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Academic Appeal: The 11 Best Fonts for Academic Papers

  • BY Bogdan Sandu
  • 26 February 2024

phd dissertation fonts

Imagine settling into the rhythm of crafting your academic magnum opus—the words flow, ideas chime, yet it all hinges on how your prose meets the reader’s eye. You’re well aware that  the best fonts for academic papers  don’t just whisper to the intellect; they shout to the discerning critic in each evaluator. Here unfolds a narrative, not merely of  typography  but your academic saga’s silent ambassador.

In forging this guide, I’ve honed focus on one pivotal, often underestimated player in the academic arena:  font selection .

Navigate through this roadmap and emerge with a treasure trove of  legible typefaces  and format tips that ensure your paper stands hallmark to clarity and professionalism.

Absorb insights—from the revered  Times New Roman  to the understated elegance of  Arial —paired with indispensable  formatting nuggets  that transcend mere compliance with  university guidelines .

Dive deep, and by article’s end, unlock a dossier of sage advice, setting your documents a class apart in the scrutinous world of academic scrutiny. Here’s to  typography  serving not just as a vessel but as your ally in the scholarly discourse.

The Best Fonts for Academic Papers

Serif High Formal papers, journals Standard and widely accepted
Sans-serif High Presentations, less formal Clean and modern appearance
Sans-serif High General academic work Default in Microsoft Word, well-balanced
Sans-serif High Professional papers Classic and neutral, can be less formal
Serif Moderate Long texts, books Old-style, gives a classic look
Serif High Humanities papers Elegant and easy-to-read
Serif Moderate Formal and traditional works Professional and authoritative
Serif High Academic journals Traditional and long-lasting readability
Serif High Online and printed text Specifically designed for screen readability
Serif High Electronic and printed papers Designed for on-screen readability and output

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Great fonts for a PhD thesis – and terrible ones

There are thousands of fonts out there – which one should you choose for a great-looking PhD thesis? I will explain the differences between serif and sans-serif fonts, what ligatures are and why you shouldn’t use that fun free font you found on the internet.

Great fonts for a PhD thesis: Serif vs. sans-serif

As I explained in my Ultimate Guide to preparing a PhD thesis for printing , there are two basic kinds of fonts: Serif fonts and sans-serif fonts. Serif fonts have small lines – serifs – at the ends of all lines. Sans-serif fonts don’t have those lines. Compare these two, Palatino Linotype and Arial:

Great fonts for a PhD thesis

Serifs guide the reader’s eyes, making sure that they stay in the same line while reading a printed text. In turn, your reader’s brain won’t get tired so quickly and they can read for longer.

But there is another feature that many serif fonts have. Look at these three (which are all great fonts to use in your PhD thesis, btw):

Great fonts for a PhD thesis

If you look closely, you will see that serif fonts often have different stroke thicknesses within every letter. This is called “weight contrast”. A subtle weight contrast further improves legibility of a printed text. Hence, I recommend you use a serif font with a bit of a weight contrast for your main text.

Which serif font should you choose?

But whatever you do, this one thing is extremely important: Choose a font that offers all styles: regular, italics , bold , and bold italics . Since these four styles all need to be designed separately, many fonts don’t offer all of them. Especially bold italics is absent in most free internet fonts and even from many fonts that come with your operating system or word processor.

Also: In your bibliography and in-text citations (if you go with an author-year citation style) you will have to display author’s names from all over the world. Many of them will contain special letters. For example German umlauts (ä, ö, ü), accented letters used in lots of of languages, i.e. French or Spanish (à, é, ñ, etc.), and dozens of other special letters from all kinds of languages (ç, ı, ł, ø, etc.). Be aware that only a very limited number of fonts offer all of these!

If you have mathematical equations in your thesis that require more than +, – and =, your font choices are limited even further . After all, the vast majority of fonts do not offer special operators.

As you can see, these criteria severely limit your choice of font for the main text. Needless to say, they rule out free fonts you can download from dafont.com or 1001fonts.com . That is why I urge you to go with a classic font. To make things easier for you, here is a table with serif fonts that offer all the characters you could dream of:

Failsafe serif fonts for your PhD thesis

Book Antiquamedium1991
Bookman Old Stylewide1858
Cambriamedium2004
Centurywide1894
Constantiamedium2006
Garamondwide1989
Gentium Book Basicmedium2005
Georgiamedium1993
Palatino Linotypewide1950
Sitka Textwide2013
Times New Romannarrow1932

These fonts are heavily based on fonts that have been in use since the invention of the mechanical printing press in the 15th century. Hence, these types of fonts have been tried and tested for more than 500 years. Hard to argue with that!

But which of these fonts is The Best TM for a PhD thesis? That depends on how much text you have in your thesis vs. how many figures, tables, equations, etc. As I have noted in the table, fonts have different widths. Look at this image showing the same text in Times New Roman (TNR), Cambria, and Sitka Text; all at the same size:

phd dissertation fonts

Hence, setting entire pages of text in TNR will make the page look quite dense and dark. So, a thesis with a lot of text and few figures is best set in a wider font like Sitka Text. On the other hand, if you have a lot of figures, tables, etc., TNR is a good choice because it keeps paragraphs of text compact and therefore the page from looking too empty. Medium-width fonts like Cambria are a good compromise between the two.

To see some of these fonts in action, check out this example PhD thesis where I show all sorts of font combinations and page layouts.

When to use a sans-serif font in your PhD thesis

This covers serif fonts. But which sans-serif fonts are great for your PhD thesis? And when do you use them?

As mentioned above, serif fonts are good for the main text of your thesis. But titles and headings are a different story. There, a sans-serif font will look very nice. Plus, using a different font in your headings than in the main text will help the reader recognize when a new section begins.

Here are some examples for good sans-serif fonts:

Great fonts for a PhD thesis - sans-serif

Each of these fonts – Futura, Franklin Gothic Book, and Gill Sans – are wonderful for headings in a PhD thesis. Why? Because they are easily readable, well-balanced and don’t call undue attention to themselves. Also, they have many options: regular, light, medium, bold, extra bold, including italics for all of them. And most operating systems or word processors have them pre-installed.

The criteria for heading fonts are not nearly as strict as those for main text fonts. If you have Latin species names in your headings, make sure the font offers (bold) italics. If you need to display Greek letters in your headings, make sure the font offers those. Done.

However, there are some criteria for headings. Just for fun, let’s have a look at some sans-serif fonts that would be a bad choice for a thesis:

Great fonts for a PhD thesis - sans-serif

I’d like to explicitly state that these are wonderful, well-designed fonts – you just shouldn’t use them in a scientific document. Heattenschweiler is too narrow, Broadway has too much weight contrast and Aspergit Light is too thin. All of these things impair readability and might make your opponents squint at your headings. Of course, you will want to do everything in your power to make the experience of reading your thesis as pleasant a possible for your opponents!

How are these fonts great for my PhD thesis? They are boring!

Why yes, they are, thanks for noticing!

Seriously though, the fonts not being interesting is the point. Your PhD thesis is a scientific document showing your expertise in your field and your ability to do independent research. The content of your thesis, the science, should be the sole focus. A PhD thesis is not the place to show off your quirky personality by way of an illegible font.

However, you can infuse your personality into your thesis cover and chapter start pages. There, you can use a fun font, since you probably don’t have to display any special characters.

Choosing the right font is too much pressure? Contact me for help with your layout!

Don’t use fonts made for non-Latin alphabets (Cyrillic, Hanzi, etc.)

Every computer nowadays comes pre-installed with a number of fonts made for displaying languages that don’t use the Latin alphabet (Latin alphabet = The alphabet in which this very article is displayed). Prominent examples for languages that don’t use the Latin alphabet are Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, etc. Other examples include the Arabic, Brahmic, and Cyrillic script. But there are many more fonts for a myriad of non-Latin alphabets. These fonts were optimized to make the characters of their languages easily readable.

However (and this is why I’ve written this entire section) they usually also contain Latin characters to be able to display the occasional foreign word.

Hence, you might want to honour your roots by using a font in your thesis that was made for your native language, by someone from your home country. It is tempting, because all the Latin characters are there, right? I completely understand this wish, but I strongly advise against it since there are some serious drawbacks.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not throwing shade on these fonts, they are fantastic at what they were made for. Displaying long stretches of text in the Latin alphabet, however, is not one of those things. Let me explain why.

They don’t offer all necessary characters

Firstly, fonts made to display languages with a non-Latin alphabet contain the bare minimum of Latin characters. That is, the basic letters and the most important punctuation marks. Hence, they don’t have all those math operators and special characters I talked about in the section about serif fonts.

Also, the Latin characters in these fonts are usually sans-serif, so less suitable for long text.

But let’s say the non-Latin alphabet font you chose does offer all special characters and has serifs. Unfortunately, they are still not suitable to use in your PhD thesis, for the following reasons:

They are often too small or large for use with greek letters

Do you mention β-Mercaptoethanol or α-Histidin antibodies in your Materials and Methods? Or any other Greek letter? Since Latin characters are scaled differently in fonts made for non-Latin alphabets, Greek letters will not be the same size as the rest of the text anymore. For example, look at this text, where I rendered everything (I swear!) in the specified font size:

non-latin fonts don't offer ligatures

In the first panel (Cambria), the Greek letters are the same size and weight as the main text. As I have said, Cambria is one of the fonts explicitly recommended for your thesis. If you look closely at the enlarged line on the bottom of the panel, you can see that the alpha is the same height as the lower-case letters, whereas the beta is the same height as the upper-case letters. It looks neat and tidy.

However, by using a non-Latin font for your PhD thesis, you are asking for trouble.

In the second panel, I show Cordia New, a font for Thai script. At 12 pt, it is way smaller than the Latin font. The Greek letters – which are also at 12 pt! – stand out awkwardly. Also, Cordia New produces a line distance that is larger than it should be when using it for a text in the Latin alphabet.

In the last panel I show Microsoft YaHei for displaying Hanzi characters. Here, the Latin characters are larger. This leads to the Greek letters being too small. And, as you can see in the second and third lines of the paragraph of text, the line distance is quite narrow. However, the Greek letter β requires a regular line distance. So, it pushes the following line down, making the paragraph look uneven.

They don’t offer ligatures

Now, what on earth are ligatures? I could dive into the history of book printing here but I’ll spare you those details. In essence, Ligatures are two or more letters that are printed as one single glyph. Let me show you:

what are ligatures

In the top line, you can see that the characters inside the boxes “melt” into each other. This single shape made out of several letter is called a ligature. They are mostly common with the small letter f. If you take a magnifying glass and look at the pages of a novel, you will quickly find these same ligatures. E-readers also display ligatures. Heck, even WhatsApp does it!

Ligatures also make the text easier to read. However, in order to display them, a font actually has to have the glyphs for the ligatures. And many fonts don’t. In order to find out whether a font you chose offers them, go to the character map of that font. (In Windows 10, simply click the windows logo in the corner of your screen and start typing the word “character”.) Pick a font in the drop-down menu. Now, search for the word “ligature” in the character map. If the map is empty after this, the font has no ligature glyphs.

All that being said, ligatures are not super important. I just wanted to mention them.

You can still use fonts made for non-Latin alphabets

If you want to honour your roots by way of a font, you can still do this. For example in your thesis title and/or for the chapter start pages.

In a word: Don’t go crazy with those fonts! Let your science do the talking. If you want to see what your thesis could look like with some of the fonts I recommended, check out the example PhD thesis .

Do you want to see a font combination that’s not in the example thesis? Contact me and I’ll set a few pages in your desired font, free of charge!

Click here for help with your PhD thesis layout!

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What font should I choose for my thesis?

This post is by DrJanene Carey, a freelance writer and editor based in Armidale NSW. She occasionally teaches academic writing at the University of New England and often edits academic theses, articles and reports. Her website is http://www.janenecarey.com

Arguably, this question is a classic time waster and the student who poses it should be told to just get on with writing up their research. But as someone who edits theses for a living, I think a bit of time spent on fonts is part of the process of buffing and polishing what is, after all, one of the most important documents you will ever produce. Just bear in mind that there is no need to immerse yourself so deeply in the topic that you start quibbling about whether it’s a font or a typeface that you are choosing .

Times New Roman is the standard choice for academic documents, and the thesis preparation guidelines of some universities stipulate its use. For many years, it was the default body text for Microsoft Word. With the release of Office 2007, the default became a sans serif typeface called Calibri. Lacking the little projecting bits (serifs) at the end of characters makes Calibri and its many friends, such as Arial, Helvetica and Verdana, look smoother and clearer on a screen, but generally makes them less readable than a serif typeface when used for printed text . The other problem with choosing a sans serif for your body text is that if you want passages in italics (for example, lengthy participant quotes) often this will be displayed as slanted letters, rather than as a true italic font.

