Essential Dissertation Formatting Tips for University Students in Leeds, UK

After months of pulling late nights to do intense research and write your dissertation, it seems your dissertation is finally taking shape. But have you ever wondered how your dissertation is looking? Formatting a dissertation correctly is more crucial than completing it for the students at Leeds University.        

Whether you are a student at the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, or another institution in the city,  making sure your dissertation meets strict formatting standards is essential. From margins to font size to citation style, each detail contributes to professionalism.   

In this blog, we will discuss the key areas of dissertation formatting for Leeds students so you can meet the university submission standards and present your research clearly.

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Formatting your dissertation: Essential Page Layout and Presentation Guidelines

For university students, dissertation writing is one of the most important academic tasks, and proper formatting plays a crucial role in ensuring your work meets your university guidelines.  For the Leeds students, following specific formatting guidelines ensures your dissertation looks professional, well-structured and easy to read. Below is a detailed guide on how to format your dissertation effectively for Leeds University.

• Font type and Size

Make sure to use fonts that are easily readable, such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri.

Typically, 12 points is the font size of the main text. However for footnotes or smaller sections like tables, 10 points can be used. Avoid use of all uppercase letters in your text and also decorative fonts.

• Line spacing 

Standard text should be formatted with double spacing or 1.5 line spacing to improve readability and leave room for remarks.

Single spacing format can be used for footnotes, indented quotations, and captions for figures or tables. 

• Margins

A consistent margin of 2.5 cm or 25mm has to be maintained on all the sides of the pages, hence ensuring enough space for binding and a clean layout.

• Pagination 

Page numbering should be clear and done consequently with Roman numerals (i, ii, iii…) used for preliminary pages such as the abstract, acknowledgements, and table of contents and Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3…) starting from the introduction onwards. Numbers typically are placed at the bottom centre or bottom right of each page. 

Ensure that diagrams, tables, and figures have their numbering system that corresponds to their placement in the text (e.g., Table 1.1).

Structural Elements of Your Dissertation

Structure and consistency are the fundamentals in crafting an academic dissertation.  Maintaining a logical order in presenting research and a consistent academic formatting style is essential for clarity and academic success. The University of Leeds provides strict guidelines for dissertation formatting and layout styles that students must follow. Below is a detailed guide on how to format your dissertation effectively for Leeds University.

1. Title page 

The title page is the first impression of your dissertation, and it should follow university-specific requirements:

• For Leeds students, use the official Leeds University Business School dissertation cover sheet as your title page, and it can be downloaded from the university’s Forms and Guidance Page.
• Include essential details such as your name, student ID number, dissertation title, course name, supervisor’s name, and submission date.

1. Acknowledgements 

While not mandatory, acknowledgements are a great way to express gratitude:

• You may thank your supervisor for their guidance, family members for their support, colleagues for collaboration, or anyone else who contributed to your academic journey. It comes before abstract. 

1. Abstract

The abstract is a crisp summary of your dissertation:

• It is written after the title page and before the table of contents. It outlines the purpose of your research, methodology used, key findings, and conclusions.
• It is written in brief, typically around 250–300 words.

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1. List of Figures  and  List of Tables 

Two separate preliminary pages are used in your dissertation that provide a numbered list of all the figures (like graphs, diagrams, charts, and images) and tables (like data tables or comparison charts). They help viewers to locate visual content within your academic work quickly. 

1. Table of Contents

A well-organised table of contents helps readers to navigate through your work easily:

• List all from the starting page, such as the title page, abstract, acknowledgements, and list of figures and tables to main headings (chapters) and subheadings (sections) with corresponding page numbers.
• To ensure accuracy and consistency, use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents feature. 

1. Word Count Regulations

The University of Leeds has strict word count policies:

• The word count includes sections such as the abstract, contents page, tables within the main body text, diagrams, subtitles/headings, footnotes, and references cited within the main text.
• Excluded items include the title page, acknowledgements section, bibliography/references list at the end of the document, and appendices.

Always confirm word count limits with your department, as they may vary depending on your course or subject area.

