Thesis and Dissertation Guide

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  • Introduction
  • Copyright Page
  • Dedication, Acknowledgements, Preface (optional)
  • Table of Contents
  • List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
  • List of Abbreviations
  • List of Symbols

Non-Traditional Formats

Font type and size, spacing and indentation, tables, figures, and illustrations, formatting previously published work.

  • Internet Distribution
  • Open Access
  • Registering Copyright
  • Using Copyrighted Materials
  • Use of Your Own Previously Published Materials
  • Submission Steps
  • Submission Checklist
  • Sample Pages

Thesis and Dissertation Guide

II. Formatting Guidelines

All copies of a thesis or dissertation must have the following uniform margins throughout the entire document:

  • Left: 1″ (or 1 1/4" to ensure sufficient room for binding the work if desired)
  • Right: 1″
  • Bottom: 1″ (with allowances for page numbers; see section on Pagination )
  • Top: 1″

Exceptions : The first page of each chapter (including the introduction, if any) begins 2″ from the top of the page. Also, the headings on the title page, abstract, first page of the dedication/ acknowledgements/preface (if any), and first page of the table of contents begin 2″ from the top of the page.

Non-traditional theses or dissertations such as whole works comprised of digital, artistic, video, or performance materials (i.e., no written text, chapters, or articles) are acceptable if approved by your committee and graduate program. A PDF document with a title page, copyright page, and abstract at minimum are required to be submitted along with any relevant supplemental files.

Fonts must be 10, 11, or 12 points in size. Superscripts and subscripts (e.g., formulas, or footnote or endnote numbers) should be no more than 2 points smaller than the font size used for the body of the text.

Space and indent your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

Spacing and Indentation with mesaurements described in surrounding text

  • The text must appear in a single column on each page and be double-spaced throughout the document. Do not arrange chapter text in multiple columns.
  • New paragraphs must be indicated by a consistent tab indentation throughout the entire document.
  • The document text must be left-justified, not centered or right-justified.
  • For blocked quotations, indent the entire text of the quotation consistently from the left margin.
  • Ensure headings are not left hanging alone on the bottom of a prior page. The text following should be moved up or the heading should be moved down. This is something to check near the end of formatting, as other adjustments to text and spacing may change where headings appear on the page.

Exceptions : Blocked quotations, notes, captions, legends, and long headings must be single-spaced throughout the document and double-spaced between items.

Paginate your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

  • Use lower case Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.) on all pages preceding the first page of chapter one. The title page counts as page i, but the number does not appear. Therefore, the first page showing a number will be the copyright page with ii at the bottom.
  • Arabic numerals (beginning with 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) start at chapter one or the introduction, if applicable. Arabic numbers must be included on all pages of the text, illustrations, notes, and any other materials that follow. Thus, the first page of chapter one will show an Arabic numeral 1, and numbering of all subsequent pages will follow in order.
  • Do not use page numbers accompanied by letters, hyphens, periods, or parentheses (e.g., 1., 1-2, -1-, (1), or 1a).
  • Center all page numbers at the bottom of the page, 1/2″ from the bottom edge.
  • Pages must not contain running headers or footers, aside from page numbers.
  • If your document contains landscape pages (pages in which the top of the page is the long side of a sheet of paper), make sure that your page numbers still appear in the same position and direction as they do on pages with standard portrait orientation for consistency. This likely means the page number will be centered on the short side of the paper and the number will be sideways relative to the landscape page text. See these additional instructions for assistance with pagination on landscape pages in Microsoft Word .

Pagination example with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Format footnotes for your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

Footnote spacing  with mesaurements described in surrounding text

  • Footnotes must be placed at the bottom of the page separated from the text by a solid line one to two inches long.
  • Begin at the left page margin, directly below the solid line.
  • Single-space footnotes that are more than one line long.
  • Include one double-spaced line between each note.
  • Most software packages automatically space footnotes at the bottom of the page depending on their length. It is acceptable if the note breaks within a sentence and carries the remainder into the footnote area of the next page. Do not indicate the continuation of a footnote.
  • Number all footnotes with Arabic numerals. You may number notes consecutively within each chapter starting over with number 1 for the first note in each chapter, or you may number notes consecutively throughout the entire document.
  • Footnote numbers must precede the note and be placed slightly above the line (superscripted). Leave no space between the number and the note.
  • While footnotes should be located at the bottom of the page, do not place footnotes in a running page footer, as they must remain within the page margins.

Endnotes are an acceptable alternative to footnotes. Format endnotes for your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

Endnotes with mesaurements described in surrounding text

  • Always begin endnotes on a separate page either immediately following the end of each chapter, or at the end of your entire document. If you place all endnotes at the end of the entire document, they must appear after the appendices and before the references.
  • Include the heading “ENDNOTES” in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the first page of your endnotes section(s).
  • Single-space endnotes that are more than one line long.
  • Number all endnotes with Arabic numerals. You may number notes consecutively within each chapter starting over with number 1 for the first note in each chapter, or you may number notes consecutively throughout the entire document.
  • Endnote numbers must precede the note and be placed slightly above the line (superscripted). Leave no space between the number and the note.

Tables, figures, and illustrations vary widely by discipline. Therefore, formatting of these components is largely at the discretion of the author.

For example, headings and captions may appear above or below each of these components.

These components may each be placed within the main text of the document or grouped together in a separate section.

Space permitting, headings and captions for the associated table, figure, or illustration must be on the same page.

The use of color is permitted as long as it is consistently applied as part of the finished component (e.g., a color-coded pie chart) and not extraneous or unprofessional (e.g., highlighting intended solely to draw a reader's attention to a key phrase). The use of color should be reserved primarily for tables, figures, illustrations, and active website or document links throughout your thesis or dissertation.

The format you choose for these components must be consistent throughout the thesis or dissertation.

Ensure each component complies with margin and pagination requirements.

Refer to the List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations section for additional information.

If your thesis or dissertation has appendices, they must be prepared following these guidelines:

Appendices with mesaurements described in surrounding text

  • Appendices must appear at the end of the document (before references) and not the chapter to which they pertain.
  • When there is more than one appendix, assign each appendix a number or a letter heading (e.g., “APPENDIX 1” or “APPENDIX A”) and a descriptive title. You may number consecutively throughout the entire work (e.g., 1, 2 or A, B), or you may assign a two-part Arabic numeral with the first number designating the chapter in which it appears, separated by a period, followed by a second number or letter to indicate its consecutive placement (e.g., “APPENDIX 3.2” is the second appendix referred to in Chapter Three).
  • Include the chosen headings in all capital letters, and center them 1″ below the top of the page.
  • All appendix headings and titles must be included in the table of contents.
  • Page numbering must continue throughout your appendix or appendices. Ensure each appendix complies with margin and pagination requirements.

