indesign phd thesis template

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

• Filing Fees and Student Status
• Submission Process Overview
• Electronic Thesis Submission
• Paper Thesis Submission
• Formatting Overview
• Fonts/Typeface
• Pagination, Margins, Spacing
• Paper Thesis Formatting
• Preliminary Pages Overview
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures (etc.)
• Acknowledgements
• Text and References Overview
• Figures and Illustrations
• Using Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Using Copyrighted Materials by Another Author
• Open Access and Embargoes
• Copyright and Creative Commons
• Ordering Print (Bound) Copies
• Tutorials and Assistance
• FAQ This link opens in a new window

UCI Libraries maintains the following  templates to assist in formatting your graduate manuscript. If you are formatting your manuscript in Microsoft Word, feel free to download and use the template. If you would like to see what your manuscript should look like, PDFs have been provided. If you are formatting your manuscript using LaTex, UCI maintains a template on OverLeaf.

• Annotated Template (Dissertation) 2024 PDF of a template with annotations of what to look out for
• Word: Thesis Template 2024 Editable template of the Master's thesis formatting.
• PDF Thesis Template 2024
• Word: Dissertation Template 2024 Editable template of the PhD Dissertation formatting.
• PDF: Dissertation Template 2024
• Overleaf (LaTex) Template
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• Next: FAQ >>
• Last Updated: Feb 20, 2024 2:09 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/gradmanual

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On Laying Out your Thesis in InDesign

Most students in the school of architecture are fairly well versed in the use of InDesign for laying out documents.  The thesis document that every master’s student needs to complete in order to acquire their degree is yet another one of these documents but with a few specific technical requirements that makes it a thesis book.  Some of you may already know about all these features in InDesign and have your own way of putting together a book, but I’d like to share some of my experiences and methods I’ve learned while laying out my own thesis.

On requirements from the University:

I’ll begin at the beginning, the following are my notes on the formatting requirements from the university.  It is advisable to take these into account early on so there are less formatting revisions required at the end for the submission to UWSpace.  See this University of Waterloo webpage  for the original information.

Typography:

• Font size – 10-12 (main) maybe smaller (footnotes/charts)
• Serif typeface (Times New Roman, Palatino etc.) – I kind of ignored this and it was ok
• Consistency in title, heading, footing.
• Each page should include a minimum 1 inch (72 points) margin at the top, bottom, and outer edge of each page. A minimum 1 1/8 inch (81 points) gutter margin should be included for printed copies. Wider margins, as part of an overall graphic design, are acceptable.
• Running headers may be placed outside the margins but not closer than 15mm from the outer edges of a page.
• Consistent British or American spelling

Organization:

• The page number is omitted from the Title page, although it is considered page i.
• Front matter pages are numbered with lower case Roman numerals, beginning with the Author’s Declaration (page ii) following the title page.
• Arabic numerals are used for all pages in the Text (main body) and Back matter.
• Each chapter/section must begin on a separate page.
• The text (main body) of the thesis begins with page number “1,” placed in the centre at the bottom . – this item is strict… must be centred bottom
• All pages in the Text (main body) and Back matter must be numbered consecutively.

Order of items

See this sample for details on formatting the title page

The Author’s Declaration page must appear as follows:

“I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. 
 I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public.”

Sourcing/ Bibliographies:

• use RefWorks… see librarian for help with resource if necessary

On setting up an InDesign book:

If you anticipate a large file for your thesis, it may be advisable to make separate InDesign documents for each chapter and then combining them into an InDesign book.  This introduces a bit of complications but may be worth it if your computer starts to lag with the large file.

Making an InDesign book is fairly straightforward:

• When you create an InDesign document the first page is generally on the right hand side (an odd page), so when you combined the documents in a book using the “continue from previous page” option that right hand page may become a left hand page (an even page) and screw up the spread layout that you have designed
• Choosing either the “continue on next even/odd page” will allow the document to insert a blank page to the previous document if necessary to keep the spread layout in tact.

Note: you are able to sync all your paragraph and character styles to all your documents through the book control panel, you can set up all your styles in a designated master document and sync it to the rest.  Alternatively, you can create a style in any document and import it to the master then sync it to the rest.

On using paragraph and character styles:

Styles are great to setup not just for consistent formatting but also for simplifying the hassle of doing referencing and figure listing, table of contents too – if you want to go that far.

