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Monash University

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

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

Governing Body: Monash Graduate Research Office (VIC, AU)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹī¸ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
Monash University Chapter 7: Thesis Preparation and Format Guidelines
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
35 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: 35 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 20 mm
Bottom: 20 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
35mm
Right Margin
20mm
Top Margin
20mm
Bottom Margin
20mm
Margin Specification: Left: 35-40 mm (binding margin); other margins: 20-25 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 quotes, 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
    Copyright NoticeMandatory
    Pagination: suppressed counted
  3. 3
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  4. 4
    Lay SummaryMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  5. 5
    General Declaration (Authorship & AI Disclosure)Mandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  6. 6
    RTP Scholarship StatementMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  7. 7
    AcknowledgementsOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible
  8. 8
    Table of ContentsMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  9. 9
    List of FiguresOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible
  10. 10
    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

Mandatory GenAI declaration within the Monash approved preliminary pages. Candidates must disclose tools, purpose, prompt descriptions, and the extent of human review and verification.

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

Declarations And Ai:

Mandatory preliminary pages with AI disclosure and student declaration.

Rtp Statement:

Mandatory Australian Government RTP scholarship statement.

Summary Limit:

100-word lay summary in addition to formal thesis abstract.

Repository Deposit:

Bridges digital repository deposit.

Institutional Policy: Chapter 7 Graduate Research regulations govern Ph.D. and Master's by Research degrees.

Notice a discrepancy in this 2025 handbook?

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  • Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: Monash Graduate Research Chapter 7 Thesis Preparation Guidelines; A4 paper, 35 mm left margin, 20 mm other margins, 1.5 line spacing, 350-word abstract, GenAI declaration.
  • A4 paper layout. Left binding margin 35-40 mm; top, bottom, and right margins 20-25 mm.
  • Mandatory Monash preliminary pages template with integrated Generative AI disclosure, authorship declaration, and RTP statement.
  • 100-word lay summary required in addition to formal thesis abstract (350 words max).