Dissertation and thesis formatting might sound daunting, but it's a skill any editor with a little Microsoft Word know-how can learn. This 90-minute webinar will introduce the essentials of dissertation and thesis formatting and demonstrate how to apply a university’s formatting guide efficiently — without spending hours manually updating page numbers or formatting headings.

The session will focus on strategies that automate key steps, such as applying Word styles, adding figure and table captions, generating and adjusting a table of contents and lists of figures and tables, and inserting section breaks for correct pagination. It will also cover common university-specific formatting quirks to look out for.

This webinar is designed for editors proficient in Microsoft Word who want to add dissertation and thesis formatting to their offerings. While academic editors, especially those who already work with graduate students, will find the session most immediately applicable, no academic background is required. You'll come away with a clear understanding of what dissertation and thesis formatting involves, practical techniques for working efficiently in Word, and a downloadable formatting checklist for future projects. 

Elizabeth Gage (she/her), founder of Abstract to Appendix Editorial, is an academic editor, formatter, and writing coach based in Dallas, Texas. Her favorite part of her job is helping graduate students and early-career academics learn how to research and write in their disciplines. Her favorite pastimes are watching sitcoms with her husband and hunting for cool new sticks with her Corgi puppy, Bingus.