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University of Oxford

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

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

Governing Body: Examination Schools & Bodleian Libraries (ORA) (Oxfordshire, UK)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹ️ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
University of Oxford Examination Regulations Part 7: Preparation and Submission of Theses for Higher Degrees
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
35 mm Left / 25 mm Right
Standard Typography
Times New Roman (12pt)
Line Spacing
Double Spaced (2.0x)

1. Page Setup & Geometry

Page dimensions, binding margins, and print/digital alignments

A4
Top: 25 mm
Binding: 35 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 25 mm
Bottom: 25 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
35mm
Right Margin
25mm
Top Margin
25mm
Bottom Margin
25mm
Margin Specification: Left (binding edge): 30-35 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
Double Spaced (2.0x)
Paragraph Indent
0.5 in
Approved Typefaces:Times New RomanArialCalibriComputer Modern
Spacing Exceptions: Single spacing for quotations, footnotes, tables, figures, and bibliography entries. Oxford Examination Regulations Part 7 § 7(i) explicitly mandates double spacing (~8mm leading) for body text; 1.5x in student templates is non-compliant.

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 full title, candidate name and college, degree (Doctor of Philosophy), and term/year of submission.
  2. 2
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: Must not exceed 300 words and be placed immediately following the Table of Contents or Title Page.
  3. 3
    Statement of AuthorshipMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: Must certify own work and explicitly declare any generative AI assistance or collaborative contributions.
  4. 4
    AcknowledgmentsOptional / 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 Oxford requires explicit declaration of any generative AI assistance in preliminary pages; unacknowledged AI content violates research integrity.

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

Double Spacing Strict:

Oxford Examination Regulations Part 7 § 7(i) explicitly mandates double spacing (~8mm leading) for body text.

Repository Deposit:

Mandatory deposit in Oxford University Research Archive (ORA).

Institutional Policy: Oxford Examination Regulations Part 7 § 7(i) explicitly mandates double spacing (~8mm leading) for body text; 1.5x in student templates is non-compliant.

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  • Oxford Examination Regulations Part 7 § 7(i) explicitly mandates double spacing (~8mm leading) for body text; 1.5x in student templates is non-compliant.
  • Left (binding edge): 30-35 mm (standard 35 mm); other margins: 20-25 mm (standard 25 mm).
  • Digital submission in PDF via University-approved portal, followed by ORA archival deposit.
  • Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: University of Oxford Examination Regulations (examregs.admin.ox.ac.uk) Part 7 § 7(i). Body text strictly double-spaced (2.0x, ~8mm leading). Left margin 35 mm, other margins 25 mm. Header/footer margins unstated in regulations and set to null.