This is a template for MIT theses formatted according to the requirements of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries (as posted in 2024): https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections/thesis-specs/
This template is appropriate for MIT theses of all types.
\begin
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% !TEX encoding = UTF-8 Unicode
% !BIB TS-program = biber
%
% This file is MIT-Thesis.tex, a LaTeX template for formatting an MIT thesis with the mitthesis class.
%
% Version: 1.21, 2025/11/02
%
% Author: John H. Lienhard, copyright 2025. Reuse under the MIT license: https://ctan.org/license/mit
%
% DOCUMENTATION is here: https://ctan.org/pkg/mitthesis
%
% This package requires TeX Live 2022 or later.
%% Don't modify the \DocumentMetadata command unless you know what it does.
\DocumentMetadata
{
lang = en-US, % default language
pdfversion = 1.7,
pdfstandard = a-2b,
% pdfversion = 2.0, % default version
% pdfstandard = { ua-2, a-4f }, % requires pdfversion = 2.0
% tagging = on, % For tagging (accessible PDF), run lualatex with TeX Live 2025 or later.
% Do not include appendixa.tex when selecting this option (listings package is not compatible).
% debug = { xmp-export }, % if you want to check your metadata (xmpi file).
}
%%%%%%%%% Documentclass and options %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\documentclass[twoside]{mitthesis}
% fontset=libertinus, fontset=lmodern, fontset=lucida,
% fontset=fira-newtxsf, fontset=newtx, fontset=newtx-sans-text,
% fontset=heros-stix2, fontset=stix2, fontset=termes-stix2, fontset=termes
%
% option [twoside] gives facing-page behavior for printing; omitting twoside will eliminate even-numbered blank pages.
%
% option [lineno] provides line numbers, as for editing
%
% option [fontset=xxx] is a keyvalue which can be:
% for pdftex or lualatex engine: defaultfonts, libertinus, lmodern, lucida
% for pdftex only: fira-newtxsf, newtx, newtx-sans-text
% for lualatex only: heros-stix2, stix2, termes, termes-stix2
% if no key value is given, fonts default to CMR (pdftex) or LMR (unicode), i.e., "the LaTeX font".
% You can edit the fontset files or you can write your own, myfonts.tex, and do [fontset=myfonts].
% If you are using multiple languages, load the babel package in your fontset file, before the fonts.
%
% option [mydesign] loads packages for color, title and list formats, margins, or captions.
% or [mydesign=file] You can edit mydesign.tex to change defaults. Other design files can be loaded as
% key values, [mydesign=filename], where filename.tex should be in your working directory.
% Two example files are provided: mydesign_redsans_headings.tex and mydesign_libertinus_headings.
% See documentation for details and a description of the appropriate fontsets to use with each.
%%%%%%%% Packages used in the sample chapters (not otherwise required) %%%
%% Package for code listing in Appendix A.
\usepackage{listings}% documentation is here https://ctan.org/pkg/listings
%% Set chemical formulas nicely
\usepackage[version=4]{mhchem}% documentation at https://ctan.org/pkg/mhchem
%% Latin filler used in Chapter 1, with a test for package version date (https://ctan.org/pkg/lipsum)
\usepackage{lipsum}
\IfPackageAtLeastTF{lipsum}{2021/09/20}{\setlipsum{auto-lang=false}}{} % to avoid a hyphenation warning
%%%%%%%%% Other optional packages used sample chapters %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% Table related packages
\usepackage{booktabs}% publication quality tables (https://ctan.org/pkg/booktabs)
\usepackage{array}% Additional options for column formats (https://ctan.org/pkg/array)
\usepackage{dcolumn}% For alignment of numbers on the decimal place (https://ctan.org/pkg/dcolumn)
\newcolumntype{d}[1]{D{.}{.}{#1}}% use with dcolumn package. Note: dcolumns are set in math mode.
% syntax: d{x.y} where x is max number of digits before decimal and y is max number after.
% Package for multipage table in Appendix B.
