Graduate School

Templates, Tools, and Resources

ETDR Templates

You are strongly encouraged to use one of the templates below to prepare your ETDR. Each template contains a set of instructions on formatting.

Note: Using a shared template from a peer rather than downloading a new one can result in functionality problems. Many times these templates are broken, incorrect, or outdated. To avoid these issues, be sure to download and use the Graduate School's Word or LaTeX templates below rather than one inherited from another graduate student.

Download a Word template

The Word templates work on both Macs and PCs and can be opened in any version of Microsoft Word. As a student, you can use K-State's online Office365 Word version by signing in with your eID at webmail.k-state.edu. Please be aware that not all features of Word referenced here are available in the web version so using Word on your computer or a shared workstation will be important.

There are notes on formatting and issue resolution inside each template for your reference while you work. These can all be deleted from the template as you work and at your convenience.

Master's Report or Thesis format
Doctoral Dissertation format

Tips on using the Word templates

  1. Start by reviewing the ETDR Handbook (PDF). It provides a complete overview and many important tips.
  2. You can also sort out common issues using the videsos in the ETDR Instructional Videos section below.
  3. Please visit the ETDR FAQ section for common issue resolutions.
  4. Do ALL your writing in the template and use it as your master file.
  5. Want to focus on writing? Keep just the Title, Table of Contents, and Chapter 1 heading, and start writing. Delete the other sections (Abstract, Copyright, Acknowledgements, etc.) and add them back in when you are almost finished.
  6. If your major professor only wants one chapter at a time, show them how easy it is to go directly to the chapter they want by clicking in the Table of Contents or using the Navigation Pane (click it on the View tab).
  7. Delete sample text in the template when it is no longer needed. It illustrates Word features such as heading levels, images, tables, and captions.
  8. The template makes extensive use of Styles(the "power tools" in Word).

Download a LaTeX template

The LaTeX template uses a separate file for each section of your ETDR and is designed to be compiled with PDFLaTex. The template will not compile with "regular" LaTeX. The template is configured with page margins and other formatting required by the Graduate School and will automatically generate a table of contents, a list of figures, and a list of tables. If you write your ETDR in LaTeX, you are not required to use this template.

There is no support for the LaTex template beyond the instructions in item 3 below. For support with LaTex, please reach out to your major professor.

  1. Download the LaTeX template (zip). The same template is used for doctoral and masters papers.
  2. The template consists of several files compressed into a single file. Create a new directory named "latex_source" and use an appropriate utility to decompress the file into this directory.
  3. Study the Instructions for Using the LaTeX ETDR Template (PDF) and the Using the LaTex Template for the ETDR video. Additional guidelines are contained within the template.

  4. When you submit to K-REx, you should convert your symbols in LaTex to Unicode to input them correctly in the K-REx form pages. There is a "Mathematical operators and symbols in Unicode" resource from Wikipedia to find Unicode equivalents for symbols and equations. You may find resources such as unicodeit.net (not university provided please use at your own risk) that converts LaTeX expressions to Unicode. If the issues with formatting the abstract and other details will cause you to miss the submission deadline, submit using information from your PDF and contact the Center for the Advancement of Digital Scholarship at the Kansas State University Library for assistance.

ETDR Instructional Videos