First thing to know about styles is when to create a paragraph style vs. a character style:

Sample paragraph styles

Sample character styles

*The following sections will describe how you use these paragraph styles to create endnotes and generate a figure list

Character styles override the appearance of text in the paragraph styles, choosing [none] in character styles would revert the text back to the default character style set by the paragraph style.  You can create paragraph and character styles as you see fit for your desired layout.  InDesign uses paragraph styles to generate a Table of Contents that updates automatically when you edit the text or when the page number changes.

I was too late in my game to implement this, but there is a program called WordsFlow that allows Word documents to be synced in InDesign.  This way, you can place the text, apply the formatting, edit the text and it will update on both Word and InDesign.  Unfortunately, since I never used the program, I can’t vouch for the success of the program.  However, if it does then you can simply use Word to do your endnotes and disregard the next section.

On doing endnotes with cross-references:

InDesign has the function to do footnotes under the “type” menu so I won’t go into that.  Following is the method I used to make my endnotes and hyperlink them.  There are probably other ways to accomplish this, I just found this the easiest.

Making endnotes*:

• Create a paragraph style called “endnotes”
• Place cursor where you want the endnote number to go in your text
• Repeat for other endnotes

* for a more detail guide, visit the following website .

On generating a figure list:

The figure list will inexplicably get pretty long and tedious to update.  Using cross-reference and paragraph styles, you could generate a list that updates according to the figure description.  This set up will also allow figure numbers to rearrange accordingly when you need to insert a new figure in-between two existing ones.

Making the figures:

• Create a paragraph style called “Figures”
• In “Number” type in ‘Figure’ in the field and edit the variables to your preference, you can use “Character Styles” to modify the appearance of the figure number
• Apply the paragraph style to text boxes that hold the descriptions and the figure numbers will appear in order
• There may be a better way to create this list, I still had to manually insert each cross reference but it saved the time of having to type each number and description out individually.
• I would still recommend doing this step closer to the end of the thesis as sometimes the update gets confused when the figure has shifted around a lot or removed.

*This step is important for the figure number to continue counting even when you create separate text frames,  for a more detailed explanation visit this website.

Note: if you have set up a book, the file holding the figure list would lag due to the cross references to other files, the solution is to simply have all the files open when you working on the figure list so the computer isn’t trying to open each of the files in the background to check if the references are updated.

Lastly, if you export your pdf with hyperlinks enabled, readers of the digital copy can use the hyperlinks to jump to chapters, endnotes and even figures depending on what links you’ve set up.

I learned most of these tips through Youtube and Indesignsecrets.com , there are lots of good tips to be found.  Hopefully this article is a nice comprehensive guide for starting to layout your thesis.  Happy thesis writing!

About Vikkie Chen

Vikkie is a graduate student at the Waterloo School of Architecture researching the practice of curation and architectural exhibitions as a method of development for the field of architecture.

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Useful downloads

Would you like to take care of the layout of your thesis yourself, but could you use some help? We make it easy as possible for you with our handy templates and extra explanation.

Discover our downloads:

• Templates for creating the book interior using Microsoft Word;
• Templates for creating the book interior using InDesign;
• Template for the cover using InDesign;
• Explanation on how to create a PDF using InDesign.

Besides our downloads we offer a free information book as well. Filled with extra information and useful tips.

Download here a cover example. 

Do you have any other questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us!

Undergraduate Thesis

• Preparing for Thesis
• Elements of Thesis
• List of References
• Images and Figures
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Books on Layout

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Designing a Book with Nigel French

Creating a book in InDesign from Designing a Book by Nigel French

Foundations of Layout and Composition: Grids with Sean Adams

Welcome from Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition by Sean Adams

Graphic Design Tutorial: Designing to a Grid

NewSchool recommends Adobe InDesign for designing your thesis book. Many free templates and tutorials are available online. Try starting with Blurb.com. 

The grid is your underlying structure which helps create visual hierarchy by sizing and positioning images and text to create a coherent design. The grid is the graphic expression of a set of assumptions about the permissible sizes and shapes of images and blocks of text. It enables you to achieve and sustain design consistency.

Your prime consideration for text should always be legibility. Text needs to be readable and perfectly clear. Don't allow it to compete with or obscure images; it should always work with them to explain and enhance them. Keep text clearly separate from images by spacing and/or maintaining a strong contrast between values of the images and values of the text blocks.

