leeds university thesis template

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A LaTeX template for writing a PhD thesis (mostly) in accordance with the University of Leeds's guidelines.

jdconey/leeds_thesis_template

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A thesis template that approximates the style guidelines of the University of Leeds.

How to produce a version of your thesis showing changes (for sending to your examiners to show you've done your corrections)

I used \include to split up my files while writing so using the latexdiff program on the web was insufficient in this case. Fortunately I had a local installation of TeX Live, so I used that. This worked on my university computer (MS Windows 11) that I didn't have admin rights for, since TeX Live comes bundled with the perl stuff necessary.

• Make a separate copy of the initial thesis before making any corrections, which we'll need later.
• Make all changes to the "new" version, and carry on until happy.
• From the TeX Live command-line program, produce a version of your old and new thesis versions from your copies without the \include commands as one whole document using latexpand , which comes bundled with TeX Live. This didn't work using the command prompt, I needed the TeX Live command line.

latexpand initial_thesis\main.tex > initial_thesis\old.tex

latexpand thesis\main.tex > thesis\new.tex

• Now run latexdiff on these two docs to produce a document showing your changes, as desired. We're running locally here (don't mind the precious things) so no need to worry about Overleaf timeouts, or lack of pretty-ness, as this is just to show your examiners that you've made your corrections.

latexdiff initial_thesis\old.tex thesis\new.tex > diff.tex

• Now compile diff.tex as desired (either locally (why not?) or upload to Overleaf etc.)

Dissertations and Projects

Your dissertation or research project is the culmination of your course, it is an important piece of work which allows you to focus your area of interest. This page will guide you through that process as well as signposting you to the resources and documents you will need.

If you need help choosing a topic, critical thinking or structuring your work, you can use Skills@Library's online resource Dissertations: The Final Chapter , which also includes best practice student case studies.

Write and submit

If you are unsure on how to format and present your Dissertation or Project our Dissertation format regulations will help.

You can also download your Dissertation Coversheet from Forms and Guidance.

For a step by step guide on how to submit your dissertation visit our submitting assignments page.

Exceptional circumstances

If you experience significantly disruptive or unexpected events which are beyond your control and affect your ability to work on your dissertation – please contact the Student Support Team.

More information on what to do if you are experiencing personal difficulties, can be found on our Student Support pages.

Information for Taught Postgraduates

Absenses during dissertation period, attending meetings.

Taught Postgraduate students should attend all arranged Dissertation Supervision meetings. Students should make contact with their supervisor at least once every three weeks.

These meetings will take place face to face by default. A maximum of two meetings can take place online if it is agreed between the supervisor and the student.

Absence from meetings

Supervisors record your attendance at Dissertation Supervision meetings. If you miss a meeting the LUBS Attendance Team will contact you to request an explanation. If you need further support the Team can offer this as required.

Repeated failure to attend supervision meetings could have implications for Student Visa holders.

Recording an absence

If you are unable to attend a supervision meeting, you should take the following actions:

1. Submit an absence request in Minerva using the normal process

2. Inform your Dissertation Supervisor that you cannot attend the meeting.

More information about absence from the University can be found on our Attendance pages .

Risk Assessment for Fieldwork and Research away from Leeds

Off-campus fieldwork.

All students should remain in Leeds to complete their dissertation.

Before conducting any off-campus fieldwork you must first complete this health and safety questionnaire . 

Risk ratings

The University’s Health and Safety Team will review your answers and assign a risk of low, medium or high.

Low risk - you will be informed by email that no further action is required, and you will be able to conduct your fieldwork as planned.

Medium or high risk - together with your Dissertation Supervisor will be asked by the Health and Safety Team to provide some additional information about the fieldwork. You may be required to complete a Fieldwork Risk Assessment, with guidance from the Health and Safety Team

Please note that a fieldwork questionnaire and/or risk assessment only approve a student to be away from Leeds for the sole purpose of fieldwork and for the specific time period required to conduct it.

Change of Location

By registering on a Masters programme, students agree to remain in Leeds for the full 12-months .

Under exceptional circumstances it may be possible to leave Leeds early. If this applies to you, please contact the Attendance Team at [email protected] for advice. You will be required to complete a change of location form , which must be signed and approved by your Dissertation Supervisor and the LUBS Student Education Service

Forms are only accepted after 11 August - please do not submit a form before this date

International Students

By leaving Leeds early, international students may have their sponsorship withdrawn. Please contact the International Student Advice Team for further information before completing the change of location form.

