Paper formatting requirements: font size and line spacing standards

Key points of this article

The paper layout format requirements are based on the school template. The most common ones are Song font and bold font for the main text and bold font for the title. The line spacing is mostly fixed value or multiple line spacing. Find the school's formatting regulations before starting.
The font size should correspond to the title level. Chapter titles are usually larger than section titles. The text size should be consistent. Do not use manual bolding or changing font sizes to replace title styles.
Line spacing should be distinguished between "fixed value" and "multiple line spacing". Tables, figure titles, footnotes and references can be set independently without applying text line spacing.
Page numbers, margins and binding methods are also typesetting requirements. Roman numerals are commonly used in abstracts and tables of contents, and the main text is numbered separately starting from the first chapter.
Use Word's style function to uniformly set fonts and line spacing. Once you change it, you can synchronize the entire text, making it less error-prone than manually adjusting it paragraph by paragraph.

Many students discovered after finishing their papers that the formatting requirements did not match their own layout: the text size was wrong, the title levels were confusing, the line spacing varied from large to small, and the school's duplication checking and binding processes had to be reworked. There is no unified national standard for paper layout requirements and font size. Each school and college has different writing methods in the regulations, but the general framework is similar. This article helps you clarify common fonts, font sizes, line spacing and printing specifications, so that you know what to set before starting typesetting.

After reading this article, you can do three things: first, know where to find the official requirements of the school; second, be able to understand what writing methods such as "Song Ti Xiao Si" and "fixed value 20 pounds" mean respectively; third, use styles to unify the full text format at once in Word. The values mentioned in the article are common requirements, please refer to the documents issued by your school.

How to determine the paper formatting requirements and font size? One sentence conclusion

First, follow the graduation thesis format specifications or templates released by the school. If there is no template, refer to the common writing methods: use Song font and small four for the main text, use bold font for chapter titles, use fixed value or multiple line spacing, and set it uniformly with styles.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
The school has an official format template	Apply the template directly and only replace the content	The template already includes font, font size, margin and page number settings, which saves trouble and is less prone to errors.
The school only has a written version of the regulations	Note down the font, font size, line spacing, and page margins one by one to create your own style sheet	Text regulations are usually spread over several pages and should be compiled into a list first so that items are not missed during typesetting.
The regulations only say "Song style Xiao Si" without any line spacing.	Check with your instructor or the college’s academic affairs department. A common practice is to use fixed values or multiple line spacing.	Whether the line spacing should be uniform, a fixed value or a multiple, each school has different habits, so don’t make any assumptions.
To write a master's or doctoral thesis	Check the graduate school’s dissertation printing format requirements and set them individually.	The cover, abstract, table of contents and binding requirements for a dissertation are often more detailed than those for an undergraduate thesis.
The paper contains a large number of charts and formulas	Font sizes for chart titles, table text and formulas can be set individually	These contents often have independent font size regulations, and uniformly applying the text style may not meet the requirements.

How do fonts and font sizes correspond?

Fonts and font sizes are used to distinguish levels. What words should be used for the title, main text, notes, headers and footers, so that readers can see the structure at a glance. A common practice is: use Song font for the main text, bold font for the title, and Times New Roman for English and numbers according to school requirements.

Common correspondences between font sizes are as follows:

Level 1 Title (Chapter): Commonly used boldface number three or two, centered.
Level 2 headings (sections): Commonly used in boldface type 4, aligned left.
Level 3 headings: Commonly used in boldface, small four or size four, can be indented or bolded.
Text: Commonly used Song style Xiaosi, with the first line indented by two characters.
Chart titles, table notes, headers and footers: commonly used number five or small five.

The font size and point size should be distinguished clearly.

Chinese font size and point size are two sets of writing methods. A size four is about 12 pounds, a size four is about 14 pounds, and a size five is about 10.5 pounds. When setting in Word, you can either select the text size or enter the point size directly. If the school requires you to write "primary four", you should choose primary four; if the school requires you to write "12 pounds", just enter 12. The two are equivalent.

Common misunderstandings

Many people think that the larger the font size, the more formal it is. In fact, the body of the paper does not pursue large fonts. If the text size is too large, the page count will swell and you may be required to reflow. Another misconception is that titles only need to be bold. Boldening is only for emphasis and cannot replace hierarchy. When the table of contents is automatically generated, only paragraphs with title styles are recognized. Manually bolded titles will not be entered into the table of contents.

How to set line spacing? What is the difference between fixed value and multiple?