You would like your examiners to feel as comfortable as possible while their eyes are traversing the many, many pages of your thesis, so maximising legibility and readability is a good idea. Times New Roman is ubiquitous and familiar, which means it is probably the safest option, but it does have a couple of drawbacks. Originally designed for The Times in London, its characters are slightly narrowed, so that more of them can be squished into a newspaper column. Secondly, some people intensely dislike TNR because they think it has been overused, and regard it as the font you choose when you are not choosing a font .

If you do have the luxury of choice (your university doesn’t insist you use Times New Roman, and you have defined document styles that are easy to modify, and there’s enough time left before the submission deadline) then I think it is worth considering what other typefaces might work well with your thesis. I’m not a typographical expert, but I have the following suggestions.

  • Don’t use Calibri, or any other sans serif font, for your body text, though it is fine for headings. Most people agree that dense chunks of printed text are easier to read if the font is serif, and examiners are likely to expect a typeface that doesn’t stray too far from the standard. To my eye, Calibri looks a little too casual for the body of a thesis.
  • Typefaces like Garamond, Palatino, Century Schoolbook, Georgia, Minion Pro, Cambria and Constantia are all perfectly acceptable, and they come with Microsoft Word. However, some of them (Georgia and Constantia, for example) feature non-lining numerals, which means that instead of all sitting neatly on the base line, some will stand higher or lower than others, just like letters do. This looks nice when they are integrated with the text, but it is probably not what you want for a tabular display.
  • Consider using a different typeface for your headings. It will make them more prominent, which enhances overall readability because the eye scanning the pages can quickly take in the hierarchy of ideas. The easiest way to get a good contrast with your serif body text is to have sans serif headings. Popular combinations are Garamond/Helvetica; Minion Pro/Myriad Pro; Times New Roman/Arial Narrow. But don’t create a dog’s breakfast by having more than two typefaces in your thesis – use point sizes, bold and italics for variety.

Of late, I’ve become quite fond of Constantia. It’s an attractive serif typeface that came out with Office 2007 at the same time as Calibri, and was specifically designed to look good in print and on screen. Increasingly, theses will be read in PDF rather than book format, so screen readability is an important consideration.  Asked to review Microsoft’s six new ClearType fonts prior to their release, typographer Raph Levien said Constantia was likely to be everyone’s favourite, because ‘Even though it’s a highly readable Roman font departing only slightly from the classical model, it still manages to be fresh and new.’

By default, Constantia has non-lining numerals, but from Word 2010 onwards you can set them to be lining via the advanced font/number forms option, either throughout your document or in specific sections, such as within tables.

Here is an excerpt from a thesis, shown twice with different typefaces. The first excerpt features Calibri headings with Constantia body text, and the second has that old favourite, Times New Roman. As these examples have been rendered as screenshots, you will get a better idea of how the fonts actually look if you try them on your own computer and printer.

Calibri Constantia

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What Is The Best Font For A Dissertation?

Published by Alvin Nicolas at April 9th, 2024 , Revised On April 9, 2024

For many students, embarking on a dissertation is a daunting task. Beyond the research, writing, and analysis , a seemingly insignificant detail can cause unexpected stress: font selection. While it might seem like a minor concern, the right font can significantly impact the readability, professionalism, and overall look of your dissertation and can highly influence the decision of the readers. 

This blog will help you in choosing the right font for your dissertation. Let’s explore!

Why Does Font Choice Matter?

While the content of your dissertation is paramount, the presentation also plays a crucial role. The chosen font can influence how easily your reader absorbs the information. A poorly chosen font can lead to eye strain, reduced comprehension, and even a negative first impression.

Here are some specific reasons why font choice matters:

  • Readability: The primary function of your dissertation is to communicate your research effectively. A clear and readable font is essential for ensuring your reader can easily grasp the information presented.
  • Professionalism: Certain fonts convey a sense of seriousness and formality, aligning with the academic tone of your dissertation.
  • Consistency: Maintaining a consistent font throughout your dissertation creates a sense of unity and professionalism.

Key Factors To Consider When Choosing A Font

Before discussing the specific font recommendations, let’s explore some key factors to consider when making your decision:

University Guidelines

Many universities have specific guidelines regarding font choices for dissertations. Always refer to your university’s style guide or handbook to ensure you adhere to any established requirements.

Readability

Opt for fonts with clear letterforms, adequate spacing, and sufficient contrast between the font and background colour. Avoid decorative or script fonts that can be challenging to read.

Serif Vs Sans-Serif

Serif fonts, characterised by small lines extending from the ends of characters (e.g., Times New Roman), are generally considered more readable for extended reading, making them ideal for the body text of your dissertation. Sans-serif fonts lacking these serifs (e.g., Arial) can be suitable for headings or short text snippets.

Font Size & Line Spacing

Maintain a comfortable reading experience with an appropriate font size (typically 10-12 points) and line spacing (usually 1.15 or 1.5 lines).

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Popular Font Choices For Dissertations

Now, let’s explore some popular font options that meet the criteria for dissertation writing:

Times New Roman

The classic academic font, Times New Roman, remains a widely accepted and safe choice for dissertations due to its readability and formal appearance.

Similar to Times New Roman, Georgia offers good readability with a slightly wider design, making it suitable for screen-based reading.

This elegant serif font adds a touch of sophistication while maintaining excellent readability.

A modern serif font, Cambria provides a clean and professional look often favoured for on-screen reading.

While not ideal for the body text due to its lack of serifs, Arial can be a good choice for headings and subheadings due to its clarity and clean lines.

Additional Tips for Font Selection

Here are some additional tips to ensure your font choice shines:

  • Consistency is key: Maintain the same font throughout your dissertation, including body text, headings, subheadings, and captions.
  • Avoid excessive font variations: Stick to one or two fonts, with variations reserved for specific purposes (e.g., different fonts for headings).
  • Consider the overall design: Ensure your chosen font complements the overall visual style of your dissertation, including layout and graphics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What font should i use for my dissertation uk.

Use a clear and readable font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri for a UK dissertation. Most universities recommend a serif font like Times New Roman, size 12, for the main text, with clear distinctions for headings and subheadings. Always follow your institution’s guidelines for formatting and font selection.

What font should a dissertation be in?

Use a legible serif font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri for a dissertation. Typically, the font size should be 12 points for the main text, with variations for headings and subheadings as specified by your institution’s guidelines. Consistency and readability are key for academic documents.

What size font should my dissertation be?

Your dissertation’s main text should generally be in a 12-point font size for readability and consistency. Headings and subheadings may vary, typically larger than the main text, to emphasise hierarchy and organisation. Always adhere to your institution’s specific formatting requirements for font sizes and styles to ensure compliance.

What font shall I use for my undergraduate dissertation?

For an undergraduate dissertation, using a clear and legible font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri is advisable. Aim for a font size of 12 points for the main text to ensure readability. Follow any specific formatting guidelines your university or department provides for consistency and professional presentation.

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

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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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Dissertation Formatting Guidance

The following resource shares some best practice guidance for dissertation formatting. 

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The following resource shares some best practice guidance for dissertation formatting. Please note that some of the elements outlined below are required and will be reviewed by the FAS Registrar's Office as part of Harvard Griffin GSAS policies on formatting . 

Language of the Dissertation

The language of the dissertation is ordinarily English, although some departments whose subject matter involves foreign languages may accept a dissertation written in a language other than English.

Most dissertations are 100 to 300 pages in length. All dissertations should be divided into appropriate sections, and long dissertations may need chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions.

Page and Text Requirements

  • 8½ x 11 inches, unless a musical score is included
  • At least 1 inch for all margins
  • Body of text: double spacing
  • Block quotations, footnotes, and bibliographies: single spacing within each entry but double spacing between each entry
  • Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures or illustrations, and lengthy tables: single spacing may be used

Fonts and Point Size

Use 10-12 point size. Fonts must be embedded in the PDF file to ensure all characters display correctly. 

Recommended Fonts

If you are unsure whether your chosen font will display correctly, use one of the following fonts: 

Arial10 pt
Century11 pt
Courier New10 pt
Garamond12 pt
Georgia11 pt
Lucida Bright10 pt
Microsoft Sans Serif10 pt
Tahoma10 pt
Times New Roman12 pt
Trebuchet MS10 pt
Verdana10 pt

If fonts are not embedded, non-English characters may not appear as intended. Fonts embedded improperly will be published to DASH as is. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that fonts are embedded properly prior to submission. 

Instructions for Embedding Fonts

To embed your fonts in recent versions of Word, follow these instructions from Microsoft:

  • Click the File tab and then click Options .
  • In the left column, select the Save tab.
  • Clear the Do not embed common system fonts check box.

For reference, below are some instructions from ProQuest UMI for embedding fonts in older file formats:

To embed your fonts in Microsoft Word 2010:

  • In the File pull-down menu, click on Options .
  • Choose Save on the left sidebar.
  • Check the box next to Embed fonts in the file.
  • Click the OK button.
  • Save the document.

Note that when saving as a PDF, make sure to go to “more options” and save as “PDF/A compliant”

To embed your fonts in Microsoft Word 2007:

  • Click the circular Office button in the upper left corner of Microsoft Word.
  • A new window will display. In the bottom right corner select Word Options . 
  • Choose Save from the left sidebar.

Using Microsoft Word on a Mac:

Microsoft Word 2008 on a Mac OS X computer will automatically embed your fonts while converting your document to a PDF file.

If you are converting to PDF using Acrobat Professional (instructions courtesy of the Graduate Thesis Office at Iowa State University):  

  • Open your document in Microsoft Word. 
  • Click on the Adobe PDF tab at the top. Select "Change Conversion Settings." 
  • Click on Advanced Settings. 
  • Click on the Fonts folder on the left side of the new window. In the lower box on the right, delete any fonts that appear in the "Never Embed" box. Then click "OK." 
  • If prompted to save these new settings, save them as "Embed all fonts." 
  • Now the Change Conversion Settings window should show "embed all fonts" in the Conversion Settings drop-down list and it should be selected. Click "OK" again. 
  • Click on the Adobe PDF link at the top again. This time select Convert to Adobe PDF. Depending on the size of your document and the speed of your computer, this process can take 1-15 minutes. 
  • After your document is converted, select the "File" tab at the top of the page. Then select "Document Properties." 
  • Click on the "Fonts" tab. Carefully check all of your fonts. They should all show "(Embedded Subset)" after the font name. 
  •  If you see "(Embedded Subset)" after all fonts, you have succeeded.

Body of Text, Tables, Figures, and Captions

The font used in the body of the text must also be used in headers, page numbers, and footnotes. Exceptions are made only for tables and figures created with different software and inserted into the document.

Tables and figures must be placed as close as possible to their first mention in the text. They may be placed on a page with no text above or below, or they may be placed directly into the text. If a table or a figure is alone on a page (with no narrative), it should be centered within the margins on the page. Tables may take up more than one page as long as they obey all rules about margins. Tables and figures referred to in the text may not be placed at the end of the chapter or at the end of the dissertation.

  • Given the standards of the discipline, dissertations in the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning often place illustrations at the end of the dissertation.

Figure and table numbering must be continuous throughout the dissertation or by chapter (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, etc.). Two figures or tables cannot be designated with the same number. If you have repeating images that you need to cite more than once, label them with their number and A, B, etc. 

Headings should be placed at the top of tables. While no specific rules for the format of table headings and figure captions are required, a consistent format must be used throughout the dissertation (contact your department for style manuals appropriate to the field).

Captions should appear at the bottom of any figures. If the figure takes up the entire page, the caption should be placed alone on the preceding page, centered vertically and horizontally within the margins.

Each page receives a separate page number. When a figure or table title is on a preceding page, the second and subsequent pages of the figure or table should say, for example, “Figure 5 (Continued).” In such an instance, the list of figures or tables will list the page number containing the title. The word “figure” should be written in full (not abbreviated), and the “F” should be capitalized (e.g., Figure 5). In instances where the caption continues on a second page, the “(Continued)” notation should appear on the second and any subsequent page. The figure/table and the caption are viewed as one entity and the numbering should show correlation between all pages. Each page must include a header.

Landscape orientation figures and tables must be positioned correctly and bound at the top so that the top of the figure or table will be at the left margin. Figure and table headings/captions are placed with the same orientation as the figure or table when on the same page. When on a separate page, headings/captions are always placed in portrait orientation, regardless of the orientation of the figure or table. Page numbers are always placed as if the figure were vertical on the page.

If a graphic artist does the figures, Harvard Griffin GSAS will accept lettering done by the artist only within the figure. Figures done with software are acceptable if the figures are clear and legible. Legends and titles done by the same process as the figures will be accepted if they too are clear, legible, and run at least 10 or 12 characters per inch. Otherwise, legends and captions should be printed with the same font used in the text.