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Thesis submission

There are key dates and events to keep in mind while supporting PGRs through the thesis submission process both in the lead up to submission and while submitting the thesis.

Preparing for submission

All candidates should aim to submit their thesis within the standard period of study for their programme. The thesis must be submitted for examination by no later than the end of their maximum period of study. Candidates and supervisors can view this date in GRAD. 

At least four months before the PGR intends to submit their thesis, PGRs and supervisors should start thinking about the examination entry process and identifying appropriate examiners for the thesis. Doctoral College Operations (DCO) needs to receive the examination entry workflow at least three months before the thesis is submitted. You can find further information about the examination entry process and appointment of examiners .

Thesis format regulations

The University has very specific requirements for the format and presentation of the thesis. The Guide to the thesis examination process for PGRs  includes detailed information on the University requirements for the format and presentation of the thesis and the examination process including: 

• entering for examination 
• the content and layout of the thesis
• the presentation of the title page (PDF) and the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and copyright statements which must be included in the thesis
• thesis length requirements, and what to do if there is a need to exceed them
• including work from any solely or jointly-authored publications in the thesis
• advice on what to expect before, during and after the viva
• advice on eThesis preparation and presentation
• advice on the presentation of a practice-led submission.

The University has approved an alternative format of thesis submission, which includes published material, for PGRs in the Faculties of Environment , Engineering, AHC, Biological Sciences and Medicine and Health only. PGRs and Supervisors should refer to the Faculty Protocol for further advice.  PGRs in these Faculties who wish to consider this route to submission are advised to discuss this with their Supervisory team in the first instance. This model of thesis can only be submitted where the supervisory team supports this format and is satisfied it is appropriate and meets the protocol in place for that Faculty. Please see the Faculty protocol for further advice.

It is recognised that this alternative style of doctoral thesis is not appropriate in all disciplines and that, in some cases and subject areas, the traditional, chapter style of thesis will remain the expected format for the thesis. In all other cases, any published material may be used to form a chapter of a thesis but must be rewritten and integrated within the thesis as a whole – in accordance with the policy on the use of  solely or jointly-authored publications

Submitting the thesis

Theses should be submitted via GRAD as a PDF; soft-bound copies are not required. The thesis can be submitted and assessed remotely.  Further advice on how to do this can be found in the Guide to the thesis examination process for PGRs  

Dispatch of the thesis to the examiners

DCO checks the format of the thesis and dispatches it to the examiners (usually within ten working days) - if the examination entry form has been approved by the Progression and Examinations Group. The internal examiner is then responsible for making the arrangements for the viva. 

Related Items

Examiners and independent chairs - criteria for appointment (research students).

The preferred level of experience for a research degree examiner is either experience of supporting a doctoral candidate through to successful completion or previous examination experience. 

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Research proposals

Your research proposal is a key part of your postgraduate application. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of your subject and how you intend to influence your desired research area.

We match your research proposal with the appropriate supervisors to make sure you have the best support during your research degree.

Before you apply, find out which researchers are working in your subject area and contact them with any questions. You can also review the ‘how to apply’ web pages of the School you plan to apply to, and find specific requirements for research proposals on your intended programme.

If you have further questions, contact the relevant admissions team . Don’t worry if your research idea isn’t fully formed when you get in touch, you can firm up your ideas as you explore the topic and talk with others in your field.  

Do you need to write a proposal?

You may not need to if you are applying for a pre-defined project. Before you apply you should contact your academic school, or review their web pages, to check:

• Do you need a proposal?
• How long does the proposal need to be?
• Do you need any additional evidence? 

Proposal structure

Your research proposal should normally include the following information, but this may vary according to which school you are applying to: 

A working title of your research; this may change over the course of your research as your project develops but it is good to have a starting point.    

Context and literature

Set the scene of your research clearly. Show that you understand the research area and have started to develop an understanding of your research topic.  

Make sure that you:

• Show awareness of current knowledge and debates. 
• Review current literature related to your intended project and make reference to key articles and texts to demonstrate understanding of the subject.
• Demonstrate your own expertise gained from previous study or employment.
• Explain where there is a gap in current understanding and how your original research can push knowledge forward. 

