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UTS

University of Technology Sydney

Ph.D. Thesis Formatting Guidelines

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

Governing Body: Graduate Research School (NSW, AU)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹī¸ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
UTS Graduate Research School Thesis Presentation Guidelines
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
40 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: 30 mm
Binding: 40 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 20 mm
Bottom: 20 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
40mm
Right Margin
20mm
Top Margin
30mm
Bottom Margin
20mm
Margin Specification: Left: not less than 40 mm; top: not less than 30 mm; right: not less than 20 mm; bottom: not less than 20 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-space block quotes, footnotes, tables, and bibliography items.

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
    Certificate of Original AuthorshipMandatory
    Pagination: suppressed counted
  3. 3
    AcknowledgementsOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible
  4. 4
    AbstractMandatory
    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

Candidates must explicitly disclose and describe how generative AI tools were used within the mandatory Certificate of Original Authorship in accordance with the UTS Use of AI in Research Guidelines.

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

Certificate Authorship:

Mandatory Certificate of Original Authorship including explicit GenAI disclosure statement.

Asymmetric Margins:

Adherence to UTS margin minimums: 40 mm left, 30 mm top, 20 mm right and bottom.

Repository Deposit:

Deposit in OPUS institutional repository.

Institutional Policy: UTS specifies asymmetric margins: 40 mm left for binding, 30 mm top margin, and 20 mm for right and bottom.

Notice a discrepancy in this 2025 handbook?

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  • Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: UTS Graduate Research Candidature Management Thesis Preparation and Submission Procedures; A4 paper, margins left 40 mm, top 30 mm, right 20 mm, bottom 20 mm; GenAI disclosure in Certificate of Original Authorship.
  • A4 format. Margins: Left-hand side not less than 40 mm; right-hand side not less than 20 mm; top not less than 30 mm; bottom not less than 20 mm.
  • Line spacing: 1.5-spaced or double-spaced (single-spacing only permitted for appendices and footnotes).
  • Mandatory Certificate of Original Authorship in front matter including explicit declaration and disclosure of Generative AI tools.