Original illustrations, photographs, and fine arts prints may be scanned and included, centered between the margins on a page with no text above or below.

Pages should be assigned a number except for the Thesis Acceptance Certificate. Preliminary pages (abstract, table of contents, list of tables, graphs, illustrations, and preface) should use small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.). All pages must contain text or images.  

Count the title page as page i and the copyright page as page ii, but do not print page numbers on either page .

For the body of text, use Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) starting with page 1 on the first page of text. Page numbers must be centered throughout the manuscript at the top or bottom. Every numbered page must be consecutively ordered, including tables, graphs, illustrations, and bibliography/index (if included); letter suffixes (such as 10a, 10b, etc.) are not allowed. It is customary not to have a page number on the page containing a chapter heading.

Check pagination carefully. Account for all pages.

Thesis Acceptance Certificate

A copy of the Thesis Acceptance Certificate should appear as the first page. This page should not be counted or numbered. The DAC will appear in the online version of the published dissertation. The author name and date on the DAC and title page should be the same. 

The dissertation begins with the title page; the title should be as concise as possible and should provide an accurate description of the dissertation. The author name and date on the DAC and title page should be the same. 

Do not print a page number on the title page. It is understood to be page  i  for counting purposes only.

Copyright Statement

A copyright notice should appear on a separate page immediately following the title page and include the copyright symbol ©, the year of first publication of the work, and the name of the author:

© [ year ] [ Author’s Name ] All rights reserved.

Alternatively, students may choose to license their work openly under a  Creative Commons  license. The author remains the copyright holder while at the same time granting up-front permission to others to read, share, and (depending on the license) adapt the work, so long as proper attribution is given. (By default, under copyright law, the author reserves all rights; under a Creative Commons license, the author reserves some rights.)

Do  not  print a page number on the copyright page. It is understood to be page  ii  for counting purposes only.

An abstract, numbered as page  iii , should immediately follow the copyright page and should state the problem, describe the methods and procedures used, and give the main results or conclusions of the research. The abstract will appear in the online and bound versions of the dissertation and will be published by ProQuest. There is no maximum word count for the abstract. 

  • double-spaced
  • left-justified
  • indented on the first line of each paragraph
  • The author’s name, right justified
  • The words “Dissertation Advisor:” followed by the advisor’s name, left-justified (a maximum of two advisors is allowed)
  • Title of the dissertation, centered, several lines below author and advisor
  • Table of Contents

Dissertations divided into sections must contain a table of contents that lists, at minimum, the major headings in the following order:

  • Front Matter
  • Body of Text
  • Back Matter

Front and Back Matter

Front matter includes (if applicable):

  • acknowledgements of help or encouragement from individuals or institutions
  • a dedication
  • a list of illustrations or tables
  • a glossary of terms
  • one or more epigraphs.

Back matter includes (if applicable):

  • bibliography
  • supplemental materials, including figures and tables
  • an index (in rare instances).

Supplemental Material

Supplemental figures and tables must be placed at the end of the dissertation in an appendix, not within or at the end of a chapter. If additional digital information (including audio, video, image, or datasets) will accompany the main body of the dissertation, it should be uploaded as a supplemental file through ProQuest ETD . Supplemental material will be available in DASH and ProQuest and preserved digitally in the Harvard University Archives.

Harvard Library Office for Scholarly Communication

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KU Thesis and Dissertation Formatting: Fonts and Spacing

  • Formatting Specifics
  • Title and Acceptance Pages
  • Page Numbering
  • Table of Contents
  • List of Figures
  • Rotating Charts or Tables
  • Working with Footnotes
  • Converting to PDF
  • Embedding Fonts
  • Completed KU Dissertations & Theses
  • About: Survey of Earned Doctorates
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  • Thesis/Dissertation Filenames
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Office of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines

These rules are taken from the KU Office of Graduate Studies Thesis or Dissertation Formatting Guidelines. To see the full thesis or dissertation formatting requirements, visit https://graduate.ku.edu/submitting

  • Students should use the same font size (11- or 12-point) and style (typically Times New Roman) through the thesis, including labels and references.
  • Tables, captions, and footnotes should use the same font style but may be smaller in size (usually 10-point).
  • Chapter and section headings may be bold and no more than 2 points larger than the text size.
  • Non-standard typefaces, such as script, are generally not acceptable except for commonly used symbols.
  • The Office of Graduate Studies recommends that students get their font choice approved by their department and their graduate division before the thesis defense.
  • Lettering and symbols in tables and figures should be no less than 10 points.
  • Normally theses and dissertations use double-spaced formatting.
  • Single-spaced formatting is acceptable in the table of contents, footnotes, end notes, charts, graphs, tables, block quotations, captions, glossary, appendices and bibliography.
  • Students may use singe- or one-and-a-half-spacing for the body of the text with prior written approval of their thesis committee and graduate division.

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Dissertation layout and formatting

Published on October 21, 2015 by Koen Driessen . Revised on February 20, 2019.

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

Font, font size, and line spacing, tables and figures, referencing, paragraph marks, headers and footers, page numbering, dissertation printing.

Use a clear and professional font. Some examples include Verdana, Times New Roman, and Calibri (which is the default font in Microsoft Word). Font size is best set to 10 or 11.

In scientific articles and theses, a line spacing of 1.15 or 1.5 is generally preferred, as it makes the document more readable and enables your supervisor to post comments between the lines of text.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

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phd dissertation fonts

With tables, the number and title should be placed above; with figures and all other illustrations, the number and title should be placed below.

Microsoft Word has a feature that can help you to automatically place these numbers and titles in the correct position. Select the graphic, right-click, and choose “Insert Caption…” In the dialogue box that appears, specify whether it is a table or figure and enter a title. Once you click “Okay,” the number and the title will be generated in the right place.

Another advantage of using this Word feature to label your graphics is that you will later be able to generate lists of tables and figures with a push of a button.

Different heading styles are frequently used to help the reader differentiate between chapters, sections, and subsections of your dissertation. For instance, you may choose to bold all chapter headings but to italicize all lower-level headings.

Once you decide on the scheme you will use, it is important that you apply it consistently throughout your entire dissertation. Using the “Styles” feature of Microsoft Word can be very helpful in this regard. After you have created a heading, just highlight it and select a style (such as Heading 1 or Heading 2) from the home tool bar. Keeping a list may help you keep track of what style to use when.

Citing sources in a correct and appropriate manner is crucial in a dissertation, as failing to do so can make you guilty of plagiarism . It is important that these references follow certain standards.

The APA standard is most commonly used. After realizing how difficult it is to create correctly formatted citations manually, we developed the APA Citation Generator  to assist you. You can use this free and simple tool to easily generate citations that follow the official APA style.

We also recommend that you use a plagiarism scanner to check for unintended plagiarism.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Paragraph marks in Word

Using the “Show paragraph marks” feature can help you to avoid this scenario. To turn it on, click on the paragraph symbol in your home tool bar (as shown in the above illustration). A black paragraph symbol will then be shown after every paragraph and “hard return” in your document, which allows you to see how the layout is constructed.

This can be very helpful when you are trying to determine the cause of mysterious jumps and other problems.

Headers and footers can give your dissertation a very professional look. They also make it immediately clear to readers what document is before them.

A header or footer can be added by double-clicking respectively at the top or bottom of a page in your document. There are generally no firm rules about what you must include; the following are common choices:

  • The name/logo of your home educational institution
  • The name/logo of the company or organization where you completed a placement
  • The title of your dissertation (which may be shortened if necessary)
  • Page numbers

Page numbers are commonly placed in the lower right-hand corner of the page. They can easily be added by simply creating a footer. Bear in mind that a page number is usually not included on the title page of a dissertation.

  • To ensure that the page numbering doesn’t start on the cover page, but the numbering begins on page 1, place the cursor on the bottom of the page where you want to start with page numbering (if you want to start on page 2, click at the bottom of the first page).
  • Next go to “Page layout” and then “Breaks”. Next, choose the submenu “Next page”.
  • Switch to the side, where the numbering should begin (in this case, page 2). In the edit mode of the header or footer, choose “link to previous”, after that click on “Move to footer” and click on the “Link to previous” again.
  • Now, to add a page number, click on the “Insert” tab, then on the “Header and footer” group, and then click “Page number”. Now you can also choose where the page number should be (top of the page, bottom of the page or page margins) and you can choose a design.
  • Finally select the option “format page number” and enter the page numbers, in what page you want the numbering to begin. After you have pressed “ok”, the page number then begins with the number from the previously selected break.

A clear and well-presented title page is a nice finishing touch for your dissertation. Certain information should be included here by default. We have prepared a separate article on title pages that includes a handy checklist you can use to make sure you don’t forget anything.

Always make sure that everything in your dissertation is in the correct order and placed in the appropriate chapter. More information on how to put your document together can be found in our article on structure a dissertation .

If you are interested in seeing how other students have tackled preparing their theses, you may find it useful to check out these dissertation examples .

The last step is usually to prepare a hardcopy of your final document. There are many issues to think about, such as whether you will make it single- or double-sided.

Before you print, however, we recommend that you check one last time that your document meets all of the below requirements!

Cite this Scribbr article

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Driessen, K. (2019, February 20). Dissertation layout and formatting. Scribbr. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/tips/dissertation-layout-and-formatting/

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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
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  • Pagination, Margins, Spacing
  • Paper Thesis Formatting
  • Preliminary Pages Overview
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  • Dedication Page
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  • Acknowledgments
  • Text and References Overview
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Selecting a font (typeface)

Be consistent in the use of font/typeface throughout your manuscript. All text material must be in the same font/typeface; all headings and figure/table titles/captions must be in a consistent typeface.

Please select a font, size, and color that are highly legible and will reproduce clearly. Ornate or decorative fonts such as script, calligraphy, gothic, italics, or specialized art fonts are not acceptable. For electronic submissions, embedded fonts are required.

Any symbols, equations, figures, drawings, diacritical marks, or lines that cannot be typed, and therefore are drawn, must be added in permanent black ink.

Below are suggested fonts and sizes.

Table listing permissible fonts for thesis/dissertation manuscripts. Fonts listed are Arial, Century, Courier New, Garamond, Georgia, Lucida Bright, Microsoft Sans Serif, Tahoma, Times, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS, Verdana, and CMR for LaTex.. 11 or 12 pt font is recommended.

Establish and follow a consistent pattern for layout of all headings.  All headings should use the same font size, font weight, typeface, etc.

For example: center all major headings; place secondary headings at least two lines below major headings.

Typeface/printing quality (paper submissions only)

If you are submitting your manuscript on paper, printer quality is critical to produce a clean, clear image. You are strongly urged to use a laser printer, as ink jet and line printers generally do not produce fully clear, legible results. Dot matrix-type printers are not acceptable.

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PhD thesis formatting

Contents

There is no official pre-made departmental or University-wide style template for PhD theses. Some argue that learning (and advancing!) the art of beautifully typesetting a thesis is a crucial part of getting a PhD.

Here are some practical recommendations, examples, and useful starting points.

Most PhD authors in the Computer Laboratory prefer LaTeX as their typesetting system (under both Linux or Windows), mainly because of its

  • excellent and yet unmatched support for mathematical formulae;
  • good support for managing bibliographic references;
  • good support for high-quality typography;
  • easy integration with software-engineering tools (make, revision control, etc.);
  • very safe and robust handling of large documents;
  • long-term stability;
  • comprehensive free tool support.

A common approach is to use the report style, with a suitable title page added, margins changed to make good use of the A4 format, and various other changes to suit submission requirements and individual tastes (e.g., other fonts).

For preparing publication-quality diagrams, some of the most powerful and popular tools used include:

  • PGF/TikZ – the probably most sophisticated drawing package for LaTeX
  • matplotlib – Matlab-style function plotting in Python

Official requirements

There used to be detailed Student Registry PhD format requirements , regarding font sizes and line spacing, but most Degree Committees have dropped these, recognizing that they were mainly motivated by past typewriter conventions. The rules left are now mainly about the word count .

In particular, it is no longer necessary for dissertations to be printed single sided or in “one-and-a-half spaced type”. If you still like to increase the line spacing, for easier proofreading, you can achieve this in LaTeX by placing into the preamble the line “ \usepackage{setspace}\onehalfspacing ”.

Recommendations

One Cambridge thesis-binding company, J.S. Wilson & Son , recommend on their web page to leave 30 mm margin on the spine and 20 mm on the other three sides of the A4 pages sent to them. About a centimetre of the left margin is lost when the binder stitches the pages together.