You are required to list all the references you consulted. For specific details on formatting your references, consult and follow a style manual or professional journal that is used for formatting publications and citations in your discipline.

References with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Your reference pages must be prepared following these guidelines:

  • If you place references after each chapter, the references for the last chapter must be placed immediately following the chapter and before the appendices.
  • If you place all references at the end of the thesis or dissertation, they must appear after the appendices as the final component in the document.
  • Select an appropriate heading for this section based on the style manual you are using (e.g., “REFERENCES”, “BIBLIOGRAPHY”, or “WORKS CITED”).
  • Include the chosen heading in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the page.
  • References must be single-spaced within each entry.
  • Include one double-spaced line between each reference.
  • Page numbering must continue throughout your references section. Ensure references comply with margin and pagination requirements.

In some cases, students gain approval from their academic program to include in their thesis or dissertation previously published (or submitted, in press, or under review) journal articles or similar materials that they have authored. For more information about including previously published works in your thesis or dissertation, see the section on Use of Your Own Previously Published Materials and the section on Copyrighting.

If your academic program has approved inclusion of such materials, please note that these materials must match the formatting guidelines set forth in this Guide regardless of how the material was formatted for publication.

Some specific formatting guidelines to consider include:

Formatting previously published work with mesaurements described in surrounding text

  • Fonts, margins, chapter headings, citations, and references must all match the formatting and placement used within the rest of the thesis or dissertation.
  • If appropriate, published articles can be included as separate individual chapters within the thesis or dissertation.
  • A separate abstract to each chapter should not be included.
  • The citation for previously published work must be included as the first footnote (or endnote) on the first page of the chapter.
  • Do not include typesetting notations often used when submitting manuscripts to a publisher (i.e., insert table x here).
  • The date on the title page should be the year in which your committee approves the thesis or dissertation, regardless of the date of completion or publication of individual chapters.
  • If you would like to include additional details about the previously published work, this information can be included in the preface for the thesis or dissertation.

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Simon Fraser University

  • Library Catalogue

Formatting your thesis: Overall layout and specifications

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On this page

Formatting requirements, parts of a thesis, file format, file size, and page size, line spacing, citation style, cumulative theses, extended essays, personal information, blank pages.

The Library's Theses Office assists with formatting theses, projects and extended essays for submission to the Library. You are encouraged to use the Library's thesis template to help format your thesis. The requirements stated on this page are default settings for the thesis template

Optional pages in the thesis template may be removed if not used.

The final copy of the thesis must be converted to .pdf (PDF/A format) for submission to the Library (maximum 600 mb). See the guide  Saving your thesis in PDF/A format for instructions.

Theses must be formatted for US Letter (8.5X11) pages. Landscape 8.5X11 and 11X17 pages are permitted. Legal, A4, or other paper sizes are not permitted.

Arial is the preferred font for SFU thesis submissions. See the Thesis Template Instructions for directions to change the default template font.

Please contact the Theses Office at [email protected] if you would like to use any fonts in your thesis other than the ones recommended.

​The default template line spacing is 1.5 for text, with single-spaced block quotations.

Margins should be set to:

  • 1.25" left/right
  • 1" top/bottom

All pages must be numbered sequentially as outlined below, with the exception of the title page. Page numbers should appear at the bottom centre of each page, at a minimum of 0.5” from the edge of the page.

Preliminary pages of the thesis must be numbered with Roman numerals. On the first page of the main body, page numbers must restart with 1. The thesis template is preset with this numbering style.

SFU Library does not require a specific citation style. Consult your supervisor, your department’s graduate handbook, or a liaison librarian for help with determining which style is appropriate for your research.

The default formatting in the library’s thesis template may differ from some requirements of your citation style, but it is acceptable for SFU library submission.

Cumulative, or paper-based, theses must use the same general format as other submissions. Consult your supervisor or your department's graduate handbook for more information. If including published papers in a thesis, please consult the Copyright and your thesis FAQ .

Extended essays should be combined into a single document and single submission. For an example of an extended essays title page, see the Title page formatting information .

For theses written in a language other than English, the Library requires a second complete English title page and abstract. Supporting documentation must be in English.

Individual personal information must be removed from the thesis before publication, including signatures, email addresses, and phone numbers. For example, if you are including a survey instrument or consent form, your own contact information must be removed.

Blank pages in the thesis must be removed before publication.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="margin for thesis paper"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Formatting requirements.

Requirements for format and final production of the dissertation and thesis, as specified below, meet UMI standards and American Library Association (ALA) suggestions for preserving archival copies of the dissertation and thesis.

1. Language

The dissertation or thesis must be written in English.

2. Page Size and Specifications

  • Page size must be 8.5 x 11 inches (or 216 x 279 millimeters), also known as “letter” size in U.S. standards. (ISO standard paper sizes, such as A4, are not allowed.)
  • The inclusion of oversized pages or sheets of paper larger than 8.5 x 11 inches (known as “foldouts”) is discouraged. When necessary, 11 x 17 inch pages may be used for large tables, illustrations, etc.
  • Text must be embedded, 11-point or larger font.
  • Smaller font size may be appropriate for footnotes or other material outside of the main text.
  • Black text is recommended; although, color may be appropriate in some limited parts of the document.
  • Font requirements apply to all text, including captions, footnotes, citations, etc.

Margins should be at least 1 inch with page numbers at least 3/4 inch from the edge of the page. The templates use 1.6 inches for the left margin and 1.1 inches for the right.

Document must be double-spaced with the exception of quotations as paragraphs, captions, lists, graphs, charts, footnotes/endnotes, bibliographic entries, items within tables, and lists in appendices.

Exceptions may include the following:

  • Quotations and footnotes may be single-spaced within each entry.
  • Lengthy tables may be single-spaced.
  • Irregular spacing may be used to accommodate poetry or other creative writing.

Tables should be consecutively numbered.

Figures should be consecutively numbered.

Format Requirements for Your Dissertation or Thesis

Main navigation.

The final dissertation or thesis manuscript must have a ready-for-publication appearance and standard features.

The Office of the University Registrar does not endorse or verify the accuracy of any dissertation or thesis formatting templates that may be available to you.

It is your student responsibility to make sure that the formatting meets these requirements. Introductory material, text, and appendices must all be clearly and consistently prepared and must meet all of the specifications outlined below.

Once you upload and submit your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted.

The digital file of the dissertation or thesis, which is sent to Stanford Libraries for cataloging, must meet certain technical requirements to ensure that it can be easily accessed by readers now and into the future. 

