Thesis & Dissertation Layout

Roman Numeral Front Matter & Arabic Body Page Numbers in Word

Academic Layout & OpenXML Specification
Table of Contents (7 sections)

Graduate thesis guidelines across institutions (Stanford, MIT, Cambridge, Purdue, University of Michigan, IIT Bombay) and the ProQuest ETD dissertation formatting checklist mandate a two-tier pagination system: preliminary front matter in lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii...) with the title page counting as unnumbered page i, and the body text starting at Chapter 1 restarting at Arabic numeral 1 (1, 2, 3...).

Thesis Pagination Rules:

  • Title Page: Counted as page i, unnumbered (no visible header or footer numeral).
  • Preliminary Pages: Lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii...), starting visibly at page ii.
  • Chapter 1 (Body): Restarts at Arabic page 1; subsequent chapters continue consecutively.

1. Two-Section Document Architecture in Microsoft Word

In Word, page number formats and header/footer definitions are stored at the Section level (OpenXML w:sectPr), not per page or paragraph.

A standard Page Break (Ctrl + Enter) keeps content within the same section. If the document is a single section, altering any page number format applies globally.

A Section Break (Next Page) partitions the manuscript into two independent section containers:

  • Section 1 (Front Matter): w:fmt="lowerRoman", w:start="1", and <w:titlePg/>.
  • Section 2 (Body): w:fmt="decimal" and w:start="1".

Word defaults new sections to inherit headers and footers from preceding sections ("Same as Previous"). You must deactivate Link to Previous in Section 2 to isolate footer formatting.

2. Step-by-Step Configuration in Microsoft Word

Step 1: Insert a Section Break (Next Page) Before Chapter 1

  1. Place your cursor immediately before the first character of your Chapter 1 heading.
  2. Go to Layout > Breaks > Section Breaks > Next Page.
  3. Press Ctrl + Shift + 8 (or Cmd + 8 on macOS) to confirm a :::::::: Section Break (Next Page) :::::::: marker precedes Chapter 1.

Step 2: Unlink the Footer in Section 2

  1. Double-click the footer on the first page of Chapter 1 to open the Header & Footer ribbon tab.
  2. Confirm the label shows Footer -Section 2- with Same as Previous on the right.
  3. In the Navigation group, click Link to Previous to toggle it off.
  4. Confirm the Same as Previous tag disappears.
  5. Headers: If your guidelines (e.g., an APA 7 dissertation) place page numbers in the top-right header, repeat this step in the header. Header and footer linkage are independent.
Figure 1: Unlink the Chapter 1 footer from preliminary pages by toggling off Link to Previous in the Header & Footer ribbon tab.
1Click Link to Previous to unlink Section 2
2Confirm Same as Previous tag is removed
Figure 1: Microsoft Word Header and Footer toolbar showing Link to Previous button toggled off for Section 2
Microsoft Word Header and Footer toolbar showing Link to Previous button toggled off for Section 2

Figure 1: Unlink the Chapter 1 footer from preliminary pages by toggling off Link to Previous in the Header & Footer ribbon tab.

1Click Link to Previous to unlink Section 2
2Confirm Same as Previous tag is removed

Step 3: Configure Lowercase Roman Numerals for Section 1 Front Matter

  1. Click into the footer of any preliminary page in Section 1 (such as the Abstract).
  2. On the Header & Footer tab, select Page Number > Format Page Numbers....
  3. Set Number format to i, ii, iii, ....
  4. Under Page numbering, select Start at: and enter i. Click OK.
  5. If no page number is present, insert it via Page Number > Bottom of Page > Plain Number 2 (centered) or Plain Number 3 (right-aligned).
Figure 2: In the Page Number Format dialog, set Number format to lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) and select Start at to designate the starting sequence for preliminary pages.
1Select lowercase Roman numerals in Number format
2Set Page numbering to Start at: i
Figure 2: Microsoft Word Page Number Format dialog setting Number format to lowercase Roman numerals and Start at i
Microsoft Word Page Number Format dialog setting Number format to lowercase Roman numerals and Start at i

Figure 2: In the Page Number Format dialog, set Number format to lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) and select Start at to designate the starting sequence for preliminary pages.

1Select lowercase Roman numerals in Number format
2Set Page numbering to Start at: i

Step 4: Suppress the Page Number on the Title Page ("Different First Page")

  1. Click into the title page (page 1) in Section 1.
  2. On the Header & Footer ribbon tab, check Different First Page.
  3. The footer label on page 1 changes to First Page Footer -Section 1-.
  4. If a numeral appears in this first-page footer, select and delete it.
  5. Scroll to page 2 (Abstract). The footer label reads Footer -Section 1- and displays ii, preserving the count without printing on page 1.

