University of Oklahoma Thesis/Dissertation Template

This template was created and is maintained by the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology Student Affairs Committee. Created on 3 September 2025, this template implements Graduate College requirements as of that date. Documented changes to the template can be found in VERSIONS.txt. For the current thesis and dissertation formatting requirements, please refer to the OU Graduate College Thesis/Dissertation Instruction Packet.

Table of Contents

• Repository Structure
• Downloading the Project from GitHub
• Creating Your Thesis/Dissertation
• Forking and Contributing
• Notes

Repository Structure

For users new to LaTeX, the ou_thesis_template folder contains several files and folders that work together to create your thesis or dissertation. Below is an overview of the main directory structure and the purpose of key files:

• main.tex: This is the primary file that combines all parts of your document. It acts like the 'blueprint' or 'driver' for your thesis or dissertation, pulling in content from other .tex files. You compile this file to generate the final PDF.
• /ContentFiles/0_title_pages.tex: Contains the title page and subsequent pages required by the OU Graduate College. You’ll edit this file to include your thesis title, name, degree, and committee members.
• /ContentFiles/1_acknowledgments.tex: A file for your acknowledgments text.
• /ContentFiles/2_abstract.tex: The file for your abstract text (containing some example text).
• /ContentFiles/3_*.tex, /ContentFiles/4_*.tex, /ContentFiles/5_*.tex, /ContentFiles/6_*.tex: These files represent the chapters of your document. Each file contains the content for a specific chapter (e.g., Introduction, Data & Methods, Results). You can add your text directly to these files. These files also contain sample text including impletmentation of in-text citations and figures. Example tables and equations can also be found at the top of /ContentFiles/3_intro.tex.
• /ContentFiles/7_other.tex: An optional file for an additional chapter if you choose to format your paper as such. You can comment out the text in this file if not needed (default).
• ametsocV6.bst: A bibliography style file for formatting citations in the American Meteorological Society format. DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE.
• references.bib: The file where you list your references (e.g., books, articles). You’ll add your citations here in BibTeX format.
• VERSIONS.txt: A record of changes made to the template over time. Check this file to see updates or modifications.
• /figures/: A directory to add the figures used in your thesis or dissertation. When calling these figures in their respective sections, ensure you're using the full path to the file (see example in /ContentFiles/5_results.tex).
• main.pdf: Sample compiled PDF using provided text, figures, and references.

Note: LaTeX uses .tex files for content and relies on a compiler (like TeX Live or Overleaf) to turn these files into a polished PDF. If you’re using Overleaf, you can upload the entire folder (in .zip format) and work online.

Downloading the Project from GitHub

To use this template, you can download the project files from GitHub to your local machine. Follow these steps:

1. Download as a ZIP:

   • Visit the repository on GitHub: github.com/bobbysaba/ou_thesis_template.
   • Click the green Code button and select Download ZIP.
   • Extract the ZIP file to your desired local directory OR leave the .zip file as is to import into web applications such as Overleaf.
   • Navigate to the extracted ou_thesis_template folder to begin working with the template.

2. Clone the Repository (recommended for Git users):

   • Ensure you have Git installed (git --version to check).
   • Open a terminal and run:

     git clone https://github.com/bobbysaba/ou_thesis_template.git

   • This creates a ou_thesis_template folder in your current directory with all project files.
   • Navigate to the folder:

     cd ou_thesis_template

Creating Your Thesis/Dissertation

Follow the steps below to set up and customize your document:

1. Update Title Page Information:

   • Open 0_title_pages.tex and fill in the variables at the top of the file, including:
     • Document type
     • Degree
     • Program name
     • Paper title
     • Your name
     • Graduation year
     • Academic unit
   • In the second section of 0_title_pages.tex, add your committee members.
     • feel free to comment/uncomment out pre-existing lines to match your number of committee members
     • changes to this section must match the section beginning at line 82 of 0_title_pages.tex
   • Note: Do not modify other parts of this file unless you intend to edit the template itself.

2. Add Content to Document Files:

   • Add your text to the following files:
     • 1_acknowledgments.tex: Acknowledgments section
     • 2_abstract.tex: Abstract section
     • *.tex: Your custom chapters
       • You may rename chapter files to reflect your chapter titles, but this is not recommended as it requires updating main.tex where these files are imported.
       • Comment out sections in chapters you will not use (see 7_other.tex for an example).

3. Tables, Equations, and Figures:

   • Refer to 5_results.tex for examples of how to insert tables, equations, and figures.

4. Bibliography Formatting:

   • This template uses the American Meteorological Society format for the bibliography (ametsocV6.bst).
   • Do not edit the ametsocV6.bst file, even if you choose a different citation format.
   • The OU Graduate College does not enforce a specific bibliography format, so you may use this or add your own (preferably in .bst format for compatibility with BibTeX/BibLaTeX).

Forking and Contributing

If you’d like to make edits to the template and propose changes to the main branch, you can fork the repository and submit a pull request. Here’s how:

1. Fork the Repository:

   • On the GitHub repository page, click the Fork button (top-right corner) to create a copy of the repository under your GitHub account.
   • Clone your forked repository to your local machine:

     git clone https://github.com/bobbysaba/ou_thesis_template.git

   • Navigate to the cloned folder:

     cd ou_thesis_template

2. Make Changes:

   • Create a new branch for your changes:

     git checkout -b your-branch-name

   • Edit the necessary files (e.g., template files or documentation).
   • Stage and commit your changes:

     git add .
     git commit -m "Description of your changes"

   • Push your changes to your forked repository:

     git push origin your-branch-name

3. Submit a Pull Request:

   • Go to your forked repository on GitHub.
   • Click Compare & pull request next to your branch.
   • Provide a clear title and description of your changes.
   • Submit the pull request to the original repository’s main branch.
   • The maintainers will review your changes and may request revisions before merging.

4. Syncing Your Fork (optional):

   • To keep your fork updated with the original repository, add the upstream repository:

     git remote add upstream https://github.com/original-owner/github_repo.git

   • Fetch and merge upstream changes:

     git fetch upstream
     git checkout main
     git merge upstream/main
     git push origin main

Notes

• Ensure you have LaTeX installed (e.g., TeX Live) or access to a web application (e.g., Overleaf) to compile the template.
• For questions about the template or contributions, contact the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology Student Affairs Committee ([email protected]).