On this page you will find templates and information about how to design your thesis. Printing is optional. Student theses are registered in Chalmers publication library and most of them are published electronically. The theses should be produced as a PDF file in accordance with the templates below, also if used for e-publishing.
Chalmers Writing Guide
English writing guide for all students but particularly aimed at Master's level with a focus on the Master's thesis. Tips and tricks for writing at all levels!
Chalmers Writing Guide
Chalmers standard cover
Theses at Chalmers have standard covers with the University’s logotype and mark. For practical reasons, we use Arial and Times New Roman fonts in the templates and the A4 format (210x297 mm).
Information on the front cover
The following information should always appear on the front cover:
- Title, not too long, which describes the contents well
- Sub-title if used
- The author’s first and last name
- The name of the department (or equivalent)
- Chalmers University of Technology
- Place of publication (Göteborg or Gothenburg, Sweden) and year of publication
- The front cover can also have an illustration or photo that symbolises the contents. The caption for the illustration is then printed on the imprint page.
Spine and back cover
The title (which must not be shortened), the name of author, "Chalmers" and year of publication are printed down the spine if possible. The back cover can have a brief lay summary of the contents.
Templates
Title page
The first page after the frontispiece should include:
- The title of the report
- Any sub-titles
- The author’s first and last name
- Name of the series - if applicable
- The report’s serial number
You will find an example of a title page at the bottom of this page.
Imprint page
The imprint page (back of title page) displays all elements that are required for database searches. These are:
- Title
- Author
- © The author’s first and last name, year of first publication (The copyright symbol has no legal significance in Sweden, but can be required in some countries to protect works and their translation)
- Name of the series - if applicable
- Serial number - if applicable
- ISSN number - if applicable
- Address, fax, etcetera for ordering
- Name of printing firm (If the thesis has been copied at the department rather than printed, the name of the department will be displayed)
- Place and year of publication
The imprint page should also include the sentence:
- Acknowledgements, dedications, and similar personal statements in this
thesis, reflect the author’s own views.
If the thesis belongs to report series, this is shown on the imprint page. Give the issuing organisation (name and department of the university, for example) and the name and number of the series.
The following information may also be relevant:
- Sponsoring entity, collaborators, etcetera
- Caption for cover illustration
- Photographers and illustrators
You will find an example of an imprint page at the bottom of this page.
Abstract page and table of contents
Abstract
The third page contains an abstract.
- This should be written in English (for Master level theses)
- Include the title, any sub-titles, author’s name, department and “Chalmers University of Technology” (This is required if the work is written in Swedish)
- Be concise, and contain between 250 and 350 words.
- Present a short and simple summary of the work and its most essential elements (problem, methods and results)
- Comply with international writing standards in the subject area
- End with a maximum of 10 keywords that will assist database searchers.
You will find an example of an abstract page at the bottom of this page.
Table of contents
The table of contents should present at good overview of the thesis's contents and disposition.
E-publishing, printing and images
E-publishing
According to a Presidents' decision Master's Theses for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering or Master of Architecture should be registered and e-published in Chalmers ODR Student Theses. This also applies to Bachelor Theses (Högskoleingenjör). For all publications published by Chalmers you need to sign an agreement where you give Chalmers permission to publish your work on the Internet. This agreement is included on your Work Card.
You do not need to register or upload your thesis in Chalmers ODR Student Theses, this will be this will be administered by the department. Student theses are registered and searchable through the service Chalmers ODR Student Theses. Chalmers Library (exception: the Architecture Library) does not receive printed copies.
Contact: Chalmers Research Support lib.research@chalmers.se
Printing
Chalmers digital printing at Chalmers printing services can produce and print the cover’s original, including the spine and back.
Send your manuscript original to Chalmers digital printing in high resolution PDF format. Original files can be submitted on CDs, DVDs, USB memory sticks or sent by email.
The manuscript’s page format is created with the same physical measurement as the completed thesis: A4, 210x297, etc. The pages must be correctly numbered (odd pages are always on the right-hand side).
A good idea is to number the front section with Roman figures (I, II, III, etcetera) and begin normal pagination with 1 in the first chapter.
Printing should be ordered by staff at the department. Orders with Chalmers digital printing are made with a requisition and include an e-mail address, the supervisor’s details, the title and author of the thesis. The requisition will include full details about the paying entity (or similar), cost centre number, reference code, project number and any activity number.
Images
Photos, scanned paintings, etcetera for colour printing should have a resolution of 300 ppi (pixels per inch) in the actual size they will be printed. Screen dumps (72 ppi) should be made with a large image on the screen, because the resolution will increase when the image is reduced to its final format.
Line drawings (diagrams, figures, etcetera) should be scanned with the resolution 1200 ppi. Suitable file formats are JPG, TIFF or EPS. Chalmers digital printing can scan original images for you and deliver them in optional file formats.
When you add images, consider the following:
Illustrations created with vector graphics (diagrams, figures, logotypes, etcetera) should never be converted to pixel graphics – a suitable file format is EPS.
Images optimized for web use, with low resolution and limited colours, should be avoided.
Make sure the images have a resolution of 300 dpi.
Monochrome images should be in grayscale, not in the color space RGB. RGB is intended for viewing on screen, not for print.
Contact
Chalmers digital printing
E-mail: chalmersdigitaltryck@chalmers.se
Phone: 031-7728000
Visiting address: Betongvägen 9