Follow the specifications outlined below.

Style and Format

Word and text divisions, style guides, content and layout, special instructions for d.m.a. students, order and content, page orientation, embedded links, supplementary material and publishing, supplementary material, scholarly reference, published papers and multiple authorship, use of copyrighted material, copyrighting your dissertation, file security and file name, stanford university thesis & dissertation publication license.

Pages should be standard U.S. letter size (8.5 x 11 inches).

In order to ensure the future ability to render the document, standard fonts must be used. 

For the main text body, type size should be 10, 11, or 12 point. Smaller font sizes may be used in tables, captions, etc. 

The font color must be black. 

Font Families

Acceptable font styles include:

  • Times New Roman (preferred)
  • Courier, Courier Bold, Courier Oblique, Courier Bold-Oblique;
  • Helvetica, Helvetica Bold, Helvetica Oblique, Helvetica Bold-Oblique;
  • Times, Times Bold, Times Italic, Times Bold-Italic;
  • Computer Modern (or Computer Modern Roman).

Note: Do not use script or ornamental fonts. Do not use proprietary fonts.

If you use mathematical or other scientific notation in your dissertation or thesis using a font other than Symbol, you must embed the font into the PDF that is submitted to the university. 

Inner margins (left edge if single-sided; right edge for even-numbered pages, and left edge for odd-numbered pages if double-sided) must be 1.5 inches. All other margins must be one inch.

Pagination, headers, and/or footers may be placed within the margin, but no closer than one-half inch from the edge of the page.

For double-sided copies, 1.5 inches must be maintained as the inner margin. Margin requirements should apply to the entire document, including the title page.

The main body text of the manuscript should be one-and-a-half or double-spaced lines, except where conventional usage calls for single spacing, such as footnotes, indented quotations, tables, appendices, etc.

Words should be divided correctly at the end of a line and may not be divided from one page to the next. Use a standard dictionary to determine word division. 

Avoid short lines that end a paragraph at the top of a page, and any heading or subheading at the bottom of a page that is not followed by text.

The dissertation and thesis must be in English. 

Language Exceptions for Dissertations Only

Approval for writing the dissertation in another language is normally granted only in cases where the other language or literature in that language is also the subject of the discipline. 

Exceptions are granted by the school dean upon submission of a written request from the chair of your major department. Approval is routinely granted for dissertations in the Division of Literature, Cultures, and Languages within department specifications.

Prior to submitting in Axess, you must send a copy of the approval letter (or email message chain) from the department dean to [email protected]    

Dissertations written in another language must include an extended summary in English (usually 15 to 20 pages in length). In this case, you should upload your English summary as a supplemental file, during Step 4 of the online submission process.

Select a standard style approved by your department or dissertation advisor and use it consistently. 

Some reliable style guides are:

  • K.A. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, 
  • Theses and Dissertations (University of Chicago Press), and 
  • the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Modern Language Association).

If you are a student in the Doctor of Musical Arts program, you may submit musical scores formatted at 11 x 17 inches in size. 

If you are submitting a performance as your dissertation, submit the audio file in WAV format as a supplemental file. 

Note: The maximum file size accepted for submission is 100 MB. If a performance recording exceeds the maximum file size, break the file into multiple files and submit the parts individually as supplemental files.

Your dissertation or thesis must contain the following sections. All sections must be included in a single digital file for upload.

  • Title Page — The format must be followed exactly. View these title page examples for Ph.D. Dissertation and this title page sample for an Engineer Thesis . Use uppercase letters. The title of the dissertation or thesis should be a meaningful description of the content of the manuscript. Use word substitutes for formulas, symbols, superscripts, subscripts, Greek letters, etc. The month and year must be the actual month and year in which you submit your dissertation or thesis electronically to the university. (Note: A student who submits in Autumn quarter is conferred his/her degree in the following calendar year.)
  • Copyright Page — The dissertation or thesis PDF uploaded in Axess should not contain a copyright page. The copyright page will be created automatically by the online submission system and inserted into the file stored by Stanford Libraries.
  • Signature Page — The dissertation or thesis PDF uploaded in Axess should also not contain a signature page. The submission process has moved away from ink-signatures, so a digital facsimile of the signature page will be created automatically by the online submission system and inserted into the dissertation or thesis in its final format stored by Stanford Libraries.
  • Abstract — An abstract may be included in the preliminary section of the dissertation or thesis. The abstract in the body of the dissertation or thesis follows the style used for the rest of the manuscript and should be placed following the signature page. There is no maximum permissible length for the abstract in the dissertation or thesis.    Dissertation authors must enter an abstract using the online submission form for uploading the digital dissertation or thesis file to the library. This abstract, which will be indexed for online searching, must be formatted in plain text (no HTML or special formatting). It should be a pithy and succinct version of the abstract included in the dissertation or thesis itself.
  • Preface, an Acknowledgment, or a Dedication
  • Table of Contents – Include page references.
  • List of Tables –  Include titles and page references. This list is optional.
  • List of Illustrations – Include titles and page references. This list is optional
  • Introduction  
  • Main body – Include suitable, consistent headings for the larger divisions and more important sub-divisions.
  • Appendices.
  • Bibliography or List of References.

Except for the title page, which counts as 'i' but is not physically numbered, each page of the manuscript, including all blank pages, pages between chapters, pages with text, photographs, tables, figures, maps, or computer code must be assigned a number. 

Consistent placement of pagination, at least one-half inch from the paper’s edge, should be used throughout the manuscript.

Follow these pagination instructions exactly:

  • For the preliminary pages, use small Roman numerals (e.g., iv, v, vi).
  • The title page is not physically numbered, but counts as page i.
  • Keep in mind that a copyright page ii and augmented signature page iii (based off your student record) will automatically be inserted to your manuscript during submission.  This means you must ensure to remove pages ii and iii from your dissertation or thesis.
  • Failing to remove pages ii and iii is most common formatting mistake: you must remove your copyright page ii and signature page iii from the pdf file before you submit your dissertation or thesis, and begin pagination on your abstract with page number "iv". If the document is formatted for double-sided printing with each section starting on the right page, then pagination will begin on a blank page (page"iv") and the Abstract should be numbered as page "v", and so forth.
  • For the remainder of the manuscript, starting with the Introduction or Chapter 1 of the Main Body, use continuous pagination (1, 2, 3, etc) for text, illustrations, images, appendices, and the bibliography. Remember to start with Arabic numbered page 1, as this is not a continuation of the Roman numeral numbering from the preliminary pages.
  • The placement of page numbers should be consistent throughout the document.

For text, illustrations, charts, graphs, etc., printed in landscape form, the orientation should be facing away from the bound edge of the paper.