If you have identified academics involved in your research area you should contact them to discuss their work. This would be a good opportunity to get further advice about your proposal and to potentially start building a supervisor relationship. 

Aims of your research

Your research aims show the overall purpose of your study and you should consider them carefully. Keep your research proposal concise, focus on one or two key research aims and how research questions can achieve the aims. This will help you, and potential supervisors, to decide if they are achievable.

Methodology

Consider how you will carry out your research, and address this in your proposal.

• What type of data do you require, for example qualitative, quantitative or a combination?
• How are you going collect and analyse the data?
• How will these methods address your research aims, relating to current literature?

Plan your timescale

Plan a realistic timescale for your project to demonstrate that your research project is achievable. You should consider:  

• Possible challenges and how you aim to overcome them?
• What will be the milestones of your research?
• What you wish to achieve each year of your research project?

Expected outcomes

You should explain your potential outcomes to show you have thought through your research and why it is important. You may include how your research builds on current knowledge and what new understanding you will bring to your field. 

Focus your reading so that your references are relevant and up-to-date. Use Harvard referencing style . 

Proofreading your proposal

Your research proposal is your chance to show you can present information accurately, coherently and concisely.

When proofreading, ask yourself:

• Is your proposal clear and easy to understand?
• Have you written in a focused and concise way? 
• Does your proposal follow a logical progression that tells the reader a short story about your research aims, why they are important, your methods, and what you hope to find out?

After submission

The research proposal you submit is the start of the research process. Once you are accepted onto a postgraduate research programme, you will refine and develop your original proposal as your knowledge grows and regular discussions begin with your supervisory team. 

Related links

Skills for Learning : IT & Digital Skills

Tools in Microsoft Word can help with your dissertation formatting. They will allow you to work on your document in the most efficient way. Using these tools will also give your dissertation a professional look.

We run interactive workshops to help you develop your academic IT skills. Find out more on the Skills for Learning Workshops page.

Our Dissertations & Literature Reviews pages contain information about planning and writing your dissertation or major project.

We have online academic skills modules within MyBeckett for all levels of university study. These modules will help your academic development and support your success at LBU. You can work through the modules at your own pace, revisiting them as required. Find out more from our FAQ What academic skills modules are available?

Guide to formatting your dissertation in Word

This guide explains how to format your dissertation document using Word. It includes: setting margins; line spacing; heading styles; and inserting images and tables. Click on the link below.

• Word dissertation guide
• Wait until the end to create your table of contents. Do not do this manually.  Word has a tool that does this automatically.
• Word will also create your table of figures, tables, and equations, or you can create your own label.
• Do not create headings manually using bold/indenting. Use Heading Styles. This allows you to use the Table of Contents tool later.
• Use the Section Break tool in Word. It allows you to control where page numbers appear and in what format.
• Use Ctrl + Enter to insert new pages.  If you just hit the Enter key, your formatting may become distorted.
• If you type in capitals by mistake, you don't need to start again - Word has a tool that will change the case for you.
• For guidance on accessibility, click on Creating accessible Word documents .

Dissertation template

This Word document is a template which you can download and use to build your finished dissertation document. Click on the link below.

• Leeds Beckett Dissertation Template
• Download the file and save it with a suitable file name.
• Type your own text into the different sections – the page numbering will automatically adjust. Delete the instructional text.
• Add any additional sections or subsections as required.
• Delete any sections or subsections you do not require.
• Use the ‘References – Table of Contents’ function to update the table of contents as required.
• Dissertation formatting checklist

This checklist takes you through the main formatting steps for a structured dissertation document. Click on the link below.

There are variations in practice across different subjects and courses. Check course documentation or any other guidance you are given on formatting requirements.

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Referral and resubmission for research degrees

If the examiners recommend that your thesis is referred for resubmission, you'll be required to revise the thesis, which may include further research, and resubmit it for re-examination.  

Please see the Guide for candidates referred for resubmission on the Research student guidance page of the For Students website  for more information on the processes covered here.    

Referral 

If the examiners recommend referral for resubmission, you will be required to revise the thesis, which may entail further research or any other activity required by the examiners, and then resubmit this to the University for re-examination. You may be required to attend a second viva. 