Familiarize yourself with type, it's legibility and emotional impact, by studying the typefaces used in books and magazines and on the web. Remember less is more--don't use more the three different fonts in any portfolio. Additionally, make sure all of the fonts are very different looking to create contrast.

Basics in Graphic Design

Remember, your thesis layout should follow graphic design standards. Here are recommended resources on design concepts including text, images, color, and white space.

See Examples of Attractive Layout Here

Ambrose / Harris. (2005).  Basics Design 02: Layout.  AVA Academia.

Linton, H. (2012).  Portfolio Design 4th ed.  W.W. Norton & Company.

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• Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 7:16 PM
• URL: https://library.newschoolarch.edu/ugthesis

ORGANIZING CREATIVITY

How to generate, capture, and collect ideas to realize creative projects., another way to use indesign to layout your thesis (with some help from zotero and word).

2015-09-21 Daniel Doing Science , General Tips , Improving your Creativity , Learning to do Science , Other Programs , Realizing Creative Projects , Science , Scrivener , Tools , Writing 3

“There is only one real sin, and that is to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but the second-best.” Doris Lessing

Tomek left a reader comment about his workflow when it comes to using InDesign for a Masters thesis in Architecture. Thank you 🙂 I found the comment helpful and to give it some more exposure, I copy-paste it into a posting of it’s own.

He writes :

I’ll be writing my Masters thesis in Architecture next year and doing it in anything other than InDesign seems nuts to me. I need to have full control over formatting and I need it to be reliable and consistent. Not qualities that Word is known for. However, Word has it’s uses. Here’s the workflow that I have used in the past and it seems to work quite well. – Use Zotero to create a database of your references. Zotero is free, excellent and has kickass support in Word. It makes inserting citations into our document a complete no brainer and also will create a bibliography/references page in whatever style. – Write the body of your thesis in Word. Be sure to set up some basic styles like a range of headers, etc. Name them something specific to your thesis, you could prefix style names with a few letters that are meaningful in the context of your thesis. For example, TP-Heading-1, TP-Heading-2, TP-Footnote, etc. (TP are my initials). – PLACE your Word document into a new InDesign file. Be sure to tick “Show Import Options”. This is where the magic happens. InDesign will import your word document with all the formatting AND it will automatically create all the styles you have created in Word (TP-Heading-1, etc). – Now all you have to do is place the pages and tweak the newly defined styles to achieve your desired look. So, use Word to write the words and us InDesign to format your document. Tomek

If I remember correctly how I did work with my own dissertation thesis, his way saves a lot of work regarding the formatting of headers and the like (I did it manually). And I think his way of working is especially suited for those working on Windows PCs, giving that, e.g., Papers (for literature management) is not available (love the cite-while-you-write shortcut feature). Zotero seems like a good choice (though personally, I would be careful which literature to add — if you go on a spree, you might end up with a lot of literature that clogs up the database that you never use. Sure, the database can handle it, but it might slow you down when you cite something and have to search and select the right paper).

Personally, I would still write in Scrivener and rather invest some more effort at formatting (either in the Word file or in InDesign) than write in Word. But that’s a personal choice.

And most importantly, it’s nice to have options — and know that you have them. 🙂

Like you, I’d pick Scrivener over Word. It’s a far better writing tool. I’d also prefer to bring in unformatted text rather than Word-formated documents. When I do layout for others, the Word import is always my biggest headache. Too much extraneous formatting appears and has to be cleaned out.

I generally write and edit in Scrivener until I decide the flow of the text isn’t going to change. Then I import it into InDesign for the serious editing and layout. I also export it to multiple platforms (i.e. epub on an iPad) for the proofing, The more different ways to view a document, the more likely you are to correct mistakes.

Hmmm, never thought about exporting it to ePub to find spelling and grammar mistakes … good idea. And yup, it’s really difficult to find errors when you’ve spend a lot of time working on the text. I find having it read out loud (if you have the time) to be really useful here. The computer is objective and reads what is there, not what you think is there.