Images (color, grayscale, and monochrome) included in the dissertation or thesis should be clearly discernible both on screen and when printed. The dimensions should not exceed the size of the standard letter-size page (8.5” x 11”).

Image resolution should be 150 dots per inch (dpi), though resolutions as low as 72 dpi (and no lower) are acceptable. 

The format of images embedded in the PDF should be JPEG or EPS (the format JPEG2000 is also acceptable when it is supported in future versions of the PDF format). GIF and PNG are not preferred image file formats.

Large images, including maps and charts or other graphics that require high resolution, should not be included in the main dissertation or thesis file. Instead, they can be submitted separately as supplemental files and formatted in other formats as appropriate. 

Multimedia, such as audio, video, animation, etc., must not be embedded in the body of the dissertation or thesis. These media types add size and complexity to the digital file, introducing obstacles to users of the dissertation or thesis who wish to download and read (and “play back”) the content, and making it more difficult to preserve over time.

If you wish to include multimedia with your submission, upload the media separately as a stand-alone file in an appropriate media format. See Supplementary Material section below.

It is acceptable to include “live” (i.e., clickable) web URLs that link to online resources within the dissertation or thesis file. Spell out each URL in its entirety (e.g., http://www.stanford.edu ) rather than embedding the link in text (e.g., Stanford homepage ). By spelling out the URL, you improve a reader’s ability to understand and access the link reference.

Supplementary material may be submitted electronically with the dissertation or thesis. This material includes any supporting content that is useful for understanding the dissertation or thesis, but is not essential to the argument. It also covers core content in a form that can not be adequately represented or embedded in the PDF format, such as an audio recording of a musical performance.

Supplementary materials are submitted separately than the dissertation or thesis file, and are referred to as supplemental files.

A maximum of twenty supplemental files can be submitted. There are no restrictions on the file formats. The maximum file size is 1 GB.

You are encouraged to be judicious about the volume and quality of the supplemental files, and to employ file formats that are widely used by researchers generally, if not also by scholars of the discipline.

The following table outlines recommended file formats for different content types. By following these recommendations, the author is helping to ensure ongoing access to the material.

After uploading each supplemental file, it is important to enter a short description or label (maximum 120 characters for file name and the description). This label will be displayed to readers in a list of the contents for the entire submission.

If copyrighted material is part of the supplementary material, permission to reuse and distribute the content must be obtained from the owner of the copyright. Stanford Libraries requires copies of permission letters (in PDF format) to be uploaded electronically when submitting the files, and assumes no liability for copyright violations. View this sample permission letter .

System restrictions allow for a maximum of 10 individually uploaded permission files. If you have more than 10 permission files we recommend combining all permission letters into a single PDF file for upload.

In choosing an annotation or reference system, you should be guided by the practice of your discipline and the recommendations of your departments. In addition to the general style guides listed in the Style section above, there are specific style guides for some fields. When a reference system has been selected, it should be used consistently throughout the dissertation or thesis. The placement of footnotes is at your discretion with reading committee approval.

An important aspect of modern scholarship is the proper attribution of authorship for joint or group research. If the manuscript includes joint or group research, you must clearly identify your contribution to the enterprise in an introduction.

The inclusion of published papers in a dissertation or thesis is the prerogative of the major department. Where published papers or ready-for-publication papers are included, the following criteria must be met:

  • There must be an introduction that integrates the general theme of the research and the relationship between the chapters. The introduction may also include a review of the literature relevant to the dissertation or thesis topic that does not appear in the chapters.
  • Multiple authorship of a published paper should be addressed by clearly designating, in an introduction, the role that the dissertation or thesis author had in the research and production of the published paper. The student must have a major contribution to the research and writing of papers included in the dissertation or thesis.
  • There must be adequate referencing of where individual papers have been published.
  • Written permission must be obtained for all copyrighted materials. Letters of permission must be uploaded electronically in PDF form when submitting the dissertation or thesis. 
  • The published material must be reformatted to meet the university's format requirements (e.g., appropriate margins and pagination) of the dissertation. The Office of the University Registrar will approve a dissertation or thesis if there are no deviations from the normal specifications that would prevent proper dissemination and utilization of the dissertation or thesis. If the published material does not correspond to these standards, it will be necessary for you to reformat that portion of the dissertation or thesis.
  • Multiple authorship has implications with respect to copyright and public release of the material. Be sure to discuss copyright clearance and embargo options with your co-authors and your advisor well in advance of preparing your thesis for submission.

If copyrighted material belonging to others is used in your dissertation or thesis or is part of your supplementary materials, you must give full credit to the author and publisher of the work in all cases, and obtain permission from the copyright owner for reuse of the material unless you have determined that your use of the work is clearly fair use under US copyright law (17 USC §107). 

The statute sets out four factors that must be considered when assessing Fair Use:

  • the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purpose;
  • the nature of the copyrighted work;
  • the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
  • the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The Association of American University Presses requires permission for any quotations that are reproduced as complete units (poems, letters, short stories, essays, journal articles, complete chapters or sections of books, maps, charts, graphs, tables, drawings, or other illustrative materials). You can find this guideline and other detailed information on Fair Use at http://fairuse.stanford.edu . 

If you are in doubt, it is safest to obtain permission. Permission to use copyrighted material must be obtained from the owner of the copyright. Stanford Libraries requires copies of permission letters (in PDF format) to be uploaded electronically when submitting the dissertation or thesis, and assumes no liability for copyright violations. For reference, view this sample permission letter .

Copyright protection is automatically in effect from the time the work is in fixed form. A proper copyright statement consisting of the copyright symbol, the author’s name, year of degree conferral, and the phrase “All Rights Reserved” will be added automatically to the dissertation or thesis in its final form.

Registration of copyright is not required, but it establishes a public record of your copyright claim and enables copyright owners to litigate against infringement. You need not register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office at the outset, although registration must be made before the copyright may be enforced by litigation in case of infringement. 

Early registration does have certain advantages: it establishes a public record of your copyright claim, and if registration has been made prior to the infringement of your work, or within three months after its publication, qualifies you to be awarded statutory damages and attorney fees in addition to the actual damages and profits available to you as the copyright owner (should you ever have to sue because of infringement).

For more information about copyright, see the Stanford Libraries' resource on Copyright Considerations .

For further information on Registration of Copyright, see https://www.copyright.gov/registration/ .

Do not require a password to make changes to your submitted PDF file, or apply other encryption or security measures. Password-protected files will be rejected.

The file name and description will be printed on a page added to your dissertation or thesis, so choose a file name accordingly.