Step 5: Configure Arabic Numerals Starting at 1 for Section 2 Body

  1. Double-click the footer in Section 2 (Chapter 1) and confirm Same as Previous is absent.
  2. Click Page Number > Format Page Numbers....
  3. Set Number format to 1, 2, 3, ....
  4. Select Start at: and enter 1. Click OK.
  5. If the page number field is missing, insert it via Page Number > Bottom of Page > Plain Number 2.
Figure 3: Verify the section transition between preliminary pages displaying lowercase Roman numerals and Chapter 1 restarting at Arabic page 1.
1Section 1 preliminary footer displays Roman numeral
2Section 2 body footer restarts at Arabic 1
Figure 3: Microsoft Word document layout showing lowercase Roman numeral footer on front matter abstract page transitioning to Arabic 1 on Chapter 1
Microsoft Word document layout showing lowercase Roman numeral footer on front matter abstract page transitioning to Arabic 1 on Chapter 1

Figure 3: Verify the section transition between preliminary pages displaying lowercase Roman numerals and Chapter 1 restarting at Arabic page 1.

1Section 1 preliminary footer displays Roman numeral
2Section 2 body footer restarts at Arabic 1

Step 6: Maintain Continuous Arabic Numbering Across Subsequent Chapters

If subsequent chapters or landscape tables (see our guide on portrait page numbers on landscape pages) require new section breaks:

  1. Double-click the footer in the subsequent section (e.g., Section 3 for Chapter 2).
  2. Click Page Number > Format Page Numbers....
  3. Select Continue from previous section. Click OK.

3. Front Matter vs. Body Layout Settings

Table 1: Front Matter vs. Thesis Body Pagination Settings
Pagination Parameter❌ Common Configuration Mistake✓ Compliant Graduate School Standard
Section BoundaryTransition into Chapter 1
Standard Page Break (Ctrl+Enter / w:br)
Keeps document in a single section; changes to Chapter 1 overwrite preliminary pages.
Section Break (Next Page / w:sectPr)
Creates decoupled OpenXML section partitions with isolated page number definitions.
Header & Footer LinkageNavigation group
'Link to Previous' left active
Section 2 footer inherits Section 1 properties; restarting at 1 resets front matter pagination.
'Link to Previous' toggled OFF
Generates independent relationship targets and isolated footer XML parts.
Number Format (w:fmt)Page Number Format dialog
Arabic numbers on front matter or Roman in body
Violates graduate school and ProQuest submission guidelines, triggering formal editorial rejection.
lowerRoman (i, ii, iii) in Section 1; decimal (1, 2, 3) in Section 2
Front matter counts in lowercase Roman; main body text strictly uses Arabic digits.
Starting Page Number (w:start)Sequence initialization
'Continue from previous section' in Chapter 1
Causes Chapter 1 to start at page 7, 9, or 11 instead of restarting cleanly at page 1.
Explicit 'Start at: 1' on Chapter 1; 'Start at: 1' on Section 1
Locks Chapter 1 to Arabic 1; subsequent chapters use 'Continue from previous section'.
Title Page DisplayDifferent First Page (w:titlePg)
Visible 'i' or '1' printed on title page
Direct guideline violation; title page must count in sequence but remain unnumbered.
'Different First Page' enabled; first-page footer blank
OpenXML w:titlePg suppresses visible page number while retaining count for page ii.

4. OpenXML w:pgNumType & w:titlePg Architecture

In OpenXML WordprocessingML (word/document.xml), section properties are serialized inside <w:sectPr> elements.

Section 1 (Front Matter) defines lowercase Roman numerals, sets the starting value to 1, and suppresses the title page footer via <w:titlePg/>:

<w:sectPr>
  <w:headerReference w:type="default" r:id="rId7"/>
  <w:footerReference w:type="default" r:id="rId8"/>
  <w:footerReference w:type="first" r:id="rId9"/>
  <w:titlePg/>
  <w:pgSz w:w="12240" w:h="15840"/>
  <w:pgMar w:top="1440" w:right="1440" w:bottom="1440" w:left="2160" w:header="720" w:footer="720"/>
  <w:pgNumType w:fmt="lowerRoman" w:start="1"/>
</w:sectPr>
  • <w:titlePg/>: Instructs Word to evaluate <w:footerReference w:type="first"/> on page 1. When rId9 points to an empty footer part (word/footer2.xml), page 1 renders without a numeral.
  • w:fmt="lowerRoman": Sets the numbering format to lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii...) per ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.18.59.
  • w:start="1": Sets the starting value to 1. Because page 1 is masked by w:titlePg, page 2 displays ii.