Daniel, thanks for this post. I would just add that there is another option (and the best option I’ve found): Write in Markdown format in Scrivener (or any other text editor, but we all agree that Scrivener is the best, with amazing control of document organization, comments and footnotes, and much more). When you are ready to export to Adobe InDesign , “compile” the Scrivener document to a MultiMarkdown file. Then use the free document converter Pandoc to convert the Markdown file to a Microsoft Word file. (Pandoc’s Microsoft Word conversion is much cleaner than Scrivener’s, at least on a Mac.) Then import the Microsoft Word file into InDesign, showing the import options. Then it is easy to adjust styles in InDesign using the Paragraph Styles palette and GREP Styles.

But wait, “Why write in Markdown?” you ask. Markdown is a plain-text format that is platform independent, backwards compatible and future-proof. It allows you to focus on writing without the distractions of font styling. You can use Pandoc to convert it to any other format. Other writers have explained the virtues of Markdown for academic writing (most of them convert Markdown to LaTeX , but their arguments about the virtues of Markdown apply just as well to this Markdown-to-InDesign workflow), for example: Why (and How) I Wrote My Academic Book in Plain Text by W. Caleb McDaniel, Write Your Thesis in Plain Text! by Scott McPhee, Sustainable Authorship in Plain Text using Pandoc and Markdown by Dennis Tenen and Grant Wythoff, and Markdown for the Humanities by David Smith.

I’ll refrain from explaining how to handle scholarly citations in this Markdown-to-InDesign workflow, since there are multiple ways to do it depending on which reference management software you choose to use.

Comments are closed.

• Formatting your thesis

General guidelines

Though doctoral dissertations and master's theses can take different forms depending on the department, all graduate thesis submissions at the University of Waterloo must be structured according to the university's standards. We strongly suggest not copying from other students' submissions, instead using one of the approved templates produced by IST. We offer support for thesis formatting challenges via email and in person, and offer a workshop about thesis formatting in Microsoft Word.

• Microsoft Word template (WatIAM login required)
• LaTeX template (for cloud-based editing in Overleaf )

Theses are submitted to UWSpace as PDF files. PDFs should be PDF/UA or PDF/A compliant in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2020 . Following these instructions closely will facilitate the approval of your thesis by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs for inclusion in UWSpace.

Formatting with Microsoft Word

Information Systems & Technology provides tips for formatting your thesis in Word as well as periodic Skills for the Academic Workplace workshops about formatting your thesis.

This online learning resource outlines how to create an accessible PDF/UA document from Microsoft Word .

We can help you should you require assistance .

Formatting with LaTeX

Information Systems & Technology maintains instructions for formatting your thesis in LaTeX and exporting it to a PDF .

Please fill out this IST support form should you require assistance with LaTeX.

Formatting with Adobe InDesign

There is no template for students who publish their thesis using Adobe InDesign. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all required text and sections are present in their published document . 

Learn how to create an accessible PDF/A from InDesign .

Ensuring the best image quality

When exporting photographs, scanning images from print, or saving images where highlights and shading are present , save your image files as TIFF files, preferably at a resolution of at least 300 dpi. When saving graphics with areas of discrete colour and linework , save your images as PNGs. If these formats are unavailable, JPEGs are acceptable.

Next: Submitting your thesis

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An in-depth Indesign tutorial for architecture presentation boards for thesis using Indesign, sharing my architecture designs, compositions, and architecture presentation layout tips. I am extremely passionate about architecture and everything architecture!

Template Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y7lLn96j7qXBrwwsqzqwC0h7_v6x-vVg/view?usp=sharing

✅ Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to the video 00:16 How to set up an InDesign Document 01:09 First Architecture Presentation Board (Site Analysis) 04:51 2nd Architecture Presentation Board (Masterplan) 06:16 3rd Architecture Presentation Board (Interior Design) 08:00 InDesign Tips Every Architect Must Know! 09:35 My Architecture Thesis Presentation Boards 10:03 Thank you for watching!

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The templates below have been built to ensure a consistent look among most theses and dissertations submitted to the Graduate School. These templates should be used as a guide in formatting your thesis or dissertation with the understanding that your department may require modifications of the template to fit your discipline’s style. Please contact your department’s Format Advisor to discuss any necessary changes.

The Thesis & Dissertation Office recommends using the PurdueThesis.cls file.

Please take note that Overleaf SHOULD NOT be used for writing, editing, or publishing documents or research papers that contain data subject to EAR, ITAR, DFARS Clause 252.204-7012, and other controlled data designators due to the increased security required for these types of data.

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Please download the following template to begin your thesis/dissertation. Formatting within the template is already set up for your convenience.