Important note: File names may only consist of alphanumeric characters, hyphen, underscore, at sign, space, ampersand, and comma – before the ending period and file extension.  Specifically,

  • A file name cannot start with a space, period (nor contain a period), underscore, or hyphen.
  • Files names must be 120 characters or less.

Here is an example of a filename that is allowed, including all of the possible characters:

  • A Study of Social Media with a Focus on @Twitter Accounts, Leland Student_30AUG2023.pdf

In submitting a thesis or dissertation to Stanford, the author grants The Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford) the non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable right to reproduce, distribute, display and transmit author's thesis or dissertation, including any supplemental materials (the Work), in whole or in part in such print and electronic formats as may be in existence now or developed in the future, to sub-license others to do the same, and to preserve and protect the Work, subject to any third-party release or display restrictions specified by Author on submission of the Work to Stanford.

Author further represents and warrants that Author is the copyright holder of the Work, and has obtained all necessary rights to permit Stanford to reproduce and distribute third-party materials contained in any part of the Work, including use of third-party images, text, or music, as well as all necessary licenses relating to any non-public, third-party software necessary to access, display, and run or print the Work. Author is solely responsible and will indemnify Stanford for any third party claims related to the Work as submitted for publication.

Author warrants that the Work does not contain information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), confidentiality agreements, or contain Stanford Prohibited, Restricted or Confidential data described on the University IT website , or other data of a private nature.

Stanford is under no obligation to use, display or host the work in any way and may elect not to use the work for any reason including copyright or other legal concerns, financial resources, or programmatic need.

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Formatting your Thesis and Dissertation:Tools,Tips and Troubleshooting

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Adjust Margins

On the  Page Layout  ribbon,  Page Setup  group, choose  Margins :

Select Margins from Menu

At  Margins , hold the cursor down on the arrow. When the Margins dialog box opens, move the cursor to the bottom to  Custom Margins  and click on it:

margin for thesis paper

On the  Page Setup  dialog box, the margins should be 1.2 inches on the top, right and bottom and 1.7 inches on the left. Whole document ( Depending on department regulation ).

margin for thesis paper

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Margin (Composition Format) Definition

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The part of a page that's outside the main body of text  is a margin .  Word processors let us set margins so that they're either aligned ( justified ) or ragged ( unjustified ). For most school or college writing assignments (including articles , essays , and reports ), only the left-hand margin should be justified. (This glossary entry, for instance, is left justified only.)

As a general rule, margins of at least one inch should appear on all four sides of a hard copy. The specific guidelines below have been drawn from the most commonly used style guides . Also, see:

  • Block Quotation
  • Indentation
  • Justification

From the Latin, "border"

  • APA Guidelines on Margins "Leave uniform margins of at least 1 in. (2.54 cm) at the top, bottom, left, and right of every page. Combined with a uniform typeface and font size, uniform margins enhance readability and provide a consistent gauge for estimating article length." ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 6th ed. APA. 2010)
  • MLA Guidelines on Margins "Except for page numbers, leave margins  of one inch at the top and bottom and on both sides of the text. . . . If you lack 8½-by-11-inch paper and use a larger size, do not print the text in an area greater than 6½ by 9 inches. Indent the first word of a paragraph one-half inch from the left margin. Indent set-off quotations one inch from the left margin." ( MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , 7th ed. The Modern Language Association of America, 2009)
  • Turabian's Chicago-Style Guidelines on Margins "Nearly all papers in the United States are produced on standard pages of 8½ x 11 inches. Leave a margin of at least one inch on all four edges of the page. For a thesis or dissertation intended to be bound, you may need to leave a bigger margin on the left side--usually 1½ inches. "Be sure that any material placed in headers or footers, including page numbers and other identifiers . . ., falls within the margins specified in your local guidelines." (Kate L. Turabian et al., A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers , 8th ed. University of Chicago Press, 2013)
  • Guidelines on Margins in Business Letters and Reports "Use a 2-inch top margin for the first page of a business letter printed on letterhead stationery. Any second and succeeding pages of a business letter have 1-inch top margins. Use left justification. "Select the side margins according to the number of words in the letter and the size of the font used to prepare the letter. Set the margins after keying the letter and using the word count feature of your word processing program. . . . " Reports and manuscripts may be prepared with either 1.25-inch left and right margins or 1-inch left and right margins, depending upon the preference of the originator. If the report or manuscript is to be bound on the left, allow an additional 0.25 inch for the left margin. "The first page of major parts (title page, table of contents, bibliography, etc.) and the opening page of sections or chapters require a 2-inch top margin, 2.25 inches for top-bound documents." (James L. Clark and Lyn R. Clark, How 10: A Handbook for Office Workers , 10th ed. Thomson/South-Western, 2003)
  • The New Typography "In the New Typography margins often almost entirely disappear. Of course, type cannot in most cases be set right up to the edge of the paper, which would hinder legibility. In small items of printed matter, 12 to 24 points are the minimum margin required; in posters 48 points. On the other hand, borders of solid red or black can be taken right up to the edge, since unlike type they do not require a white margin to achieve their best effect." (Jan Tschichold, "The Principles of the New Typography," in Texts on Type: Critical Writings on Typography , ed. by Steven Heller and Philip B. Meggs. Allworth Communications, 2001)

Pronunciation: MAR-jen

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Headers, Page Margins, and Spacing

These three elements of formatting are all intertwined and crucial for presenting your work in an organized, easy-to-read manner.

Required Headers

  • Headers for all required pages must be consistently formatted; they should be the same size, font, and style, and located in the same position on each page, in the center of the page. They must start at the very top of the page, on the first line below the 1-inch margin.
  • Headers for all required pages should be bold, all caps, and black.

Chapter Headers

  • Chapter headers are the only headers that can start lower on the page and be stylized in any manner, as long as they are consistent on each chapter title page.

Section Headers

  • It is common for a chapter to have multiple levels of section headers. These can be formatted differently than required or chapter headers, as long as there is a consistent style from chapter to chapter.

Running Headers

  • Your document should not have a running header that appears at the top of each page.

Page Margins

Page margins should be consistent throughout the text.

Required Margins:

  • The top, bottom, and right margins are required to be 1 inch, but the left margin can either be 1 inch or 1.25 inches.
  • All body text, tables, figures, appendices content, and any copies of published chapters must fit within the required 1-inch margins on all sides. Tables or images may have to be re-sized to fit within the margin. See the Tables and Figures page for more info.

Throughout your ETD, all text must start at the very top of the page . It is common for students to have trouble maintaining this consistency — often thanks to difficulty with Microsoft Word. The below instructions should help to specify the relevant settings in Microsoft Word and offer some helpful tips to maintaining consistency throughout your document.

