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Note: Most of these tips come from experiences of four students in the fall of 1998 and summer of 1999. Obviously, prices and other facts change.

Courtesy of Lixin Zhang, here is a tar file of style files and such he used for a dissertation that was accepted in Spring/Summer 2002. Courtesy of David Bean, here is a shell file that uncompresses into several LaTeX style files for theses.

You should look at the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook, which you can also purchase for $4 from the thesis editor. Also, the graduate school has information about thesis and dissertation regulations. Visit the thesis editor early, and request a copy of this style guide they use. Do a read-though yourself. This can save you a pass or two. Also, be consistent, not just correct.

You must defend and get your thesis to the thesis editor a certain amount of time before the end of the semester if you plan on graduating during that semester. Currently the time limit is 6 weeks before the last day of finals, but this is worth checking for yourself. Before your oral defense, you can submit your thesis draft to the Thesis Editor for a "preliminary review," where they'll inform you of obvious errors in University format. If you have exceeded the time limit for the completion of the degree (4 years for Master's and 7 years for PhD), you need to request an extension from the dean of the Graduate School and file the approval with the Graduate Records Office.

Save yourself much grief and put the figures immediately (i.e. in the paragraph) after their first reference. Later, manually read your copy to make sure that latex puts the figures immediately after the first reference. It does not always do so. Don't use MLA for your citation style. The manual says you can, but the editor doesn't like MLA and will make you change it. They want (author, year; author, year). The best bet: Use a LaTeX style, or get a citation management program from your word processor. IEEE is what I used, ACM is fine too. And don't be afraid to use Word. Also, it will really, really help if you read a book or two on writing before you leap in head first. In most cases, this is the largest writing project you've ever done. 20 page papers don't scale to 100 page theses.

After you have defended, you must have the two following forms before the thesis editor will even look at your thesis:
1. Supervisory Committee Approval
2. Final Reading Approval

In LaTeX you can automatically generate these. The two forms must be signed in black ink by everyone listed except the Dean of the Graduate School (the thesis editor will get that signature).
The graduate school is VERY specific about the paper you can use for these two forms. They suggest either Permalife or Timeless-Bond, because they are available on-campus at the OSH copy center. The university requires that you give them 3 copies, which doesn't include copies for your committee or yourself. So you should decide how many final copies you want and then get that many papers signed. They treat with suspicion any paper besides the kinds the bookstore carries specifically for theses/dissertations. They won't accept the final 3 copies unless (a & b) | c :
(a) they recognize the brand and style
(b) it has a water-mark
(c) you prove it's archival quality by handing them the complete specifications of the paper (acid-free, buffered, ....)

Even then, they might decide that the rule is really (a & b) | (c & d). So buy the bookstore paper.
If you need color, photos, etc. call them up and discuss it. They have a list of papers and guidelines for that. You can use photo-quality papers, you just need to discuss it first. Don't argue if you don't have to. Most of the things they critique have scant little to do with content. Make the changes, even if you don't like them or don't understand them. It will just make things easier. On the other hand, you do not have to make every change they suggest. You can just write a nice letter explaining why you didn't make the change.

Do not submit a double-sided copy to the thesis editor. I thought that I would save a few trees, but I was wrong. She said "Your thesis is in really good shape, but I cannot approve it on a double- sided copy". The thesis editor requires three copies for itself, which don't include copies for yourself or for your committee. The university will bind their three copies but will charge you for the cost (in January 2000, it cost $25 per copy, or $75 for three). To get the other copies bound you can either do it through the bookstore ($25 a copy) or a local business called Schaffer Binding (1608 South 300 West, ph: 463-1051, open 8am-4pm). They will do it for $20 a copy.
Binding fees (January 2000):
Binding Fee @ $25 per copy $75
Micro-filming of doctoral dissertations $55
Micro-filming abstract only (dissertation must be fully published elsewhere $55
Optional copyright registration fee $45

When in doubt, rather than checking within the department, call the thesis editor, Christine Pickette. Her telephone number is 801/581-8893, and her email address is cpickett@park.admin.utah.edu. The thesis office is located at room 208 in building 44 (southwest of the bookstore and between the Marriott Center for Dance and the Skaggs Biology Building). Currently, appointment hours are 8 - 11:30 am and 1 - 4 pm Monday through Friday, with shorter hours during the summer.

Disclaimer:This information is presented by GradSAC so you know that these issues exist. However, GradSAC takes no responsibility for incorrect or out-of-date information.