is highly suggested that you download and print a
copy.
These guidelines will apply to all papers written in each of the classes as well as the final
capstone project. There may be some sections not included for specific class assignments. Be
sure to check with the course professor on what must be included.
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SPECIFIC FORMATTING FEATURES
Preliminary Material
The formats used for preliminary material (Title Page through List of Figures, or List of
Plates) are illustrated in the example pages provided in Appendix A of the Thesis and Major
Paper Guide. Students should follow these examples carefully in preparing these preliminary
pages.
Margins
The margins on all four sides of every page must be a minimum of 1 inch. Only page
numbers (placed upper right in a header) are placed outside of the margins. The required margins
apply to tables and figures as well as the text, and they apply to all pages, including preliminary
material and appendices.
Page Numbers
All pages of the thesis are counted with the exception of the blank or copyright page that
follows the Title Page. All preliminary pages (all pages prior to the Introduction) should be
numbered with lower case Roman numerals (ii). The only exception is the Title Page, which is
assigned a page number (i.e., counted as page i), but it is not paginated (no page number is
shown). Beginning with Introduction, and continuing through the References and any
appendices, all pages are counted and paginated (with some exceptions) with Arabic numerals
(2, 3). The only page that is not paginated is the page (if present) labeled “Appendices” or
“Appendix”.
Page numbers, whether Roman or Arabic numerals, are placed at the upper-right corner
of the page. They should be located inside the right-hand margin. To set the page number in
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Microsoft Word, use Insert/Page Number/Top of Page–Plain Number 3. The page number can
then be formatted as needed (to be either lowercase Roman numerals or Arabic numerals).
Changing the type of page number (Roman numerals to Arabic numerals) or omitting the
page number from a page requires use of a section break within word processing programs. The
places that require a section break are before (transitioning to) the first page of each chapter and
before the page (if included) labeled “Appendices” or “Appendix.” The section break should be
inserted after typing on the preceding page is completed. In Microsoft Word, select… Page
Layout/ Break /Section break – next page. The cursor will move to the top of the next page, and
the section number increases by one. The section break allows the pages of different sections,
including headers and footers, to be formatted differently.
To set the type of page number to be used: Double-click in the header area, to activate the
headers and footers. In the Header and Footer section of the Formatting Palette, select… Format
Page number. In the window that appears, you can choose the format of the page numbers.
Within the preliminary materials section, select the i, ii, iii… format. In the Headings the APA
Manual defines five possible levels of headings. However, in most reports or projects, all five
levels will not be needed. Headings help readers navigate the report or project; but using too
many levels can be more intrusive than helpful. The five levels of headings set forth in the APA
Manual are formatted as follows:
Level 1 centered, boldface, uppercase and lowercase (capitalized) heading.
Level 2 flush left, boldface, uppercase and lowercase (capitalized) heading.
Level 3 indented, boldface, lowercase (only first word capitalized) paragraph heading,
ends with a period.
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Level 4 indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase (only first word capitalized) paragraph
heading, ends with a period.
Level 5 indented, italicized, lowercase (only first word capitalized) paragraph heading,
ends with a period.
These heading formats outlined in the APA Manual 6th edition differ from those outlined
in the 5th edition. In a report or project, the highest level heading is used to title the chapter. Both
the chapter number (e.g., Chapter 1) and the title of the chapter (e.g., Introduction) are
considered to be part of the same heading, even though they are typed on separate lines, doublespaced.
Typeface and Spacing
The MSIS Faculty prefers Times New Roman or Arial. Acceptable font sizes are 10 pt
and 12 pt. For Times New Roman and Arial, 12 pt text works best; 10-pt text is rather small, and
more difficult to read. The same typeface must be used throughout the report or project, with the
exceptions of lettering that is part of the body of a figure and material in appendices, for which a
different typeface may be used. One additional exception to the font size requirement relates to
table notes, which may be a smaller font (e.g., 10-pt Times New Roman).
Text should be written using left justification (i.e., text aligned with left margin, except
when indented). Full justification, which spreads the text to align with both the left and right
margins, should not be used.
The MSIS Faculty prefers double spacing throughout the document. However,
appropriate use of larger line spacing (triple or quadruple) in some places can improve the
readability of the reports or projects. Triple line spacing (two blank lines) is required above
and/or below tables that appear on a page with normal text, to more clearly offset them from the
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text. Larger line spacing (triple spacing should suffice) may also precede headings, particularly
higher-level headings. Consistency in spacing is the key.
In Text Citation and Reference Page
The MSIS Faculty has agreed on a modified APA format. Each reference should be listed in
alphabetical order, according to proper APA format, on the reference page and numbered. The
carry over line will be indented such that it aligns with the first line. Examples follow:
1. Baker, E. J. (2011). Household preparedness for the Aftermath of Hurricanes in
Florida, Applied Geography, 31, 46-52.
2. Carleton, R. N., Collimore, K. C., & Asmundson, J. G. J. (2010). It’s not just the
judgements—It’s that I don’t know: Intolerance of uncertainty as a predictor of social
anxiety, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24, 189–195.
The number will be used as the in text citation and the number enclosed in brackets [1]. The
numbers will not be in numerical order in your document, rather will refer to the listing on the
reference page. For example:
Baker [1] found that preparedness was strongly related to factors like income level, home
ownership, race, age, and type of housing.