Baylor University Dissertation and Thesis Format: What the Graduate School Requires
Most dissertation formatting guides agree on the basics: double spacing, a readable font, page numbers. Baylor’s Graduate School goes further in a few places that catch students off guard. Bold text is not allowed in the body. Headings follow a five-level system with specific capitalization and italics at each level. Tables and figures are numbered by chapter, so your second chapter holds Table 2.1, not Table 1.
This page walks through the rules set by the Baylor Graduate School, flags the details that are easy to miss, and ends with a pre-submission checklist. Help Me Bro is not affiliated with Baylor University, Waco. The official guide always wins, and guides change, so check the current version before you submit. The Graduate School’s Formatting Resources page lists the current guidelines and the template.
Two formats, and which one is the default
Baylor recognizes two formats. The Standard Format is the default: a book-like manuscript with chapters that build one continuous argument. The Manuscript Format is meant for work in which chapters have already been published or are in the process of being published. If your committee has not told you to use the Manuscript Format, plan on the Standard Format.
The rest of this page assumes the Standard Format. For the overview of the thesis and dissertation process, see the Graduate School’s thesis and dissertation overview.
Your program’s style manual sits under the Graduate School’s rules
Every Baylor program has chosen a nationally recognized style manual, and the guidelines include a departmental list showing which one applies to you. The relationship works in layers. The style manual governs your tables, figures and citations. When the Graduate School’s rules and the style manual conflict, the Graduate School’s rules override the manual.
That matters most for students whose manual encourages something Baylor prohibits. If your program uses APA, for example, the manual’s bold heading style does not carry over, because Baylor bans bold. See the APA 7 dissertation format guide for how that manual works on its own, then apply Baylor’s override on top of it.
Source: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines (PDF, December 2023).
No bold: Baylor’s most unusual typography rule
The guide requires a serif typeface, such as Times New Roman, used consistently throughout, including the page numbers. Body text is 12 point. Footnotes, tables and figures may drop to 10 point. Italics should be used sparingly.
Bold is where students slip. Baylor does not permit it, with two stated exceptions: social work, and figures. If you copied a heading style from a journal article or a template written for another school, check every heading, table header and run-in label for stray bold formatting. Word’s built-in heading styles apply bold by default, so a document built on them often needs the formatting cleared by hand.
Source: Formatting Resources and the Guidelines PDF.
Margins: a conflict between two official sources
The top and bottom margins are 1 inch. The left and right margins are where the official sources disagree. The current Formatting Resources web page says at least 1 inch, and advises 1.25 inches if you are printing a hard copy through a vendor other than ProQuest. The December 2023 PDF and the Preliminary Checklist both say 1.25 inches.
Follow the current Formatting Resources page and confirm the left and right figure with the Graduate School if you are unsure. If you want the safe choice that satisfies every document, use 1.25 inches. Everything except pagination must sit inside the margins, so check wide tables, long URLs and figure captions.
Sources: Formatting Resources, the Guidelines PDF and the Preliminary Checklist.
Spacing: double in the body, single where it counts
The body of the manuscript is double-spaced, with no extra space between paragraphs. Several elements are single-spaced instead, with a double space between items:
- Footnotes and endnotes
- Bibliography entries
- Block quotations
The guide describes spacing in terms of single, double and triple spacing, and that vocabulary also applies around headings. If your word processor adds space after each paragraph by default, switch that off before you format anything else.
Source: Guidelines PDF.
The five-level heading system
Baylor defines five heading levels, each with its own look. None of them uses bold.
| Level | Format |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter number in capitals, for example CHAPTER FOUR |
| 2 | Chapter title, centered, title case |
| 3 | Centered, italic |
| 4 | Flush left, italic, title case |
| 5 | Indented, italic, sentence case, ending in a period, run in with the text |
Triple or double spacing is used around headings, and the choice must be consistent from one chapter to the next. Level 5 is the one people get wrong: the heading is not on its own line, it begins the paragraph and ends with a period before the text continues. Setting up five custom styles in Word at the start, rather than formatting headings by hand, is the most reliable way to keep them uniform.
Source: Guidelines PDF.
Numbering tables and figures by chapter
Tables, figures and schemes are numbered by chapter: Table 1.1, Figure 2.3, and so on. In appendices the chapter number is replaced by the appendix letter, giving numbers such as A.1.
