“Always check your university’s specific formatting requirements before you start — guidelines vary between institutions and between departments.”
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Page Setup — Margins and Paper Size
Before you start formatting your dissertation, set up your page correctly. Most UK universities specify the following:
| Setting |
Standard UK Requirement |
Notes |
| Paper size |
A4 |
Always A4 for UK university submissions |
| Left margin |
3–4 cm |
Wider left margin allows for binding |
| Right margin |
2–2.5 cm |
Standard right margin |
| Top and bottom margins |
2–2.5 cm |
Standard top and bottom margins |
To set margins in Word: go to Layout → Margins → Custom Margins and enter your required values. Always check your university’s specific requirements — some institutions specify exact margin widths.
Fonts, Font Size and Line Spacing
Most UK universities specify requirements for font and line spacing. Common standards are:
- Font: Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri — 12pt for body text
- Line spacing: 1.5 or double spacing for body text — single spacing is usually acceptable for block quotes, footnotes and the bibliography
- Paragraph spacing: Add spacing after paragraphs (6–12pt) rather than using blank lines between paragraphs
To set line spacing in Word: select all your text with Ctrl+A, then go to Home → Line and Paragraph Spacing and select your required spacing. To set paragraph spacing, go to Layout → Spacing and set the After value.
For detailed guidance on using Word styles to apply consistent formatting throughout your document, see our guide on using styles in Microsoft Word.
Heading Styles
Using Word’s built-in heading styles — rather than manually formatting text to look like headings — is essential for two reasons: consistency and automatic table of contents generation.
How to Apply Heading Styles
Select the text you want to make a heading, then click the appropriate style in the Home → Styles panel:
- Heading 1 — Chapter titles (e.g. Chapter 1: Introduction)
- Heading 2 — Main section headings within chapters
- Heading 3 — Sub-section headings
How to Modify Heading Styles
To change the appearance of a heading style — font, size, colour, spacing — right-click the style in the Styles panel and select Modify. Apply changes to All Documents Based on This Template if you want changes to apply throughout.
Page Numbers
Page numbering in a dissertation is slightly more complex than in a standard document because most universities require different numbering conventions for different sections:
- Preliminary pages (title page, abstract, acknowledgements, table of contents) — typically numbered with lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) or left unnumbered
- Main body — numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) starting from the Introduction
How to Set Up Page Numbers in Word
1
Place your cursor at the end of your last preliminary page. Go to Layout → Breaks → Next Page to insert a section break.
2
Double-click the footer area of the first page of your main body. In the Header & Footer tab, click Link to Previous to deselect it — this separates the page numbering from the previous section.
3
Go to Insert → Page Number → Format Page Numbers. Set the Number Format to 1, 2, 3 and set Start At to 1.
4
Return to the preliminary pages and repeat the process, selecting Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) as the number format — or delete the page numbers from the preliminary section entirely if your university requires this.
For more guidance on Word’s page numbering features, see our guide on creating a table of contents in Word.
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Creating an Automatic Table of Contents
If you have applied Word’s heading styles correctly, creating an automatic table of contents takes less than a minute — and it updates automatically as your document changes.
- Place your cursor where you want the table of contents to appear (usually after the abstract and acknowledgements)
- Go to References → Table of Contents
- Choose one of the automatic table of contents options (Automatic Table 1 or 2)
- Word will generate a table of contents pulling from all your Heading 1, 2 and 3 styles
To update the table of contents after making changes to your document, right-click anywhere in the table and select Update Field → Update Entire Table.
Preliminary Pages
Most UK dissertations require the following preliminary pages in this order:
| Page |
Content |
Required? |
| Title Page |
Title, your name, institution, degree, submission date |
Always required |
| Abstract |
150–350 word summary of your research |
Almost always required |
| Acknowledgements |
Optional personal thanks section |
Optional |
| Table of Contents |
Automatic list of all chapters and sections |
Almost always required |
| List of Figures / Tables |
List of all figures and tables with page numbers |
Required if figures/tables are included |
| List of Abbreviations |
Definitions of abbreviations used in the text |
Required if abbreviations are used |
Referencing and Bibliography
Your reference list or bibliography should appear at the end of your dissertation, after the main body and any appendices. Key formatting points:
- Use single line spacing within each reference entry
- Add a blank line between each entry for readability
- Ensure references are formatted consistently throughout according to your required style (Harvard, APA, MLA, OSCOLA etc.)
- For Harvard referencing guidance, see our detailed guide on understanding in-text Harvard referencing
The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) recommends that academic documents follow consistent formatting conventions throughout — something that is significantly easier to achieve using Word’s built-in styles rather than manual formatting.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What margins should a dissertation have in the UK?
Most UK universities require a left margin of 3–4 cm (to allow for binding) and right, top and bottom margins of 2–2.5 cm. Always check your university’s specific formatting guidelines as requirements vary between institutions.
What font should I use for a dissertation?
The most commonly accepted fonts for UK dissertations are Times New Roman, Arial and Calibri at 12pt. Some universities specify a particular font — check your formatting guidelines before you start.
How do I create a table of contents in Word?
Apply Word’s built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3) to your chapter and section headings. Then go to References → Table of Contents and select an automatic option. Word will generate a table of contents that updates automatically as your document changes.
How do I fix page numbering in my dissertation?
Use section breaks (Layout → Breaks → Next Page) to separate your preliminary pages from your main body. Then set different page number formats for each section using Insert → Page Number → Format Page Numbers. Our guide on how to check word count in Word covers other useful Word features for dissertation writing.
Can you format my dissertation for me?
Yes — our professional document formatting service handles everything from margins and page numbers to heading styles, table of contents, and referencing format. Submit your document and we will return it correctly formatted and submission-ready.
Summary
- Set your margins before you start — left margin 3–4 cm, other margins 2–2.5 cm
- Use 12pt Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri with 1.5 or double line spacing
- Apply Word’s built-in heading styles — essential for automatic table of contents
- Use section breaks to apply different page number formats to different sections
- Create your table of contents automatically using References → Table of Contents
- Always check your university’s specific formatting requirements before you start
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