Notes for guidance  

Alongside the report on the examination, the examiners are required to prepare ‘notes for guidance’ which outline the changes which are required. This document will set out the sections or aspects of the thesis which need improvement and information about what work is required so you can revise the thesis for resubmission to meet the standard required for award.  

You will not receive your notes for guidance directly from your examiners after your viva. The notes for guidance must be submitted with the examiners’ report to Doctoral College Operations (DCO) for scrutiny by the Graduate Board’s Progression and Examinations Group. The examiners’ report and notes for guidance will be issued to you by DCO after approval by the Group with information describing how to resubmit for re-examination. DCO aim to send your approved report and notes for guidance within six weeks of receipt of the report and notes for guidance. This will be uploaded to GRAD and a notification sent to your University email address.  If for any reason it is not possible to meet this timescale you will be kept informed.  

Supervision during the referral period 

To keep the resubmission on course before the maximum time limit, it is expected that supervisory contact and support will continue during the referral period.  Supervisors are asked to provide up to six supervision meetings a year during the referral period. Whilst the precise nature, pattern and timing of supervisions will vary depending on the stage of the resubmission, and the extent and nature of the work required for resubmission, recommended best practice is that meetings will be held at regular intervals during the referral period (until resubmission) and include at least: 

• An early meeting (or equivalent), normally within one month of receipt of the examiners’ report and notes for guidance; and 
• A meeting (or equivalent) around the mid-point of the referral period (eg around nine to 12 month point for doctoral PGRs) if the thesis has not been resubmitted. 

Supervision meetings should continue to be recorded in GRAD and may take place in a variety of forms (for example in face-to-face meetings when the PGR is in the UK or by other means such as video conferencing where appropriate). For PGRs in the referral period the University appreciates that supervision may take the form of reading and commenting on draft chapters of the thesis prior to resubmission.  PGRs must ensure that they provide their supervisor with re-drafts of work for comment within a reasonable timescale. PGRs should take their supervisor's advice whether to resubmit their work for examination. PGRs are strongly recommended not to resubmit against their supervisor’s advice. However, PGRs are solely responsible for the decision to resubmit their work for resubmission. 

Additional information for PGRs holding a student visa

If you hold a current Student Visa and wish to remain in the UK during the referral period, DCO will contact your school to establish that there is academic need for you to study at the University. The University can only continue to sponsor you during the referral period if there is a genuine academic need for you to remain in the UK during the referral period to use University facilities. You should be studying full time in the UK, and there is an expectation that supervision meetings will take place on campus/in-person. If you do not need to use University facilities in person or could re-draft your thesis from outside the UK, then the University cannot continue to sponsor during the referral period.

If you have an active CAS and don’t need to remain in the UK, your sponsorship will be withdrawn. You will be notified of this once your referral has been confirmed, and you should take advice from the Student visa advice team .

If the academic need for you to remain in the UK during the referral period is confirmed, the school must implement regular supervision meetings and contacts in order to monitor attendance and maintain sponsor duties. In these cases the normal attendance monitoring arrangements must apply (a minimum of ten supervision meetings a year, with gaps of no more than eight weeks) with attendance/supervision meetings recorded and attendance and progress monitored as set out in the Attendance and engagement monitoring policy. 

Examination entry 

A minimum of three months before the thesis is resubmitted for examination, you must enter for re-examination by completing the examination entry process. Normally the same team of examiners will act for the resubmission, except in exceptional circumstances.  

• You will have a ‘task’ in GRAD to complete the examination entry workflow again for your resubmission 
• The workflow will be automatically populated with the information from your first submission eg your thesis title, ethical review and publication information. You can check this and amend (if necessary) for your resubmission 
• When you submit the workflow, it will move to your supervisor so they can confirm the examiners for your resubmitted thesis. 
• You can track the process of the workflow via the status box in GRAD 

Resubmission 

The referral period begins from the date the report and notes for guidance are issued following approval by the Progression and Examinations Group, and the deadline will be included in the GRAD notification from DCO. This is the maximum time limit for resubmission and you may resubmit at any point in the referral period, once the amendments have been made and your thesis is ready for resubmission. The thesis must be resubmitted for examination to GRAD. Your resubmission must not be sent directly to your examiners. 