\usepackage{longtable}% typeset multi-page tables (https://ctan.org/pkg/longtable)
%\usepackage{tabularx}% adjustable-width columns in tabular (https://ctan.org/pkg/tabularx)
%% Package for improved typography
\usepackage[nopatch=footnote]{microtype}% typographic fine-tuning (https://ctan.org/pkg/microtype)
% https://github.com/latex3/tagging-project/issues/67#issue-2163508995
%% Load this package if using the two-column nomenclature format, \begin{nomenclature*}
\usepackage{multicol}
%%%%%%%%% Graphics path (to figure files) %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% Can set graphicspath to point to specific directories containing figures (the current directory is searched automatically)
%% For instance, to search a subdirectory of the current directory called "figures" and a parallel directory called "art", set:
% \graphicspath{ {figures/} {../art/} }% For details see: https://latexref.xyz/dev/latex2e.html#g_t_005cgraphicspath
%%%%%%%%% Representative set-up for biblatex %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% biblatex is very powerful, and you can customize most aspects the reference list and citations to suit your needs.
%% documentation is here: https://ctan.org/pkg/biblatex
%% cheat sheet is here: https://tug.ctan.org/info/biblatex-cheatsheet/biblatex-cheatsheet.pdf
%% Numerical citations of references
\usepackage[style=ext-numeric-comp,giveninits=true,maxbibnames=10,sorting=none,language=american]{biblatex}
% and make some changes to that style
\renewcommand{\multicitedelim}{\addcomma}% removes space between consecutive cites to give [6,7], not [6, 7]
\AtEveryBibitem{%
\ifentrytype{article}{%
\renewbibmacro{in:}{}% Removes "In:" for articles
\renewcommand*{\jourvoldelim}{\addcomma\space} % put comma after journal title
\renewcommand*{\volnumdatedelim}{\addcomma\space}% put comma after volume info
\renewbibmacro*{issue+date}{% Print date without parentheses around it
\iffieldundef{issue}%
{}%
{\printfield{issue}%
\setunit*{\addcomma\space}
}%
\printdate
}
}{}
}
%
\renewbibmacro*{volume+number+eid}{%
\printtext[bold]{\printfield{volume}}% bold volume (issue number) , eid
% \printtext[parens]{\printfield{number}}%
\iffieldundef{number}
{} % do nothing
{\printtext[parens]{\printfield{number}}} % print number in parentheses
\setunit{\bibeidpunct}%
\printfield{eid}
}
%% IEEE style citations and references
% \usepackage[style=ieee,maxbibnames=10,sorting=none]{biblatex}% style=ext-numeric-comp,articlein=false,giveninits=true
% \DefineBibliographyStrings{english}{url= \textsc{url} , }% replaces the IEEE default "[Online]. Available" by "URL"
%% author-year style citations and references
%% use \parencite, not \cite, when you want "(Author, year)"
%% The sample files are not set up to include parentheses.
% \usepackage[style=authoryear, maxbibnames=10]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{mitthesis-sample.bib}%% <== change to YOUR bib file <========= CHANGE !!
%% to avoid split urls and stretched white space, you can make the bibliography ragged-right by uncommenting this:
%\AddToHook{cmd/bibsetup/after}{\raggedright}
%% To ensure citations are set, run Latex --> biblatex --> Latex again (unless your installation does this automatically)
%%%%%%%%%% Option for "double spacing" %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% Back in the typewriter era, double spaced lines were convenient for editing with a pencil.
%% In typography, the separation between lines is called "leading", and it is usually set in
%% proportion to the font size (i.e., when the font is loaded). If you really feel the need
%% to change the line separation, the most attractive results will be obtained by changing the
%% leading in proportion to the the current font size, rather than just doubling the space.
%% The setspace package provides a tool for changing line separation. Use these two commands here:
%
% \usepackage{setspace}% documentation at https://ctan.org/pkg/setspace
% \setstretch{1.1}% you can choose some other value for the stretch of space between lines
%
%% Use one or more of the these commands *AFTER* the frontmatter
%
% \onehalfspacing
% \doublespacing
% \singlespacing % will turn these effects off (you can use these anywhere in the document)
%% The best result is usually to stay with the default leading (or to learn about latex font settings).
