How to Format Your Dissertation (APA, Chicago, and University Requirements)

You have spent years researching, analyzing, and writing your dissertation. The content is strong, your arguments are well-supported, and your findings are significant. Then you submit it to your graduate school’s formatting review and get it back covered in red marks – not because of your scholarship, but because your margins are wrong, your table of contents does not match the required format, and your heading levels are inconsistent.

Formatting rejections are among the most frustrating experiences in the dissertation process. They feel trivial compared to the intellectual work you have done, yet they can delay your graduation by weeks or even months. This guide helps you avoid that outcome by walking you through the key formatting requirements you need to get right, the differences between major style guides, and strategies for managing the intersection of style guide requirements and your university’s specific rules.

The Two Layers of Formatting Requirements

Every dissertation student must navigate two overlapping sets of formatting rules:

Your style guide (APA, Chicago, Turabian, MLA, etc.). This governs citations, references, heading styles, table and figure formatting, and general writing conventions.
Your university’s dissertation formatting guidelines. This governs margins, font, spacing, page numbering, front matter, and the physical structure of the document.

When these two sets of rules conflict – and they sometimes do – your university’s guidelines almost always take precedence. Your graduate school is the final gatekeeper, and their requirements are non-negotiable.

Style Guide Basics: APA vs. Chicago

The two most common style guides for dissertation work in the social sciences, education, and health fields are APA (American Psychological Association) and Chicago/Turabian. Understanding the key differences will help you apply your chosen style correctly.

APA Style (7th Edition)

APA is the dominant style in psychology, education, nursing, public health, and many social sciences.

Citations. APA uses author-date in-text citations: (Smith, 2023) or Smith (2023). For direct quotes, include the page number: (Smith, 2023, p. 45).

References. APA calls it a “References” list (not a bibliography). Every source cited in the text must appear in the references, and every source in the references must be cited in the text. References are formatted with a hanging indent and listed alphabetically by the first author’s last name.

Headings. APA uses five levels of headings, each with a specific format:

Level 1: Centered, Bold, Title Case
Level 2: Left-Aligned, Bold, Title Case
Level 3: Left-Aligned, Bold Italic, Title Case
Level 4: Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period.
Level 5: Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period.

Tables and figures. APA has detailed rules for table and figure formatting, including numbered titles, notes, and specific formatting for statistical tables.

Numbers. Use numerals for numbers 10 and above; spell out numbers below 10 (with exceptions for measurements, ages, and statistical contexts).

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chicago style comes in two variants: notes-bibliography (common in humanities) and author-date (common in sciences). Turabian is an adaptation of Chicago specifically for student papers and dissertations.

Citations (notes-bibliography). Uses footnotes or endnotes for citations, with a corresponding bibliography at the end. The first citation of a source provides full bibliographic information; subsequent citations use a shortened form.

Citations (author-date). Similar to APA: (Smith 2023) or Smith (2023). Note the absence of the comma between author and year, which is one of the most common errors when switching between APA and Chicago.

Headings. Chicago is less prescriptive about heading formats than APA. Consistency is the key requirement. Many universities that use Chicago specify their own heading hierarchy.

Tables and figures. Chicago also requires numbered tables and figures with titles, but the specific formatting differs from APA in details like title placement and note formatting.

Which Style Guide Should You Use?

Your program will specify which style guide to follow. If you have a choice, use the guide that is standard in your discipline. When in doubt, ask your advisor.

University-Specific Requirements: What to Watch For

Every university publishes a dissertation formatting guide, often supplemented by templates and examples. These guides address the structural and physical characteristics of the document. Here are the most common university-specific requirements and where students frequently make errors.

Margins

Most universities require one-inch margins on all sides, with the left margin sometimes increased to 1.25 or 1.5 inches to accommodate binding. This seems simple, but it is one of the most common reasons dissertations are returned. Tables, figures, images, and long URLs that extend into the margins will be flagged.

Tip: Set your margins before you start writing. Adjusting margins after the fact can disrupt your entire document layout, especially if you have tables and figures that were formatted for different dimensions.

Font and Size

Most universities require a standard, readable font (Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial) in 12-point size. Some allow 10-point for tables and figures. Do not use decorative fonts, and check whether your university permits different fonts for different elements.

Spacing

The body of the dissertation is almost always double-spaced. However, many elements have different spacing requirements:

Block quotes: often single-spaced or may follow style guide conventions
Table and figure content: often single-spaced
References/bibliography: entries are usually double-spaced with hanging indents (though some universities allow single-spacing within entries with double-spacing between them)
Front matter: varies by university

Page Numbering

Page numbering for dissertations typically follows a specific pattern:

Front matter (title page through list of tables/figures): lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii), often starting after the title page
Body and back matter (Chapter 1 through appendices): Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3), starting with 1 at the first page of Chapter 1

Getting the page numbering transition correct – switching from Roman to Arabic numerals at the right point – requires using section breaks in your word processor. This is a technical skill worth learning early.

Front Matter

The front matter of a dissertation typically includes, in order:

Title page
Copyright page (optional or required depending on the university)
Approval/signature page
Abstract
Dedication (optional)
Acknowledgments (optional)
Table of contents
List of tables
List of figures
List of abbreviations (if applicable)

Each of these has specific formatting requirements that vary by university. The title page, in particular, must follow your university’s exact template – do not improvise.

The table of contents must exactly match the headings and page numbers in the body of the document. This seems obvious, but when you revise your document, headings and page numbers change. If you are not using your word processor’s automatic table of contents feature, you will need to manually verify every entry before submission.

