Thesis Formatting Checklist Before Submission (PDF)

By the Mastermind PhD team · Last updated: 3 November 2026 · Editorial policy

Is your thesis really finished, or does it only look finished on your screen? A thesis formatting checklist exists because formatting faults are rarely visible while you write: a table of contents that was not updated after the last edit, a landscape page with the number in the wrong place, a caption numbered twice, a reference cited in the text but missing from the list. None of these says anything about the quality of your research, yet each can delay submission or irritate an examiner before page one.

This article is part of our guide How to Write a Master’s Thesis by the Mastermind PhD team and relates to our Thesis & Research Formatting service. Sources last checked: November 2026.

This guide gives you a thesis formatting checklist of 48 items in seven sections, explains which items depend on your university’s own rules, and shows how to work through the list in three passes. The full list is also available as a printable PDF.

Download the thesis formatting checklist as a PDF: Thesis Formatting Checklist Before Submission: 48 Items (2 pages, printable) contains every item below with a tick box, grouped into the same seven sections, with a note on which items take their values from your handbook.

Why use a thesis formatting checklist at all?

Formatting is usually done last, when you are tired and the deadline is close. That is exactly when errors slip in: you add a paragraph in chapter 3 and every page number after it shifts, but the table of contents still shows the old numbers. A thesis formatting checklist turns a vague final “look over” into a series of small, verifiable checks.

It also protects you from relying on memory. Many universities publish precise rules. MIT’s thesis specifications, for example, state that the title page always counts as page 1, that the whole thesis uses one consecutive page sequence, that the abstract is generally no more than 500 words, and that the final file must be a PDF/A-1 that is not password protected. Other universities set different rules, which is why your handbook always overrides any general list, including this one.

The seven sections of the checklist

📱 Get your formatting checked before submission — Send your faculty’s style guide with the file; we apply it to the front matter, tables, margins and references.

Front matter and page setup (items 1 to 16)

Start with the title page, because it is the page examiners and library staff see first. It should follow the university template word for word: full title, degree statement, department, your name as registered and the date format the regulations require. The title must be identical on the title page, the abstract page, the declaration and the online submission form.

Then check the abstract length and position, the declarations (originality, copyright, ethics and, increasingly, an AI-use statement) and the order of acknowledgements and dedication. The table of contents and the lists of tables and figures should be generated automatically, never typed by hand.

Page setup comes next. Confirm the paper size in every section of the document, not only the first, since a section copied from another file can keep its own settings. Check margins (a wider binding margin if the thesis is printed), one body font throughout, the required line spacing and the places where single spacing is allowed, such as block quotations, footnotes and the reference list.

Page numbering and headings (items 17 to 27)

Page numbering is where a thesis formatting checklist saves the most time, because numbering errors are hard to see on screen. Check whether your university wants one Arabic sequence from the title page or Roman numerals for the front matter. Use section breaks, not repeated Enter presses, to separate the title page, front matter and main text, and switch off Link to Previous in the footer where the numbering changes.

Headings drive navigation. Every heading should carry a heading style so that it appears in the Navigation Pane and in the table of contents, and no ordinary paragraph should carry one. Levels should never be skipped, and each chapter should start on a new page through the style setting. Finally, compare the headings in the text with the entries in the contents: they must match exactly.

Tables, figures and references (items 28 to 42)

Insert every caption with the caption tool so that numbering stays sequential when you move a table. In APA 7, the table number is bold and sits above an italic title, tables use horizontal lines only and notes go below the table; figures follow the same number-and-title pattern. Refer to every table and figure by its number in the text before it appears, rather than writing “the table below”.

For references, the thesis formatting checklist asks for one style in the version your handbook names, and a two-way match: every citation has an entry, every entry is cited. Check that author names and years are spelled identically in both places, that direct quotations carry page numbers and that each entry is complete, including the DOI where one exists.

Appendices and the final file (items 43 to 48)

The last section is the one most often rushed. Label and title each appendix, list it in the contents and refer to it in the main text. Then update all fields: in Word, select the whole document with Ctrl+A and press F9, and choose Update entire table when Word asks about the table of contents. Search the document for “Error!” to catch broken cross-references.

Export the PDF from the final Word file, not from an earlier copy, with fonts embedded and bookmarks created from headings. If your university requires PDF/A, validate the file before uploading. Check the file name, size limit and document properties against the submission system’s rules, and keep a backup of both the Word file and the PDF.

How should you work through the checklist?

Work in three passes rather than reading the 48 items in order:

1. Layout pass (sections 2 to 4): page setup, numbering and headings, because changes here move everything else.
2. Content-element pass (sections 5 and 6): tables, figures, captions and references.
3. Final pass (sections 1 and 7): front matter, appendices, updated fields and the PDF.

Before you start, read your regulations and write the required values next to items 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 17, 21, 29 and 36, since these depend on your university or style guide. Leave items 6, 7, 28 and 45 for last: they depend on fields that change with every edit. Tick an item only after checking it in the document, not from memory.

Common formatting problems the checklist catches

• The table of contents shows page numbers from an earlier draft because fields were not updated after the last edit.
• A landscape page has its page number on the wrong edge or in a different font.
• Two tables share the number “Table 4.2” because one caption was typed manually.
• Single spacing in a chapter that was pasted from another document with its own style.
• References with mixed capitalisation, or a 2019 year in the text and a 2020 year in the list.
• The exported PDF is missing bookmarks or embeds a substitute font.

If you prefer to have the formatting checked or applied by someone else, our Thesis & Research Formatting service works from your university’s template and returns the Word file and the PDF; the content and every academic decision remain yours.

📱 Ask on WhatsApp now — 5 years of experience across all disciplines and 14 academic services. Two-stage payment (80/20); revisions are free until supervisor approval, within 30% of the chapter.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to work through the checklist?

For a master’s thesis of 60 to 100 pages, plan for about half a day if the document was built with styles from the start, and longer if headings, captions and the contents were typed by hand and have to be rebuilt.

Should I format as I write or at the end?

Set up styles, margins and numbering at the start, and use the caption and citation tools as you write. Leave the final checks to the end, because fields and page numbers change with every edit.

Is this checklist the same as a thesis submission checklist?

No. This thesis formatting checklist covers presentation only. A submission checklist also covers administrative steps such as forms, deadlines and examiner nominations. Use both if your university asks for both.

What if my handbook disagrees with the checklist?

Follow the handbook. The checklist tells you what to check; your regulations tell you the required value, such as the margin width, the line spacing or the numbering system.

Does the PDF need to be PDF/A?

Only if your university requires it. MIT, for example, requires a PDF/A-1 file converted directly from the original document and asks students to validate it before submission. Check your library’s or graduate school’s instructions.

Sources

• MIT Libraries. Specifications for Thesis Preparation and Submission. https://libraries.mit.edu/archives/thesis-specs/ (accessed November 2026)
• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). APA.
• APA Style. Tables. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/tables (accessed November 2026)
• APA Style. Figures. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/figures (accessed November 2026)
• Microsoft Support. Update a table of contents. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/update-a-table-of-contents (accessed November 2026)
• Microsoft Support. Update fields. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/update-fields (accessed November 2026)

Sources last checked: November 2026. This article is general educational guidance and does not replace your university regulations or your supervisor’s instructions. How we prepare our content.