Microsoft Word Template Guide : The Graduate College : Texas State University

Updates: The template is subject to periodic updates. Please check this page
regularly to ensure your version is current.
Technical Support Notice: While the template is pre-configured to meet formatting
guidelines, students are responsible for ensuring that any newly added content
remains compliant with formatting guidelines. Students should consult the Microsoft Word Support website for specific questions about working with Word.

Microsoft Word Template

Download the Microsoft Word Template for Theses and Dissertations to begin formatting your document according to Graduate College requirements, or explore additional resources—including recorded workshops, FAQs, checklists, and support services like the Writing Center and ITAC—to help guide you through the process.

Instructions

Download the Microsoft Word template file to your device.
Open the file in the Microsoft Word desktop application. It is strongly recommended to use a Windows or Mac device to ensure full formatting functionality. Word for the Web may not feature full formatting support.

Shop Talk: Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation

This recorded workshop covers key information for a successful thesis or dissertation submission process. A Degree Audit Specialist from The Graduate College shares helpful resources, required formatting guidelines, common mistakes to avoid, and what reviewers look for when evaluating your document. Students are also encouraged to explore the Thesis and Dissertation Information page for additional resources covered in the session.

Watch the Shop Talk

Play Video

University Writing Center

The Texas State University Writing Center provides one-on-one support for graduate students formatting theses and dissertations. During Vireo Formatting Support appointments, tutors use the Texas State Microsoft Word template to help students apply formatting requirements, interpret Vireo feedback, and resolve common formatting issues for successful submission.

Writing Center Resources

ITAC front desk.

ITAC

If students need help accessing Microsoft 365 or using Microsoft Word for thesis and dissertation formatting, the IT Assistance Center (ITAC) provides support for Microsoft 365 services available to all Texas State students at no cost.

ITAC Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below provide guidance on formatting specific sections of theses and dissertations. For topics not covered here, students are encouraged to consult the Microsoft Word Support website for additional assistance.

Expand FAQ List

Headings
- How do I format subheadings consistently in text?
  
  Use the Heading styles provided in the template to ensure consistency. You can customize or create a Style if needed, but the built-in styles are already designed to meet university formatting guidelines. All headings should use a style; never create a heading without a style.
- How do I automatically number the headings in my document?
  
  Use the Number Your Headings feature in Word to automatically maintain a numbering sequence throughout your chapters.
Table of Contents
- How do I format my headings in the Table of Contents?
  
  Select Create a Table of Contents to generate a list based on your headings, and use Customize Table of Contents to adjust the appearance to match university standards. The Table of Contents provided in the template is pre-configured to meet university formatting guidelines
- How do I automatically create a List of Tables or List of Figures?
  
  Use the Create a List of Figures tool. You must include captions for all figures and tables for them to appear in these lists; see the FAQ section for Figures, Tables, and Captions for more information on adding captions.
- How do I add abbreviations to my List of Abbreviations?
  
  The list of abbreviations is a table with invisible borders. To add a new abbreviation, add a row to the table and type the definition within the new row. Do not place abbreviations outside of the table boundaries.
Figures, Tables, and Captions
- How do I add captions to figures and tables?
  
  How do I add captions to figures and tables? Use the Add, format, or delete captions function. You may also add chapter numbers to captions (e.g., Figure 1.1) to better organize your work.
- How do I cross-reference to a heading, figure, or table in my text?
  
  Follow the steps to create a cross-reference. This is highly recommended over
  manual typing because cross-references update automatically if page numbers
  or figure sequences change.
Text Formatting and Page Layout
- How do I handle single-spacing within entries while keeping the rest of the document double-spaced?
  
  In the Paragraph dialogue box, set spacing to "single," but set the "After" spacing to a double-space (usually 12 pts for a 12-pt document). Consult the styles in the Word template for a visual example of this configuration.
- How do I verify that all my content fits within the margins?
  
  Use the Show Gridlines to check that all text and objects are within the document’s margins. Additionally, ensure your figures are set to Wrap Text around a figure to prevent layout shifts.
- How do I format landscape pages and keep page numbers continuous?
  
  After following the steps to change page orientation, your page number may reset to "1". Double-click the footer, go to Header & Footer > Page Number > Format Page Numbers, and select "continue from previous section" to maintain the sequence.
- How do I set margins?
  
  Follow these steps to change the document’s layout.
- How do I customize page numbers in different sections?
  
  Follow these steps to Customize Page numbers in different sections. For more advice on working with pagination throughout your document, consult Word’s guide on page numbering in Word.
- How do I keep reference entries on a single page?
  
  Follow these steps to keep text together in Word.
Accessibility
- How do I ensure my document is accessible?
  To ensure your document is accessible, please consult the following resources:
  - Accessibility in Word - A comprehensive guide on using Word’s built-in accessibility
    support.
  - Accessibility Basics by TXST - An introduction to accessibility by TXST.
  - Word Accessibility Guide by TXST — Institutional training for accessible document creation in Word (Canvas site).
  - PDF Accessibility Guide by TXST — Guidance on accessibility for PDFs, including using Adobe Acrobat to fix tagging issues after converting your Word file to PDF (Canvas site).
- How do I import content from other Word documents into my thesis/dissertation?
  Any text imported from an unformatted document will need to have the template's heading styles applied manually to meet the formatting and accessibility guidelines. To import content, follow these recommended steps:
  1. Copy and paste: Transfer the text from your old document into the template section-by-section.
  2. Apply styles: Go through the pasted text and apply the template's built-in heading styles (e.g., Heading 1 for main headings, Heading 2 for sub-headings, and so on) from the Home ribbon. Adjust all non-text elements so that they comply with formatting requirements.
  3. Verify the structure: Open the Navigation Pane to double-check that the new text is integrated properly and that the document outline displays correctly.
  Carefully review any content that is imported from another document. Built-in heading styles must be applied to ensure that the text meets formatting and accessibility requirements.
  The template has a text style for every possible piece of text that could be put into the main matter, including normal body text. If the heading styles aren't used, it's more likely than not that the text will produce a visible formatting error.

A student writing on a notebook.

Checklist for Formatting

We have a final checklist for formatting that you can consult prior to submitting on Vireo.

View the Checklist