Formatting Theses & Dissertations using Word 2010: Home

The template for this guide and a substantial amount of the information within it was copied from the Word 2010 Dissertation Libguide created by the excellent librarians of the Knowledge Navigation Center at the University of Michigan Library. Many thanks to them.

This document provides information that will help you use Microsoft Word 2007 effectively for your dissertation. Topics include: formatting page numbers, using chapter templates, footnotes, images, and figures. Topics such as special pagination for the front matter or landscape pages and combining documents are also included.

To meet your school or department's formatting requirements you will need to modify the default, standard Word document.  

This online guide is intended to show you how to use the tools to make the necessary modifications.  You must verify the formatting requirements with the appropriate office.

Word 2010 Handout

This full-length handout is available at here.

Although Microsoft Office 2010 looks very similar to Office 2007, there are a couple of changes:

• The Office Button has become the File Ribbon in Office 2010. The File Ribbon contains such standard features as Open, Close, Print, Save, etc. In addition, this menu allows you to quickly manage Word settings (Permissions, Sharing, Versions, Properties, and Options).
• Within the View Ribbon, in the Show Group, there is a new option to view Headings of your document in a sidebar. 
• Within the Navigation Pane, you can click a heading to go to that location and move items by dragging and dropping. Note that only items with a “Heading” style will appear in the Navigation Pane (see Working with Styles).

• Share your file(s) with your advisors using Tracked Changes (Commenting and Reviewing).
• Use styles to control the formatting of your dissertation and create a template to use for all of your chapters. The bulk of this document revolves around the use of styles.
• Set the margins including the two-inch margin for chapters titles (Setting Margins).
• Define styles for Headings 1-3, Normal, Captions, and Quotes – these are most common; you may need others (Working with Styles).
• If headings need to be numbered (for example, 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, etc.), define a multi-level list (Automatic Numbering).
• If captions need to include the chapter number, define a multi-level list (Automatic Numbering).

A note about the videos. These excellent videos have been produced at the University of Michigan. They convey information that is needed for every dissertation author. Please disregard their opening slide which encourgaes the viewer to review the Rackham Style for dissertations. That only applies to the students at the Rackham Graduate School - University of Michigan. 

Inserting Images, Charts and Other Non-text Objects

Working with Styles

Adding Page Numbers

Creating Landscape Pages