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University of Exeter

Ph.D. Thesis & Postgraduate Research Dissertation Formatting Guidelines

Official layout specifications, binding margins, and document formatting requirements.

Governing Body: Doctoral College & Academic Policy and Standards (Devon, UK)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹ️ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
University of Exeter TQA Manual Chapter 11: Statement of Procedures: Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Postgraduate Research Degrees
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
30 mm Left / 30 mm Right
Standard Typography
Arial (12pt)
Line Spacing
1.5x

1. Page Setup & Geometry

Page dimensions, binding margins, and print/digital alignments

A4
Top: 20 mm
Binding: 30 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 30 mm
Bottom: 20 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
30mm
Right Margin
30mm
Top Margin
20mm
Bottom Margin
20mm
Margin Specification: Section 5.3: Left: 30 mm; right: 30 mm; top: 20 mm; bottom: 20 mm.

2. Typography & Spacing Hierarchy

Font selections, heading styles, line spacing, and paragraph indentation

Arial
Body Font
Arial
Font Size
12pt
Line Spacing
1.5x
Paragraph Indent
0.5 in
Approved Typefaces:ArialAptosCalibriTimes New Roman
Spacing Exceptions: Single spacing for indented quotations, footnotes, and bibliographies.

3. Technical & Archival Compliance

ETD ProQuest repository requirements, table spanning, and vector DPI rules

Institute ETD / library deposit
Tables Layout

Table captions: above.

Figures & Graphics

Figure captions: below. Colour photography minimum 300 DPI.

Math & Formulae

Right-aligned equation numbers (chapter.seq). Preserves native MathML and Word equation blocks.

Archival Preservation

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

Mandatory Sequence
  1. 1
    Title PageMandatory
    Pagination: suppressed counted
  2. 2
    Generative AI StatementMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: TQA Manual 6.6 mandatory declaration. If AI was not used, include statement confirming zero AI usage.
  3. 3
    Authorship DeclarationMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  4. 4
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  5. 5
    AcknowledgementsOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible
  6. 6
    Table of ContentsMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  7. 7
    List of FiguresOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible
  8. 8
    List of TablesOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible

6. Academic Integrity, Similarity & AI Policy

Plagiarism threshold, similarity checking software, and Generative AI disclosure rules

Policy & Disclosure
Generative AI Policy
Disclosure Statement Required

TQA Manual Chapter 11 Section 6.6 requires a Generative AI Statement in the preliminary pages. Absence of a statement is formally considered a declaration that AI was not used.

Chapter Opening & Print Setup

Chapter start placement, top margin drops, single vs double-sided print, and paper weight

Layout
Printing Format
Single or Double-Sided

8. Institutional & Departmental Policies

Institutional Policy: Electronic submission via MyPGR as a single PDF.
Institutional Policy: Maximum word count normally 100,000 words for PhD.

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  • Section 5.3: Left and right margins 30 mm; top and bottom margins 20 mm.
  • Section 5.4 & 5.5: Double or 1.5 line spacing. Font size 12 in Arial, Aptos, or Calibri.
  • Section 6.6: Mandatory Generative AI Statement in preliminary pages; absence denotes no AI was used.
  • Corrected 2026-10-13 against primary sources: Dead URL replaced with live official TQA Manual Chapter 11 PDF (Aug 2026). Continuous Arabic pagination confirmed per § 5.6. Margins left/right 30 mm, top/bottom 20 mm per § 5.3. Header/footer margins unstated in handbook and set to null.