  • Check that your  top  margin is set to 1 inch.
  • Check the page margin layout settings .  On the “Layout” tab, in the “Margins” menu (found on the far left of the navigation bar), click “Custom Margins.” A “Page Setup” menu will appear. Under the “Layout” tab of this pop-up menu, make sure “Vertical alignment” is set to “Top.”
  • Make sure you don’t have  extra space in the  header . Double-click on the header and  hit the down arrow. If there are extra lines in the  header , below the page number, delete them.
  • Make sure there isn’t extra space between your text and the  top  of the page. All text must start on the first line at the very  top  of the page, just after the 1 inch margin line.

To more easily identify spacing inconsistencies as you scan your document, enable the “Gridlines” view :

margin for thesis paper

If you are having trouble moving your text to the top of the page, check the “ Header from Top” and “Footer from Bottom” settings.

  • Double-click within the header or footer to edit them.
  • Click the “Design” tab.
  • See the below screenshot:

margin for thesis paper

Spacing and Indentation

Spacing must be consistent throughout the document. This includes:

  • The amount of space between headers and body text.
  • Line spacing of your body text (starting on your abstract page).
  • Regardless of your text spacing, you should at least have a space between each entry on your table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, list of abbreviations, and reference pages.
  • There should be a minimum amount of space separating body text from tables and figures.
  • Indents should be set to .05 inches throughout entire document.

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Are you feeling overwhelmed by the thought of formatting your thesis or dissertation? It's a common challenge that many graduate students and researchers face. 

The requirements and guidelines for thesis writing can be complex and demanding, leaving you in a state of confusion.

You may find yourself struggling with questions like:  

How do I structure my thesis properly? 

What are the formatting rules I need to follow? 

Don't worry! 

In this comprehensive blog, we will explain the thesis format step by step. 

Whether you're a graduate student or a postdoctoral researcher, our thesis format guide will assist you in academic writing.

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  • 1. What is a Thesis and a Dissertation? 
  • 2. How to Structure a Thesis - The Formatting Basics 
  • 3. Thesis Format Guidelines 
  • 4. Thesis Format Sample
  • 5. Thesis Paper Formatting Tips

What is a Thesis and a Dissertation? 

At some point in your academic journey, you've likely come across the terms "thesis" and "dissertation," but what exactly are they, and how do they differ? 

A thesis and a dissertation both represent substantial pieces of academic work, sharing some similarities, but they also have distinct characteristics.

A thesis is typically associated with undergraduate or master's degree programs. It represents a student's independent research and findings on a specific topic. The objective is to demonstrate a deep understanding of the subject matter and the ability to conduct research.

On the other hand,

A dissertation is commonly linked with doctoral programs. It's a more extensive and comprehensive research project that delves into a specific area of study in great detail. Doctoral candidates are expected to make an original contribution to their field of knowledge through their dissertation.

Give a read to our thesis vs dissertation blog to learn the difference!

How to Structure a Thesis - The Formatting Basics 

Structuring your thesis is a crucial aspect of academic writing. The thesis format font size and spacing follows a specific framework.

A well-organized thesis not only enhances readability but also reflects your dedication to the research process.

The structure can be divided into three main sections: Front Matter, Body, and End Matter.

Front Matter 

  • Title Page: The title page is the very first of preliminary pages of your thesis. It typically includes the thesis title, your name, the name of your institution, and the date of submission.
  • Abstract: The abstract is a concise summary of your thesis, providing readers with a brief overview of your research problem, methodology, key findings, and conclusions.
  • Table of Contents: A well-organized table of contents lists all the main sections, subsections, and corresponding page numbers within your thesis.
  • List of Figures and Tables: If your thesis contains figures and tables, create a separate list with captions and page numbers for easy reference.
  • List of Abbreviations or Acronyms: If you've used abbreviations or acronyms in your thesis, include a list to explain their meanings.
  • List of Symbols: If your research involves symbols or special characters, provide a list of these elements and their definitions.
  • Acknowledgments: In this section, you can acknowledge individuals or institutions that have supported your research and thesis writing process.
  • Dedication (Optional): Some students choose to include a dedication page to honor someone or express personal sentiments.
  • Preface (Optional): In the preface, you can explain the background and context of your research, providing additional context for the reader.
  • Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your thesis. It introduces the research problem, its significance, research objectives, and research questions.
  • Literature Review: The literature review section provides a comprehensive review of existing literature and research related to your topic. It helps establish the context for your research.
  • Methodology: Describe the research methods and techniques you employed in your study. Explain how you collected and analyzed data.
  • Results: Present your research findings in a clear and organized manner. Use tables, figures, and charts to illustrate key points.
  • Discussion: Interpret the results and discuss their implications. Address any limitations and suggest areas for future research.
  • Conclusion: Summarize the main findings and their importance. Restate the research questions and provide a final perspective on the topic.

End Matter 

  • References: List all the sources you cited in your thesis, following a specific citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
  • Appendices: Include any supplementary materials, such as raw data, surveys, questionnaires, or additional information that supports your research.
  • Vita (Optional): Some academic institutions require or allow a vita, which is essentially a brief academic resume or biography.

By following this structured framework for your thesis, you'll ensure that your research is presented in a clear and organized manner, meeting the formatting basics and academic standards.

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Thesis Format Guidelines 

Formatting your thesis makes your research work not just look good but also helps others understand it easily. 

These guidelines show you how to structure and organize your thesis neatly, from the title page to the reference section. 

  • Page Layout:
  • Use standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
  • Set 1-inch margins on all sides.
  • Use a readable and professional font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
  • Font size for the main text should typically be 12 points.
  • Line Spacing:
  • Use double-spacing throughout the document.
  • Exceptions include footnotes, long quotations, and the bibliography , which may be single-spaced.
  • Heading Structure:
  • Use a clear and hierarchical heading structure to organize your content.
  • Differentiate between main headings and subheadings with bold, italics, or size variations.
  • Page Numbering:
  • Page numbers are typically placed in the header or footer.
  • Number the pages consecutively throughout the document.
  • Arabic numerals or roman numerals are used for the body of the thesis.
  • Title Page:
  • The title page should include the thesis title, your name, institutional affiliation, and the date of thesis submission.
  • Follow your institution's specific guidelines for title page formatting.
  • Table of Contents:
  • Create a well-organized table of contents listing all sections and subsections with corresponding page numbers.
  • Use a clear and consistent format for this section.
  • List of Figures and Tables:
  • If applicable, provide separate lists for figures and tables, including captions and page numbers.
  • Ensure consistent formatting for these lists.
  • Present a concise summary of the thesis, highlighting the research problem, methodology , key findings, and conclusions.
  • Typically, the abstract is on a separate page immediately following the title page.
  • Citations and References:
  • Follow a specific citation style consistently throughout your thesis (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
  • Ensure that in-text citations and references are accurate and properly formatted.
  • Page Breaks:
  • Use page breaks to separate sections properly. This ensures that your chapters and other major divisions begin on new pages.
  • Maintain the required margins (usually 1 inch) on all sides, including the top, bottom, left, and right.
  • Appendices:
  • If you include appendices, ensure they follow the same formatting rules as the main body of the thesis.

