Format and manage your dissertation
The following resources were created to help you format and manage long documents, such as a dissertation or thesis. If you have any questions or need further help, please email MOT@beds.ac.uk
Comprehensive guides
The most common topics related to long documents are:
- Using page breaks and section breaks
- Using different page number formats in different sections
- Applying and modifying styles
- Adding automatic numbering to chapter headings
- Inserting an automatic table of contents
- Using the Navigation Pane
- Adding captions to tables and illustrations and inserting an automatic table of figures/tables
- Using bookmarks and cross-references to navigate in a long document
- Inserting and formatting footnotes and endnotes.
For concise instructions to all these tasks, download the Format and manage your dissertation quick guide
For more detailed instructions and examples, download the Format and manage your dissertation workbook. You can also download the exercise file for this workbook to practice.
Video and written guides
You can find detailed video guides and short written guides for the topics below.
Click a title to see the guides available in the topic.
Apply and modify styles
Find out: what styles are, advantages of using styles, how to open the Navigation Pane, how to apply a style, how to modify a style.
Video 1: Apply a style to a heading
Written guides: Apply a style, Modifying a style
Apply numbering to headings
Find out how to: apply automatic numbering to headings, change the level of a heading, use the Navigation Pane to reorder text.
Video 2: Apply numbering to headings
Insert and update a table of contents
Find out how to: insert a table of contents, delete a table of contents, update a table of contents.
Video 3: Insert and update a Table of Contents
Written guides: Creating a table of contents
Format a table of contents
Find out how to: format the table of contents, add or remove heading levels, format heading levels in the table of contents.
Video 4: Format a Table of Contents
Captions and table of figures
Find out how to: add captions to illustrations, insert a table of figures.
Video 5: Add captions and a Table of Figures
Written guides: Adding captions to images and tables, Creating a table of figures
Page numbering and section breaks
Find out how to: insert section breaks, format page numbers in different sections.
Video 6: Page numbering and section breaks
Written guides: Using section breaks, Page numbering, Formatting different sections
Further help
You can find more computer skills guides on the Computer Skills self-help guides page.
There is further guidance and tips on writing your dissertation on the Academic Writing self-help guide page.
You can browse all Study Hub resources on the A-Z page
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