Frequently asked questions

Dissertation Format is an online tool that checks the formatting of English-language dissertations against your university and department rules. Upload a Word file and Dissertation Format lists every issue, citing the handbook clause each time.

Dissertation Format is for students at UK universities submitting an English-language undergraduate dissertation, taught master's dissertation (MA, MSc, LLM) or research thesis (PhD, MPhil).

Dissertation Format covers 149 universities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The US, Australia and New Zealand are coming next.

The Dissertation Format interface is available in 17 languages. Dissertations are currently checked in English only.

Dissertation Format checks layout and margins, fonts and sizes, line spacing, page numbers, heading levels, table of contents, figure and table numbering and captions, front matter, word count and referencing (Harvard, APA, OSCOLA and numeric styles).

Dissertation Format takes rules from three layers, most specific first: your department handbook, your university's regulations and the referencing style your library recommends. Every rule keeps its source, so every issue traces back to a clause.

UK universities set margins in the department handbook or thesis regulations, and the values differ. A wider binding margin on one side is a common pattern, but check your own handbook. Dissertation Format compares your document's margins with the clause that applies to your department and level.

The department handbook decides. Handbooks usually name a typeface, a font size and a body line spacing, and sometimes set footnotes and block quotes separately. Dissertation Format reports where your file differs and quotes the clause.

Most handbooks expect page numbers and an automatic table of contents built from heading styles, and some use roman numerals for front matter. Dissertation Format checks both against the rules for your department.

UG is an undergraduate dissertation, PGT a taught master's dissertation (MA, MSc, LLM) and PGR a research thesis (PhD, MPhil). Universities often set different rules for each level, so Dissertation Format asks for your level before checking.

Upload your department handbook (PDF or Word, up to 25 MB). Dissertation Format reads the formatting rules from it and asks you to confirm each one before checking. Or skip it and check against university rules only.

No. Dissertation Format checks .docx files only, because PDFs can't reliably show margins and styles. Save a .docx from Word (up to 20 MB) and upload that.

Dissertation Format deletes uploaded dissertations and their reports after 7 days.

No. Dissertation Format never uses anything you upload to train AI models.

No. Dissertation Format keeps handbooks privately as a rule source and never shows or shares them.

No. Dissertation Format uses your email address and a 6-digit code instead of a password. New accounts start with 0 credits.

The Dissertation Format summary is free and needs no sign-up. A full report costs 10 credits, and a re-check of the same dissertation within 14 days costs 5.

Dissertation Format credit packs start at £9.99, paid through Stripe with VAT included. Credits never expire and there is no subscription.

You can ask for a refund of unused Dissertation Format credits within 14 days of purchase. Credits already spent on reports or re-checks are not refundable.

No. If a Dissertation Format re-check can't be completed, its credits go straight back to your account.

Yes. The full Dissertation Format report can be downloaded as a PDF.

Dissertation Format only checks formatting. It doesn't write, rewrite or polish content, and works like a checklist against your handbook. If your university asks you to declare tools, our academic integrity page has a statement you can copy.

No. Dissertation Format does not check plagiarism, AI use, grammar or argument. It only checks formatting.

No. When in doubt, the handbook text and your supervisor or registry have the final word.