You can also refer to the below-given document to understand the format template of a thesis paper.

Thesis Format Template

Thesis Format Sample

Here are some thesis format examples to get a better understanding.

MLA Thesis Format

APA Thesis Format

Baby Thesis Format

Undergraduate Thesis Format

Master Thesis Format pdf

PhD Thesis Format Pdf

Thesis Format for Computer Science

Research Thesis Format

Thesis Paper Formatting Tips

Formatting your thesis paper correctly is not only about making it look neat and professional but also about meeting the stringent requirements set by your academic institution.

Whether you're in the early stages of writing your thesis or preparing for submission, these tips will help you in formatting.

  • Adhere to Institutional Guidelines: Follow your institution's specific formatting requirements, including thesis format margins, font styles, and citation styles.
  • Consistency in Formatting: Maintain uniform font, font size, and spacing throughout the thesis for a professional appearance.
  • Proper Page Numbering: Place page numbers correctly in the header or footer, starting with the first chapter after the front matter.
  • Title Page Accuracy: Ensure the title page contains the accurate title, your name, institutional affiliation, and submission date.
  • Organized Table of Contents: Create a well-structured table of contents listing all sections and subsections with page numbers.
  • List of Figures and Tables: Provide separate, well-labeled lists for figures and tables, including captions and page numbers.

In conclusion, this blog has provided valuable insights into the essential aspects of formatting a thesis paper.

By following these tips, students can ensure that their research is not only well-structured and polished but also meets the rigorous standards set by their academic institutions.

Formatting and writing a thesis is a challenging task for most people, as it requires a lot of time.

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

  • Filing Fees and Student Status
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  • Electronic Thesis Submission
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  • Formatting Overview
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  • Pagination, Margins, Spacing
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  • Preliminary Pages Overview
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  • Dedication Page
  • Table of Contents
  • List of Figures (etc.)
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Length and Binding

UCI places no limit to the length of a thesis or dissertation.

However, for manuscripts submitted on paper, the Library's binding process limits thickness to 2.25" maximum. If your manuscript exceeds that thickness, divide it into two volumes of roughly equivalent thickness; make the split between two chapters. For identification purposes, make one exact copy of your title page and table of contents on 100% cotton paper to include in the second volume. Remember that your manuscript can be printed only on one side of each manuscript page.

Paper Quality

For manuscripts submitted on paper, you must use 8.5" x 11", 20-24 pound, white, 100% cotton bond paper for the final version of the thesis/dissertation. Please consult with the University Archives prior to printing your manuscript to ensure that you are using the appropriate paper.

Oversized Materials

For paper submissions, If your material does not lend itself to reduction, or if reduction to an 8.5" x 11" page necessitates more than a 50% reduction in the image size of the text, you may use 11" x 17" paper. The maximum dimensions of pages which may be bound into the manuscript are 17" by 22" (width by length). If only one dimension of a chart or similar material is oversized, the other dimension must conform to the size of a regular typewritten page (8.5" x 11").

If you use oversized pages, they must be folded to the 8.5" x 11" manuscript size with pleat-like folds. In order to avoid its being bound into the spine of the book and therefore not able to be unfolded by the reader, no fold should fall closer than .5" to the left edge of the manuscript.

Handwritten Marks

Use only black, permanent, non-smearing ink for handwritten symbols or formulas, drawings, diacritical marks, etc. Black ink images reproduce the best. Blue inks vary widely in their reproducibility, from intense to nonexistent.

Photographs

Photographs used as pages of the manuscript must conform to the established page size and margin requirements. Light-weight photographic papers are strongly recommended; medium-weight photographic paper may be used if no alternative is available.

Alternatively, photographs printed on photographic paper (no heavier than medium weight) may be mounted with 3M Positional Mounting Tissue/Adhesive or a spray mount (3M Photo Mount or "Perma Mount"), available from photography stores. Mount photographs on the same 100% cotton paper used for the rest of your manuscript. Material may not be attached by using paper clips, staples, adhesive tape (single- or double-sided), or ordinary glue.

Computer-generated photographic pages or photocopied photographic pages produced with a high-quality, high-contrast copy machine (in either black-and-white or color) are acceptable alternatives to photographs. Use the same 100% cotton paper used for the rest of your manuscript, if possible.

For doctoral dissertations, high-contrast black-and-white photographs are recommended, as they produce the best results on microfilm. While color photographs may be used, they will be microfilmed in black and white and are likely to have insufficient contrast to be fully legible on microfilm.

Electronic Appendices in Paper Submissions

Electronic or audiovisual data may be included as appendices in paper submissions. Your committee should agree that the information contained in the appendices is of such a character that a medium other than text is necessary. For paper submissions, electronic or audiovisual data should be submitted as follows. The following media may be utilized:

  • Audiovisual material, such as, slides, videotape, videodisk, compact disk, cassette tape, or audiotape
  • Electronic files, such as floppy disk or compact disk

When including such media as part of your manuscript, when submitting your manuscript on paper, you must submit two copies, each in its own cover or case.

For electronic files, you must also provide sufficient information to enable a reader to select the proper equipment on which to access your data. Instructions must be included in your thesis/dissertation in the section discussing the data and how to use it, and must include the following information:

  • The minimum hardware on which the file will run
  • Software requirements
  • Operating system
  • Amount of memory required
  • Any required or recommended peripherals

Include the electronic or audiovisual appendix in your table of contents. For identification purposes, the label affixed to the media covers or cases must include the following information:

  • Thesis/dissertation title
  • Degree title, followed by the year earned
  • University of California, Irvine
  • Section/chapter of manuscript (e.g. Appendix I)
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COMMENTS

  1. Formatting Guidelines

    Footnotes. Format footnotes for your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines: Footnotes must be placed at the bottom of the page separated from the text by a solid line one to two inches long. Begin at the left page margin, directly below the solid line. Single-space footnotes that are more than one line long.

  2. Page Layout, Margins and Numbering

    Learn the formatting requirements and recommendations for text-based theses at UBC, including page size, margins, paragraphs, page numbering, and more. Find out how to orient and paginate landscape pages and facing pages in your PDF.

