Your dissertation marks the end and apex of your degree work in the Lynch School. It is both a public testimony of your scholarship and the vehicle by which you make known the contribution to knowledge which your research has made. For this reason, dissertations are preserved in the Archives of Boston College for scholarly consultation and are generally sent to University Microfilms International for sale and listing in their own and other international indices. The appearance of your dissertation is thus a matter of some importance to you and to Boston College, whose name it also bears. A dissertation that does not conform to the following minimum standards may be returned to the candidate, and the awarding of the degree delayed.  If you have any questions about the format of your dissertation, please contact the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services, Lynch School, Campion 135, 617.552.4214.

The Lynch School requires that you turn in two unbound copies of your dissertation. One copy must be on bond paper, 20 weight, and we recommend the use of acid-free bond. Bond paper can be identified by the water mark, which can be seen by holding a sheet up to the light. The other copy is to be on regular white paper.

Each of the two copies must include:

signed title page (sample [pdf])		These title pages, which will be provided to you by your Dissertation Chair at your defense, must be signed on the first line by the Dissertation Chair and then by the designated readers; two readers (in addition to the chair) must approve a doctoral dissertation. Both the original and the copy of your dissertation must include one of the two originals of these pages; photocopies are not acceptable.
a traditional title page (sample [pdf])		This title page must conform to the sample; if it does not, the Lynch School reserves the right to redo this page for you without notice. Make sure the title of your dissertation is concise and meaningful.
a copyright page (sample [pdf])		Whether or not you opt to have UMI register for you, this page must conform to the sample; if it does not, the Lynch School reserves the right to redo this page for you without notice
an abstract		This must be no more than 350 words. The abstract must include the title of your dissertation, your name, and that of your dissertation director as its heading. Word limit must be strictly adhered to and every word (including the title and the names) counted. If your department requires an abstract that has a larger word count than that required here, please include a shortened version. The abstract must be double-spaced in the same type font as the text of your dissertation.

Please note that you will need additional copies of the traditional title page and the abstract to include with your UMI agreement (see below), and one extra traditional title page for Lynch School office use.

The processing of all textual material must be letter-quality, clear, dark black, and double-spaced on one side of the page; notes, bibliographic references, and long quotations may be single-spaced. The font size must be at least 12 point. While only one font style and size should be used throughout your text, the notes, bibliographic references, and long quotations may be in a type size smaller than your text, but must still be at least 10 point. The use of correction fluids and tapes is not acceptable. Margins must be 1 1/2 inches at the left and on the top if you choose to put your page numbers there, or at the left and on the bottom if you choose to put your page numbers there. They should be 1 inch on the right and on the remaining side. These margins must be strictly maintained throughout your work. Page numbers should be 1 inch from the edge of the paper.

Pagination
The signed title page, traditional title page, and copyright page require no page numbers and should be submitted in this order.  Acknowledgments, table of contents, list of tables, etc. are considered the introductory material of the manuscript and page numbers are expressed in lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, etc.). The abstract immediately precedes the manuscript directly following the copyright page and is not counted in the page numbering. Every page of your dissertation, after the abstract, including all material in Appendices, must be sequentially numbered. The Lynch School does not insist on the use of one particular style manual, but leaves this decision to the student and advisor. Make sure that you follow one method of reference and bibliographic notation throughout your dissertation. Counseling Psychology stud ents normally follow APA style.

Charts, graphs, tables and other illustrative material should be produced in black ink. Colors should not be used for shading or in graphs, but should be replaced with labels or cross-hatching. Photographs should be high-contrast black and white, and if not scanned and printed in the text, should be affixed with dry mounting tissue or high-quality glue.

ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Information Service and the Copyright of Your Dissertation
UMI is the firm which makes it possible for scholars throughout the world to consult your dissertation. UMI will include your title in its database, your abstract in its catalog of abstracts, and will make available in microform or paper copy your dissertation to researchers who request it. The firm will pay you a royalty if the number of copies of your work ordered exceeds a specified limit. The agreement you sign with UMI does not preclude you from making any other publishing arrangements for your work. For more information about why and how to publish your dissertation, please visit the dissertation publishing section of the UMI website.

UMI also offers to register the copyright of your dissertation with the Library of Congress Copyright Office. As you are making the decision whether to register your copyright, you should know that any work of original authorship is protected by copyright even without registration. It is our understanding, however, that without the registration of copyright, you cannot sue for statutory damages someone who infringes on your copyright. If you wish to do so yourself, you may register your copyright at any time within five years of the completion of your dissertation. If you wish to have UMI register the copyright for you, please add the payment of $45 for this service to your payment of the $125 microfilm and binding fee. (Make one check, payable to Boston College, for the total, either $125 or, with copyright registration, $170). If you chose Open-Access publishing on these forms you will have to include an additional $95.

The UMI agreement form asks finally if you are willing to have your work reproduced by the Library of Congress for the blind and handicapped. There is no fee or obligation entailed in this request, and giving your permission might make possible the work of a scholar who would not otherwise have access to your research. You will also find at the back of the UMI brochure a Pre-Publication Discount Order Form you may use to order extra copies of your dissertation. If you choose to order these copies, please mail in the form to UMI with your payment. Their address is on the back of the booklet. Or, you may turn it in with your dissertation. UMI requests you use a credit card for your order since checks can become outdated during a sometimes six-month process.

Because your work will be published by UMI, it may be necessary for you to obtain the written permission of the copyright owner of copyrighted material you use in your dissertation. If you reproduce a survey or questionnaire in your dissertation, use a copyrighted photo or piece of music, or have numerous large quotations from the same source, then you must obtain permission for your own use and permission for the use of UMI from the copyright owner.