How to Check Thesis Structure Before Submission: Six Passes

How to check thesis structure before submission: put your university’s format rules next to the final PDF and test six things in order. Check the order of the parts, the contents page against the real headings, the heading levels, the figure and table numbering, the page numbers, and the word count against your limit. Each pass takes one rule sheet and one read.

Before you start: build a one-page rule sheet

Your own university’s thesis rules decide every answer below. They differ in real ways, so never check against a general template.

Two published examples show how much they differ:

• Newcastle University: its guidelines for the submission and format of theses set the order of every part, a 300-word abstract, word limits by faculty, page numbering, heading sizes and margins.
• University of Utah: its thesis handbook page on preliminary pages sets a different order, says which pages are counted but carry no printed number, and requires the contents page to match the headings exactly.

Copy the rules that apply to you onto one page, in five rows: order of parts, contents page, headings, figures and tables, page numbers and length. You check the PDF against that page, not against your memory of the rules.

Run every pass on the final file, in the format you will submit, after every other change.

How to check thesis structure before submission: the six passes

Do one pass at a time. Mixing them is how a skipped figure number survives three reads.

1. Order of the parts. Compare the sequence of front matter, chapters and end matter with your rule sheet.
2. Contents page against real headings. Every entry should match its heading word for word and point to the right page.
3. Heading levels. No level skipped, and each level formatted the same way everywhere.
4. Figures and tables. Numbered without gaps, each one mentioned in the text, and the lists matching the captions.
5. Page numbers. The right numerals in the right places, with no restarts you did not intend.
6. Length. The word count against your limit, counted the way your university counts.

The sections below say what to look for in each pass.

Pass 1: the order of the parts

Universities set the sequence of the opening pages, and they do not all set the same one.

Newcastle’s order is the title page, an optional thesis restriction, the abstract, a dedication if any and acknowledgements, the table of contents, and lists of tables and figures. The chapters follow, then references, appendices and an optional index.

Utah’s preliminary pages begin with the title page, copyright page, statement of approval and abstract. The acknowledgements come after the contents page and lists, not before them as at Newcastle.

So open your rule sheet, then turn the PDF’s first pages one by one. Write the actual order down and compare the two lists line by line.

Pass 2: the contents page against the real headings

Utah’s handbook says the numbers, titles and subheadings in the table of contents must agree exactly with the page, in wording and in capitalisation. It lists all chapters and all first-level subheadings, and leaves lower-level subheadings out. Newcastle asks the contents page to list all relevant chapters, sections and subsections in sequence, with their page numbers.

Check it like this:

1. Update the automatic table of contents in your word processor, then export a fresh PDF.
2. Print the contents page, or open it in a second window.
3. For each entry, go to the page it names and read the heading on that page.
4. Tick the entry only when the wording, the number and the page all match.
5. Then work the other way: page through the thesis and make sure every heading at a listed level appears in the contents.

Step 5 catches the heading that was typed as plain bold text instead of a heading style, so it never reached the contents page.

Pass 3: heading levels and chapter numbering

Read only the headings, from the first chapter to the last. Look for gaps and for levels that jump.

Utah’s handbook says subheadings must be used in hierarchical order and levels cannot be skipped. A section 3.2 followed by 3.2.1.1, with no 3.2.1, breaks that rule. It also asks that each level use the same capitalisation scheme throughout.

Newcastle sets the format of each level: chapter headings in title case, centred, bold and 14-point, and section headings in title case, bold, 12-point and left-aligned. It also asks every chapter to begin on a fresh page.

Also check the chapter numbers themselves. Chapter 4 should never be followed by Chapter 6, and every cross-reference such as “see Chapter 5” should point to the chapter it names.

Pass 4: figures and tables

Figures and tables break in three ways: a number is skipped, a figure is never mentioned, or the list of figures no longer matches the captions.

Both universities allow two numbering schemes. Newcastle accepts numbering straight through the thesis (Figure 1, Figure 2) or within chapters (Figure 2.3), but not within sections or subsections. Utah allows the same two choices, with tables numbered the same way.

Utah’s handbook adds two rules worth adopting even if your university is silent:

• Every one is mentioned: each table and figure must be referred to in the text.
• First mentions run in order: the first reference to each table or figure must be in numerical order, so Figure 3 is not first mentioned before Figure 2.