If circumstances arise which may prevent you from resubmitting your thesis by your resubmission deadline you must talk to your Graduate School as soon as possible. Please see the Taking time out from your research page of the For Students website for advice on suspensions and extensions as well as the Policy on suspensions and extensions to the correction/referral period on the Research student guidance page of the For Students website . 

Alongside your resubmitted thesis, you must also upload to GRAD a summary of how your revised thesis has responded to changes listed by your examiners in the notes for guidance. This will assist the examiners when considering your resubmitted thesis.   

Once your resubmitted thesis is sent for examination, the appropriate fee will be charged. 

Resubmission fee

Once your resubmitted thesis is sent for examination the appropriate re-examination fee will be charged. Student Finance (Fees) will contact you about this. The fee is subject to an increase each academic year and you should contact Student Finance (Fees) at the appropriate time for details of the fee levels beyond the current year. 

Fees for 2023/24: Doctoral resubmissions (eg PhD, MD, EdD, DClinPsychol, DPaedDent) £555 MPhil resubmission £405 Masters by Research resubmission £325  

Fees for 2024/25: Doctoral resubmissions (eg PhD, MD, EdD, DClinPsychol, DPaedDent) £610 MPhil resubmission £445 Masters by Research resubmission £360

Examination 

The resubmitted thesis is subject to the same process as the first examination, with both the internal and external examiners required to examine the resubmitted thesis. The examiners may hold a second viva if they deem it appropriate. Your examiners will confirm if a second viva is needed after they have considered your resubmitted thesis.  

Appealing 

Please see the Outcome of the viva page on the For Students website for more information about appealing the outcome of your viva. 

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Dissertations and Theses: A Finding Guide: Cornell Dissertation Guidelines

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Cornell Dissertations Guidelines

General guidance on dissertations and theses is available from the Cornell University Graduate School Thesis & Dissertation web page . For more detailed guidance, see Guide on Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation .

Note that in the Bibliography (or References or Works Cited) section of the Required Sections, Guidelines, and Suggestions page , the following advice is offered.

Required? Yes.

• A bibliography, references, or works cited is required for your thesis or dissertation. Please conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field.
• As a page heading, use “BIBLIOGRAPHY” (or “REFERENCES” or “WORKS CITED”) in all capital letters, centered on the page. The bibliography should always begin on a new page. Bibliographies may be single-spaced within each entry but should include 24 points of space between entries.
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• Next: Help >>
• Last Updated: Sep 18, 2024 1:17 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/dissertations

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Leeds Harvard: Thesis or dissertation

Reference examples.

Family name, INITIAL(S). Year. Title . Type of qualification, academic institution.

Dang, V.A. 2007 . Three essays in financial economics . Ph.D. thesis, University of Leeds.

Citation examples

Author and date.

When the author name is not mentioned in the text, the citation consists of the author’s name and the year of publication in brackets.

It was emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent (Jones, 2017).

If you have already named the author in the text, only the publication year needs to be mentioned in brackets.

Jones (2017) emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent.

Three or more authors

If a source has three or more authors, the name of the first author should be given, followed by the phrase "et al."

It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent (Jones et al., 2017).

Jones et al. (2017) emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent.

Leeds Harvard does not use ibid to refer to previously cited items. If you are citing the same item twice in a row (i.e. you do not cite any other items in the text between the two citations) you must write the full citation again. 

The key principle of referencing is that the reader should understand which information came from another source and which is your own idea, so you should provide citations as often as is necessary to make this clear.  If you feel that you are citing the same source too many times in one paragraph, you could change the way that you are writing:

• You could include the author’s surname or pronoun in the sentence, to show you are still referring to the same source.
• You could include a second source to make your paragraph feel less repetitive and add further support to the point you want to make. See our guidance on incorporating evidence into your writing.

Example: Jones et al. (2017) emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent and argued that referencing is a key part of academic integrity. Furthermore, having a broad range of references in a text is an indicator of the breadth of a scholar's reading and research (Jones et al., 2017). They also suggested that…

When to include page numbers

You should include page numbers in your citation if you quote directly from the text, paraphrase specific ideas or explanations, or use an image, diagram, table, etc. from a source.

"It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent" (Jones, 2017, p.24).

When referencing a single page, you should use p. For a range of pages, use pp.

p.7 or pp.20-29.

