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University of Leeds

Ph.D. Thesis & Master's by Research Thesis Formatting Guidelines

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

Governing Body: Doctoral College & Student Examinations and Progress (West Yorkshire, 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 Leeds Guide to the Thesis Examination Process: Format and Presentation of Theses
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
40 mm Left / 20 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: 20 mm
Binding: 40 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 20 mm
Bottom: 20 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
40mm
Right Margin
20mm
Top Margin
20mm
Bottom Margin
20mm
Margin Specification: Left hand (binding edge) not less than 40 mm, other margins not less than 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 RomanArialCalibri
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...', registered name, and date.
  2. 2
    Intellectual Property and Authorship DeclarationMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: Mandatory declaration on page 2 covering candidate's independent contribution, copyright, and AI usage statement.
  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 Leeds requires postgraduate researchers to declare any use of AI tools on the preliminary pages alongside the intellectual property declaration.

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

Authorship Statement:

Mandatory intellectual property statement and candidate declaration on page 2.

Repository Deposit:

Submission to White Rose eTheses Online (WREO).

Notice a discrepancy in this 2025 handbook?

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  • Binding edge not less than 40 mm, other margins not less than 20 mm.
  • Line spacing 1.5x or double; single spacing for block quotes, footnotes, tables, and references.
  • Mandatory intellectual property statement and candidate declaration on page 2.
  • Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: University of Leeds Guide to the Thesis Examination Process: Format and Presentation of Theses. Left binding edge not less than 40 mm, other margins not less than 20 mm. Line spacing 1.5x or double. Header/footer margins unstated in handbook and set to null.