Peter Blomgren
San Diego State University 		headshot
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LaTeX LaTeX Typesetting.
Master's Thesis LaTeX Template and Samples

Since August 2010 I maintain the department LaTeX template and sample package used to typeset theses in mathematics.

Version Date: January 31, 2013
  • Linux/Unix — sdsu-thesis-latex.tar.gz
  • Windows — sdsu-thesis-latex.zip
  • PDF — sdsu-thesis-latex.pdf
    • Note: The generated sample pdf is available because many people asked for it, not because it is a good idea to use it as a reference. The style file and sample LaTeX document contain instructions and comments on why/how certain things were done in a certain way...
LaTeX Online Resources:
LaTeX Install note(s):
Commecial Resources:
  • SpanDeX: a collaborative solution for LaTeX authors.
Latest update note(s):
  • Fri Jan 31 09:03:11 PST 2013 – Peter Blomgren
    • Added [LaTeX_Thesis_Format_Approval_[OFFICIAL].docx] in the Resources folder.
    • Added [LaTeX_Thesis_Format_Details_[UNOFFICIAL].docx] in the Resources folder.
    • Added [LaTeX_Thesis_Format_Details_[UNOFFICIAL].pdf] in the Resources folder.
    • [body.tex] Changed "caption hints" to include instructions for FULL CITATIONs.
    • [thesis.tex] "Since the library went electronic, they no longer require an extra abstract to be inserted at the end of the thesis."
    • [thesis.tex] Added note about left-justification for short captions.
  • Fri Feb 23 14:11:32 PST 2012 – Peter Blomgren
    • Added [The-Subfigure-Package.pdf] in the Resources folder.
    • (EXPERIMENTAL) added \usepackage{amsthm} to [thesis.tex], and added a definition of \newtheoremstyle{dtm} to trim space above and below the thereom-like environments; commenting out \theoremstyle{dtm} should bring back the old behavior (which is no longer passing thesis review, even though "the review process hasn't changed." Yeah, right --- just look at the changelog since September 30, 2010.
    • Updated the way the "degree" is handled on the ABSTRACT pages; the previous update broke these. The new version now puts all the information from the \degreeONE{}, \degreeTWO{}, and \degreeTHREE{} fields on the abstract pages; it is unclear whether this is correct in the "Concentration" case. The DTM is not clear. [sdsu-thesis.cls]
  • Mon Feb 13 17:31:23 PST 2012 – Peter Blomgren
    • Changed the way [sdsu-thesis.cls] deals with optional arguments to sectioning commands. In the (common) one-argument case, the argument goes into the TOC (if not too deep in the sectioning structure) and the document; in the (rare) two-argument case, the first argument goes into the TOC, and the SECOND into the document. Previous versions of [sdsu-thesis.cls] ignored the second argument. Main use: setting math forumulas (in sectioning) in BOLD TYPE inside the document, and in NON-BOLD TYPE in the TOC.
    • Changed the way the "degree" is handled in the style file to make it more obvious how to handle various degrees; in particular degrees with "Concentrations" in some particular area. [sdsu-thesis.cls, thesis.tex]
    • Changed the way technical reports are handled in the bibilography. [siammod.bst]
    • [thesis.tex] is now usepackage'ing (how's that for a verb?!) the caption package, with the correct parameters, at an early stage in the process. Caption labels should now be bold followed by a period, with bold caption text in all (hopefully) cases.
  • Sat Feb 4 16:30:32 PST 2012 – Peter Blomgren
    • Added note on the subfig package (for those who refuse to use the subfigure package), section "Potential Pitfalls" [body.tex]
    • Added [siammod.bst] to the distribution; see comment marked [**] in [README_First]
    • Corrected spelling of "Acknowledgments."
    • Added example of how to reference a patent.
  • Thu Dec 16 13:48:44 PDT 2010 – Peter Blomgren
    • Updated style [sdsu-thesis.cls] to conform to:
      • [sub[sub[sub]]]sections should not be numbered in the appendices
      • The appendix "splash pages" need to be horizonally and VERTICALLY centered; previous versions left a *little* more space at the bottom of the page, which is visually more pleasing, but not strictly conforming to the specifications.
    • Added [Including-eps-graphics-in-pdfLaTeX.pdf] which contains information on how to deal with eps graphics in situations (like TeXShop on the Mac) where the LaTeX "compiler" is based on pdfLaTeX (which cannot directly handle eps graphics).
  • Thu Sep 30 11:37:51 PDT 2010 – Peter Blomgren
    • The sample thesis generated from this version was OK'd the thesis reviewer.
    • Corrected template: Table caption ("Table Titles") -- Should be in HEADLINE STYLE, i.e. All Majors Words Capitalized, and there is NO period at the end of the caption. [Previously the template incorrectly showed ALL CAPS for table captions.]
    • Various minor non-style related clean-up in [Example].
  • Thu Sep 23 13:50:54 PDT 2010 – Peter Blomgren
    • Moved [Dissertation_and_Thesis_Manual-2010-May-14.pdf] and [Review-Checklist_Downloaded-2010-Sep-09.pdf] to a new subfolder [Resources]
    • Added [siam.bst] the SIAM bibliographic style file in [Example].
  • Thu Sep 17 11:28:42 PDT 2010 – Peter Blomgren
    • Consolidated the "short" and "long" examples into "Example."
    • Added formatting information for adding supplementary (non-paginated) material to the table of contents. [thesis.tex]
    • Introduced new typos (for sure).
    • DELETED the file [README_Problems], that information is incorporated in the example [body.tex].
    • The files [README_Mac_OSX], [README_Unix_Linux], and [README_Windows] all need updating / consolidating...
    • Added info regarding sorting "non-authored" bib-entries using the "key" field in [thbib.bib].
    • All-capitalized \chapter{INTRODUCTION} in [body.tex].
    • Added [Dissertation_and_Thesis_Manual-2010-May-14.pdf]
    • Added [Review-Checklist_Downloaded-2010-Sep-09.pdf]
  • Tue Aug 31 23:59:59 PDT 2010 – Peter Blomgren
    • Corrected template to \submitdate{term year}.
    • Added note — Student name: has to match university record.
    • Corrected template — Copyright page: "Copyright © year".
    • Corrected template — Chapter titles should be ALL CAPS.
    • Added note — Figures caption: Only the first word is capitalized and there is a period at the end. Also, there should be no space between the bottom of the figure and the caption.
    • Template conforms to — Table captions ON TOP of table; figure captions BELOW figure.