You will need to select the appropriate answer for all dropdown boxes on page 1.  Ex. Thesis/Dissertation, Choose Degree, Choose Department, Choose Campus Location, Choose Graduation Term.

You will need to manually input your committee information on page 2. We ask that you only list your committee member's primary department. The name after "Approved by:" should match the name listed on your Form 9 as "Thesis Form Head".

Follow instructions within the template to complete the rest of your thesis/dissertation. Please be careful when making changes so that you do not override/change the template formatting.

Please contact us if your department is not listed, or with other questions. 

Last modified January 16, 2024.

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PhD thesis presentation

The presentation of a PhD thesis and its discussion are the final steps in the career of all PhD candidates. 

Research contribution

The PhD thesis is expected to present original research contributions developed during the PhD studies of the candidate. The thesis, as well as the research work, is developed under the guidance of a supervisor.

The thesis may include previously published work by the candidate, provided that the previously published material is cited appropriately in the thesis and the contribution of the author is clarified. Materials derived from the work of other authors must be properly referenced in the thesis and, if the exact words are reported, they must be cited in quotes.

The degree of originality of all PhD Theses will be assessed also through the use of anti-plagiarism software.

The evaluation of the thesis is performed in three phases: 

• by external reviewers
• by the Board of Professors of the PhD Programme
• during a public presentation of the thesis by the candidate to a final exam committee, followed by a discussion with the candidate on the contents of the thesis.

The detailed procedures are defined by the PhD Programme in which the candidate is enrolled. 

We suggest writing your thesis in A4 or A5 format; however, different formats will be allowed.

Examples of templates: 

• Sample Latex Doctoral thesis template (not compulsory)
• Sample PDF Doctoral thesis template (not compulsory)
• Sample RTF Doctoral thesis template (not compulsory)

Publication of the thesis

According to the law, all PhD theses are deposited at the National libraries of Rome and Florence, where they can be consulted locally. The candidates admitted to the final exam must deposit their thesis electronically before the final exam; when depositing the thesis they may decide whether to give public or limited access to the thesis in the Politesi repository of Politecnico di Milano, where all theses are recorded and listed after the defense.

For the procedures for the final exam registration and thesis deposit please visit this webpage

The best thesis in the area of Applied Sciences and Technologies may be proposed for publication in the Polimi-SpringerBriefs Series of  Springer, subject to an international evaluation of the submission. Further details on this series and submission procedures are available on  http://www.springer.com/series/11159   and on the Intranet page .

Thesis information are also available at PhD School formal regulations are available here

Graduate Student Success Center

Thesis and dissertation template.

The Graduate College offers a thesis/dissertation template that contains all required content and formatting. You can either write your document from within the template or apply the template’s formatting to your previously created work.

Need help working in the template? Schedule an appointment today.

Before You Begin

The first time you download the template, save the template file to your computer before you begin work on your document. This is important if you are composing your thesis/dissertation within the template or if you are copying and pasting your content into the template. You may need the original template file in the future.

Please note: We offer the Google Doc template for initial drafts of your thesis/dissertation to share easily with your committee chair. We do not accept Google Documents as the final document of your thesis/dissertation. Google Docs does not have the functionality we require for our final theses/dissertations. Please use the Google Doc template while keeping in mind that you will need to convert your document to Microsoft Word later.

Download Thesis and Dissertation Template (Word Doc) Download Thesis and Dissertation Template (LATEX) Download Thesis and Dissertation Template (Google Doc)

Word Template Last Updated: February 2021

Word Document Template Information

Download instructions.

• Download the Boise State Template from the orange callout ribbon above.
• Show the downloaded file in the Downloads folder.
• Right click and select Open
• Enable Content
• Click File > Save As and name the file, for instance, Boise_State_Template.dotm (note the extension is “.dotm”) and  Save as type:  Word Macro-Enabled Template (*.dotm) .  It is recommended locating this file on your desktop – it may come in handy if you need to reattach the template to your document in the future (see below).
• Close this file.

Working Within the Template

To work within the template, styles are applied throughout the document. These styles can be found by clicking the arrow in the lower right hand corner of the Styles section in the Home tab. To apply a style, simply highlight the text that you wish to format and click the appropriate name from the styles list.

When entering your own work into the template, be sure to apply the following styles to the appropriate parts of your document. Failure to do so will mean that your Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables will be incorrect.

