University of British Columbia
Ph.D. Dissertation & Master's Thesis Formatting Guidelines
Official layout specifications, binding margins, and document formatting requirements.
Governing Body: Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) (BC, CA)
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 counted - 2Committee PageMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 3AbstractMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 4Lay SummaryMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 5PrefaceMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 6Table of ContentsMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 7List of TablesOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible - 8List of FiguresOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible - 9List of Submitted FilesOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
roman visible
6. Academic Integrity, Similarity & AI Policy
Plagiarism threshold, similarity checking software, and Generative AI disclosure rules
UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) Preface Requirements.
Chapter Opening & Print Setup
Chapter start placement, top margin drops, single vs double-sided print, and paper weight
8. Institutional & Departmental Policies
Must be the second page, numbered ii. Lists all examining and supervisory committee members with titles, departments, and universities. Does not include signatures. Not listed in TOC.
Maximum 350 words. Must state problem, methods, and conclusions. No tables, graphs, or complex equations.
Maximum 150 words. Simplified version for general public. No technical terms.
Must include: 1) Student contribution statement (research question, design, performance, analysis, writing). 2) Collaboration details if applicable. 3) GenAI usage statement (tools used and purpose, or statement of non-use). 4) List of publications/submissions. 5) Ethics approval certificate numbers if applicable.
If copyrighted tables/figures are removed, insert a statement of removal, description of content, and full citation of original source.
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- Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: UBC G+PS Formatting Requirements (Page Layout, Margins and Numbering, Fonts, Preliminary Pages); 1.0 in margins, 350-word abstract, 150-word lay summary, mandatory GenAI preface statement.
- Minimum 1.0 in left margin (1.25 in recommended for binding); minimum 0.75 in (1.0 in recommended) for top, bottom, and right.
- The Preface must contain an explicit statement declaring whether GenAI tools were used, detailing tools and purpose, or an explicit statement of non-use.