\documentclass{thesis}
Production-ready LaTeX templates for PhD and Master's dissertations. Title page, chapters, bibliography, and appendices — all correctly structured and ready to compile.
\section{What's Included}
Every section required by university regulations is already wired up. Focus on writing — not wrestling with LaTeX configuration.
University-compliant title page with thesis title, author name, degree program, institution, supervisors, and submission date — all precisely typeset.
Auto-generated TOC, list of figures, and list of tables. Chapter numbers, section titles, and page numbers update automatically as you write.
Structured chapter files for introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion — each in its own \include file.
BibLaTeX with Biber backend for authoryear or numeric citations. Supports hundreds of entry types and citation styles out of the box.
Dedicated appendix section with lettered chapters (A, B, C…). Include supplementary tables, proofs, raw data, or code listings without disrupting the main flow.
Pre-configured theorem, lemma, definition, and proof environments with automatic chapter-scoped numbering via amsthm.
\include{preamble}
Copy this preamble as your starting point. Every package listed is available on TeX Live and compiles cleanly with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, or LuaLaTeX.
\documentclass[12pt, a4paper, twoside]{report}
% Encoding & fonts
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{lmodern}
% Page geometry
\usepackage[
top=30mm, bottom=25mm,
inner=35mm, outer=25mm
]{geometry}
% Typography & spacing
\usepackage{setspace}
\onehalfspacing
\usepackage{microtype}
% Math & science
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb, amsthm}
\usepackage{siunitx}
% Figures, tables, captions
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage[labelfont=bf]{caption}
\usepackage{subcaption}
% References
\usepackage[style=authoryear, backend=biber]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}
% Hyperlinks
\usepackage[hidelinks]{hyperref}
\usepackage{cleveref}
% Theorem environments
\newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem}[chapter]
\newtheorem{lemma}[theorem]{Lemma}
\newtheorem{definition}[theorem]{Definition}
% Metadata
\title{Your Thesis Title}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}
\begin{document}
% ---- Front matter ----
\include{chapters/titlepage}
\include{chapters/abstract}
\include{chapters/acknowledgements}
\tableofcontents
\listoffigures
\listoftables
% ---- Main matter ----
\include{chapters/01-introduction}
\include{chapters/02-literature-review}
\include{chapters/03-methodology}
\include{chapters/04-results}
\include{chapters/05-discussion}
\include{chapters/06-conclusion}
% ---- Back matter ----
\printbibliography[heading=bibintoc]
\appendix
\include{chapters/appendix-a}
\end{document}\section{Template Variants}
Different programs and countries have different conventions. Pick the variant that matches your institution's requirements.
Based on the report document class with two-sided printing, 1.5 line spacing, and inner/outer margins for binding. The standard for most science and engineering PhDs.
Compact single-sided layout using article class. Suitable for shorter 60–100 page dissertations where the full report structure would feel heavy.
Modern European typography with KOMA-Script. Excellent heading customisation, DIV-based margins, and superior font handling without requiring geometry tweaks.
The most flexible thesis class — memoir includes its own heading styles, chapter ornaments, and endnotes without needing extra packages.
The complete thesis template — with title page, abstract, chapters, and bibliography — is pre-loaded and ready to compile. No installation needed.
\section{How to Customize}
Follow these steps to adapt the template to your university's exact requirements in under 30 minutes.
Choose font size (10pt, 11pt, 12pt) and paper size (a4paper, letterpaper). Add twoside for print-ready double-sided PDFs or oneside for digital submission.
\documentclass[12pt, a4paper, twoside]{report}Universities specify exact margin requirements. Use the geometry package to set top, bottom, inner (binding), and outer margins precisely.
\usepackage[top=30mm, bottom=25mm, inner=35mm, outer=25mm]{geometry}Most regulations require 1.5 or double line spacing in the body. Use \onehalfspacing or \doublespacing from the setspace package.
\usepackage{setspace}
\onehalfspacingPoint biblatex to your .bib file with \addbibresource. Export references from Zotero, Mendeley, or Google Scholar as BibTeX format.
\usepackage[style=authoryear, backend=biber]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}Keep each chapter in its own file and use \include{chapters/01-introduction} in the main document. This keeps your source manageable and enables \includeonly for fast compilation during writing.
\include{chapters/01-introduction}
\include{chapters/02-literature-review}\section{Get the Template}
Copy the full preamble directly or open in the playground to compile to PDF without installing anything.
\section{FAQ}
Which document class should I use for my thesis?
Use report for most PhD and Master's theses — it provides \chapter as the top-level heading, which is standard for multi-chapter documents. If your university requires KOMA-Script, use scrreprt instead. Avoid article class for dissertations longer than 50 pages.
How do I meet my university's margin requirements?
Use the geometry package. Most universities require at least 25mm on all sides and 35–40mm on the inner (binding) margin. Check your institution's LaTeX thesis guidelines — many provide a ready-made template you can start from.
BibTeX or BibLaTeX for a thesis?
BibLaTeX with Biber is the modern choice. It supports more citation styles (authoryear, numeric, verbose, APA, Chicago), handles UTF-8 author names correctly, and is actively maintained. Avoid natbib unless your university's template requires it.
How do I compile the bibliography?
Run: pdflatex → biber → pdflatex → pdflatex. With FormaTeX, this happens automatically — just click compile and the platform handles the full TeX toolchain including Biber.
Can I use custom fonts in my thesis?
Yes. Switch to XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX and use fontspec. This lets you load any OpenType font. Common choices are TeX Gyre Pagella (Palatino), EB Garamond, or your university's branded typeface.
How do I add page numbers in the correct format?
Use \frontmatter for roman numerals (i, ii, iii…) and \mainmatter for Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…). The \backmatter command disables chapter numbering for appendices and bibliography.
Open the template in FormaTeX and compile your first PDF in seconds — no TeX Live installation, no Docker, no configuration.
One quick thing
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