Write your thesis title and section headings in “sentence case”, that is use the same capitalization that you would have used in normal sentences (capitalize only the first word, proper nouns and abbreviations). Avoid the US-style “title case” that some conference-proceedings publishers require.

Good:My favourite programming pearls in Perl
Bad: My Favourite Programming Pearls in Perl
  • Sentence case is normal typographic practice in the UK (see any UK-published newspaper, magazine, journals such as Nature , etc.).
  • The catalogues of both the University Library thesis collection and our departmental Technical Report series record titles this way, and you don't want the cataloguers mess with your title capitalization when your thesis finally reaches them.
  • It preserves useful information about the correct capitalization of any names or technical terms used.

Page numbers

Use a single page-number sequence for all pages in your thesis, i.e. do not use a separate sequence of Roman numerals for front-matter (title page, abstract, acknowledgements, table of contents, table of figure). In LaTeX that means using the report style, not the book style.

  • PDF viewers number pages continuously starting from 1, and using anything else as printed page numbers causes confusion.
  • This will save you some reformatting when submitting your thesis as a techreport .

Bibliographic references

If you use purely-numeric bibliographic references, do not forget to still mention authors’ surnames, as a courtesy to both the authors and your readers. Also, try to add the exact page number on which the quoted point is found in the reference; LaTeX supports this really well. (“suggested by Crowcroft and Kuhn [42,p107]”)

Technical Report submission

After a thesis has been approved by the examiners, the author normally submits it for publication as a Computer Laboratory Technical Report .

It is a good idea to read early on the submission guidelines for technical reports , as this may reduce the need to change the formatting later.

If you want to minimize any changes needed between your submitted thesis and the corresponding technical report version, then – in addition to applying all the above advice – you can

  • make page 1 the title page,
  • make page 2 the required declaration of originality,
  • make page 3 the summary, and
  • choose a layout suitable for double-sided printing (required for techreport, since 2010 also allowed for final PhD submission).

This way, there is a very high chance that turning your thesis into a techreport could be as simple as replacing pages 1 and 2 with the standard Technical Report title page (which the techreport editor can do for you).

More information

  • The Computer Laboratory house style page explains where to find the University identifier that many put on the title page of their thesis.
  • Markus Kuhn’s simple PhD thesis template ( snapshot ) is just one possible starting point.
  • The cam-thesis LaTeX class is a collaborative effort to maintain a Cambridge PhD thesis template for Computer Laboratory research students, initiated by Jean Martina, Rok Strniša, and Matej Urbas.
  • Effective scientific electronic publishing – Markus Kuhn’s notes on putting scientific publications onto the web, especially for LaTeX/LNCS users.
  • International Standard ISO 7144 Presentation of theses and similar documents (1986) contains also some general guidelines for formatting dissertations that may be of use.
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Formatting Requirements

Workday student support.

Graduate students can find "how to" guides and support information on our Workday support page .

Choice of font

For most theses, the font should be one that is appropriate for an academic paper. Generally, the same font should be used throughout the thesis (dedication page and scholarship-appropriate alterations excepted).

Normally the font should be equivalent to 10 to 12 point font in Times New Roman or Arial for main text, and at least 2mm high in tables and figures.

Font colour should normally be black throughout, except for web links which should be blue.

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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.

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Formatting Guidelines For Theses, Dissertations, and DMA Documents

Guidelines for Formatting Theses, Dissertations, and DMA Documents is intended to help graduate students present the results of their research in the form of a scholarly document.

Before beginning to write a master’s thesis, PhD dissertation, or DMA document, students should read the relevant sections of the  Graduate School Handbook, section 7.8  for dissertations and/ or  section 6.4  for master’s theses.

Candidates for advanced degrees should also confer with their advisors and members of their graduate studies committees to learn about any special departmental requirements for preparing graduate degree documents.

Members of the graduation services staff at the Graduate School are available to provide information and to review document drafts at any stage of the planning or writing process. While graduation services is responsible for certifying that theses and/or dissertations have been prepared in accordance with Graduate School guidelines, the student bears the ultimate responsibility for meeting these requirements and resolving any related technical and/or software issues . Graduation services will not accept documents if required items are missing or extend deadlines because of miscommunication between the student and the advisor.

Accessibility Features

As of Spring, 2023, all theses and dissertations will need to incorporate the following accessibility features to align with the university’s accessibility policy.  When you submit your final document to OhioLINK you will be verifying that accessibility features have been applied.

  • PDF file includes full text
  • PDF accessibility permission flag is checked
  • Text language of the PDF is specified
  • PDF includes a title

Features and Other Notes

Some features are required, and some are optional. Each component is identified with a major heading unless otherwise noted. The major heading must be centered with a one-inch top margin. 

Sample Pages and Templates

Templates are available for use in formatting dissertations, theses, and DMA documents. Please read all instructions before beginning. 

  • Graduate Dissertations and Theses Templates - OSU Login Required

FRONTISPIECE (OPTIONAL)

If used, no heading is included on this page.

TITLE PAGE (REQUIRED)

The title page should include:

  • the use of title case is recommended
  • dissertation, DMA. document, or thesis
  • Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree [insert the applicable degree such as Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Science, etc.] in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University
  • Name of the candidate 
  • Initials of previous earned degrees
  • insert correct name from program directory
  • Year of graduation
  •  Dissertation, document, or thesis [select applicable title] committee and committee member names

COPYRIGHT PAGE (REQUIRED)

Notice of copyright is centered in the following format on the page immediately after the title page. This page is not identified with a page number.

Copyright by John James Doe 2017

ABSTRACT (REQUIRED)

The heading Abstract is centered without punctuation at least one inch from the top of the page. The actual abstract begins four spaces below the heading. See sample pages.

DEDICATION (OPTIONAL)

If used, the dedication must be brief and centered on the page.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

(OPTIONAL, BUT STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)

Either spelling of the word, acknowledgments or acknowledgments, is acceptable. The acknowledgment is a record of the author’s indebtedness and includes notice of permission to use previously copyrighted materials that appear extensively in the text. The heading Acknowledgments is centered without punctuation at least one inch from the top of the page.

VITA (REQUIRED)

Begin the page with the heading Vita, centered, without punctuation, and at least one inch from the top of the page. There are three sections to the vita: biographical information (required), publications (if applicable), and fields of study (required).

There is no subheading used for the biographical information section. In this section, include education and work related to the degree being received.

Use leader dots between the information and dates. The publication section follows. The subheading Publications should be centered and in title case. List only those items published in a book or journal. If there are none, omit the Publication subheading. The final section of the vita is Fields of Study, which is required. Center the subheading and use title case. Two lines below the Fields of Study subheading, place the following statement: Major Field: [insert only the name of your Graduate Program as it reads on the title page] flush left. Any specialization you would like to include is optional and is placed flush left on the lines below Major Field.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (REQUIRED)

The heading Table of Contents (title case preferred) appears without punctuation centered at least one inch from the top of the page. The listing of contents begins at the left margin four spaces below the heading. The titles of all parts, sections, chapter numbers, and chapters are listed and must

be worded exactly as they appear in the body of the document. The table of contents must include any appendices and their titles, if applicable. Use leader dots between the listed items and their page numbers.

LISTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS (REQUIRED IF APPLICABLE)

Lists of illustrations are required if the document contains illustrations. The headings List of Tables , List of Figures , or other appropriate illustration designations (title case preferred) appear centered without punctuation at least one inch from the top of the page. The listing begins at the left margin four spaces below the heading. Illustrations should be identified by the same numbers and captions in their respective lists as they have been assigned in the document itself. Use leader dots between the listed items and their page numbers. See sample pages .

BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES (REQUIRED)

Include a complete bibliography or reference section at the end of the document, before the appendix, even if you have included references at the end of each chapter. You may decide how this section should be titled. The terms References or Bibliography are the most commonly chosen titles. The heading must be centered and at least one inch from the top of the page.

Include this heading in the table of contents.

APPENDICES (REQUIRED IF APPLICABLE)

An appendix, or appendices, must be placed after the bibliography. The heading Appendix (title case preferred) centered at least one inch from the top of the page. Appendices are identified with letters and titles. For example: Appendix A: Data. Include all appendix headers and titles in the table of contents.

Other Notes

Candidates are free to select a style suitable to their discipline as long as it complies with the format and content guidelines given in this publication. Where a style manual conflicts with Graduate School guidelines, the Graduate School guidelines take precedence. Once chosen, the style must remain consistent throughout the document.

Top, bottom, left, and right page margins should all be set at one inch. (Keep in mind that the left margin is the binding edge, so if you want to have a bound copy produced for your personal use, it is recommended that the left margin be 1.5 inches.)

It is recommended that any pages with a major header, such as document title, chapter/major section titles, preliminary page divisions, abstract, appendices, and references at the end of the document be set with a 2-inch top margin for aesthetic purposes and to help the reader identify that a new major section is beginning.

The selected font should be 10 to 12 point and be readable. The font should be consistent throughout the document. Captions, endnotes, footnotes, and long quotations may be slightly smaller than text font, as long as the font is readable.

Double spacing is preferred, but 1.5 spacing (1.5 × the type size) is acceptable for long documents. Single spacing is recommended for bibliography entries, long quotations, long endnotes or footnotes, and long captions. Double spacing between each bibliography entry is recommended.

Each major division of the document, including appendices, must have a title. Titles must be centered and have at least a one inch top margin. The use of title case is recommended. If chapters are being used, they should be numbered and titled. For example: Chapter 1: Introduction. Appendices are identified with letters and titles. For example: Appendix A: Data.

PAGE NUMBERS

Every page must have a page number except the title page and the copyright page. If a frontispiece is included before the title page, it is neither counted nor numbered. The page numbers are centered at the bottom center of the page above the one inch margin. Note: You may need to set the footer margin to 1-inch and the body bottom margin to 1.3 or 1.5- inches to place the page number accurately.

Preliminary pages (abstract, dedication, acknowledgments, vita, table of contents, and the lists of illustrations, figures, etc.) are numbered with small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.). Page numbering begins with the first page of the abstract, and this can be either page i or ii (The title page is technically page i, but the number is not shown on the page).

Arabic numerals are used for the remainder of the document, including the text and the reference material. These pages are numbered consecutively beginning with 1 and continue through the end of the document.

Notation practices differ widely among publications in the sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. Candidates should confer with their advisors regarding accepted practice in their individual disciplines. That advice should be coupled with careful reference to appropriate general style manuals.

  • Arabic numerals should be used to indicate a note in the text. 
  • Notes may be numbered in one of two ways: either consecutively throughout the entire manuscript or consecutively within each chapter.
  • Notes can be placed at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of a chapter or document (endnotes). Once chosen, the notation style must be consistent throughout the document.
  • Notes about information within tables should be placed directly below the table to which they apply, not at the bottom of the page along with notes to the text.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Tables, figures, charts, graphs, photos, etc..

Some documents include several types of illustrations. In such cases, it is necessary that each type of illustration (table, figure, chart, etc.) be identified with a different numbering series (Table 1, Table 2, and so on, or Chart 1, Chart 2, and so on). For each series, include a list with captions and page numbers in the preliminary pages (for example, List of Tables, List of Charts, etc.). These lists must be identified with major headings that are centered and placed at the two-inch margin.

Each illustration must be identified with a caption that includes the type of illustration, the number, and a descriptive title (for example, Map 1: Ohio). Numbering may be sequential throughout the document (including the appendix, if applicable) or based on the decimal system (corresponding to the chapter number, such as Map 2.3: Columbus). When using decimal numbering in an appendix, the illustration is given a letter that corresponds with the appendix letter (for example, Figure A.1: Voter Data). Captions can be placed either above or below the illustration, but be consistent with the format throughout the document. If a landscape orientation of the illustration is used, make sure to also orient the illustration number and caption accordingly. The top of the illustration should be placed on the left (binding) edge of the page.

If an illustration is too large to ft on one page it is recommended that you identify the respective pages as being part of one illustration. Using a “continued” notation is one method. For example, the phrase continued is placed under the illustration on the bottom right hand side of the first page. On the following pages, include the illustration type, number, and the word continued at the top left margin; for example, Map 2: Continued. Whatever method you choose just make sure to be consistent. The caption for the illustration should be on the first page, but this does not need repeated on subsequent pages.

If an illustration is placed on a page with text, between the text and the top and/or bottom of the illustration, there must be three single spaced lines or two double spaced lines of blank space. The same spacing rule applies if there are multiple illustrations on the same page. The top/bottom of the illustration includes the caption.