  3. Margins

    Margins. Use 1-inch margins on every side of the page for an APA Style paper. However, if you are writing a dissertation or thesis, your advisor or institution may specify different margins (e.g., a 1.5-inch left margin to accommodate binding). Publication Manual Concise Guide.

  4. Formatting your thesis: Overall layout and specifications

    The final copy of the thesis must be converted to .pdf (PDF/A format) for submission to the Library (maximum 600 mb). See the guide Saving your thesis in PDF/A format for instructions. Theses must be formatted for US Letter (8.5X11) pages. Landscape 8.5X11 and 11X17 pages are permitted. Legal, A4, or other paper sizes are not permitted.

  5. PDF How to Prepare your Dissertation in APA Style Style Manual Spacing Margins

    The right margin of the text should not be justified, but kept left-aligned, also known as ragged right, like the test in this guide. Margins All margins in the document should be set to 1 inch on each side. The margins must be maintained on all pages, including the appendices. Tables, maps, charts, and illustrations should fall within such ...

  6. Pagination, Margins, Spacing

    The final version of your thesis/dissertation must be on an 8.5" x 11" (letter size) page. All manuscript text, excluding manuscript page numbers, must fit within these specified margin requirements: Minimum 1-inch margins from the top, left, right, and bottom edges of each page

  7. PDF Formatting a Research Paper

    Do not use a period after your title or after any heading in the paper (e.g., Works Cited). Begin your text on a new, double-spaced line after the title, indenting the first line of the paragraph half an inch from the left margin. Fig. 1. The top of the first page of a research paper.

  8. Formatting Requirements : Graduate School

    1. Language. The dissertation or thesis must be written in English. 2. Page Size and Specifications. Page size must be 8.5 x 11 inches (or 216 x 279 millimeters), also known as "letter" size in U.S. standards. (ISO standard paper sizes, such as A4, are not allowed.) The inclusion of oversized pages or sheets of paper larger than 8.5 x 11 ...

  9. Format Requirements for Your Dissertation or Thesis

    Margins. Inner margins (left edge if single-sided; right edge for even-numbered pages, and left edge for odd-numbered pages if double-sided) must be 1.5 inches. All other margins must be one inch. ... The inclusion of published papers in a dissertation or thesis is the prerogative of the major department. Where published papers or ready-for ...

  10. Margins

    Margins. On the Page Layout ribbon, Page Setup group, choose Margins:. At Margins, hold the cursor down on the arrow.When the Margins dialog box opens, move the cursor to the bottom to Custom Margins and click on it:. On the Page Setup dialog box, the margins should be 1.2 inches on the top, right and bottom and 1.7 inches on the left. Whole document (Depending on department regulation).

  11. Dissertation layout and formatting

    The layout requirements for a dissertation are often determined by your supervisor or department. However, there are certain guidelines that are common to almost every program, such as including page numbers and a table of contents. If you are writing a paper in the MLA citation style, you can use our MLA format guide. Table of contents.

  12. Setting Margins

    General guidelines require a 1" margin on all sides except the left, which requires a 1.5" margin. On the Page Layout Ribbon, in the Page Setup Group, click on the arrow below the Margins options and select Custom Margins….; In the Page Setup dialog box, select the Margins tab, and type 1.5" into the space for the left margin and 1' for the rest of them.

  13. PDF Student Paper Setup Guide, APA Style 7th Edition

    Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5 in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. Page numbers: Put a page number in the top right corner of every page, including the title page or cover page, which is page 1. Student papers do not require a running head on any page.

  14. Margins in Essays and Reports

    Turabian's Chicago-Style Guidelines on Margins "Nearly all papers in the United States are produced on standard pages of 8½ x 11 inches. Leave a margin of at least one inch on all four edges of the page. For a thesis or dissertation intended to be bound, you may need to leave a bigger margin on the left side--usually 1½ inches.

  15. Headers, Page Margins, and Spacing

    Headers. Required Headers. Headers for all required pages must be consistently formatted; they should be the same size, font, and style, and located in the same position on each page, in the center of the page. They must start at the very top of the page, on the first line below the 1-inch margin. Headers for all required pages should be bold, all caps, and black.

  16. Research Paper Format

    The main guidelines for formatting a paper in APA Style are as follows: Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman or 11 pt Arial. Set 1 inch page margins. Apply double line spacing. If submitting for publication, insert a APA running head on every page. Indent every new paragraph ½ inch.

  17. PDF MANUAL For Thesis and Dissertations STYLE & FORMAT

    Turabian, Kate L. Manual for the Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. University of Chicago Press.A Manual of Style. Strunk, W., Jr. and E. B. White.The Elements of Style.(For grammar and punctuation only.) 3.2. Headings in the Text ... The margins of the thesis page are:

  18. Thesis Format Guide

    Margins: Maintain the required margins (usually 1 inch) on all sides, including the top, bottom, left, and right. Appendices: If you include appendices, ensure they follow the same formatting rules as the main body of the thesis. You can also refer to the below-given document to understand the format template of a thesis paper.

  19. How to Format Your Research Paper

    On every page, in the upper right margin, 1/2" from the top and flush with the right margin put your last name followed by the page number. On every page (except Figures), in the upper right margin, 1/2" from the top and flush with the right margin, two or three words of the paper title (this is called the running head) appear five spaces to ...

  20. Paper Thesis Formatting

    For manuscripts submitted on paper, you must use 8.5" x 11", 20-24 pound, white, 100% cotton bond paper for the final version of the thesis/dissertation. Please consult with the University Archives prior to printing your manuscript to ensure that you are using the appropriate paper.

  21. Paragraph Alignment and Indentation

    Level 4 and 5 headings are indented like regular paragraphs. tables and figures: Table and figure numbers (in bold), titles (in italics), and notes should be flush left. appendices: Appendix labels and titles should be centered (and bold). APA Style includes guidelines for paragraph alignment and indentation to ensure that papers are formatted ...

  22. Utm thesis format (margin)

    Teach you how to set up the Dissertation and thesis format for utm. Especially the margin and its line spacing. Set the ms word's margin to 2.5 cm for right...

  23. How to Create a Page Border for Research Papers

    In this video, you will learn how to add borders and set margins to your document especially for research papers, practicum, etc. Other VideosHow to Create ...

  24. Setting thesis margins

    I found this in someone else's thesis. My understanding is that oddsidemarin sets the left margin for odd-numbered pages, minus 1 inch, so this gives 1 inch (25.5mm)+16mm: 1.63inches on the left side of the odd-numbered pages. Then A4 dimensions are 210mm w x 297mm so \setlength{\textwidth}{140mm} along with my oddsidemargin means there will be ...