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BYU ECEn Dept. Graduate Program LaTeX templates

These templates have been provided by previous students (not the Department) to help you get started. If you fix or improve something, let us know and we'll post your contribution to help future students.

WARNING: The templates are neither all-inclusive nor authoritative and do not do everything. There are elements of the formatting guidelines which cannot be ensured by templates. Also, the guidelines change from time to time without warning. (You should expect that your first attempt at submission will not be accepted.)

YOU are responsible for ensuring that your thesis/dissertation meets the most current guidelines.

Template files

Date Template ZIP file Notes
20 Nov 2009 ThesisTemplate.20Nov2009.zip Require keywords in MS theses; add signature page template
2 Oct 2009 ThesisTemplate.2Oct2009.zip New format as of Fall 2009

Using the templates

Download the most current ThesisTemplate.zip file and extract it (it will extract into a subdirectory). The zip archive contains:

  • A style file (byuthesis.sty) that provides LaTeX formatting behaviors
  • Other style files required by byuthesis.sty
  • A "Master" file that serves as a template for constructing the document. You will edit this file, setting various options and including the files which contain your thesis/dissertation text.
  • Other sample *.tex files that are used by the sample master file.
  • A MS-Word document for the signature page.

You should take the time to learn something about Latex before using these templates and should at least read through the comments in the master.tex file.

Bound copies and the signature page

The University does not require printed and bound copies of your thesis or dissertation, however, the department requires two: one for the department and one for your committee chair. (We expect that you'll want one for yourself as well.) Follow the instructions given on ADV Form 11 to prepare these copies, with one exception: we do not require you to do a "margin shift" to provide wider gutters for binding when you make copies; we have found that the default margins are acceptable for all but the thickest documents.

The department and college require that you include a signature page in the bound copies, but not the PDF that you submit to ETD. The best way to accomplish this is to fill in the Word signature page document found in the zip file, get the signatures, copy the page, and just slip the copies into your printed thesis/dissertation behind the title page. (Note: names on signature pages must include middle initials. The college is extremely picky about this. You probably should use middle initials on the title page as well.)

Known template limitations/common mistakes

  • Title lines cannot exceed 5 inches. A title longer than 5 inches must be in an inverted pyramid form. You can achieve this by explicitly inserting line breaks into the title.
  • Table titles go above tables and should be centered over table. The template cannot enforce this; title location is determined by where the \caption command appears in relation to the body of the table. To get the title above the table, put the \caption command before the body.
  • Multiple lines in table titles need to be centered and in inverted pyramid form (not left justified). Again, you can achieve the inverted pyramid by explicitly inserting line breaks into the title.
  • The college and department require that M.S. theses as well as Ph.D. dissertations include keywords with the abstract.
  • Abstracts can be no more than one page long, including keywords. The abstract cannot exceed 350 words. We are not sure whether acknowledgment pages can be more than one page long, but we encourage you to limit yourself to one page.
  • If your title is long, it may push the copyright notice off the title page onto another page. In that case, change the style file to reduce the spacing around the author's name.

This web page is provided for convenience and does not represent the official policy of the University, College, or Department. For official information please consult the graduate catalog at http://saas.byu.edu/catalog/.

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