Is the Journal Style Thesis appropriate for you?

YES, if you:

• Are interested in submitting your work to professional journals in your field as an undergraduate
• Are interested in learning more about how to write a manuscript for a research journal in preparation for graduate school
• Are conducting an extensive literature or performance review, analysis, comparative and/or ethnographic study
• Are using previously collected data or published materials
• Are conducting archival work, field work, excavation and/or surveying
• Are collecting and analyzing new data and/or original designs
• Want to write several short manuscripts and prepare them for submission to a professional journal (this is typical for STEM and social sciences projects)
• Want to write one medium-length manuscript and prepare it for submission to a professional journal (this is typical for arts/humanities and social sciences projects)

You may also choose to use the Journal Style Thesis if you are:

• Limited by COVID-19-related restrictions and/or disruptions
• Unable to do in-person research
• Lacking funding for your research project
• Limited by travel restrictions
• Limited by timeframe to conduct a full-scale research project
• Conducting an interdisciplinary project where you lack a team member with a particular skill or a lab environment with access to particular equipment

Unsure about which Thesis Style to choose—Traditional or Journal?

Consult with your faculty advisor to determine if the Traditional Style Thesis or Journal Style Thesis is best for you. The Traditional Style Thesis includes 5 templates; the Journal Style Thesis includes 2 templates.

URS Thesis Styles at a Glance: Traditional Style (5 templates) and Journal Style (2 templates)

✓ = required ▢ = optional	Traditional Style Thesis	Journal Style Thesis
Preliminary Pages (must be in the order seen below)
Research Compliance Certification	✓	✓
Table of Contents	✓	✓
Abstract	✓	✓
Dedication	▢	▢
Acknowledgements	✓	✓
Nomenclature	▢	▢
Thesis Content (must be in the order seen below)
Introduction (all-inclusive)	✓	✓
Body Structure (varies by template)	Multiple Body Chapters or Sections Required	Minimum 1 Medium-length Manuscript Required OR Multiple Short-length Manuscripts Required
Conclusion (all-inclusive)	✓	✓
References	All-inclusive References Section Required	Individual References Subheading per Manuscript Required
Optional Supplemental Content
Appendix(ces) (all-inclusive)	▢* *Creative Artifact Section Required for Creative Works Template Users.	▢

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See examples of the 2 NEW URS Journal Style thesis templates on the URS Resources page.

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