• Format a Heading 1 in all caps, and centered
• Format a Heading 2 in title-caps, bold, and centered
• Format a Heading 3 in title-caps, underlined, and aligned left
• Format a Heading 4 in title-caps, underlined, and indented once
• Format a Heading 5 in title-caps, underlined and indented twice
• Figure Captions are bolded and centered in the template. They may also be justified.
• Table Captions are bolded and aligned left in the template. They may also be justified.
• Appendix Heading 2
• Appendix Heading 3

Formatting Landscape Pages

When setting pages of your document to landscape orientation to accommodate large figures or tables, you must reformat their page numbers so that they will still be visible after binding.

• Open the landscape page’s header by double-clicking within the header.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab. Repeat this step for the page following the landscape page.
• Delete the landscape page’s current page number.
• Click Insert → Page Number (in the Header & Footer section)→Page Margins.
• Select Landscape Page Numbers.

Note: If your other pages’ pagination disappears after inserting landscape page numbers, you likely did not turn off Link to Previous. Undo your changes to the page numbers and restart the instructions.

Replacing Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables

After your writing and editing is complete, you will need to replace the Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables.

• Right click the existing TOC, LOF, or LOT.
• Click Update Field.
• Select Update entire table and click Ok.

Note: All other lists (such as a List of Abbreviations or List of Graphs) are not updated automatically. Instead, the template includes examples of manually-created lists that can be altered to fit your needs.

Attaching the Template to a Preexisting Document. If your document is at or near completion, it may be easier for you to attach the template to your existing file than to paste your document into a new template.

Formatting Styles and Applying Styles

Before attaching the Thesis/Dissertation template to your document, you must first apply the following styles to the appropriate sections of your work. It does not matter how these styles look – when you first apply them they will not look right – only that the names of the styles match those in the following list exactly. After you have applied all the styles and attach the template the document will be formatted correctly.

These styles can be found by clicking the arrow in the lower right hand corner of the Styles section in the Home tab. Leave this menu open while you work through the document. To apply a style, simply highlight the text that you wish to format and click the appropriate name from the styles list.

Attaching Styles

• Access the Styles menu by clicking the lower-right corner of the Styles box on the Home tab in Windows. Keep this menu open on the side of your screen and apply the styles to your document as you work.
• Highlight the text you wish to format (it is often only necessary to “click in” the section you wish to format)
• Click the appropriate style from the Styles menu

Note: If the style you are looking for is not included in the list you may need to create the style (see next).

Creating Styles

Some required styles will not be listed in the premade styles, thus you will need to create them yourself.

• Highlight the text that you wish to format
• Right click the text and select Styles → Save Selection as a New Quick Style.
• Enter the appropriate style name and click OK.

Note: Remember, it does not matter how these styles look at this time, only that the style names match the names listed in the table above.

Attaching the Template

After applying styles to your document, you can attach the template, which will fix most of your document’s formatting issues.

• Download the Boise State Thesis and Dissertation Template and save it to your computer. See instructions above under “Before you Begin.”
• Open the Word document containing your thesis/dissertation, click file, click options, click add-ins, and select templates from the Manage drop down menu at the bottom of the page. Click go.
• In the Document Template section, click Attach.
• Navigate to the folder in which you saved the template and select it.
• Important: Check the box labeled “Automatically update document styles.”

Adjusting Margins

• Click Ctrl+A to select the entire document.
• In the Home ribbon, click layout, click margins and select the mirror margin option that contains inside margin 1.5″, top and bottom margins 1.”

Setting Page Numbers

Be careful that you set section breaks between front matter and body text and also between portrait and landscape-oriented pages (see Manually Formatting Your Document for instructions on setting page breaks). Each has a different way of formatting their pagination.

Front Matter

•  Set a continuous section break immediately before the Heading 1 on the first page that follows your approval pages.
• Set a continuous section break immediately before the title of Chapter 1.
• Open the footer on the first page following your approval page by clicking the Footer button in the Header & Footer section of the Insert tab and selecting Edit Footer.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab. This step is only necessary for the first numbered page in the front matter.
• Insert page numbers. Front matter page numbers should be in lowercase Roman numerals and should be centered at the bottom of each page.
• Double-click inside the footer of the first page in Chapter 1.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab. This step is only necessary for the first page in the body text.
• Delete the page numbers from the footer.
• Open the header on the same page by double-clicking inside the header.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab.
• Insert alpha-numeric page numbers, starting with 1, into the upper right-hand corner of the pages.

