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University of York

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

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

Governing Body: York Graduate Research School (YGRS) (North Yorkshire, UK)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoralℹī¸ Master's / M.Tech. format requires departmental / DPGC confirmation unless a central handbook is cited
Official Handbook:
University of York Policy on the Format and Presentation of Theses
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: 20 mm
Binding: 40 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 20 mm
Bottom: 20 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
40mm
Right Margin
20mm
Top Margin
20mm
Bottom Margin
20mm
Margin Specification: Binding-edge margin (left): at least 40 mm; other margins: 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 spacing for 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
    Requirement: Must state full title, author's registered name, degree, approved Department/Centre name, and month/year.
  2. 2
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: arabic visible
    Requirement: Concise summary not exceeding 300 words.
  3. 3
    Table of ContentsMandatory
    Pagination: arabic visible
  4. 4
    List of FiguresOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: arabic visible
  5. 5
    List of TablesOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: arabic visible
  6. 6
    Author's DeclarationMandatory
    Pagination: arabic visible
    Requirement: Declaration of authorship and transparency of AI or proofreading assistance under YGRS policy.

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 York enforces Policy on Transparency of Authorship in PGR Programmes requiring transparent documentation of AI tools in preliminary pages; unacknowledged AI is false authorship.

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

Continuous Pagination:

Continuous Arabic pagination from title page (page 1 counted/suppressed).

Repository Deposit:

Electronic deposit in White Rose eTheses Online (WREO).

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  • Binding-edge margin at least 40 mm; other margins at least 15-20 mm.
  • Line spacing 1.5x; single spacing for block quotes, footnotes, tables, and bibliography.
  • Continuous Arabic pagination from title page (page 1 counted/suppressed).
  • Policy on Transparency of Authorship in PGR Programmes requires explicit disclosure of any generative AI or proofreading assistance.
  • Corrected 2026-10-13 against primary sources: Updated URL to live YGRS progression portal (progression/thesis/format/). Binding-edge margin at least 40 mm, other margins 20 mm. 1.5x line spacing. Continuous Arabic pagination from title page. Header/footer margins unstated in handbook and set to null.