For the lists, Utah requires the list of figures and list of tables to agree exactly with each caption in wording, capitalisation and punctuation. For a long caption, only its first sentence appears in the list.

A quick way to run this pass:

1. Search the PDF for “Figure” and write down each number in the order it first appears.
2. Mark any gap in the run and any number that is first mentioned out of order.
3. Do the same for “Table”.
4. Compare each caption with its line in the list of figures or list of tables.

Pass 5: page numbers

Check that the page numbering changes where your rules say it should.

Newcastle numbers the preliminary pages in lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) and the rest of the thesis in Arabic numerals from the Introduction, placed centrally at the bottom of the page. Utah places preliminary page numbers at the bottom centre and text page numbers at the top right. It also counts the first page of each part with a main heading, such as the abstract and contents page, without printing a number on that page.

Turn every page of the PDF once, looking only at the page numbers. Watch for numbering that restarts after a section break, a landscape page that loses its number, and an appendix that starts again at 1.

Pass 6: length against your limit

Check both the limit and what counts towards it. Newcastle’s guidelines show how specific the rules can be. Its normal length for a doctoral thesis is 100,000 words in Humanities and Social Sciences and 80,000 words in Medical Sciences and in Science, Agriculture and Engineering, and integrated PhD programmes have their own limits. The count includes notes but excludes references and appendices, and the preliminary pages are not counted.

To count it the way your university does:

1. Copy only the parts your rules include into a blank document.
2. Read the word count from that document, not from the whole thesis.
3. Write the number, the date and what you included on your rule sheet.
4. Check the abstract on its own: Newcastle’s must be no longer than 300 words.

If you are over the limit, cut before you submit. Do not assume a small overrun will pass unnoticed.

A one-page checklist to copy

Print this and tick each line against the exported PDF.

1. The parts appear in the order my university sets.
2. Every contents entry matches its heading in wording, number and capitalisation.
3. Every contents entry points to the right page.
4. Every heading at a listed level appears in the contents.
5. No heading level is skipped, and each level looks the same throughout.
6. Chapter numbers run without a gap, and every “see Chapter X” points to the right chapter.
7. Figure and table numbers run without a gap, in the scheme my university allows.
8. Every figure and table is mentioned in the text, and the first mentions run in order.
9. The lists of figures and tables match the captions exactly.
10. Preliminary pages and main text use the numerals and positions my rules set.
11. The counted word total is within my limit, counted the way my university counts.
12. The abstract is within its own limit.

Structure is only one part of a final check. For the rest, see how to review your own thesis like an examiner, what goes in each chapter of a PhD thesis structure, and a full reference list audit before your defense. Examiners also read the bibliography closely, so it is worth knowing what examiners look for in your bibliography.

What Thesisroom does with this

Thesisroom’s Structure check reads the chapter list it detects in your document and every numbered figure and table reference written in your text. It reports where a sequence breaks: a chapter numbering gap, a figure number that appears nowhere, a contents entry that matches no detected heading, and the word count against a limit you set. It counts what is written in your text, so a figure numbered only inside an image is outside its reach. The order of your front matter and your page numbers are not on its list, so keep them on your own checklist.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check my thesis structure before submission?

Write your university’s format rules on one page, then check the exported PDF in six passes: order of parts, contents page against headings, heading levels, figures and tables, page numbers, and word count. Do one pass at a time.

Does the table of contents have to match the headings exactly?

It can be a rule. Utah’s thesis handbook says the numbers, titles and subheadings in the table of contents must agree exactly with the page in wording and capitalisation. Check your own university’s rules.

Should figures be numbered by chapter or straight through?

Either can be allowed. Newcastle and Utah both accept numbering straight through the thesis or within chapters, such as Figure 2.3. Newcastle does not allow numbering within sections or subsections.

Do references and appendices count towards the word limit?

Check your own regulations. Newcastle counts notes but excludes references and appendices, and you should count only what your rules include.

When should I run the structure check?

Run it last, on the final file in the format you will submit, after every other change. Any later edit can move a heading, a figure or a page number.

Sources

• Newcastle University: Guidelines for the Submission and Format of Theses
• University of Utah Graduate School: Formatting Requirements, Preliminary Pages
• University of Utah Graduate School: Formatting Requirements, Text

How this guide was made: Thesisroom drafted this guide with the help of AI writing tools. Every fact, figure and source in this post was checked against its original source before publishing.