If the page numbers are in Roman numerals, do not include p. before them.

(Amis, 1958, iv)

Common issues

When you're referencing with Leeds Harvard you may come across issues with missing details, multiple authors, edited books, references to another author's work or online items, to name a few. Here are some tips on how to deal with some common issues when using Leeds Harvard.

Skip straight to the issue that affects you:

• Online items
• URL web addresses
• Multiple authors
• Corporate author(s) or organisation(s)
• Multiple publisher details
• Editions and reprints
• Missing details
• Multiple sources with different authors
• Sources written by the same author in the same year
• Sources with the same author in different years
• Two authors with the same surname in the same year
• The work of one author referred to by another
• Anonymising sources for confidentiality
• Identifying the authors’ family name (surname)

Graduate Student Success Center

• Thesis and Dissertation Information

Thesis and Dissertation Template

The Graduate College offers a thesis/dissertation template that contains all required content and formatting. You can either write your document from within the template or apply the template’s formatting to your previously created work.

Need help working in the template? Schedule an appointment today.

Before You Begin

The first time you download the template, save the template file to your computer before you begin work on your document. This is important if you are composing your thesis/dissertation within the template or if you are copying and pasting your content into the template. You may need the original template file in the future.

Please note: We offer the Google Doc template for initial drafts of your thesis/dissertation to share easily with your committee chair. We do not accept Google Documents as the final document of your thesis/dissertation. Google Docs does not have the functionality we require for our final theses/dissertations. Please use the Google Doc template while keeping in mind that you will need to convert your document to Microsoft Word later.

Download Thesis and Dissertation Template (Word Doc) Download Thesis and Dissertation Template (LATEX) Download Thesis and Dissertation Template (Google Doc)

Word Template Last Updated: February 2021

Word Document Template Information

Download instructions.

• Download the Boise State Template from the orange callout ribbon above.
• Show the downloaded file in the Downloads folder.
• Right click and select Open
• Enable Content
• Click File > Save As and name the file, for instance, Boise_State_Template.dotm (note the extension is “.dotm”) and  Save as type:  Word Macro-Enabled Template (*.dotm) .  It is recommended locating this file on your desktop – it may come in handy if you need to reattach the template to your document in the future (see below).
• Close this file.

Working Within the Template

To work within the template, styles are applied throughout the document. These styles can be found by clicking the arrow in the lower right hand corner of the Styles section in the Home tab. To apply a style, simply highlight the text that you wish to format and click the appropriate name from the styles list.

When entering your own work into the template, be sure to apply the following styles to the appropriate parts of your document. Failure to do so will mean that your Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables will be incorrect.

• Format a Heading 1 in all caps, and centered
• Format a Heading 2 in title-caps, bold, and centered
• Format a Heading 3 in title-caps, underlined, and aligned left
• Format a Heading 4 in title-caps, underlined, and indented once
• Format a Heading 5 in title-caps, underlined and indented twice
• Figure Captions are bolded and centered in the template. They may also be justified.
• Table Captions are bolded and aligned left in the template. They may also be justified.
• Appendix Heading 2
• Appendix Heading 3

Formatting Landscape Pages

When setting pages of your document to landscape orientation to accommodate large figures or tables, you must reformat their page numbers so that they will still be visible after binding.

• Open the landscape page’s header by double-clicking within the header.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab. Repeat this step for the page following the landscape page.
• Delete the landscape page’s current page number.
• Click Insert → Page Number (in the Header & Footer section)→Page Margins.
• Select Landscape Page Numbers.

Note: If your other pages’ pagination disappears after inserting landscape page numbers, you likely did not turn off Link to Previous. Undo your changes to the page numbers and restart the instructions.

Replacing Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables

After your writing and editing is complete, you will need to replace the Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables.

• Right click the existing TOC, LOF, or LOT.
• Click Update Field.
• Select Update entire table and click Ok.

Note: All other lists (such as a List of Abbreviations or List of Graphs) are not updated automatically. Instead, the template includes examples of manually-created lists that can be altered to fit your needs.

Attaching the Template to a Preexisting Document. If your document is at or near completion, it may be easier for you to attach the template to your existing file than to paste your document into a new template.

