PhD Dissertation: APA Format Manual For Writers

Dissertations should not only convince with the content, but also with the format. In addition to the guidelines of the American Psychological Association which describe the design of the work, we give formatting instructions for written papers. The main guiding principle in the design of a page is its readability. Also keep in mind that all formatting decisions should be consistently maintained over the work. If you need help with dissertation, you are at the right place.

First select a page margin from 2.5 cm to 3.0 cm for your document. If you want to bind your work, you should consider a binding correction on the side edge, so that the visual impression of identical margins of the edges is retained even after binding. Each page (with the exception of the title page) also receives a header. In the headline, on the left, is the author of the work, in the center a title of the work and on the right the current page. For longer work, which is divided into different chapters, put the possibly abridged headline of the current chapter in the middle of the headline. Separate the header line from the text on the page so that the header information can not be confused with the page's flow-text.

Choose a well-readable font without any major flair for your work. For flow text, it is usual to choose a proportional font with serifs (letters with small lines on the font line, which facilitate the transition to the next letter of a word visually). Well-known examples of fonts with serifs are the fonts Times New Roman, or Miietzel (1975). For headings, you can choose a sans serif font. Known examples are the fonts Arial or Helvetica. Note, however, that you should not use more than two different fonts in your document. A point size of 11 or 12 must be selected as the font size for normal flow text. The exact value, like the line spacing, depends on the exact choice of the font. Headers for sections and subsections are placed in a slightly larger font (e.g., point size 14), and can be additionally bolded to achieve a better separation from the flow text. Paragraphs are generally set in the same point size as the flow text. Emphasis in the text should normally be achieved by the italicization of the sentence to be emphasized. In any case, you should refrain from underlining all your text. This also applies to headings.

In principle, you can create your work with the program of your choice. The majority of students created their work in a word processor such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice Writer. For academic work within the framework of your studies, these programs are also perfectly adequate. No matter which word processing you choose, you can also hire writing help or buy dissertation. It is a common thing students do when they struggle with their work. It is all up to you and your preferences.