All templates are prepared using 12 point Arial font. The margins are set at 1″ on all sides, except for the Title Page. The Title page has a 2” top margin and 1” on the left, right, and bottom margins.
The Preliminary Pages template includes all required and optional pages. Simply fill in the blanks and delete the optional pages that you do not need. Pages will automatically be renumbered.
To meet federal digital accessibility requirements that go into effect in April 2026, we encourage students to read the AU Libraries' Guide on Digital Accessibility for Theses & Dissertations to assist in the preparation of your publication.
| Preliminary Pages | Required | Guide | Template | |
| Title Page | Required | Guide | Sample | Template |
| Abstract | Required | Guide | Sample | Template |
| AI Disclosure Statement | Required effective Fall 2025 | Sample | Template | |
| Acknowledgements | Optional | Guide | Sample | Template |
| Table of Contents | Required | Guide | Sample | Template |
| List of Tables | Required (if applicable) | Guide | Sample | Template |
| List of Figures or Illustrations | Required (if applicable) | Guide | Sample | Template |
| List of Abbreviations | Required (if applicable) | Guide | Sample | Template |
| Body | Required | Guide | ||
| Reference Pages | Required | Guide | ||
| References | Required | Guide | ||
| Appendices | Optional | Guid |
For theses or dissertations containing many equations (typically mathematics or engineering students), LaTex may be used for styling.
Download and unzip the au_style_files.zip to a directory, copy the ausample.tex file to thesis.tex, modify the \title, \author, \date, \copyright year, \advisor, and \professor tags for the preamble, and start writing your thesis or dissertation. Alternatively, you can look at the required items in ausample.tex and modify your pre-existing thesis or dissertation tex file.
Other external LaTex templates and resources that may be useful:
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An Introduction to tagged PDF files: internals and the challenges of accessibility
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AU LibGuide: Creating and Accessible LaTex Document in Overleaf
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Rutger's guide to converting LaTex documents into a digitally accessible and compliant format
To meet federal digital accessibility requirements that go into effect in April 2026, we encourage students to read the AU Libraries' Guide on Digital Accessibility for Theses & Dissertations to assist in the preparation of your publication.
For more information on getting started with LaTex, you may visit the official LaTex Project Site or Professor Stanley Reeves’ website.