All final Ph.D. dissertations, DMA. documents, and master’s theses are submitted to the Graduate School through OhioLINK at https://etdadmin. ohiolink.edu. The document must be saved in PDF embedded font format (PDF/A) before beginning the upload at OhioLINK. During the submission process, OhioLINK will require an abstract separate from your document. This abstract has a 500-word limit. You will get a confirmation from OhioLINK that the submission is complete. The submission then goes to the Graduate School for review. After it is reviewed by staff of the Graduate School, you will receive an email that it has been accepted or that changes need to be made. If changes are required, you will need to re-submit the revised document via an amended OhioLINK submission. You will receive an “accepted” email from the Graduate School once the document has been approved.

THESIS OR DISSERTATION IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The Graduate School has no policy specifically permitting graduate degree documents to be written in a foreign language. The practice is allowed as long as it is approved by the student’s advisor and Graduate Studies Committee. Documents in a foreign language must comply with the following requirements:

  • The title page must be in English, but the title itself may be in the same language as the document.
  • If the title is in a language using other than Roman characters, it must be transliterated into Roman character equivalents.
  • The abstract must be in English.
  • The academic unit must notify the Graduate School of dissertations in a foreign language so that an appropriate graduate faculty representative can be found to participate in the final oral examination

Dissertation and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. 

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

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Format, bind and submit your thesis: general guidance

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You no longer need to submit a physical copy of your thesis. Please refer directly to the “Submit Your Thesis” section below.

This information is for research students submitting a thesis for assessment. It tells you how to:

  • format your thesis
  • submit your thesis
  • bind your thesis (if applicable) 
  • submit the final copy of your thesis

There are different requirements for students of fine arts, design, architecture or town planning.

Find out more about these requirements

Format your thesis

UCL theses should be submitted in a specific format, this applies to both the viva and final copies of your thesis. 

View the thesis checklist

File

Presentation

In the electronic version of your thesis, hyperlinks (including DOIs) should be functional and resolve to the correct webpage.

We would recommend using Arial or Helvetica fonts, at a size of no less than 12.

Find out more about the accessibility guidelines

If printed, please present your thesis in a permanent and legible format.

Illustrations should be permanently mounted on A4 size paper and bound in with the thesis; you may not use sellotape or similar materials.

A4 size paper (210 x 297 mm) should be used. Plain white paper must be used, of good quality and of sufficient opacity for normal reading. Both sides of the paper may be used.

Both sides of the paper may be used.

Margins at the binding edge must not be less than 40 mm (1.5 inches) and other margins not less than 20 mm (.75 inches). Double or one-and-a-half spacing should be used in typescripts, except for indented quotations or footnotes where single spacing may be used.

All pages must be numbered in one continuous sequence, i.e. from the title page of the first volume to the last page of type, in Arabic numerals from 1 onwards. This sequence must include everything bound in the volume, including maps, diagrams, blank pages, etc. Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis (see Illustrative material ).

The title page must bear the following:

  • the officially-approved title of the thesis
  • the candidates full name as registered
  • the institution name 'UCL'
  • the degree for which the thesis is submitted

The title page should be followed by a signed declaration that the work presented in the thesis is the candidate’s own e.g.

‘I, [full name] confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis.'

Please see the section below entitled ‘Inclusion of published works in doctoral theses’ for more information about how to indicate when you have re-used material that you have previously published.

The signed declaration should be followed by an abstract consisting of no more than 300 words.

Impact Statement

The abstract should be followed by an impact statement consisting of no more than 500 words. For further information on the content of the Impact Statement, please see the Impact Statement Guidance Notes for Research Students and Supervisors on the Doctoral School's website. 

Find out more about the Impact Statement

Inclusion of published works in doctoral theses

If you have included any work in your thesis that you have published (e.g. in a journal) previously, then you will need to insert a completed copy of the UCL Research Paper Declaration Form into your thesis after the Impact Statement. The form, and information about how to complete it is available on the Doctoral School’s website.

Find out more about the UCL Research Paper Declaration Form

Table of contents

In each copy of the thesis the abstract should be followed by a full table of contents (including any material not bound in) and a list of tables, photographs and any other materials. It is good practice to use bookmarking within the PDF of the thesis in electronic form to allow readers to jump to the relevant section, figure, table etc. from the table of contents.

Illustrative material

Illustrative material may be submitted on a CD-ROM. If you wish to submit material in any other form, your supervisor must contact Research Degrees well in advance of submission of the thesis.

Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed either in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis. If it is separate from the bound volume it must be clearly labelled with the same information as on the title page. Each copy of the thesis submitted must be accompanied by a full set of this material.

Submit your thesis

Viva copies.

You must submit an electronic version of your thesis to via the UCL OneDrive . You no longer need to submit a printed copy unless your examiners ask for this. 

Find out more on how to submit via the UCL OneDrive

We will check your status and if your examiners have been appointed we will forward the thesis directly to them. They will then be able to download the copy of your thesis to prepare for your exam. 

If, following your submission, an examiner requests a hard copy of the thesis, you or your supervisor will need to arrange for this to be printed. Your supervisor or department can arrange for this to be sent directly to the examiner at their preferred postal address, or it can be handed to the  Student Enquiries Centre  during their walk-in operational hours. If submitted to the Student Enquiries Centre, the research degrees team will collect your thesis and post it on to the examiners, but please be aware that collections take place once per week and we cannot guarantee the physical copies will be posted within less than 8-10 working days    UCL’s standard submission of a thesis is electronic, in line with UCL’s sustainability strategy . If an examiner requests a physical thesis copy (this may be due to accessibility requirements of the examiner), you are responsible for making sure that your thesis is correctly printed and bound by the company you select. 

If your examiners have not been appointed, your thesis will be held securely until your examiners have been formally appointed by UCL.

Covid-19 Impact Form

We have developed a form for you to submit with your thesis if you wish to declare an impact on your research.   The form is optional and your choice to complete it or not will have no bearing on the outcome of your examination. It is intended to set the context of examination and is not a plea for leniency. Your examiners will continue to apply the standard criteria as set out in UCL’s Academic Manual and the joint examiners’ form. Please see the publication from the QAA on Advice on Doctoral Standards for Research Students and Supervisors for further support.

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Additional information regarding formatting may be found in The Chicago Manual of Style or other style manuals. Choose an appropriate style for your field and use that style correctly and consistently. Contact the Dissertation Office for assistance with dissertations that have special formatting issues such as musical compositions, multi-volume dissertations, or multimedia works.

  • Script, italic, or ornamental fonts should not be used.
  • Italics may be used as appropriate—to set off titles, for example, or for non-English words.
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  • It is customary to single-space entries within the table of contents and within reference lists or bibliographies with a line between each entry.
  • Set one inch margin on all sides.
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  • All other material must appear within the margins, including equations, urls, and images.

Page Numbers

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  • Centering page numbers at the bottom of the page is recommended. This will maintain consistency when printing.
  • The page number should be visible, without footnotes or other text covering it.

Parts of the Dissertation

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  • End matter (appendices and bibliographies, references, or works cited).
  • The layout and style of the title page must follow the model provided by the Dissertation Office.
  • The font should be the same as the font used in the rest of the dissertation.
  • Line spacing and margins should be the same also. Double-space, set 0 pt spacing before and after paragraphs, and set one inch margins on all sides.
  • Text on the title page should be in upper case. Text should not be bold.
  • Use your diploma name.
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Table of Contents

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  • Generating the table of contents automatically will ensure consistency. Titles and page numbers appearing in the table of contents must match the contents of the dissertation exactly.
  • Supplemental files should be treated as appendices and be listed in the table of contents.

List of Tables, List of Figures, and Other Lists

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  • The lists must include the number and title of each table, figure, or other image and the page number on which it begins. Tables, figures, etc. appearing in appendices should be included in the lists as appropriate.
  • The title of the table or figure may be an abbreviated version of its caption.
  • If a table or figure is longer than a page, only the first page should be referenced.
  • The body of the dissertation may be divided into parts, chapters, or sections. The body may include an introduction, chapter one, and subsequent chapters, with figures, tables, and so forth interleaved within the text. Some dissertations may not contain chapters, but most do.
  • Each chapter must begin on a new page, while sections within chapters should not, except by chance or to prevent the subheading from being the last line of text on a page. The table of contents should include an entry for all parts, chapters, and major sections. Chapter subheadings may be included in the table of contents or may be omitted.

Tables and Figures

  • If the dissertation includes tables, figures, or other images, separate and complete lists of tables, figures, or other images must be placed after the table of contents.
  • Each table, figure, etc. must have a unique number assigned to it, along with a title or description of the figure or table. The number and title or description must appear in the caption on the first page of the figure or table. The caption may appear on the next page if such placement allows the entire figure or table to remain on one page.
  • Captions, legends, tables, figures, and the outer edges of all images must appear inside the margins.
  • Font and point size may differ from that used in the body of the dissertation.
  • Tables or figures that are wider than the page may be changed to landscape/broadside orientation if that is preferable to reducing the size.
  • Captions and legends may be single-spaced. If they will not fit on the same page as a figure, they may continue onto the second page.
  • If a table or figure continues to a second page, the continuation must be labeled. It is poor practice not to repeat the boxhead on the continued pages.
  • Tables and figures may be placed on the same page as the text referring to them. If appropriate, they may be gathered in an appendix, but they must not simply appear at the end of a chapter, bibliography, or other section without being identified as a separate section.
  • Notes in tables and figures must not be numbered sequentially with other notes but should use either symbols or superscript lowercase letters in a sequence that begins anew for each table or figure.
  • Notes in tables must appear at the bottom of the table or figure, not the bottom of the page.
  • Sources, credit lines, and permissions for tables and figures may appear in the caption or at the bottom of the table or figure, but not in a footnote or endnote. SOURCE: followed by the source, may be placed under the line rule at the bottom of a table. Choose the formatting styles for this material that is appropriate for your field.
  • Choose a style of citation that is appropriate for your field and use that style correctly and consistently.
  • Citation management tools can help create bibliographies and citations using various styles.
  • Supporting material may be included in an appendix.
  • Separate appendix opening pages may be used when appropriate.
  • Each appendix begins on a new page.
  • If there is one appendix, the heading should appear as Appendix: Title. An appendix is not a chapter and should not be designated as a chapter.
  • If there is more than one appendix, each must be identified with a number or letter in addition to the title.
  • For each appendix, the title, page number, and appendix number or letter must appear in the table of contents.
  • Multimedia material may be included as an appendix and submitted as a supplementary file.

Supplementary Files

  • Material that cannot be included as an appendix within the dissertation pdf (audio, video, large spreadsheets, large data sets) may be submitted as an appendix that is a supplementary file.
  • Supplementary files must be listed in the table of contents, and a description of the supplementary files should be provided in the abstract.

Reference List or Bibliography

  • An entry for the reference list or bibliography must appear in the Table of Contents.
  • Individual entries may be single-spaced with a line space between each entry.

University-Wide Requirements for the Ph.D. Dissertation

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Choice of consistent unicode open-type fonts for Phd Thesis in Engineering

Having written about 60% of my Phd thesis, I gave it to my advisor for review. I used Pdflatex and Latin Modern fonts for text and math. For source code listings, I did not change anything in particular and went with the standard \texttt{} variant of the font. My focus was to get content in quickly.

Now, my adviser knows a lot more about formatting than me, but rather than using latex , he uses inDesign and other WYSIWYG tools for final layout and has challenged me to come up with a contemporary look whilst keeping the overall document's gravitas. Having supervised dozens of students, all producing their thesis with computer modern or latin modern, I guess he is just looking for a fresher alternative. I wish to accept the challenge since I have sufficient time before final submission.

My adviser advised me to use Minion Math, along with Minion/Myriad Pro respectively. He strongly suggested me to use OpenType Unicode fonts and warned that I shall face difficulties when it comes to consistent math typefaces.

It looks like both xelatex or lualatex can handle the basic requirement of using arbitrary system fonts. But my problem is with Minion Math, since it is not free. My adviser said he will pay for it I cannot find an opentype unicode alternative consistent set of text/math/mono fonts.

This puts me in a dilemma. I really wish to use free & open-source fonts for my thesis because of the following reason. My adviser does not use latex and we were using Overleaf to share he document and obtain adviser feedback through its rich text interface, and we both liked this workflow. With proprietary fonts, maintaining this workflow might be difficult.

The only other complete set of open-type Unicode font family with math support seem to be STIX, XITS, STIX TWO, Tex Gyre Variants that all seem to be Times-like. I absolutely do not want to go with Times-like typeface for my thesis.

I recently came across Libertinus, that seems to provide all variants - serif, sans, mono and math, which seems promising. However, the github repository of this font suggests that things are still under development. How risky is it to go for this typeface? Are there other alternatives?

