University of Sheffield
Ph.D. Thesis Formatting Guidelines
Official layout specifications, binding margins, and document formatting requirements.
Governing Body: Research Services & White Rose Etheses Online (South Yorkshire, UK)
1. Page Setup & Geometry
Page dimensions, binding margins, and print/digital alignments
2. Typography & Spacing Hierarchy
Font selections, heading styles, line spacing, and paragraph indentation
3. Technical & Archival Compliance
ETD ProQuest repository requirements, table spanning, and vector DPI rules
Table captions: above.
Figure captions: below. Colour photography minimum 300 DPI.
Right-aligned equation numbers (chapter.seq). Preserves native MathML and Word equation blocks.
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
- 1Title PageMandatoryPagination:
suppressed countedRequirement: Must display University name and logo, candidate's full name, thesis title, degree, and year. - 2Generative AI Self-DeclarationMandatoryPagination:
roman visibleRequirement: Mandatory GenAI self-declaration statement confirming whether or how AI tools were utilized in the research/writing. - 3Declaration of AuthorshipMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 4AbstractMandatoryPagination:
roman visibleRequirement: Must not exceed 300 words. - 5AcknowledgementsOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible - 6Table of ContentsMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 7List of FiguresOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible - 8List of TablesOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible
6. Academic Integrity, Similarity & AI Policy
Plagiarism threshold, similarity checking software, and Generative AI disclosure rules
University of Sheffield requires a GenAI self-declaration statement in the preliminary pages of the thesis.
Chapter Opening & Print Setup
Chapter start placement, top margin drops, single vs double-sided print, and paper weight
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- Binding edge margin at least 20 mm (typically 25 mm); other margins at least 15 mm (typically 20 mm).
- Double-sided printing is preferred; line spacing 1.5x or double for body text.
- Electronic submission via PGR Thesis Submission Form accompanied by Turnitin digital receipt.
- Corrected 2026-10-13 against primary sources: Both brief deadUrls confirmed dead (the old /rs/postgraduate-research-hub/thesis-preparation path and the whiterose etheses Sheffield page). Replacements live under sheffield.ac.uk/rpi/pgr/examination/. The Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes 2026-27 (https://sheffield.ac.uk/media/123576/download?attachment=, HTTP 200) repeats the same formatting paragraph. Sheffield also publishes a GenAI guidance page: https://sheffield.ac.uk/rpi/pgr/guidance-pgrs-use-genai (HTTP 200); it says use is permitted when declared and PGRs remain responsible. Claimed paragraphIndent 1.27 cm and permittedUses text about 'confirmed at Confirmation Review' were not verified.