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Heidelberg University

Doctoral Dissertation (Dr. rer. nat. / Dr. phil.) Formatting Guidelines

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

Governing Body: Graduate Academy & University Library (Baden-Württemberg, DE)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹ️ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
Heidelberg University Guidelines on the Submission of Doctoral Dissertations
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
30 mm Left / 25 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: 25 mm
Binding: 30 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 25 mm
Bottom: 20 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
30mm
Right Margin
25mm
Top Margin
25mm
Bottom Margin
20mm
Margin Specification: Left: 30 mm, Right: 25 mm, Top: 25 mm, Bottom: 20 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 RomanArialComputer Modern
Spacing Exceptions: Single spacing for block quotes, footnotes, tables, and bibliography.

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
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  3. 3
    Table of ContentsMandatory
    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

Heidelberg University AI Board and heiSKILLS frameworks require transparent declaration and documentation of AI tools used in dissertations, conforming to section 38 paragraph 2 LHG Baden-Wuerttemberg and DFG good scientific practice standards.

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

Faculty Title Page:

Statutory Faculty Title Page (Fakultaetstitelblatt) conforming to faculty doctoral ordinances. University seal/emblem is strictly prohibited on cover.

Lhg Affidavit:

Signed legal affidavit conforming to section 38 paragraph 2 LHG Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Bilingual Abstract:

Mandatory bilingual abstract in German (Zusammenfassung) and English.

Repository Deposit:

Electronic deposit in heiDOK repository.

Institutional Policy: Heidelberg doctoral regulations govern PhD dissertations.

Notice a discrepancy in this 2026 handbook?

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*ScholarSpec is a pre-submission formatting assistant. Output is calibrated to official university graduate handbooks.
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  • Downgraded to partial 2026-10-13: the verification block cites a landing page without a page-level formatting source. Re-verify margins, typography, and pagination against the institution's thesis handbook before marking verified.