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Final review Student writing guide

How to Format and Submit a Final Year Project

Formatting is part of making a project readable and compliant. Requirements vary by institution, faculty, department and sometimes project type. Treat your current handbook and supervisor's instructions as the authority, then use the export settings as a starting point and inspect the editable DOCX before submission.

A practical guide from FINAL YEAR NG Check your department's current instructions before you submit.

Find the rule before formatting

Get the most recent department or faculty project handbook and confirm the version applies to your cohort. Check page size, margins, font and size, line spacing, heading hierarchy, paragraph spacing, page numbering, front-matter order, citation style, binding, file type and submission method. If two instructions conflict, ask the department which one governs.

Use the DOCX export as an editable base

The project workspace exports an editable DOCX. Its default layout is Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.5 line spacing, justified text, a 1.5-inch left margin with 1-inch other margins, and page numbers at the bottom centre. Available controls include Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, Georgia and Tahoma; 11–14 point text; single, 1.15, 1.5 or double spacing; normal, binding or wide margins; left or justified alignment; and bottom-centre, bottom-right, top-right or no page numbers. Set these to your handbook before export.

The generated DOCX includes a table of contents field and can include a cover and reference list. Review the cover details, headings, page breaks, table of contents and references in Microsoft Word or another compatible editor. Update the table of contents after any edits that change page positions.

Check front matter and document order

  • Confirm the order of title page, declaration, approval, dedication, acknowledgements, abstract, contents, lists of tables/figures, chapters, references and appendices against your handbook.
  • Check every personal and institutional detail on the cover, including spelling, degree, department, supervisor and submission date.
  • Confirm whether front matter uses Roman numerals and whether chapter numbering restarts at Arabic 1; adjust if your department requires another scheme.
  • Check that chapter titles and numbered headings match the contents page.
  • Inspect every table, figure, equation, appendix and cross-reference after export.

Run a submission check

  1. Use the workspace export check to review empty or unreviewed chapters, unresolved references, source details needing attention and missing cover information.
  2. Export the DOCX and open it; the editable file is the review copy, not an automatic guarantee of compliance.
  3. Read the project from cover to appendices, checking page order, layout, consistency, citations and document metadata.
  4. Resolve every comment, tracked change, placeholder and highlighted uncertainty.
  5. Follow your institution's file naming, originality declaration, print, upload and deadline procedure.

Final formatting checklist

  • Did you compare each layout option with the correct handbook?
  • Are the cover and front-matter details complete and accurate?
  • Do the table of contents, headings, numbering and page numbers agree?
  • Have citations and reference entries been checked against the sources?
  • Have you reopened the final DOCX and checked the exact file you plan to submit?

Sources and further reading

These university writing resources inform the general advice here. They do not replace your department's handbook or supervisor's guidance.

  1. Purdue OWL: APA General Format (one style example; follow the department's format)
  2. Purdue Writing Lab: Consulting with Graduate Students (discipline and format variation)
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