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University of Otago

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

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

Governing Body: Graduate Research School (Otago, NZ)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹī¸ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
University of Otago Format and Submission Regulations for Theses
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: 25 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
30mm
Right Margin
25mm
Top Margin
25mm
Bottom Margin
25mm
Margin Specification: Left: 30 mm; 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 RomanArialCalibriPalatinoCambria
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
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  3. 3
    Declaration of OriginalityMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  4. 4
    Declaration of AI UseMandatory
    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

Mandatory 'Declaration of the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Thesis' required by the Graduate Research School. Full disclosure of tools, purposes, and prompts must be made in the preliminary pages.

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

Declaration Originality:

Signed student declaration of originality.

Declaration Ai:

Mandatory Declaration of the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Thesis form.

Repository Deposit:

Deposit in OUR Archive digital repository.

Institutional Policy: Graduate Research School 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: University of Otago Format and Submission Regulations for Theses and Graduate Research School guidelines; A4 paper, binding margin at least 30 mm, other margins 20–25 mm, line spacing 1.5x, AI declaration form in front matter.
  • A4 paper layout with 1.5 line spacing. Margins: Left (inside) 30 mm; other margins: 20-25 mm.
  • Graduate Research School mandates formal 'Declaration of the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Thesis' form in preliminary pages.