This information sheet is intended to answer the most frequently asked questions received about the physical layout of a thesis.
Firstly, all regulations relating to the format and appearance of a thesis are contained in the Research Degrees regulations, number 8.12.
Please be aware that your thesis must be lodged with the Registry Research UnitPRIOR to an award being recommended. This means that when the final version of your thesis has been approved and signed off by your examiners, you MUST provide the required number of copies to the Registry Research Unit before we can send your file to the Vice Chancellor for approval. If you don’t get the copies to us, we CANNOT seek the Vice-Chancellor’s approval of your award.
What should the text look like?
The Regulations require that:
Your work should be presented either in typescript or print;
The text may be printed on one or both sides of the paper. If you print on both sides of the paper it should be of sufficient density that the text on one side does not show through to the other.
The text should be in one-and-a-half or double line spacing, except for indented quotations or footnotes where single spacing may be used.
Pages should be numbered consecutively through the main text, including photographs and diagrams which form whole pages.
We recommend the following:
A 3cm margin is used for all margins, which gives ample space for binding, etc.
Any clear and readable font is acceptable, i.e. Arial or Times New Roman.
Don’t use a font smaller than 10 point for the main text.
BINDING
What is a ‘hardbound’ copy?
For a ‘hardbound’ copy, the outside covers should be made of a rigid board and is a permanent form of binding – the pages are glued or stitched into the cover and cannot be removed.
What is a ‘softbound’ copy?
A softbound copy is a photocopy of the thesis with a plastic or card cover. It is normally spiral or comb bound.
Requirements
There aren’t many rules and regulations governing the ‘look’ of the Thesis, but the following are the requirements:
The front cover of your thesis should have the title of the work in at least 24-point type.
The name and initials of the author, the academic award for which submitted and the year of submission must also be shown.
On the spine, there should be the name of the author, the award and the year of submission (see over for example)
Colour of binding
There are no regulations regarding the colour of the cover of your thesis – it’s down to personal preference.
Appendices, etc.
If you wish to submit Appendices as a separate volume, it is acceptable. Just make sure the covers comply with the regulations above, and specify volume numbers on each copy (i.e. Vol I, Vol II).
Where can I get my thesis bound?
CoventryUniversity’s Resources Shop offers a limited hard-binding service but does NOT offer the facility for inserting information onto the spine of the thesis. The thesis is photocopied and then clipped into hard covers and the cover sheet is copied onto a laminated sheet, which is applied to the front cover. For further information for this service please see their website:
For Registry Research Unit purposes, this type of hardbound thesis IS acceptable.
For a traditionally bound thesis service, either look in the Yellow Pages for a local book binder, or contact at Warwick University. For further information see their website:
An example of a front cover for a thesis:An example of a Spine:
(this may vary dependant on where you have your thesis bound)
The Award i.e.
24 point typeMPhil or PhD
Your Initials &
Surname
I.E. MPhil or PhD
Year of submission
The year the
thesis was
submitted
First Page of the Thesis
The first page of the thesis should be the same as the example above for the front cover, but instead of just showing MPhil or PhD for the Academic Award, the following phrase should be used: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the University’s requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy (amend to Doctor of Philosophy for PhD). You should also show the Awarding Institution and any collaborating establishment at the bottom of the page.
How many copies do I need to provide?
For an MPhil you need: one hardbound copy for the Registry Research Unit and an electronic copy of your thesis. This will be sent to the Coventry University Library for permanent storage.
For a PhD you need: one hardbound copy for the Registry Research Unit and an electronic copy. The hardbound copy is sent to the Coventry University Library for permanent storage. In addition to the above, it is likely that you will need to provide any collaborating establishment with a copy of your thesis (normally a hardbound copy), and it is traditional (but not compulsory) to provide your Director of Studies with a hardbound copy of your thesis.