Make your The University of Western Australia (UWA) PhD Thesis format-perfect: correct front matter, margins, and citation style built in, so it sails through review instead of coming back for fixes.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
A UWA thesis/dissertation is most often sent back for formatting, not content: margins, front-matter order, and page numbering. The graduate school formatting office checks these before anything else. This template sets the correct structure from the first draft, following the The University of Western Australia (UWA) PhD Thesis formatting guidance.
It is a formatting shell for a UWA thesis/dissertation, built to the official rules. It covers the title page, approval/signature page, abstract, table of contents, chapters, references, and appendices, with a consistent citation style. Confirm the current requirements in the official guidelines before you begin.
Set up the front matter and chapters in the required order, apply the correct margins and spacing from the manual, and use the prescribed citation style throughout. Keep figures and tables captioned and numbered as specified.
The signature failure mode is margin, front-matter order, and page-numbering rules. Second is inconsistent citations. Third is missing or out-of-order front matter. Fix all three against the official guidelines before submitting.
The shell mirrors what the graduate school formatting office checks first: structure order, margins, and citation consistency. Use the The University of Western Australia (UWA) PhD Thesis formatting guidance as the source of truth.
| Element | UWA requirement |
|---|---|
| Figures/tables | Captioned and numbered per manual |
| References | References must be shown clearly and fully throughout the thesis by appropriate references. Sources must be acknowledged in a preface or introduction, specifically in notes, a bibliography or appendices (Rule 40). No specific citation style (Vancouver, APA, Harvard, etc.) is mandated by the university - the style depends on discipline conventions and supervisor/school requirements. |
| Peer review | External examination by three independent examiners appointed by the Board of the Graduate Research School. All three examiners must not be current employees of UWA, and two must be external to Western Australia. Examiners must not consult with each other or anyone connected with the thesis preparation before submitting independent reports. This is effectively a single-blind examination process (examiners know candidate identity; candidate does not initially know examiners' identities). |
| Submission | https://www.hdrhub.uwa.edu.au/ |
| Structure | Title page, front matter, chapters, references, appendices |
| Margins/format | Per the official manual |
| Front matter | In the prescribed order |
| Citations | Per the official guidelines |
| Source of truth | overleaf.com |
Read the official manual before drafting and before submission. Set margins and front-matter order first. Apply the citation style from the first reference. Compare against a recently accepted UWA thesis/dissertation in your department.
Keep numbering and captions consistent. Verify every required page is present and in order. Do a dedicated formatting pass against the official guidelines before submission.
Do one focused pass for margins, front-matter order, and page numbering. Then confirm citation style and that all required pages/sections are present, following the The University of Western Australia (UWA) PhD Thesis formatting guidance.