Free web tool
Thesis Format Checker
Drop in a thesis or dissertation PDF and set the minimums from your graduate school's formatting guide. You get margins, font size, embedded fonts, page numbers, line spacing and front matter, page by page. The PDF never leaves your browser.
Up to 200 MB. Large theses take a minute or two to read.
Want your university's exact rules built in?
University-specific rule sets are planned, starting with Georgia State. Tell me which university you need and I will add it when enough people ask for the same one.
Questions
Does my thesis get uploaded?
No. The PDF is read in your browser with a copy of pdf.js hosted on this site, and nothing is sent anywhere. You can disconnect from the network after the page loads and it still works.
What does it check?
Page size, the distance between text and each page edge, body font size, which fonts are embedded, page numbers and their sequence, line spacing, and which standard front-matter headings appear in the first 40 pages.
Can it tell me whether my graduate school will accept the thesis?
No. Universities set their own rules and often change them. The checker measures the document against the minimums you enter, so enter the numbers from your graduate school's formatting guide. A university-specific rule set is planned, and you can ask for yours below.
Why does it say Review instead of Fail?
A measurement can be right and still be fine. Wide tables, landscape pages and chapter-opening pages without numbers are often allowed. Review means a person should look at those pages.
Does it work on scanned theses?
No. It reads the text layer. A scan is a set of page images with nothing to measure, so run OCR first.