Formatting Styles and Applying Styles

Before attaching the Thesis/Dissertation template to your document, you must first apply the following styles to the appropriate sections of your work. It does not matter how these styles look – when you first apply them they will not look right – only that the names of the styles match those in the following list exactly. After you have applied all the styles and attach the template the document will be formatted correctly.

These styles can be found by clicking the arrow in the lower right hand corner of the Styles section in the Home tab. Leave this menu open while you work through the document. To apply a style, simply highlight the text that you wish to format and click the appropriate name from the styles list.

Attaching Styles

• Access the Styles menu by clicking the lower-right corner of the Styles box on the Home tab in Windows. Keep this menu open on the side of your screen and apply the styles to your document as you work.
• Highlight the text you wish to format (it is often only necessary to “click in” the section you wish to format)
• Click the appropriate style from the Styles menu

Note: If the style you are looking for is not included in the list you may need to create the style (see next).

Creating Styles

Some required styles will not be listed in the premade styles, thus you will need to create them yourself.

• Highlight the text that you wish to format
• Right click the text and select Styles → Save Selection as a New Quick Style.
• Enter the appropriate style name and click OK.

Note: Remember, it does not matter how these styles look at this time, only that the style names match the names listed in the table above.

Attaching the Template

After applying styles to your document, you can attach the template, which will fix most of your document’s formatting issues.

• Download the Boise State Thesis and Dissertation Template and save it to your computer. See instructions above under “Before you Begin.”
• Open the Word document containing your thesis/dissertation, click file, click options, click add-ins, and select templates from the Manage drop down menu at the bottom of the page. Click go.
• In the Document Template section, click Attach.
• Navigate to the folder in which you saved the template and select it.
• Important: Check the box labeled “Automatically update document styles.”

Adjusting Margins

• Click Ctrl+A to select the entire document.
• In the Home ribbon, click layout, click margins and select the mirror margin option that contains inside margin 1.5″, top and bottom margins 1.”

Setting Page Numbers

Be careful that you set section breaks between front matter and body text and also between portrait and landscape-oriented pages (see Manually Formatting Your Document for instructions on setting page breaks). Each has a different way of formatting their pagination.

Front Matter

•  Set a continuous section break immediately before the Heading 1 on the first page that follows your approval pages.
• Set a continuous section break immediately before the title of Chapter 1.
• Open the footer on the first page following your approval page by clicking the Footer button in the Header & Footer section of the Insert tab and selecting Edit Footer.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab. This step is only necessary for the first numbered page in the front matter.
• Insert page numbers. Front matter page numbers should be in lowercase Roman numerals and should be centered at the bottom of each page.
• Double-click inside the footer of the first page in Chapter 1.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab. This step is only necessary for the first page in the body text.
• Delete the page numbers from the footer.
• Open the header on the same page by double-clicking inside the header.
• Deselect Link to Previous, located in the Navigation section of the Design tab.
• Insert alpha-numeric page numbers, starting with 1, into the upper right-hand corner of the pages.

Landscape Pages

• Repeat step 3 on the page following the landscape page.
• Click Insert → Page Number (in the Header & Footer section) → Page Margins.

Inserting Table of Contents and Lists of Figures or Tables

Finally, after your document’s content is complete, you will need to create the Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables.

• In the Home ribbon, select References , then select Table of Contents and choose the first option.
• To build your list of tables or figures do the following: on the Home ribbon, select references, select Insert List of Table of Figures, on the options drop down select either table captions or figure captions depending on which you are creating. You will then have to manually insert the heading.

Note: The template does not include macros for automatically generating other lists such as a List of Abbreviations or List of Graphs. However, it does include example lists that can be copied, pasted, and altered to meet your needs.

Helpful Tips

• Access the Styles menu by clicking the lower-right corner of the styles box on the Home tab in Windows. Keep this menu open on the side of your screen, or on a second screen, and apply the styles to your document as you work. To make the document styles behave, use the styles in the template. For example, for all Heading 1s, use the Heading 1 style, which will automatically insert a break and a 2 inch margin, etc. As long as the styles are used, the document should behave appropriately, and the table of contents will include the headings once updated. To modify the Table of Contents, click once to highlight the table in gray, right-click and select “Update Entire Field.”
• Show formatting marks as you work in your document.  Click on the File tab, then Options, Display, and click on the box “Show all formatting marks” and OK.