What Are The Main Characteristics Of A Good Dissertation Title Page?

The best title page for your dissertation would follow your required style guide exactly. For example, it depends on whether you are using APA format, MLA, Chicago style or any of the other ones depending on your field of study. So no matter what you read elsewhere, follow the rules for your title page in this order:

  1. Whatever your teacher or university has required

  2. The style you are assigned (APA, MLA, etc.)

  3. Whatever you read elsewhere on the internet

Basically speaking, the main characteristics of most dissertation title pages require the following components. You may look them over and see what parts are helpful to you, once you have already abided by the guidelines in the number list provided above.

  1. The title should be an exact match to the title of the abstract and also to the first page of the paper. It should not be bolded and must have two complete returns after the title.

  2. The author’s name should then appear. This is sometimes referred to as the name of the candidate. That would be your name in full, or with middle initials.

  3. Whether the paper is a thesis or dissertation

  4. The name of the degree

  5. The university it’s being submitted to is an important part of the title page

  6. The defense date and the conferral date in full, including day, month and year.

The order in which each part appears may vary slightly from one university or one writing style to another. That’s why it’s so essential to follow the rules in the order as laid out above. The title page is almost never numbered and appears with a set upper and lower margin.

The information on the title page should be centered rather than left or right justified to the margins. This format almost never changes for any writing style. Now’s not the time to show your uniqueness. Follow the guidelines exactly.

The title page is an important place to start making a good impression for your paper. It’s virtually the first thing anyone sees. If everything is exactly in place as it should be, it sets the reader up to thinking everything else will be close to perfect as well. Since it’s relatively easy and simple to follow the set guidelines for this page, don’t stray from them for any reason. It’s better to follow protocol and make a good impression.