Landscape Pages

• Repeat step 3 on the page following the landscape page.
• Click Insert → Page Number (in the Header & Footer section) → Page Margins.

Inserting Table of Contents and Lists of Figures or Tables

Finally, after your document’s content is complete, you will need to create the Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables.

• In the Home ribbon, select References , then select Table of Contents and choose the first option.
• To build your list of tables or figures do the following: on the Home ribbon, select references, select Insert List of Table of Figures, on the options drop down select either table captions or figure captions depending on which you are creating. You will then have to manually insert the heading.

Note: The template does not include macros for automatically generating other lists such as a List of Abbreviations or List of Graphs. However, it does include example lists that can be copied, pasted, and altered to meet your needs.

Helpful Tips

• Access the Styles menu by clicking the lower-right corner of the styles box on the Home tab in Windows. Keep this menu open on the side of your screen, or on a second screen, and apply the styles to your document as you work. To make the document styles behave, use the styles in the template. For example, for all Heading 1s, use the Heading 1 style, which will automatically insert a break and a 2 inch margin, etc. As long as the styles are used, the document should behave appropriately, and the table of contents will include the headings once updated. To modify the Table of Contents, click once to highlight the table in gray, right-click and select “Update Entire Field.”
• Show formatting marks as you work in your document.  Click on the File tab, then Options, Display, and click on the box “Show all formatting marks” and OK.

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FREE Templates, Examples & Resources 📥

Practical Examples

Research proposal example

Literature review example

Research methodology example

Research topic ideas & examples

Research question examples

Other Templates & Tools

Ultimate dissertation writing checklist

Research topic evaluation tool (Excel)

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APA 7 template | MLA 9 template

Tools & Templates - Frequently Asked Questions

Are these templates and tools really free.

Yes . These templates and tools form part of the many free resources we provide to students. There are no costs or contractual obligations.

If you’re looking for more dissertation and thesis-related information, be sure to visit our blog and YouTube channel for lots of free content.

Can I edit the templates?

Yes. The templates are provided in MS Word format (DOCX), so you can edit the files to suit your specific needs.

Can I share the templates?

You’re welcome to share these templates with your friends or colleagues in their original form via email or chat .

If you wish to wish to share the templates on your website or anywhere else on the public web, please link to this page instead .

Should I follow the templates verbatim?

The templates are based on standardized chapter structures, but the exact structure and layout required by your university may differ. Therefore, it’s always best to review the specific requirements of your university and program before settling on a structure.

What's the difference between the full template and the chapter templates?

The full dissertation/thesis template provides a high-level outline structure, whereas the individual chapter templates provide more detail.

If you’re just starting the writing process, the former could help you structure your outline document and get a feel for how it all fits together, whereas the latter (chapter-specific templates) can be used as you approach each chapter.

What if I need more help?

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Your thesis or dissertation is often the most important single piece of work you’ll produce as a student (whether it be your final year undergraduate research project or your complete Masters / PhD thesis). These templates, many provided by the university themselves as official layout guidelines, include sections for you to add all the relevant author information (your university, department, supervisor, year, etc) along with placeholder chapters for your introduction, background, method, results, conclusion / discussion, references and appendices.

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Word Template for PhD Thesis

€ 79.95

Create a sleek and minimalist layout for your PhD Thesis yourself with the ease of Word by using this 42-page Word Template. Among others, the template includes cover pages, a colophon, chapter title pages, a references and supplementary materials section. The template also includes some predetermined settings for easy publication of your thesis, such as high resolution settings enabled, preset asymmetrical margins, taking into account the spine, and sleek & minimalistic typography, saving you hours of work. For a full PDF impression of the Word Template, click here .

• Description

Create a sleek and minimalist layout for your PhD Thesis yourself with the ease of Word by using this 42-page Word Template. Among others, the template includes cover pages, a colophon, chapter title pages, a references and supplementary materials section. The template also includes some predetermined settings for easy publication of your thesis, such as high resolution settings enabled, preset asymmetrical margins, taking into account the spine, and sleek & minimalistic typography, saving you hours of work. For a full PDF impression of the Word Template, click here .

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