%%%%%%%%%%% Metadata %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% Most of the document metadata is created automatically.
% The following items should be adjusted to match your work. <================= !!!!!!!!!!
\hypersetup{%
pdfsubject={Template for writing MIT theses with the mitthesis class},
% Change this to briefly state topic of your thesis
%
pdfkeywords={Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT},
% Add keywords that will help search engines and libraries to find your work.
% Includes the name[s] of the author[s]
% (If you used \DocumentMetadata at line 14, you can just put "\CopyrightAuthor," for the names.)
%
pdfurl={},
% If you have a url for the thesis, put it here. Otherwise delete this.
% (MIT Libraries will put your thesis in DSPACE with a persistent url after you submit it.)
%
pdfcontactemail={},
% You can put a [permanent] email address into the metadata, if you like.
% Otherwise delete this.
%
pdfauthortitle={},
% If you have a title (e.g., Prof. Dr.-Ing.), you can include it here.
}
%%%%%%%%%%%% Math operators %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% These commands declare two math operators, \erf{..} and \erfc{..} using mathtools
% note: * form, \erf*{..}, produces automatic delimiter scaling;
% optional argument sets size manually, e.g. \erf[\bigg]{..}.
% See Table 1.1 in Chapter 1
\DeclareMathOperator{\Erf}{erf}
\DeclareMathOperator{\Erfc}{erfc}
\DeclarePairedDelimiterXPP\erf[1]{\Erf\mkern1mu}(){}{#1}% increase to 2mu with stix2 font
\DeclarePairedDelimiterXPP\erfc[1]{\Erfc\mkern1mu}(){}{#1}
%%%%%%%%%%%%%% End preamble %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\begin{document}
%%% edit the following commands to match your thesis %%%%%%%%%%
\title{The Atomic Theory as Applied To Gases, with Some Experiments on the Viscosity of Air}
% \Author{Author full name}{Author department}[Author's first PREVIOUS degree][Author's second PREVIOUS degree][...
% Note that third, fourth, fifth, and sixth arguments are optional [] and may be omitted
%
\Author{Silas W. Holman}{Department of Physics}
% \Author{Luisa Hernández}{Department of Research}[B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UCLA, 2018][M.S. Stellar Interiors, Vulcan Science Academy, 2020]
% \Author{Thurston Howell III}{Department of Economics}[MBA, Ferengi School of Management, 2022]
%
% note on these names: most of the following names are made up, but Silas Holman was a physics professor at MIT in the 19th century.
% Use once for each degree fulfilled by thesis
% For two degrees from one department, leave the department argument blank for the second degree {}.
% For one degree from two departments, leave the degree argument blank for the second department {}.
%
\Degree{Bachelor of Science in Physics}{Department of Physics}
% \Degree{Master of Science in Physics}{}
% \Degree{Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering}{Department of Mechanical Engineering}
% If there is more than one supervisor, use the \Supervisor command for each.
% NB: department field added with v1.21 in late 2025. It is used ONLY on the Thesis Committee page.
%
\Supervisor{Edward C. Pickering}{Professor of Physics}[Department of Physics]
% \Supervisor{Secunda Castor}{Professor of Research \\ & Professor of Knowledge \\ & Professor of Reason}[Department of Research ]
% \Supervisor{Quintus Castor}{Professor of Log Dams}[Department of Civil \& Environmental Engineering \\ & Department of All Faculty Who Are Not Members of a Department]
% Separate multiple titles or departments with "\\ &". If not preceded by "\\", an "&" will be converted to the string "&" (an "\&" by itself will be converted to "and").
% Professor who formally accepts theses for your department (e.g., the Graduate Officer, Professor Sméagol,...)
% If more than one department gives the degree, use once for each department
%
\Acceptor{Tertius Castor}{Professor of Log Dams}{Graduate Officer, Department of Research} % \\ & Third title}
% \Acceptor{Quarta Castor}{Professor of Lodge Building}{Graduate Officer, Department of Mechanical Engineering}
%%% If you need to reduce vertical space, put the acceptor title in the second argument and leave the third blank, {}.
