Writing a doctoral dissertation at Arizona State University requires balancing rigorous original research with strict adherence to the ASU Graduate College Format Manual. While your committee evaluates your intellectual contribution, the Graduate College format advisors review your margins, spacing, and pagination. Missing minor technical rules can delay your graduation by an entire semester. You need a defense-ready document that satisfies both your discipline's scholarly standards and the university's precise formatting checklist.
Getting past format review starts with understanding that ASU operates on two distinct rule sets. First, you follow your chosen disciplinary style guide (such as APA, MLA, or Chicago) for citations, headings, and references. Second, you follow the university-wide Format Manual for structural elements like page numbering, title pages, and font choices. When these two systems conflict, the ASU Format Manual overrides your style guide. Let's break down how to align your research with these requirements without losing your sanity.
Choosing Your Style Guide and Initial Setup
Before typing a single word of your main chapters, you must consult your committee chair to select an approved academic style guide. ASU does not mandate a single style for all doctoral candidates. Instead, it relies on discipline-specific standards.
- APA (American Psychological Association): Frequently used in education, psychology, and nursing.
- Chicago Manual of Style / Turabian: Common in history, humanities, and certain social sciences.
- MLA (Modern Language Association): Standard for literature, languages, and cultural studies.
- CSE (Council of Science Editors) or AIP: Standard for physical and life sciences.
Your style guide dictates your citation method, reference list layout, block quote indentation, and table formatting. Once you pick your guide, stick to it consistently. Mixing styles across chapters will trigger immediate revision requests during your initial review.
Font Selection and Typography Rules
ASU maintains strict rules regarding typography. You aren't free to pick any aesthetic font from your word processor. The Graduate College requires you to select one of their approved TrueType fonts.
Common approved options include Arial (typically 10pt) or Century. Whichever font you choose, you must retain the exact same font type and size throughout your preliminary pages, main text, and back matter. The only allowable exceptions are footnotes and endnotes, which can be rendered in a slightly smaller point size if your style guide permits. Never use bold or underlined typeface for major section headers within preliminary pages or captions; italics are restricted strictly to specific academic contexts like species names, foreign words, or book titles.
Mastering Page Layout and Margins
Margin errors are the single most common reason dissertations fail their initial formatting check. ASU demands precise physical boundaries for every single page in your document, including appendices and supplementary files.
Set your word processor to the following measurements:
- Left Margin: 1.25 inches
- Right Margin: 1.25 inches
- Top Margin: 1.0 inch
- Bottom Margin: 1.0 inch
All main text must be double-spaced. The only exceptions are block quotes, table and figure captions, material inside tables, footnotes, endnotes, reference entries, and the optional biographical sketch. For footnotes and reference entries, single-space individual entries and place a double space between each distinct entry.
Pay close attention to pagination rules. Preliminary pages use lowercase roman numerals (starting with 'i' on the abstract). Your main text begins with Arabic numeral '1' on the first page of Chapter 1 and continues consecutively to the very end of the document. Page numbers must rest directly on the 1-inch bottom margin, centered horizontally between the left and right margins. Avoid "widow" and "orphan" lines by adjusting paragraph breaks rather than letting text bleed past your bottom margin.
Structuring Preliminary Pages in Order
Your dissertation must include specific preliminary pages in an exact, non-negotiable sequence. Getting this order wrong invites formatting rejections.
- Title Page: Centered, double-spaced title in Title Case. Followed by "by" and your official name as listed in the ASU system. Leave five single-line spaces before the clause "A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment", followed by your degree name, ten single-line spaces, and the month and year of your oral defense.
- Abstract: Must start on page i and cannot exceed 350 words. Write in past or present tense. Never use first-person plurals like "we", "us", or "our", because a dissertation is an independent scholarly work. Fully write out any acronyms at first use.
- Dedication and Acknowledgments: Combined total cannot exceed three pages. Keep professional acknowledgments concise and place funding or sponsorship notes at the end.
- Table of Contents: Type the header in ALL CAPS, center-aligned. Include CHAPTER and Page column headers on subsequent pages. Use leader dots to connect chapter titles and subheadings to right-aligned page numbers.
- Lists of Tables and Figures: Create separate lists if your document contains multiple data displays, matching the formatting style of your Table of Contents.
Writing and Integrating Chapters
Your core chapters must flow logically while maintaining strict adherence to your chosen style guide. While your committee focuses on your methodology, data analysis, and theoretical framework, you must ensure your internal headings match the hierarchy required by your style guide.
When inserting figures and tables, place them directly within the text where they are first discussed, provided they fit within your 1.25-inch left and right margins. If a table spans multiple pages, format continuation headers properly or move the extended data into an appendix.
Never use future tense when describing completed research steps. Keep your tone objective, academic, and direct. If you reference acronyms, remember the ASU rule: write them out fully at first use with the abbreviation in parentheses, such as Graduate Program Services (GPS).
Navigating the iPOS and Submission Process
Once your committee agrees that your document is defense-ready, you enter the administrative submission phase. This step requires precise timing.
You must upload your complete document to your interactive Plan of Study (iPOS) via the Format tab at least 10 business days prior to your scheduled oral defense. You can upload a Word document or a compressed ZIP file if you are using LaTeX. ASU provides a helpful online ASU Format Wizard tool to help automate structural layout tasks.
After your defense, your committee will likely suggest revisions. Make these edits promptly, update your references, and submit the final revised version for official format approval. Keep an eye on graduation deadlines for the Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters to ensure your paperwork clears before degree conferral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I exceed the 350-word limit for my dissertation abstract?
No. The ASU Graduate College enforces a strict maximum limit of 350 words for abstracts. If your draft exceeds this length, format reviewers will flag it immediately. Keep your focus sharp by summarizing your research context, methodology, and primary conclusions concisely.
What should I do if my style guide conflicts with the ASU Format Manual?
The ASU Format Manual always takes precedence over your discipline's style guide. If your style guide calls for left-aligned headings or specific font sizes that violate ASU rules, follow the university's Graduate College manual specifications.
Do optional sections like the biographical sketch require special formatting?
Yes. If you include an optional biographical sketch at the end of your document, it must consist of a single-spaced paragraph written in a professional, typically past-tense tone. It must also conform to your document's font size and margin requirements without using bold or underlined typefaces.
When should I submit my document for format review?
You must upload your defense-ready dissertation to your iPOS at least 10 business days before your defense date. Following your defense, you will have a window to incorporate committee-requested revisions before final approval.
