Please ensure that you
use your academically
approved title
A GUIDE TO CREATING THE PERFECT THESIS
VOLUME I OF II
The number of particular
volume along with number in
total. This is only applicable
for students who have more
than one volume that makes
up their complete thesis as
binding companies normally
have a page limit of around
400 pages
J.S.T. BLOGGS
All initials and surname to
be printed here
PHD
Qualification you are
registered for goes here
Additional Information:
Front cover font is size 18
Times New Roman.
The year of submission is the year that
you originally submitted your three soft
bound copies prior to your first viva voce
examination. It will remain the same on
your final submission as it reflects the
currency of your research.
2014
A Guide to Creating the Perfect Thesis
An Example Guide
You must use the
approved title and subtitle. If in doubt please
contact the research
administration team
Volume I of II
Joseph Stephen Thomas BLOGGS
It is important that all
forenames are in full and are
typed in lower case (apart from
the first letter of each
forename) leaving the surname
to be typed all in capital letters
as per the example. This should
match your passport and your
legal name at the point of
examination. We cannot change
this if you subsequently have a
name change.
Submitted for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Input the qualification you
are enrolled onto
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
University of Bradford
2014
It is important to include the school you
are registered within along with the
university name and again your original
year of submission, see page above for
clarification on year of submission.
The abstract is always to
be placed immediately
after the title page
Abstract
It should begin with your name,
approved title, sub-title and
keywords. If you are in doubt about
the information approved please
contact the research administration
team for help.
Joseph Stephen Thomas Bloggs
A Guide to Creating the Perfect Thesis
An Example Guide
Keywords: Up to ten keywords are to be listed here….
This is where you will summarise the contents of your thesis; it should not
exceed 250 words. After the degree has been awarded, the University may
publish the title and abstract of the thesis and authorise others to do so.
Your abstract should not exceed 250
words and should summarise the
contents of your thesis.
Formatting Guidance:




Start page numbering from the
abstract – do not number the
title page! Pages must be
numbered in lower case roman
numerals up until chapter 1. Tip You may want to look up page
breaks if using Microsoft Word to
help with different numbering
options
i
Use size 12 Arial font throughout apart
from outside front cover (Times New
Roman, size 18 as per first page)
Line spacing should be minimum 1.5
and maximum double line spacing
Left hand margin 40 mm is essential for
binding purposes other margins 20mm
(recommended)
Must use 100 gsm weight paper –the
paper needs to be strong enough to
withstand use over the coming years in
the library
Acknowledgements/ Dedications
I would like to thank…
If you wish to include
acknowledgements and /or a
dedication then these should be
included after the abstract. It is
your opportunity to thank or
recognise whoever or whatever
you feel has been an important
part of your journey. This is
entirely individual so please do
not feel obliged to include as this
is not a mandatory requirement.
ii
Table of Contents
Abstract………………………………………………………………………..i
Acknowledgements…………………………………...……………………..ii
Table of Contents………………………………………………………….....iii
List of figures………………………………………………………………….iv
List of Tables…………………………………………………………………..v
Glossary…………………………………………….………………………….vi
Chapter 1 Introduction………………….....................................................1
1.1 Background……………………………………………………………….3
1.2 Project……………………………………………………………………..5
1.3 Objectives………………………………………………………………..12
1.4 Research Methodology………………………………………………...15
Bibliography/References………………………………………………….200
Appendix ………………...…………………………………………………201
Do not start your contents list
from chapter 1/introduction!
Remember to list the pages in
your contents that are in
roman numerals.
If you have supporting documentation then
please list in an appendix.
Make sure you include a full reference list and
check the preferred referencing style of your
school by visiting:
http://www.brad.ac.uk/library/help/referencing/
iii
If you have photographs, diagrams
and other illustrations then you may
want to list these. Remember you
must cite them in the your
references/ bibliography
List of Figures
Figure 1 Description goes here…………………………………………….4
Figure 2 Description goes here …………………………………………..28
Figure 3 Description goes here ……………………………………..........41
Figure 4 Description goes here …………………………………………..57
iv
If you have tables or graphs in your
thesis then you may wish to list them in
a table. Remember you must cite them
in your references/bibliography
List of Tables
Table 1 Description goes here …………………………………………….47
Table 2 Description goes here …………………………………………….62
Table 3 Description goes here …………………………………………….68
v
Glossary
Thesis - A long essay or dissertation involving personal research, written by a
candidate for a university degree.
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy. Also called doctorate. the highest degree awarded
by a graduate school, usually to a person who has completed at least three
years of graduate study and a dissertation approved by a board of professors
MPhil - Master of Philosophy: an advanced degree in any subject at a university
Insert a glossary if you want to
include brief definitions for
technical words. Alternatively if
you have a lot of acronyms then
a list of abbreviations will be
useful for the reader, these are
not mandatory!
Remember to make sure that
the pages up until this point
remain in lower case roman
numerals
vi
Chapter 1
Introduction:
This document will help students when it comes to the style and layout of their
thesis. It will highlight the areas in which students may make mistakes whilst
also helping with the order structure.
Remember:
All pages are to be printed on
one side only; the library will
not accept a thesis printed
double sided
It is at this point when you will
need to change your page
numbering to the normal style
of 1,2,3 etc.
1

You will be required to submit three soft bound copies of your
thesis prior to your viva voce examination and once finalised you
will be required to submit one hard bound copy and one electronic
copy (Microsoft Word format) for the library.

Use this example in conjunction with the style and layout guidance
as per the website: http://www.brad.ac.uk/research/supporting-ourresearchers/research-students/style/

Look at the thesis related short courses on offer:
http://www.brad.ac.uk/postgraduate/short-courses-forresearchers/courses/thesis-related-sessions/

If in doubt for matters relating to information which has been
academically approved (title, sub-title, keywords) then please
contact the Research Administration Team on:
hub-research@bradford.ac.uk

For technical help with the functions of Microsoft office see:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/support/

Please note that this team does not take responsibility for checking
thesis submissions are in the correct format. It is the responsibility
of the student, as it would be if you were submitting work to a
journal and had to adhere to the house style. This team cannot
scrutinise, exhaustively, all the submissions we receive. To avoid
delays or further costs if you are required to have your thesis rebound, please take care to ensure that you correct any errors in
your hard bound, final version as we cannot accept a final copy
which won’t meet the University of Bradford standard to go in the
Library.

Notwithstanding the disclaimer above this team will do all we can to
provide guidance and support and can contacted on email;
hub-research@bradford.ac.uk