Section 2 (Chapter 1) switches the format to decimal digits and resets the sequence:

<w:sectPr>
  <w:headerReference w:type="default" r:id="rId10"/>
  <w:footerReference w:type="default" r:id="rId11"/>
  <w:pgSz w:w="12240" w:h="15840"/>
  <w:pgMar w:top="1440" w:right="1440" w:bottom="1440" w:left="2160" w:header="720" w:footer="720"/>
  <w:pgNumType w:fmt="decimal" w:start="1"/>
</w:sectPr>
  • w:fmt="decimal": Renders standard Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3...).
  • w:start="1": Resets the page counter to 1 at Section 2.
  • r:id="rId11": References a decoupled footer part (word/footer3.xml) created by unlinking "Link to Previous".
  • <w:fldSimple w:instr="PAGE"/>: Evaluates the page number dynamically at layout time.

5. Troubleshooting Common Page Numbering Failures

1. Changing Page Numbers in Chapter 1 Changes Front Matter to Arabic Numbers

Root Cause: Front matter and Chapter 1 share a single section separated by a Page Break, or Link to Previous remains active in Section 2.

Diagnostic & Fix: Turn on formatting marks (Ctrl + Shift + 8) and confirm a Section Break (Next Page) precedes Chapter 1. Double-click the footer in Chapter 1 and verify the Same as Previous label is absent; click Link to Previous to unlink if present.

2. Chapter 1 Footer Restarts at 1, but Still Displays Roman Numeral "i"

Root Cause: Section 2 was unlinked and set to "Start at: 1", but the "Number format" dropdown was left as i, ii, iii....

Diagnostic & Fix: Double-click the Chapter 1 footer. Go to Header & Footer > Page Number > Format Page Numbers..., change Number format to 1, 2, 3, ..., confirm Start at is 1, and click OK.

3. Title Page Prints Roman Numeral "i"

Root Cause: "Different First Page" is unchecked in Section 1, or a page number was manually placed in the First Page Footer.

Diagnostic & Fix: Click inside the title page in Section 1. On the Header & Footer tab, check Different First Page. Delete any numeral visible in the First Page Footer; page 2 will continue displaying ii.

4. Subsequent Chapters (Chapter 2, 3, etc.) Restart at Page 1

Root Cause: Section breaks before new chapters defaulted to "Start at: 1" (OpenXML w:start="1").

Diagnostic & Fix: Double-click the footer in Chapter 2, open Page Number > Format Page Numbers..., and select Continue from previous section. Repeat for subsequent chapters.

5. Unlinking the Footer Leaves the Header Linked (or Vice Versa)

Root Cause: Word manages header and footer linkage independently. Unlinking the footer does not unlink the header.

Diagnostic & Fix: Double-click the header in Chapter 1 and toggle off Link to Previous separately if header text differs from front matter.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Why does changing page numbers in Chapter 1 also change my front matter to Arabic numbers?

Front matter and Chapter 1 share a single section separated by a Page Break instead of a Section Break (Next Page), or Link to Previous remains active in Section 2. In Word, page number formatting applies to entire sections; separating sections and disabling Link to Previous prevents global overwrites.

How do I suppress the Roman numeral i from appearing on my thesis title page?

In Section 1, click into the title page and check Different First Page on the Header & Footer ribbon tab (OpenXML w:titlePg). This creates a distinct First Page Footer. Delete any numeral inside that footer; page 1 remains unnumbered while page 2 displays ii.

Why does my thesis body continue Roman numerals instead of switching to Arabic 1?

Link to Previous was disabled and Start at was set to 1, but Number format was left as 'i, ii, iii...'. Open Header & Footer > Page Number > Format Page Numbers in Chapter 1 and change Number format to '1, 2, 3, ...'.

What is the difference between unlinking a header and unlinking a footer in Word?

Word manages header and footer linkage independently. Unlinking Section 2's footer leaves its header linked to Section 1 (Same as Previous), and vice versa. Different First Page and Odd & Even headers/footers also maintain separate linkage states.

Why do later chapters restart at page 1 instead of continuing numbering from Chapter 1?

New section breaks often default to 'Start at: 1' (w:start="1"). In the new chapter footer, open Page Number > Format Page Numbers and select 'Continue from previous section'.

Related Dissertation Formatting Guides: For comprehensive thesis layout guidance, see our guides on fixing table of contents and dot leaders, portrait page numbers on landscape pages, the ProQuest ETD dissertation formatting checklist, and the general academic journal manuscript submission checklist.

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