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University of Glasgow

Ph.D. Thesis & Master's Thesis (M.Litt., M.Phil., M.Sc. by Research) Formatting Guidelines

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

Governing Body: Graduate Schools & Glasgow Library E-Theses (Scotland, UK)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹī¸ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
University of Glasgow Requirements for the Format of Theses
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
40 mm Left / 15 mm Right
Standard Typography
Times New Roman (12pt)
Line Spacing
1.5x

1. Page Setup & Geometry

Page dimensions, binding margins, and print/digital alignments

A4
Top: 18 mm
Binding: 40 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 15 mm
Bottom: 18 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
40mm
Right Margin
15mm
Top Margin
18mm
Bottom Margin
18mm
Margin Specification: Left binding edge: 40 mm (15 mm margin + 25 mm gutter); top: 18 mm; bottom: 18 mm; right: 15 mm.

2. Typography & Spacing Hierarchy

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

Times New Roman
Body Font
Times New Roman
Font Size
12pt
Line Spacing
1.5x
Paragraph Indent
0.5 in
Approved Typefaces:Times New RomanTrebuchet MSArialCalibri
Spacing Exceptions: Single spacing for block quotes, footnotes, tables, and references.

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
    Requirement: Must state: 'Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of...', School, College, and date.
  2. 2
    Statement of OriginalityMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: Must certify original work and include explicit acknowledgment of any AI or computational tools used.
  3. 3
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  4. 4
    AcknowledgementsOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible
  5. 5
    Table of ContentsMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  6. 6
    List of FiguresOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible
  7. 7
    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

University of Glasgow requires a signed statement of originality and declaration acknowledging any AI tools used; unacknowledged AI text constitutes academic misconduct.

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

Binding Color:

Dark coloured cloth, spine lettered top to bottom if hard copy requested.

Word Limits:

Ph.D. 70,000-100,000 words; Master's 30,000-40,000 words.

Repository Deposit:

Enlighten repository deposit.

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  • Binding edge 40 mm (15 mm margin + 25 mm gutter), top/bottom 18 mm, right 15 mm.
  • Body line spacing 1.5x; single spacing for block quotes, footnotes, and references.
  • Final thesis submitted electronically as PDF to Enlighten: Theses repository.
  • Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: Glasgow Theses format guidelines (theses.gla.ac.uk/format.html) and IT Services Word template (Thesis1_2010.dotx). Binding edge 40 mm (15 mm margin + 25 mm gutter), 18 mm top/bottom, 15 mm right. Header/footer margins unstated in guidelines and set to null.