Strong recommendation: Use the automatic table of contents feature in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or LaTeX. Format your headings using built-in styles so the table of contents generates and updates automatically.

Formatting Tables and Figures

Tables and figures are among the most frequently flagged elements in formatting reviews. Common issues include:

Tables

Tables must be numbered sequentially (Table 1, Table 2, etc.) and have descriptive titles.
Table titles go above the table in APA; placement varies in Chicago.
Tables must fit within your margins. If a table is too wide, consider rotating it to landscape orientation or splitting it across multiple tables.
Tables that span multiple pages need the header row repeated on each page.
Notes explaining abbreviations, symbols, or significance levels go below the table.

Figures

Figures must be numbered sequentially (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.) and have descriptive captions.
Figure captions go below the figure in APA.
Figures must be high-resolution and readable in both color and grayscale (since many dissertations are printed in black and white).
Figures must fit within your margins.

Placement

Both APA and most university guidelines recommend placing tables and figures as close as possible to the text that first references them. Some universities require that tables and figures appear on their own pages; others allow them to be embedded in the text.

Reference List Formatting

Your reference list is one of the most scrutinized sections of your dissertation. Common errors include:

Inconsistent formatting. Mixing APA and Chicago styles, or applying rules inconsistently across entries.
Missing DOIs or URLs. APA 7th edition requires DOIs for works that have them, formatted as https://doi.org/xxxxx.
Incorrect capitalization. APA uses sentence case for article titles and title case for journal names. Chicago uses title case for most titles. Mixing these up is a common error.
Incorrect italicization. In APA, journal names and volume numbers are italicized; article titles are not. Getting this wrong across hundreds of references creates a sloppy impression.
Entries not matching in-text citations. Every in-text citation must have a corresponding reference list entry, and vice versa. A mismatch in either direction will be flagged.

Tip: Use a reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote) from the beginning of your literature review. These tools can generate reference lists in any style automatically, though you should always verify the output for accuracy. The citation tools on Subthesis can also help you keep your references organized and formatted correctly.

Formatting in Microsoft Word: Essential Skills

Most dissertations are written in Microsoft Word. These technical skills will save you significant time and frustration:

Use Styles for Headings

Instead of manually formatting each heading (bold, centered, etc.), use Word’s built-in Heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.). Customize these styles to match your formatting requirements. Benefits:

Your table of contents generates automatically.
Heading formatting is consistent throughout the document.
Changes to heading style apply to all headings of that level simultaneously.

Use Section Breaks for Page Numbering

To switch from Roman to Arabic numerals, insert a section break (not a page break) at the transition point. Then set the page numbering format independently for each section. This is the only reliable way to handle the front matter/body matter page numbering transition.

Use the Ruler and Paragraph Settings for Indentation

Do not use the Tab key for paragraph indentation. Set first-line indentation in the paragraph formatting settings (typically 0.5 inches for APA). This ensures consistent indentation throughout the document and prevents formatting issues when text reflows.

Use Tables Rather Than Tabs for Aligned Content

When you need to create formatted content with columns (like a list of abbreviations or a matrix), use Word’s table feature with hidden borders rather than trying to align content with tabs. Tables maintain their formatting when text reflows; tabbed content often does not.

Formatting in LaTeX

If you are in a field that uses LaTeX (mathematics, computer science, some engineering disciplines), check whether your university provides a LaTeX template. Many do. If yours does not, search for LaTeX dissertation templates that match your university’s requirements. LaTeX handles page numbering, table of contents generation, and cross-referencing more reliably than Word, but it has a steeper learning curve.

The Formatting Review Process

Most universities require your dissertation to pass a formatting review before final submission. Here is what to expect:

Pre-Defense Formatting Check

Some universities offer (or require) a preliminary formatting review before your defense. Take advantage of this. It is far easier to fix formatting issues when you are still revising content than when you are trying to submit your final document.

Post-Defense Formatting Submission

After your defense and any required content revisions, you will submit your dissertation for a final formatting review. Common timelines:

Initial review: 5 to 10 business days
Revision and resubmission: varies
Final approval: 2 to 5 business days

What Gets Flagged

Formatting reviewers are thorough and literal. They will flag:

Margins violated by even a millimeter
Inconsistent spacing
Page numbering errors
Table of contents discrepancies
Citation style inconsistencies
Image resolution problems
Front matter ordering or formatting errors

A Pre-Submission Formatting Checklist

Before submitting your final document, verify:

Margins are correct on every page (including pages with tables and figures)
Font and size are consistent throughout
Spacing is correct (double-space for body, appropriate spacing for all other elements)
Page numbers are correct (Roman for front matter, Arabic for body)
Table of contents entries match actual headings and page numbers
List of tables entries match actual table numbers, titles, and page numbers
List of figures entries match actual figure numbers, captions, and page numbers
All tables and figures fit within margins
Reference list is complete and correctly formatted
All in-text citations have corresponding reference entries (and vice versa)
Front matter is in the correct order
Title page follows the university’s exact template
Abstract meets the word count requirement

Final Thoughts

Formatting your dissertation is not glamorous work, but it is essential. A well-formatted document communicates professionalism, attention to detail, and respect for the conventions of your field. A poorly formatted document, no matter how brilliant the content, creates unnecessary friction with reviewers and delays your graduation.

Start formatting correctly from the beginning of your writing process, use your word processor’s features to automate what you can, and review your university’s guidelines before every major submission. The time you invest in formatting now will save you far more time in revisions later.