This little guideline will be helpful for graduate students in their preparations of various theses or dissertations. These dissertation/thesis format guidelines have been updated, so, you can surely use them and do not be afraid to make a mistake.

Sometimes students think that such dissertation/thesis format guidelines cannot help, as each university has its own rules. Well, if you look attentively at the dissertation/thesis format guidelines, given in this article, you will understand that such requirements cannot be changed and your paper should correspond to them!

These guidelines will tell about the required paper, copies, margins, spacing and pagination.

Paper should be white, unlined and non-punched. Its size should be certain – 8½” x11”.

Copies: for Graduate Schools you need only one copy that will be saved at the library collection. It happens that different departments can require more copies – your task is to present them.

Margins: they are left justified. As a rule all pages should require to the certain standard (if you are the user of Microsoft Word – top (1.4), left (1.3), bottom (1.1), and right (1.1)

Spacing: Not all chapters in thesis are required to one and the same spacing. For example, you should use double spacing for an abstract, an introductory part, acknowledgments and dedications. It should be single spacing while writing footnotes, bibliography lists, appendices and quotations. Write on one side.

Pagination: There are two variants for thesis pagination: top right-hand and center. The former is recommended. You should remember that all pages should be enumerated except the title page and the abstract.

Now you know the general requirements for writing a thesis – do not forget about them!