  • unicode-math

Dr Krishnakumar Gopalakrishnan's user avatar

  • 3 There's a free open-type font called Libertinus which I like to use (maybe it's what you meant by Libertinum ). I don't see any "risks" using it. You'll probably end up doing some more manual kerning in math mode, however. –  Christoph90 Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 15:14
  • 4 tex gyre are not all times like Termes is Times, the others are clones of New Century schoolbook, Bookman, etc see gust.org.pl/projects/e-foundry/tg-math/… that said, the math font you found should be stable enough (and once you start your document just keep with that font so stability shouldn't be an issue) asana math dejavu math are other possibilities –  David Carlisle Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 15:18
  • 3 For the really authentic thesis look, may I humbly suggest this tex.stackexchange.com/a/344272/1090 –  David Carlisle Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 15:46
  • 1 well my thesis was written on a real typewriter:-) Also are you sure that you want to use opentype, the math font choices are not as restricted as you suggested but they are restricted and more experimental than if you use pdftex. If your supervisor is more used to indesign than tex, his advice may not be totally what you want to follow You will get more choice and much more stable math typesetting if you use pdftex, and if the document is in the latin alphabet then you will not gain so much. If you need non latin then certainly use xetex –  David Carlisle Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 15:54
  • 3 choice of font (and design issues generally) are mostly considered off topic here. Once you choose a design asking how to implement it in tex is on topic. And you don't want to ask me for artistic advice, you've seen my font creation, also drawings: tex.stackexchange.com/a/142834/1090 –  David Carlisle Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 16:10

2 Answers 2

The situation with fonts is much better than you thought! I absolutely agree with your advisor that you should use OpenType fonts (and therefore, the unicode-math package on either XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX). Any OpenType math font will have more-complete and consistent symbol coverage than any combination of legacy LaTeX packages, but the package also allows you to mix-and-match symbols and alphabets freely.

One thing I’m not entirely clear on is whether you want a monospaced font for code listings or typewriter-letter math symbols. Any complete OpenType math font contains the latter.

OpenType Math Fonts

You can find a list of OpenType math fonts, with samples, at this answer . Going over the list there:

  • Latin Modern Math is a clone of Computer Modern plus amssymb , but has more glyphs. It is the default when you load unicode-math . If you use this, you’ll get something that looks exactly like the default settings of TeX.
  • TeX Gyre Bonum, Pagella, Termes and Schola are clones of the fonts Bookman Old Style, Palatino, Times and Century Schoolbook, respectively. You said you don’t want Times, but you can have a look at the others.
  • TeX Gyre DejaVu Math adds math support to the DejaVu fonts, which are based on Arev, based on Bitstream Vera. There is also a sans-serif font. The DejaVu project calls this DejaVu Math TeX Gyre.
  • Asana Math is based on Palatino, and its symbols resemble those of mathpazo , and its successor, newpxmath .
  • Libertinus Math is based on Linux Libertine and Linux Biolinum.
  • GFS Neohellenic has very small serifs, giving it a unique look good for presentations.
  • Neo Euler is a clone of the Euler font by Hermann Zapf, originally created for DEK’s book Concrete Mathematics . This font is incomplete and doesn’t ship with TeX Live. It does not have nearly as many glyphs as the other fonts on this list. Therefore, you would need to download it separately, load only the glyphs it supports, and use another font, such as Asana Math or TeX Gyre Pagella, as your fallback font.
  • Stix, Stix Two and XITS are all based on the STIX project, which is based on Times. Since you said you don’t want something that looks like Times, these are out.
  • Cambria Math is not free, but it’s included with recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Office, so you might have it on your Windows partition as cambria_01.ttf or as a ttc file. You could also get it gratis with the PowerPoint 2007 viewer if you’re willing to unpack a few cab files. However, it is the default font for equations in Microsoft Office and looks a lot like Times.
  • Minion Math and Lucida are proprietary fonts.

You can find a sample of Asana Math here , all the TeX Gyre fonts here , and Libertinus here .

It is also possible to mix-and-match fonts, so as to use the symbols from a math font with the letters from your text font. One popular recommendation, for example, is Neo Euler for math with Palatino for text.

Font Families

Most of these fonts have a matching text font without Math in the name. Asana Math and Neo Euler are good matches for Palatino (and therefore its clone Pagella).

Three of the font families I listed above have matching serif, sans serif and monospace fonts: Latin Modern Mono, DejaVu Sans Mono and Libertinus Mono. Latin Modern Mono is a clone of Computer Modern Monospace, which you might or might not find attractive and again looks just like the default cmtt . Some of the more obscure variants of Computer Modern, such as Upright Italic, are available through Computer Modern Unicode. There is also a monospace font in the TeX Gyre collection, TeX Gyre Cursor, but it is a clone of Courier and therefore not really a match to any of the TeX Gyre Math fonts.

If you don’t use one of these, there are a large number of free monospace fonts out there, in addition to the ones that ship with your operating system.

You can also use any OpenType monospaced font you want for your typewriter-letter math symbols with a command such as \setmathfont[range=\mathtt]{Inconsolata} .

You might or might need an accompanying sans-serif font in your document. If you want to use sans-serif throughout, you would have to remap a sans-serif family to the up , bfup , it and bfit math alphabets, but as an alternative for titles and headers, most of those font families come with small caps.

The Script/Calligraphic Quirk

LaTeX packages historically had separate commands for \mathscr and \mathcal , which displayed different symbols. The Unicode Consortium decided that these were really just presentation forms and no mathematician used both \mathcal{I} and \mathscr{I} to mean different things in the same text. Therefore, it allocated only one range of codepoints for both alpabets.

The unicode-math package by default sets up \mathcal and \mathscr as synonyms for each other, but it supports loading different alphabets into either (as well as \mathfrac , \mathbb , and so on). Furthermore, several math fonts contain separate \mathscr and \mathcal alphabets intended to be used this way. You can load them with one of the commands \setmathfont[range={mathcal,mathbfcal},Alternate,Scale=MatchUppercase]{Asana Math} or \setmathfont[range={mathscr,mathbfscr},StylisticSet=1,Scale=MatchUppercase]{XITS Math} . Stix Math or Stix Two Math use the same syntax as XITS Math.

If you don’t actually use \mathcal or \mathbfcal in your thesis, you can of course completely ignore this.

My Recommendation

I personally like Asana Math, with Palatino (or a clone such as TeX Gyre Pagella) as the text font. However, you say in the comments that you don’t like its upright style. (I assume you mean the slant of symbols such as the integral; it contains both upright and italic letters, like all the math fonts.) Inconsolata is a free monotype font that I think, as a humanist sans, goes well with it. It ships with TeX Live, but only as a Type 1 font, so you would need to download the newer version . (Either double-click on the file and hit the install button, or on Linux, you can copy it to ~/.fonts or /usr/local/share/fonts .)

The official sans-serif companion font for Palatino is the commercial font Palatino Sans, but Optima, its free clone URW Classico, or Gillius No2 (based on Gill Sans) might be a good free alternative, and it ships with TeX Live.

Since you said this is an Engineering thesis, I’ll assume you want to use ISO style, which is the math-style=ISO option to unicode-math . To get upright letters for constants as it recommends, you can use, e.g. , \symup{e} , but unicode-math defines \muppi for the constant π.

I recommend the microtype package to make the right margins and word spacing look neater, with less hyphenation (I contributed a few improvements to it myself).

You also mention the need to support both English and South Asian languages. You should be able to do something like \newfontfamily\devanagarifont[Script=Devanagari]{Shobhika} for Indic and \newfontfamily\malayalamfont[Script=Malayalam]{Free Serif} for Malayalam. That should enable Sanskrit in Polyglossia, but for Malayalam, you would need to select \malayalamfont manually. However, the code will still work if Polyglossia adds support for Malayalam later.

Legacy Fallback

If you absolutely must use pdflatex, first load \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} . It wouldn’t hurt to add \usepackage[utf8]{inputenc} , but that’s now the default. The packages tgpagella , newpxmath , inconsolata and classico would set your main, math, monospace and sans-serif font to a combination I like. (The only real problem with it is that Palatino might be overused, but at least it will be taken seriously.) If you want to tweak the math alphabets some more, look at the package options to newpxmath and consider a package such as mathalfa or isomath .

If you need to support PDFLaTeX, you can use the \iftex package to wrap the leagacy NFSS preamble and the modern unicode-math preamble in conditional blocks. Then, you’ll use modern features if your TeX engine supports them.

I have one other quirk in my papers: Math fonts use wildly different symbols for Q.E.D. I personally like to use the black “tombstone”, introduced by Paul Halmos and used in the 1997 edition of The Art of Computer Programming by DEK. The command for this is \setmathfont[range="220E]{XITS Math} , and to use it with amsthm , \renewcommand{\qedsymbol}{\ensuremath{\char"220E}} .

Davislor's user avatar

  • 1 That is indeed a very comprehensive answer. Thank you very much for the clear, expository information. Just to clarify, I need the monospaced variant for code listings. In this scenario, I think I shall try libertinus serif for text, sans serif for headings, monospaced for code listings and it's math variant for equations. If this doesn't work for my adviser, I shall fall back to Texas Gyre Schola since that's the only one that seems reasonable to my eyes, atleast –  Dr Krishnakumar Gopalakrishnan Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 21:15
  • Okay. By the way, does \newfontfamily\devanagarifont[Script=Devanagari]{Shobhika} (or another font) work for getting your multilingual text in Polyglossia? –  Davislor Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 21:28
  • 1 I shall need both Sanskrit and Malayalam in my dedication section, the latter ofwhich is not currently on polyglossia –  Dr Krishnakumar Gopalakrishnan Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 21:35
  • 1 Your answer alludes to a "TeX Gyre DejaVu Sans Math" font, which I never saw anywhere, and seems to be unheard of by Google. Where did you found ite ? How can it be obtained ? –  user2903730 Commented Apr 21, 2018 at 8:30
  • 2 @tadejsv It’s better to pose a question on the site than to one person, but, here you go: tex.stackexchange.com/questions/422854/… –  Davislor Commented Jun 3, 2019 at 19:19

Summarising the comments into an answer:

Although not as exhaustive as true-type/PS1 fonts, there exist other unicode opentype free families providing the complete set of serif, sans serif, mono and most importantly, math fonts.

Tex Gyre Deja Vu, Asana Math, Libertinus etc are such examples.

Libertinus is considered stable for usage in large documents.

Although the summary on CTAN is a bit outdated, the unicode-math package does indeed support any unicode opentype math family (font with MATH tables)

CampanIgnis's user avatar

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phd dissertation fonts

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Help choosing fonts for dissertation?

First of all, please let me know if this is the wrong subreddit for this question. I have seen a few here, but not that many, so I'm not sure. However, it seems the competence here would suit the question...

I am writing my dissertation for a PhD, and where I live, it is written in the form of a small book. The book will end up perhaps some 80-100 pages, but it is small (S5 = 165 mm*242 mm). I will set the margins so that each line will be around 60 characters, including spaces since I read somewhere that it's a good rule of thumb for readability. The subject is quality of life after surviving intensive care, so the font can't be too "funny". Right now, I am trying Adobe Caslon, Arno Pro, or Baskerville MT. I like them all, but I find Arno to be just a tiny, tiny bit too black (to be honest, I can't decide whether I like that or not). The text will include a number of quotes in larger blocks, and I'm not really fond of the italics in Arno. The italic in Baskerville is perhaps just a tiny bit too condensed, so it seems that Caslon will win that one.

Ok, so my problem is probably just a "kill your darlings" thing. When I first started writing, I used a sans-serif font for the body. By doing so, I found a good balance between the body, block quotes in either of the serif fonts and then the use of a beautiful didone in headlines. Didones are definitely my darlings, I have a hard time imagining this book without them :) However, as the text grew, I guess I really should use serif for the body instead, but then I have a harder time mixing with the didone.

First, I'm totally ok with hearing "kill the didone"...at least I think so.

Any thoughts on the choice of a serif?

Any suggestion for a good pairing sans-serif? Right now I'm using Milo for headlines but I'm open for suggestions. Maybe some other modern font with just a tiny twist/detail making it special without being a clown?

Edit: I should add that I have four levels of headlines.

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PRTH 987 Dissertation Writing in Practical Theology I

  • Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the  Academic Course Catalog .

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.

PRTH 987 is the transitional course that assesses competency from PhD in Practical Theology course work and prepares the PhD candidate for dissertation writing. This is accomplished through the successful completion of a comprehensive field exam, prospectus development and approval, and pairing the candidate with an appropriate dissertation supervisor. All these tasks are necessary before dissertation writing can formally commence.

Course Assignment

Textbooks readings and lecture presentations.

