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The Graduate School

Page Numbers

Numbering Requirements

Preliminary pages:

  • The pages of your Abstract, Copyright, and Title Page should not be numbered. Since your Title Page is presumed to be the first page, but is not numbered, numbering should start with lowercase Roman numeral “ii” on the page that appears after your title page. This will be either your optional Dedication page or your required Biography page. These lowercase Roman numerals should continue, consecutively, for the remainder of your preliminary pages.

Main body pages:

  • On the first page of Chapter 1 (or your main body text), numbering should start with the Arabic numeral “1” and continue, consecutively, for the remainder of your document.

If you aren’t using the template, it can be a bit tricky to set these page numbers up correctly. If you’re having trouble with it, this website is a useful guide.

Location

All page numbers must be vertically centered within the top or bottom 1-inch margin (outside of the document’s main body area).

When editing a header in Microsoft Word, the “Header from Top” or “Footer from Bottom” settings should be .5 inches to achieve this. There is an easy way to double-check this: if you select “Gridlines,” under the “View” tab, a grid will cover the entire main body area; the page number should be outside of this grid area. See this screenshot for a visual reference.

Pages may be numbered in one of the following locations:

  • Upper right-hand corner
    • vertically centered in the top 1-inch margin and right-aligned.
  • Lower right-hand corner
    • vertically centered in the bottom 1-inch margin and right-aligned.
  • Bottom center
    • vertically centered int he bottom 1-inch margin and centered.

Formatting

All page numbers should be the same font and size as your body text.

  • Preliminary Pages
    • Lower-case Roman numerals should be used for all preliminary pages, starting with “ii” on the page that appears after the title page. The title page is assumed to be the first page, but remains unnumbered.
  • Main Body Pages
    • Arabic numerals should begin on the first page of the opening chapter, starting with “1”.
  • Landscape-Oriented Pages
    • Page numbers should appear within the 1-inch margins, in a location that is approximately the same as the page numbers on portrait-oriented pages.