University of Adelaide
Ph.D. Thesis & Master's by Research Thesis Formatting Guidelines
Official layout specifications, binding margins, and document formatting requirements.
Governing Body: Adelaide Graduate Research School (AGRS) (SA, AU)
1. Page Setup & Geometry
Page dimensions, binding margins, and print/digital alignments
2. Typography & Spacing Hierarchy
Font selections, heading styles, line spacing, and paragraph indentation
3. Technical & Archival Compliance
ETD ProQuest repository requirements, table spanning, and vector DPI rules
Table captions: above.
Figure captions: below. Colour photography minimum 300 DPI.
Right-aligned equation numbers (chapter.seq). Preserves native MathML and Word equation blocks.
Library ETD guideline: PDF/A-1b (Note: ScholarSpec formats submission-ready Word .docx documents; export to PDF/A upon final committee approval).
4. Preliminary Pages Checklist & Order
Strict graduate school ordering, title page numbering suppression, and Roman pagination
- 1Title PageMandatoryPagination:
suppressed counted - 2Table of ContentsMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 3List of FiguresOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible - 4List of TablesOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible - 5Glossary / AbbreviationsOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible - 6AbstractMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 7Statement of ImpactMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 8Signed DeclarationMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 9AcknowledgementsMandatoryPagination:
roman visible
6. Academic Integrity, Similarity & AI Policy
Plagiarism threshold, similarity checking software, and Generative AI disclosure rules
Any use of Generative AI must be disclosed in an explicit 'Use of AI' statement on the Acknowledgements page. Candidates must keep detailed prompt, date, and tool records.
Chapter Opening & Print Setup
Chapter start placement, top margin drops, single vs double-sided print, and paper weight
8. Institutional & Departmental Policies
Signed declaration of originality and RTP scholarship acknowledgement using prescribed University text.
Mandatory Statement of Impact of no more than 500 words on potential and/or actual impact of the research.
Mandatory signed Statement of Authorship and co-author permission templates for publication format theses.
Mandatory Generative AI disclosure statement placed on the Acknowledgements page.
Deposit in Adelaide Research & Scholarship digital archive.
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- Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: University of Adelaide Specifications for Thesis and Thesis Examination Protocol; A4 paper, 35 mm left binding margin, 15â20 mm other margins, 500-word abstract limit, GenAI declaration required.
- Order of contents: Title Page, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables, Glossary/Abbreviations, Abstract (max 500 words), Statement of Impact (max 500 words), Signed Declaration, Acknowledgements, Main Text.
- Inside/binding margin must be at least 35 mm; top, right, and bottom margins at least 15 mm (standard 20 mm).