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Quiz: Preprospectus Proposal Consultation

The student will submit to the instructor teaching PRTH 987 a “Preprospectus Proposal” developed in the Tier II courses for the instructor’s evaluation and feedback, especially as it relates to the three overriding principles of dissertations in the PhD in Practical Theology program; namely, that they must be appropriately biblical, theological, and practical. The student will then meet with the instructor to discuss the details of the proposal before the first draft of the prospectus is composed. This initial consultation will provide opportunity for redirection and refinement as appropriate, along with advice on how the particular topic might best be developed into a library-based, biblically, and practically oriented PhD dissertation. The student will complete a quiz verifying that they have completed the requirement. (CLO: A, B).

Comprehensive Exam 4: Journal Article Proposal Assignment

The fourth and final comprehensive exam requires the composition of an article related to the student’s intended dissertation topic. The article functions as a “field essay” and (1) establishes that the student has “read themselves into the field” sufficient to demonstrate mastery of the issues and literature appropriate to the PhD level of research, and (2) establishes that the student has a viable proposed research topic in the field. In preparation for the exam, the student must write a brief proposal (2-page maximum) to be submitted to the professor for approval. (CLO: A).

Comprehensive Exam 4: Journal Article Assignment

Once the Comprehensive Exam 4: Journal Article Proposal Assignment has been approved by the instructor of PRTH 987, the student must prepare and submit a publishable article on an approved topic relevant to the student’s dissertation that explores a gap in the literature. This exam must demonstrate that the student has a mastery of the field, a grasp of the literature, and an ability to integrate information and themes developed in their PhD in Practical Theology coursework. (CLO: A).

Dissertation Prospectus: First Draft Assignment

The PhD in Practical Theology prospectus will be submitted in two stages: first draft and final draft. In the first draft submission, the student will submit a prospectus containing 4 key components: (1) a dissertation abstract; (2) a description of the dissertation’s research methodology and design of the dissertation’s argument; (3) a chapter-by-chapter outline; (4) a working bibliography. (CLO: B, C).

Dissertation Prospectus: Final Draft Assignment

The final draft of the dissertation prospectus will contain the same 4 components as the Dissertation Prospectus First Draft Assignment and will gather up, address, and remediate any issues raised by the instructor. (CLO: B, C).

Quiz: Dissertation Supervisor Pairing Assignment

The student will complete the Dissertation Supervisor Pairing Quiz to verify that they are ready to be paired with a dissertation supervisor. (CLO: G).

Argument Analysis and Research Methodology Assignment

Considering the elements of a good argument in Turabian’s A Manual for Writers, Chapter 5, “Planning Your Argument,” the student will assess their dissertation’s proposed argument relative to (1) its central claim; (2) warrants on which the claim relies; (3) evidence supporting the claim the student intends to present in the dissertation; and (4) the student’s response to potential objections to the argument. Then, the student will describe their research methodology relative to 4 key concerns: (1) it employs library-based (rather than human subject) research; (2) it employs an evidence-based, logically-defensible research heurism; (3) it is biblical and theological with engagement with primary sources as appropriate; and (4) it is practical. The paper must be double-spaced and between 7-10 pages in length, exclusive of title page, contents page, and bibliography, and follow current Turabian format guidelines, utilizing footnote citations. The paper must consist of two distinct sections: argument analysis and revised research methodology. (CLO: D).

Quiz: Primary Source Research

Because this is a PhD in Practical Theology, engagement with the biblical text (primary source) sufficient to undergird both the theological and practical components of the student’s research is both required and expected. The student will complete a quiz verifying that they have engaged in appropriate primary source research related to their dissertation’s topic and focus. (CLO: E, F).

Quiz: Turabian Review

Because Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers is the style standard for the student’s dissertation, the student will complete a quiz verifying that they have reviewed the style guide sufficiently to be able to produce a clean dissertation. (CLO: E, F).

Quiz: Dissertation Supervisor Initial Consultation Assignment

Once the student has been notified of dissertation supervisor pairing, the student will reach out to the dissertation supervisor and request an initial consultation. This consultation meeting will typically be 20 to 30 minutes in length and will be conducted virtually through Microsoft Teams or the current video conferencing platform the university is using at the time. (CLO: G).

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  • Architecture
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Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning Degree Information

The doctoral curriculum integrates analytical methods, research design, a rigorous understanding of urbanization dynamics, and an examination of broader social theories, processes and policies.

Students address complex systems that typically encompass an array of spatial, environmental, social, political, technical, and economic factors. The emphasis is on theory, analysis, and action.

Each student is also expected to demonstrate an understanding of the literature, theory, and research in a specialization area within the larger discipline of urban and regional planning.

Required Courses

Four courses are required of all Ph.D. students: two doctoral-level planning theory courses and a two-course research seminar sequence.

  • Advanced Urban Theory (URP 700)
  • Epistemology and Reasoning for Planning Research (URP 701)
  • Research Design (URP 801)
  • Ph.D. Research Seminar (URP 802)

Recent students have engaged in subjects as diverse as:

  • The political economy of public transit, inner-city revitalization
  • Global city urbanization
  • Information technology and cyberspace
  • The crisis of modernist urbanism
  • Suburbanization in developing countries
  • Regional planning institutions
  • The effects of environmental contamination on patterns of urban and regional development
  • The culture of suburban commuting
  • The impact of tourism on historical Mediterranean cities
  • The application of complex systems analysis to sustainable development

Pre-Candidacy Requirements

Doctoral students specialize in a wide range of possible topics.

  • Planning theory
  • Analytic methods
  • Research design
  • Primary area of specialization

Students meet these requirements through coursework and exams over a two-year period. During this time, a student’s cumulative grade point average may not fall below a B without academic discipline or probation.

Analytic Methods Courses

Students are expected to be skilled in statistics, in at least two analytic research techniques, and reasonably knowledgeable about several others. Students qualify in analytic techniques by completing the following:

Satisfactory performance (B or higher) in two cumulative graduate-level statistics courses.

Students entering with previous statistics experience may wish to enter directly into a second semester statistics course. In the past, students have typically selected one of the following sequences:

  • Statistics 402 (Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis), Statistics 403 (Statistics & Data Analysis II)
  • Sociology 510 (Statistics); Sociology 610 (Statistical Methods)
  • Natural Resources 438 (Natural Resources Biometrics), Natural Resources 538 (Natural Resources Data Analysis)
  • Biostatistics 503 (Introductory Biostatistics), Biostatistics 523 (Biostatistical Analysis for Health-Related Fields)
  • The sequence in political science

NOTE:  Students wishing to study statistics during the spring or summer terms may want to investigate the Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research sponsored by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and/or the Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques conducted by the research staff of the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research. Choice of courses to meet requirements should be discussed with your advisor.

Competence in at least two analytic/research methods satisfied through six credit hours of total coursework.

These are methods used in planning research and should prepare the student for their likely area of dissertation work. The requirement is met through completion of nine credits of course work in two analytic/research methods (in addition to statistics), to be defined by the student in conjunction with his or her advisor. (The two methods may be interrelated.) Depending on the research method and the student’s background, more courses may be needed. Courses in these two areas must be completed with a grade of B or higher in order to fulfill this requirement. Graduate level courses that are audited can count for this requirement, as long as the student completes all the work of the course and the instructor provides a letter indicating the grade the student would have received had he or she been enrolled. All plans for satisfying this requirement are the joint responsibility of the student and his or her advisor.

The methods a student selects should relate to their dissertation area. Below are several analytic/research methods in which students have been examined in recent years. Numerous analytic/research methods are appropriate, and students need not be restricted to choices on the list:

  • Anthropological methods
  • Case study methods
  • Complex systems analysis
  • Cost benefit & cost effectiveness analysis
  • Decision theory & general risk analysis
  • Demographic analysis
  • Discrete choice analysis
  • Differential equations
  • Diffusion models
  • Economic & other forecasting models
  • Evaluation research
  • Graph theory
  • Historical analysis
  • Institutional analysis
  • Interview techniques
  • Linear programming and general analysis using linear models
  • Network & flow methods
  • Population growth models
  • Probability, both theoretical & heuristic
  • Simulation/gaming & game theory
  • Spatial analysis
  • Survey research
  • Time series

Annual Review of Progress

At the end of each year of study, students are required to complete an Annual Review.  The advisor and the Director of Doctoral Studies may make recommendations for any modifications deemed necessary prior to the start of the following academic year. Note: financial support for the subsequent year, if applicable, depends on timely completion of a satisfactory annual review.

Annual Review Steps

By April 15, the student submits:

  • A draft annual review form to their advisor, including a concise narrative of and goals for the upcoming summer and academic year.
  • An up-to-date CV

The student and advisor meet; the advisor provides comments to the student and, where necessary, recommends changes in the academic plan in the annual review form.

Once the advisor has approved the plan of study for the coming year, they send the Director of Doctoral Studies a short narrative of student progress.

The URP Ph.D. Advisory Committee reviews the materials, and sends a letter to the student, either confirming their good standing in the program or specifying additional requirements to be in good standing.

Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive exam tests a student’s knowledge of both their primary and secondary areas of specialization. The exam consists of a take-home, written examination followed by an oral exam. The examination normally occurs at the end of the student’s second year, after completion of all relevant coursework.

The Committee

The student convenes an examination committee of three faculty members, choosing faculty who have expertise in the areas of specialization. At least one member of the committee should be a member of the urban and regional planning faculty. The chair or co-chair of the committee must be a regular member of the planning faculty and cannot be an affiliate faculty member. At least one committee member should represent the student’s secondary area of specialization. (If the student has identified a secondary area of specialization that is traditionally housed in another department on campus, then the student is encouraged to select a faculty member from that outside department as their third committee member.) On occasion, examiners from outside the university have served on students’ examining committees. While this practice is generally not encouraged, written requests for an outside examiner by students are treated on an individual basis by the director of doctoral studies.

The Field Statement

The student meets with the committee chair to plan for the exam and agree on expectations prior to the construction of the exam. In consultation with the chair and committee members, the student identifies appropriate readings and prepares a detailed “field statement” that defines the primary and secondary fields, contains a detailed bibliography of readings, organizes the readings into subfields, and outlines a set of major questions for the fields. The field statement is normally designed principally with the chair and is sometimes analogous to a detailed syllabus that one would prepare for a year-long graduate-level course on the selected specializations. The student often writes possible exam questions that he/she feels are appropriate for the area the exam will cover. The questions are not the questions the committee asks the student; their major function is to help the committee and the student to agree on the scope of the exam.

Scheduling the Exam

The exam must be completed by the end of May, at the end of a student’s second year in the program, and is scheduled on the student’s initiative. Prior to the exam, the student should have completed all coursework (including all incompletes). A student may delay the exam for exceptional circumstances with approval of the faculty adviser and the Director of Doctoral Studies. Students must notify the Director of Doctoral Studies of their intent to take the exam, with a date and time, location, and names of committee members at least one month prior to the exam.

The written part of the exam is in the form of a take-home essay. The committee chair typically solicits exam questions from the committee, selects questions to be used, and composes the final examination. The allotted time period to write the exam is determined by the chair, and typically is over three days. The student must submit the exam in the form as directed by the chair (usually as a Word document submitted by email), plus one copy to the program administrator to be placed in the student’s records. The written exam is followed by a two-hour oral exam, generally scheduled to take place within about one week after the written exam. The exam is evaluated on a “Pass/Fail” or “Conditional Pass” basis. If the student does not achieve a passing evaluation, he/she may take the exam one additional time to achieve a “Pass” or “Conditional Pass” status. A “Conditional Pass” indicates that additional requirements must be met, but the exam need not be retaken. Upon completion of the oral portion of the exam, please refer to the Applying for Candidacy section for next steps.

Applying for Candidacy

A student advances to candidacy when all program requirements except the dissertation proposal and dissertation have been satisfied. The normal and expected time to achieve candidacy is two years from the date of first enrollment in the doctoral program. In addition to urban and regional planning program requirements, a student must also meet  Rackham Candidacy Requirements . Any incomplete courses that are critical to satisfying requirements must be completed before applying for candidacy.

Once all required coursework and the comprehensive exam are successfully completed, a student applies for Candidacy by sending a request by email to the URP Director of Doctoral Studies, along with a signed Comprehensive Exam Certification Form.

The Director of Doctoral Studies will recommend a doctoral student for candidacy by submitting a recommendation to the Rackham Graduate School. When candidacy is approved, a student is ready to begin work on the dissertation and is eligible for URP 995 candidacy registration.