Table captions go above the table. Figure legends go below the figure. Oversized tables and figures may be placed on landscape pages. Your program’s style manual still governs how the captions and sources are worded, while Baylor’s rules set the numbering scheme and the caption position.
Source: Guidelines PDF.
Details that are easy to miss
- Page-number font. The guide wants the same font throughout, and that includes the numbers in the bottom margin. Word sometimes leaves the footer in a different default font.
- Bold in the wrong places. Table column headers and run-in labels often carry bold from a source file or template.
- Margin overflow. The rule that everything but pagination stays inside the margins catches wide tables and long web addresses.
- Level 5 headings. They are run-in, italic, sentence case and end with a period.
- Inconsistent spacing around headings. Triple or double spacing must be used the same way everywhere.
- Widows, orphans and stray returns. These are items on the Preliminary Checklist.
Baylor pre-submission checklist
Built only from the rules above and the Graduate School’s Preliminary Checklist. Run through it against the current Formatting Resources before you submit.
- Format chosen: Standard Format, or Manuscript Format if your chapters are published or being published.
- Your program’s style manual confirmed from the departmental list, with Graduate School rules applied wherever they conflict.
- Serif font used throughout, including page numbers; body at 12 point, and no smaller than 10 point in footnotes, tables and figures.
- No bold anywhere except the stated exceptions (social work, and figures); italics used sparingly.
- Top and bottom margins at 1 inch; left and right margins confirmed against the current Formatting Resources page (1.25 inches is the safe choice); all content except pagination inside the margins.
- Body double-spaced with no extra space between paragraphs.
- Footnotes or endnotes, bibliography entries and block quotations single-spaced, with a double space between items.
- All five heading levels formatted as specified, with consistent spacing around them.
- Tables, figures and schemes numbered by chapter (Table 1.1, Figure 2.3), and by appendix letter in appendices (A.1).
- Table captions above tables; figure legends below figures; oversized items on landscape pages where needed.
- Page numbers centered within the bottom 1-inch margin, in a font matching the text.
- Widows and orphans removed.
- Empty returns at the top of pages removed.
- Current deadlines checked on the Graduate School’s deadlines page.
For the Graduate School’s own list, see the Preliminary Checklist (PDF).
Does Baylor really not allow bold text in a dissertation?
According to the Graduate School’s guidelines, bold is not permitted, with two stated exceptions: social work, and figures. That includes headings, which rely on capitalization, centering and italics instead. Check table headers and any text pasted from other documents, since bold often carries over unnoticed.
Should my left and right margins be 1 inch or 1.25 inches at Baylor?
The official sources differ. The current Formatting Resources web page says at least 1 inch, while the 2023 guidelines PDF and the Preliminary Checklist say 1.25 inches. Follow the current web page and confirm with the Graduate School. Using 1.25 inches is the safe choice because it satisfies every version.
What if my program’s style manual conflicts with the Baylor guide?
The Graduate School’s rules override the style manual wherever the two conflict. The manual still governs tables, figures and citations. A common example is bold headings from a manual, which Baylor does not allow. When in doubt, follow the Graduate School guide and ask your program or the Graduate School.
How are tables and figures numbered in a Baylor thesis?
They are numbered by chapter, such as Table 1.1 or Figure 2.3. In appendices, the appendix letter replaces the chapter number, giving numbers like A.1. Table captions go above the table, and figure legends go below the figure. Oversized items may be placed on landscape pages.
Will you guarantee that the Graduate School accepts my formatting?
No. I check your manuscript against the Baylor guide and leave comments and tracked changes, but I am not affiliated with the university and cannot promise approval. Only the Graduate School decides that. Always check the current guidelines before you submit.
Having your Baylor formatting checked
If you would like a second pair of eyes before you submit, I can compare your manuscript against Baylor’s guide and mark what I find as margin comments and tracked changes in your Word file. You decide what to change and make every change yourself. Formatting review is charged at the same per-1,000-word rates as other editing, which you can see on the pricing page.
I am not affiliated with the university, and I cannot guarantee Graduate School approval; only the Graduate School can approve your document. To get a quote, send your word count, deadline and file through the quote form. Related pages: formatting guides, dissertation editing and thesis editing.