Physics & Astronomy

Introduction

The files below include a set of LaTeX class files for Bucknell University theses, and examples of how to use them. Theses classes are based on simple modifications to the standard LaTeX book class. (The class for undergraduate honors proposals is based on the standard article class.) The goal is a single class that will automatically generate the title page, text formatting, pagination, etc., called for by the Bucknell Honors Program. (For proposals, see, Proposal Preparation Guidelines, for undergraduate honors theses see, Thesis Preparation Instructions (I know this link is broken, but I can't find a replacement, ML, 8/30/2016), and for Masters Theses, see Thesis Formatting Instructions. or for Masters Degrees. As of May 2017 there are separate class files for the Honors Program and Engineering Masters Theses. The longer term goal is to produce a single class file with options, and load it in the standard TeX path on the Bucknell Linux network.

This LaTeX class was used for the first time by students in April 2005, and most recently in Spring 2017. The examples below are written assuming that graphics files are in the PDF format, and that the document will be compiled with pdflatex. This is not essential. The same class file can be used with latex and EPS files. I expect to modify the class file based on the experience of users. Please send questions, comments, and suggestions for improvement to Marty Ligare (mligare@bucknell.edu).

Undergraduate Honors Program

Class File
  • buthesis.cls - This is the class file for an Undergraduate Honors Thesis. It must be in the working directory or in the users TeX path.
BibTex users should use the following files:
  • sample_bt.tex - This is a sample tex file that uses bibtex to get the references from a .bib database.
  • thesis_num.bst - A .bst file that formats the references pulled from the database much like a Physical Review paper. For other formats it's easy to make alternate .bst files, or you can use standard .bst files. (Contact Marty Ligare for help.)
  • samplebib.bib - Simple .bib file.
  • speaker.pdf - A PDF figure that is used in sample_bt.tex. (There is nothing special about this file; use any PDF figure.)
  • sample.pdf - The output produced from sample.tex and the buthesis class.
Files for those inputting references "by hand":
  • sample.tex - This is a sample tex file that has the bibliography put in "by hand," i.e., with a section that starts \begin{thebibliogrpaphy} and individual references entered as \bibitem's.
  • speaker.pdf - A PDF figure that is used in sample.tex. (There is nothing special about this file; use any PDF figure.)
  • sample.pdf - The output produced from sample.tex. and the buthesis class.
Files for Proposals:
  • buthesis_p.cls - This is the class file for proposals. It must be in the working directory or in the users TeX path.
  • sample_p.tex - This is a sample tex file for a proposal for the Undergraduate Honors Program
  • sample_p.pdf - The output produced from sample_p.tex and the buthesis_p class.

Engineering Masters Theses

  • buthesis_masters.cls - This is the class file for Masters Degree in Engineering. It must be in the working directory or in the users TeX path. This assumes that you are creating the bibliography using BibTeX.
  • sample_masters.tex - This is a sample tex file for a proposal for the Undergraduate Honors Program
  • sample_masters.pdf - The output produced from sample_masters.tex and the buthesis_masters class.

Notes

The template sample.tex is meant to be self-explanatory, but here are a few notes:
  • Put the appropriate class file in your working directory. (I'll get this in the standard TeX path on the Linux network once I'm more confident that it's robust.)
  • Make the first line of your thesis either
    \documentclass[numbib]{buthesis}
    or
    \documentclass{buthesis}
    The first gives numerical citations, i.e. [1]; the second gives author-year citations, i.e., [Ligare, 2005]. (If you want author-year, it's probably best to use \citep instead of \cite to enclose the citation in parentheses.)
  • Make sure you have uncommented the appropriate graphics package. I use graphicx but I know some of you may use graphics which has a slightly different command syntax for \includegraphics.
  • See the attached file sample.tex for other things. You enter the author, title, advisor, abstract, acknowledgments, etc., in the appropriate curly braces, and then the \maketitle command makes the right kind of title page. Note: Don't use the standard \title command; use \butitle{} instead.
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