MS Word Template & Sample Pages

Microsoft Word template - includes all required and optional pages with proper formatting and accessibility features built into the document. Simply fill in your content and delete the optional pages that you do not need. Replace the formatting and accessibility guidance language with your own content. Pages will automatically be renumbered and the Table of Contents will auto populate based on your changes.

Please note:

  • When converting your Word document to PDF for initial review and final submission, use the "File > Save As > PDF" option to preserve document structure and accessibility tags. 
  • Do not use “Reduce File Size,” “Print to PDF,” or other compression methods.


Microsoft Word ETD Checklist - use this Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) checklist to ensure your document complies with formatting and accessibility requirements. 

Check your PDF file for digital accessibilty with one of the following tools:

  • Adobe Acrobat - free to download for AU users; used to check accessibility compliance of PDF
  • PAC - free to download for PC and available on RBD Library PCs on the first floor Innovation & Research Commons as well as their virtual machines.


Sample pages with formatting guidance are provided below, in the order they appear within the thesis or dissertation. 

Preliminary Pages Required
Title Page Required
Abstract Required
AI Disclosure Statement Required effective Fall 2025
Digital Accessibility Disclosure Required effective April 24, 2026
Acknowledgements Optional
Table of Contents Required
List of Tables Required (if applicable)
List of Figures or Illustrations Required (if applicable)
List of Abbreviations Required (if applicable)
LaTeX Templates

For theses or dissertations containing many equations (typically mathematics or engineering disciplines), LaTeX is often the preferred document preparation software. Please note that LaTeX-generated documents must meet the AU ETD formatting requirements to the best of the software's capabilities. 

The AU Graduate School updated LaTeX ETD templates on Overleaf in July 2026 to meet federal digital accessibility requirements. We offer two ways to access the LaTeX template:


Check your PDF file for digital accessibilty with one of the following tools:

  • Adobe Acrobat - free to download for AU users; used to check accessibility compliance of PDF
  • PAC - free to download for PC and available on RBD Library PCs on the first floor Innovation & Research Commons as well as their virtual machines.

Please note:

When checking a LaTeX-generated PDF for digital accessibility using Adobe Acrobat, please uncheck or ignore these errors:

  • Table must have headers
  • Table must have a summary
  • Lbl and LBody must be children of LJ

When checking a LaTeX-generated PDF for digital accessibility using PAC, please ignore these warnings:

  • every math warning
How-To Guides & Resources
General Resources
MS Word Resources

LaTex Resources