Dissertation chapters order

Your dissertation should be structured with clear headings and subheadings to guide readers through each section of work.  Leeds Uni students should follow the following outline of key sections.

• Introduction

The introduction establishes the stage for your research. It begins with background information about your topic and includes why it is relevant and important in its field. 

It clearly states your research aims and objectives while outlining what readers can expect from subsequent chapters.

• Literature Review

It summarizes the key studies and identifies gaps in work that justify your research. It builds the theoretical network. 

• Methodology 

It describes the explanation of how your research was conducted. It also includes an explanation of the methods used for the data collection, such as surveys, experiments and analysis, like statistical tools. 

• Results: 

The outcomes of your dissertation are presented using text, tables, charts, graphs and diagrams. 

• Discussion 

It includes interpretation of your findings with the existing work, which is done by previous scholars. It describes how their work aligns with or challenges the previous studies and discusses implications for theory while acknowledging limitations.

• Conclusion 

It summarises your studies and highlights key contributions while suggesting future areas of research. 

• Reference styling 

Proper referencing is important in academic writing. A specific referencing style is followed, such as APA, Harvard, MLA or OSCOLA. These guidelines are provided in Leeds University handbooks. 

• Appendices

Include supporting documents like questionnaires, interview transcripts, or additional data related to your dissertation research. 

Utilize Word’s heading style for clarity and easy navigation 

One of the smartest formatting tools you can use in writing your dissertation is the built-in heading styles. It not only helps in making your chapter titles bold but also styles like Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 are used to design your document structure, but also helps the reader understand the hierarchy of your dissertation work. 

Why does its use matter? 

• First, using the proper dissertation headings format ensures consistent formatting throughout headings and subheadings.
•  Secondly, it generates an automatic table of contents. With a few clicks, Word will scan the whole dissertation with headings and subheadings and build an organised table of contents. 

Your document navigation will be improved for yourself, your supervisor and examiners. The navigation panel in Word will help you to jump through the document with just a few clicks because of these styles. 

If you are searching for how to make a table of contents automatically or what is the best way to format the headings is, just use Word’s heading style right from the start. It will minimise the time of your formatting. 

Professional Representation of Data: Tables and figures

Inserting tables, diagrams, charts, and images can make your dissertation look compelling only when they are formatted correctly. Starting with numbering in the hierarchical manner, such as Figure 1.2 and Table 3.1, where the first number refers to the chapters. This will help the users to locate and reference the visuals easily throughout the work. 

For captions, place them above the table and below the figures. Keep them short, descriptive and directly related to their content.  

While referencing the visuals in your text, be specific, such as shown in Figure 1.3, and refer to Table 2.3. This will easily connect your discussion to data.

From formatting figures in your dissertation to following correct table caption style and referencing format, you will be able to present your research data clearly and professionally just the way your Leeds professors expect. 

Proofread to check formatting errors 

Proofreading your dissertation means not only catching your spelling or grammar mistakes but also ensuring that every formatting detail is perfect. 

Look for the inconsistencies in spacing, font stress, heading styles, page numbering, figure and table captions, and reference formatting. To easily spot formatting problems, print out a section of work and review it. 

Proofreading a paper not only ensures that your paper is error-free but also ensures that it looks clean & submission-ready. Not feeling confident in spotting an error. Hire our proofreading experts and avail yourself of our services to write a submission-ready dissertation. 

Final Dissertation Check for academic success in Leads 

Formatting your dissertation may not feel that exciting, but it is necessary for a polished and professional submission. To recap from the start: Ensure consistency throughout formatting elements like headings, figure and page numbers and the last, most important step, proofreading to find formatting errors. 

Yes, it can be tiring, but getting the format right is the vital part of demonstrating your academic prowess. The good news is that it is entirely possible to manage with the help of the right tools, a bit of patience and a checklist approach.

We know how chaotic this final stage can be. These tips are designed to help you confidently format your dissertation at Leeds. If you’re looking for expert help to ensure every detail is spot on, then visit this blog for more guidance, especially designed to meet the expectations of students studying at Leeds University.

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