% \Acceptor{Primus Castor}{Professor and Undergraduate Officer, Department of Physics}{}
% Date degree will be issued: \DegreeDate{Month}{year}
% Valid degree months are February, May, June, or September
\DegreeDate{June}{1876}
% Date that final thesis is submitted to department
\ThesisDate{May 18, 1876}
% If at least one thesis reader is included, a committee members page will be automatically generated.
% The MIT libraries do not set a format for the committee members page, and if you prefer to use your own format,
% omit ALL readers here and insert your page just before the abstract.
%
\Reader{Marcus Gavius Apicius}{Professor of Cooking Arts}{Department of Food Science}
\Reader{Marie-Antoine Carême}{Professor of Haute Cuisine}{Department of Food Science}
\Reader{Miles Gloriosus}{Professor of Personal Pronouns}{Department of Rhetoric}
% Are your readers running off the page? You can move the page heading upward with this command:
% \CMPShortenTop
%%%%%% Choose whether to have a CREATIVE COMMONS License %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%
% If you are using a cc license, uncomment the following line and insert details of your cc license here.
%
% \CClicense{CC BY-NC-ND 4.0}{https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/}
%
%%%%%%% Solutions for overflowing titlepage %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% If your title page is overflowing (from too many names, degrees, etc.):
%
% (a) you can reduce the 12pt and 18pt skips between various blocks to 6pt with this command:
%
% \Tighten
%
% (b) you can scale down the Signature block at the bottom with this command:
%
% \SignatureBlockSize{\small} %or this one \SignatureBlockSize{\footnotesize}
%
% (c) you can put the acceptor name and title onto two lines, rather than three like this:
%
% \Acceptor{Tertius Castor}{Professor and Graduate Officer, Department of Research}{}
%
% (d) you can change the font size of the author name[s] with
%
% \AuthorNameSize{\normalsize}
%
% (e) and you can omit any previous degrees from the title page, instead mentioning them in the biographical sketch
% Also, if you prefer to keep the text toward the top of the page with most white space at the bottom, you
% can use this command to squash all of the vertical glue (stretchy space) with this command:
%
% \Squash
%
% This command is useful when the text has not already reach the bottom of the page, since the glue gets squashed automatically
% when the page is too full.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%%% Make titlepage
\maketitle
%%%%%%%%% Content that you need to write follows! %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% \includeonly{acknowledgments,biography,chapter1,chapter2,...,appendixa,...}
% for usage of includeonly, see https://latexref.xyz/_005cinclude-_0026-_005cincludeonly.html
%%% Frontmatter (write this material in the mentioned files) %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% If you are not using the automatic committee members page (by completing at least one \Reader macro),
% you can insert a page here.
% \include{committee_members}% This page is optional. Edit the file committee_members.tex
% The abstract environment creates all the required headings and footers.
% You only need to the text of the abstract in the file abstract.tex
\begin{abstract}
\input{abstract.tex}% use \input rather than \include because we're inside an environment
\end{abstract}
\include{acknowledgments}% acknowledgments.tex (.tex extension is presumed by \include)
\include{biography}% biography.tex (optional, see https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections/thesis-specs/#format)
%%% Table of contents and lists of stuff (delete unused lists, i.e., if no tables or figures) %%%%%
\tableofcontents
\listoffigures
\listoftables
%%% Chapters of thesis %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% If you want to use "double spacing", you should start here...
\include{chapter1}% .tex extension is presumed
% \include{chapter2}
% \include{chapter3}
% \include{chapter4}
%%% Appendices of thesis %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\appendix
\include{appendixa}% listings example (not compatible with tagged pdf, as of Oct. 2025)
\include{appendixb}% longtable example
%%% Bibliography (biblatex) %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\defbibheading{bibintoc}{\chapter*{#1}\addcontentsline{toc}{backmatter}{\refname}}
% this sets the title of contents name for bibliography to \refname (= References)
% change "backmatter" to "chapter" if you prefer a bold face entry in the table of contents
\printbibliography[title={\refname},heading=bibintoc]
% biblatex also supports chapter-by-chapter bibliography, https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/296502/119566
% see the biblatex manual, section 3.14.3
\end{document}