Sample Schedule

Sample First Year

Fall
URP 700 or 701 Advanced Urban Theory (700) or Epistemology and Reasoning for Planning Research (701) (offered fall term in odd number years)
URP 500 URP 500 Planning Theory, if did not take during Master’s
[Statistics I]
Elective (methods/specialization)
Winter
URP 612 Directed Study (Literature Review) or Elective
[Statistics II]
2 Electives
URP 801 Research Design

Sample Second Year

Fall
URP 700 or 701 Theory
URP 612 Directed Study (Literature Review) or Elective
Elective
Winter
URP 802 Ph.D. Research Practicum
3 Electives
Spring – Summer
(scheduled by student; typically taken by the end of May)
 (by the start of the third year of study)

Sample Years Three – Four

Dissertation Proposal Presentation (reviewed and approved by the student’s dissertation committee and the URP Doctoral Committee)
Dissertation research and writing
Informal “Full Draft Review” (at least 6-8 weeks before the formal defense)
Dissertation Defense
Submittal of the final version of the dissertation

phd dissertation fonts

Dissertation

Forming dissertation committee.

After completing the comprehensive exam and advancing to candidacy, the student must form a dissertation committee, in accordance with the Rackham Graduate School’s  “Guidelines for Dissertation Committee Service.”

The Dissertation Committee should be formed prior to defending the dissertation proposal, which should be formed several months before the student expects to defend their proposal URP. When prepared to do so, the student should send the Director of Doctoral Studies and Lisa Hauser the completed “Dissertation Committee Worksheet for Students to submit to Program”, which can be obtained from the link above. The Director of Doctoral Studies and Lisa Hauser will then submit the formal request to the Rackham Graduate School.

Dissertation Proposal

Dissertation proposals can be defended anytime after taking the Comprehensive Exam, but no later than the end of the fifth semester (i.e. December). It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the proposal defense attended by the dissertation committee.

The student must notify Lisa Hauser by email of the proposal defense date at least three weeks prior to the meeting, including the location of the defense meeting, a title, and an abstract. After gaining approval from the dissertation committee, the dissertation chair must send an email to the Director of Doctoral Studies that includes (a) the date of the proposal defense, (b) a list of all committee members present at the defense, (c) a title of the proposal, (d) an abstract of the proposal (250 – 350 words), and (e) a copy of the final dissertation proposal to be filed with URP records. Receipt of the email from the dissertation chair will constitute formal approval of the proposal by the committee and readiness to proceed with dissertation work.

Dissertation Process

The dissertation is prepared in accordance with the  Rackham Graduate School’s Doctoral Dissertation Requirements , and as outlined in the URP Ph.D. Program Overview Schedule and Policies document.

The student is responsible for several steps: (a) scheduling and reserving rooms (and/or a Zoom link if virtual or hybrid) for the URP pre-defense hearing (which ordinarily should occur at least six weeks and no less than three weeks prior to the dissertation defense) and the defense meeting, both in a timely manner; (b) notifying Lisa Hauser by email of the defense date at least three weeks prior to the meeting, including the location of the defense meeting, (and Zoom link, if relevant), a title, and an abstract; (c) providing a complete dissertation draft, including an abstract and bibliography, to committee members at least two weeks (longer is advised) before the defense date; and (d) registering for an eight-hour candidacy enrollment (995 Dissertation Research) for the term in which the defense is held.

A dissertation defense typically consists of two parts: the first is a formal, public presentation of the dissertation research, followed by questions and answers from both the dissertation committee and the audience. Defenses are advertised and open to the public, and other students and faculty are frequently in attendance. The second part is a closed session for the candidate and the dissertation committee. During the defense, the student may be asked to reconsider certain aspects of the work and to make changes or corrections in the dissertation. At the end of the session, the chair will discuss the oral defense with other members of the committee and inform the student of the outcome. The duration of a defense can vary, but the candidate should reserve the room for a three-hour period.

Formal approval of the dissertation (e.g., formatting of the final document) and applying for graduation are governed by the Rackham Graduate School.

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We will be accepting IUDC registration for Fall 2024 starting July 8, 2024.

We are processing IUDC forms via email. Students must use the writable pdf IUDC form on this page and their official home institution email address. No hand written form or non-school email address will be accepted.  

The Inter-University Doctoral Consortium (IUDC) offers eligible doctoral students the opportunity to take graduate courses at distinguished universities throughout the greater New York area. The IUDC has been in existence for over 30 years and offers students an enormous array of courses and opportunities for contact with faculty and other students in their fields.

The IUDC is open to doctoral students from participating schools who have completed at least one year of full time study toward the Ph.D. Terminal masters students and doctoral students not enrolled in the participating schools/divisions are not eligible. Only courses offered and conducted during either the fall or spring term may be applied for.

Participating schools are: Columbia University, GSAS Princeton University - The Graduate School CUNY Graduate Center Rutgers University Fordham University, GSAS Stony Brook University Graduate Faculty, New School University Teachers College, Columbia University New York University, GSAS, Steinhardt

Registration Instructions for NYU Students

Complete the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium Registration Form

Fill out all areas of the form clearly and legibly for accurate registration and grade reporting. Be sure that you have provided your full address, including zip code, as well as a phone number and email address at which the host school can reach you in addition to all course information

Obtain signatures in the following order only (signatures will not be given out of order): NYU Department Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, or Advisor NYU IUDC Coordinator Host School Course Instructor Host School Dean / IUDC Coordinator

Register at both schools: At NYU-- If you are a GSAS student, register in Albert for one section of the GSAS consortium "dummy" course, GSAS-GA 2000, for each course you are taking through the IUDC in the term. Be sure to register for exactly the same number of points as the course is worth at the host school. If you are a Steinhardt student, please contact the Steinhardt Office of Doctoral Studies for permission first.  Steinhardt Registration Office will enroll you in Steinhardt's IUDC "dummy" course. Steinhardt students are also required to fill out and have signed an internal Steinhardt permission form to take courses through the IUDC. At Host School -- Give one copy of the form to the IUDC Coordinator at the host school after you have collected the other three signatures. It is your responsibility to find out about registration procedures specific to the host institution.

The completed registration form may be returned to the NYU IUDC Coordinator. If you choose not to do this, be sure to keep a copy for your records until your grade is posted at NYU. All registration at NYU must be completed within the first 3 weeks of classes for the term Tuition is calculated by and paid to NYU only.  If you are on a MacCracken fellowship, your tuition will be covered for your IUDC course. Additional charges may be assessed by host institutions for lab fees if applicable. If you need to drop your IUDC course, please be sure to drop both the consortium "dummy" course at NYU as well as the real course at the host school. Member schools send each other final grades approximately four weeks after the end of each semester. If you have completed your course and your grade has been posted at the host school by that time you need not do anything else to get your grade at NYU. If you have not completed your course or your grade has not been posted by the time of the grade exchange, then it is your responsibility to take actions that will get your grade to NYU. Once a grade has been posted at the host school, contact the host school IUDC Coordinator and request that a transcript be sent to the NYU IUDC Coordinator. The host school IUDC Coordinator will then have a new transcript sent to NYU at no cost to you. Host school rules on course completion apply, so if you do take an incomplete for a course, be sure you are familiar with those rules if you do not intend to complete the course right away.

Registration Instructions for Students Visiting NYU

Complete the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium Registration Form Fill out all areas of the form clearly and legibly for accurate registration and grade reporting. Be sure that you have provided your email address, including zip code, as well as a phone number and email address at which we can reach you in addition to all NYU course information. All courses with course number ending in --GA or --GE are eligible to be taken through the IUDC. Also eligible are Cinema Studies, CINE-GT, and Performance Studies, PERF-GT, courses. No other NYU courses will be offered for IUDC enrollment. NYU does not accept registrations for audit or "R-credit" status. Couses offered or conducted during January or Summer term are also not eligible regardless of course number. Obtain signatures in the following order only (signatures will not be given out of order): Home School Department Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, or Advisor Home School Dean/IUDC Coordinator NYU Course Instructor NYU IUDC Coordinator Send your form to the NYU IUDC Coordinator only after having obtained the first 3 signatures. NYU will accept an email from the course instructor which gives explicit permission to join the class in lieu of a physical signature. Instructor permission to join a class does not constitute guaranteed enrollment in the course. Visiting students may be denied enrollment or placed on a wait list if the course is closed. You will be contacted if there is a registration issue. NYU needs two to three days to process your registration and enrollment. You must email your form as a pdf file to the [email protected] email address. Once we have finished with the form, you will be notified by email. We attach important information to your form that we want to be sure you have seen. Due to FERPA regulations, we will only email your form to your home school email address. Information will be attached to your approved IUDC form concerning the obtaining an NYU ID card, which will in turn allow you to gain access to NYUHome and the NYUBrightspace system. All registration at NYU must be completed in the first three weeks of classes . If you need to drop your IUDC course, please contact the NYU IUDC Coordinator. If you want to drop after the first two weeks, you will receive a W grade for withdrawal. You may only drop your course through the first nine weeks of the semester. After that you will receive a final grade. We will send your grade to your home school approximately four weeks after the end of the term in which you took your course. If you have not received a grade at NYU by that time, please contact the NYU Registrar's office at [email protected] when you grade has been posted in our Albert system, and they will send your transcript to your home school. At NYU, all incompletes must be resolved by one year from the beginning of the term in which you took the course. If you need a further extension of your incomplete, please contact the NYU course instructor and the offering department for assistance. For further questions,  please contact the consortium office of either the home or host school as applicable.

Contact Information

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, GSAS Sophia Cheng, Assistant Director of Student Affairs [email protected] Office of Student Affairs 107 Low Memorial Library 535 West 116th St Phone: (212) 854-5972 New York, NY 10027 Columbia IUDC Website CUNY GRADUATE CENTER Matthew Schoengood, Vice President for Student Affairs Vincent J. DeLuca, Registrar [email protected] Office of Vice President for Student Affairs 365 Fifth Avenue, Room 7301 New York, NY 10016 Phone: (212) 817-7409 CUNY IUDC Website FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, GSAS Sarah Lehman, Assistant Dean, GSAS Academic Operations Carmela Menta, Senior Executive Assistant, GSAS Academic Operations [email protected] Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Keating Hall, Rm. 216 441 E. Fordham Rd. Bronx, NY 10458 Phone: (718) 817-4406 Fordham IUDC Website NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH Ryan Gustafson, Assistant Dean of Academic and Student Affairs [email protected] 6 East 16th St, Room 1007 New York, NY 10003 Phone: (212) 229-5712 New School IUDC Website NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Li Cao, Assistant Director, Academic Affairs [email protected] New York University 6 Washington Square North, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10003 Phone: (212) 998-3716 NYU IUDC Website PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Jenny Smith, Academic Affairs Coordinator [email protected] Office of Academic Affairs The Graduate School 111 Clio Hall Princeton, NJ 08544 Phone: (609) 258-3168 Princeton IUDC Website RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, NEW BRUNSWICK Benjamin Arenger, Senior Program Administrator [email protected] Office of the Dean, School of Graduate Studies Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 25 Bishop Place New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1181 Phone: (848) 932-6588 Rutgers IUDC Website STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY Melissa Jordan, Assistant Dean for Records and Admissions [email protected] Office of the Dean, The Graduate School Stony Brook University 2401 Computer Science Building Stony Brook, NY 11794-4433 Phone: (631) 632-9712 Stony Brook IUDC Website TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Christopher Nieves, Registrar [email protected] Office of the Registrar 525 West 120th Street New York, NY 10027 Phone: (212) 678-4055 Teachers College IUDC Website

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  • Aug 26, 2024

Microbiology, Genetics and Immunology graduate student Jasper Gomez was recently awarded a three-year Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (Diversity) for Individual Predoctoral Fellows (F31) which supports promising doctoral candidates who are conducting their dissertation research in a scientific health-related field.   

Gomez is a researcher in Chris Waters’ lab, and his work focuses on the bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae.  

Jasper Gomez smiles at the camera. He is wearing a coral colored shirt with blue octopuses all over it. He is standing in front of brightly colored plants.

“I am thrilled that Jasper is being recognized by this fellowship, as he is a tremendous graduate student who is doing impactful research on the coevolution of bacteria and their viruses,” Waters said.   

“The overall goal of my research is to understand how viruses interact with bacteria using Vibrio cholerae. These interactions can lead us to discover new genetic tools and make better and more effective phage therapeutics,” Gomez said. “Phages are viruses that infect bacteria specifically, and these viruses are able to kill their bacterial host – they’re really good at doing what antibiotics do. So, phage therapy is a great alternative to combat antibiotic resistance.”     This National Institutes of Health award will fund the remainder of Gomez’s dissertation work and will enable his participation in various training and professional development opportunities over the next three years.   

  • Tags: microbiology

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Jasper Gomez smiles at the camera. He is wearing a coral colored shirt with blue octupuses all over it, and he is standing in front of colorful plants.

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  28. Jasper Gomez awarded NIH Kirschstein NRSA Fellowship

    Microbiology, Genetics and Immunology graduate student Jasper Gomez was recently awarded a three-year Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (Diversity) for Individual Predoctoral Fellows (F31) which supports promising doctoral candidates who are conducting their dissertation research in a scientific health-related field.