5 Key Characteristics Of The Standard Doctoral Dissertation Format

There are many different citation style formats you can choose unless your professor specifically tells you which one you should use. Here are 5 characteristics of a standard doctoral dissertation:

  1. You can choose between APA, MLA, Turbian, or Chicago style of citation formatting to complete your doctoral dissertation. Make sure you use the most recent information on the styles when you look for guidance.
  2. This should be the way you order your thesis. First page is the Title page, of course followed by the copyright page and then the acknowledgments. After that you should place your table of contents followed by any charts, tables, graphs, illustrations. Next you should place your preface if you use one then insert your text of your dissertation. After your text you would place your bibliography and then your appendix if you have one.
  3. Every dissertation should have an abstract of their paper and it should be submitted with the dissertation but not stapled to it. You should keep your abstract to around 350 word and it should be double-spaced using the same citation style you created your paper with. The title page should be identical to your thesis except it should have the words “An Abstract” just above the title. Your abstract should explain your thesis statement and also tell your results and the importance of your work. It is basically something that will make people decide if they want to read your work or not so you should not take it lightly.
  4. As far as line spacing is concerned, your entire work should be double-spaced except for a few instances if you are using any citation style except APA. In APA, everything is double-spaced no matter what. In other styles, single spacing occurs for block quotations, titles, the bibliography, footnotes, appendices, or explanations of tables, figure, etc.
  5. Make sure all of your margins are consistent. All pages should have a 1 ½” margin for the left side as well as the right margin. The top margin should begin 1 ¼” from the top of all pages except for the first page of the Table of Contents, Acknowledgements, any tables or figures, the Bibliography, the Appendix and the beginning of each chapter. These should all begin 2” from the top of the page. All pages should also have a bottom margin of 1 ¼” on all pages.

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