Line spacing is a key parameter that affects the look and feel of your paper and the number of pages. There are two common line spacing settings in Word: one is "multiple line spacing", which is calculated as a multiple of the font size, and a common writing method is the multiple specified by the school; the other is "fixed value", such as 20 points. The difference between the two is that the multi-line spacing will change as the font size changes, while the fixed value will remain unchanged.

There is an area of confusion here. The school's "fixed value of 20 points" and "multiple spacing" are not visually different, but they behave differently in paragraphs with mixed font sizes. For example, when a larger font size is used for a title, the fixed line spacing may cause the text to be blocked or compressed. In this case, the line spacing of the title needs to be adjusted separately.

Where can you set separate line spacing?

Regulations usually only target the main text, but there are several categories of content to pay attention to in actual formatting:

Table Text: Commonly use single line spacing or smaller fixed values to avoid overly high table heights.
References: Some schools' regulations are the same as the main text, while others allow slightly less; please refer to our school's regulations.
Figure Title and Table Notes: Generally consistent with or slightly smaller than the main text, with positions closely aligned with the charts.
Table of Contents: Line spacing can be appropriately relaxed to facilitate reading.

The distance between the front and back of the paragraph should also be uniform.

The spacing between the preceding and post-segment is another easily overlooked variation besides line spacing. If the values before and after different paragraphs are inconsistent, the page will show gaps that fluctuate between large and small. It is recommended to set the style uniformly, for example, setting a fixed value before and after the title paragraph, setting zero before and after the body paragraph, and then controlling the rhythm solely by line spacing.

Page margins, page numbers, and printing specifications

Regulations for printing and binding often appear alongside font line spacing in school formatting requirements. Although they do not directly affect font size, they do influence the final page layout.

Margins: The common method is to leave a certain width on each side, top, bottom, left, and right. The binding side should be slightly wider than the other sides, so the text is not blocked after binding. Please refer to the school's regulations for specific values.
Page Numbering: The common practice is to leave the cover unnumbered, the abstract and table of contents using Roman numerals, and the main text renumbered starting from Chapter 1 using Arabic numerals. In Word, you need to use the "Section" feature to set the page number format separately.
Header: Some schools require the thesis title or school name to be written in the header, usually smaller than the main text.
Binding method: Before printing, confirm whether the page is single-sided or double-sided. When printing double-sided, the margins on odd-even pages may need to be set symmetrically.

📊 Core Comparison

Common formatting differences among text levels can be quickly compared using the table below:

Content types	Common fonts	Common font sizes	Common line spacing	Alignment methods
chapter title	Heiti	Number three or second child	Single or fixed values	and took the center position
Section title	Heiti	Number four	Consistent with the main text	Aligned to the left
Main text	Song style	Fourth grade	Fixed values or multiple line spacing	Both ends aligned, the first row is indented
Chart heading	Song style	Size 5 or Little Four	Single times	and took the center position
References	Song style	Size 5 or Little Four	Consistent with or slightly smaller than the main text	Left-aligned, hanging indented

This table is just a reference for common writing methods. Some schools require the main text to be size 5, some require titles to be size 4, and some schools have stricter values for margins and line spacing. Comparing with the school's official documents before formatting is more reliable than copying any table.

How to actually use it

Below are common steps for setting a unified thesis format in Word, suitable for most schools' layout requirements:

Open the template provided by the school or create a new document. First, set the margins, paper size, and binding margins according to school regulations.
In the style panel, create or modify "Title 1", "Title 2", and "Title 3", and set font, font size, bold, and distance before and after paragraphs respectively, corresponding to the three levels of titles for chapter, section, and subsection.
Modify the "Main Text" style, set SimSun font to Grade 4, indent two characters in the first line, and line spacing to a fixed value or multiple specified by the school.
Establish styles for figures, captions, and references to avoid inheriting line spacing and indentation from the main text.
Use section breaks to separate the cover, abstract, table of contents, and main text, and set page number format and starting numbering separately.
After finishing the entire text, check: whether the title is all in the title style, whether the table of contents is correctly generated, and whether page numbers start from the first page of the main text.

If your paper is mainly in Chinese, you can first edit it in the UniDoc web editor (app.unidoc.top), which supports Word-compatible editing and conversion between Word and LaTeX. No matter which tool you use, after layout is complete, it is recommended to print or export the PDF, checking page by page for title levels, page numbers, and tables for misalignment.

🎯 Which method suits you?

Tight time, just want to pass quickly: Use the school template directly, only checking for font and line spacing as required.
Extensive text, complex chapters: Create a complete stylesheet, set the title hierarchy first, then write the main text; the table of contents and page numbers save a lot of rework.
Includes a large number of formulas and charts: Set styles for charts and formulas separately, with reserved space to prevent table misalignment after page breaks.
Printing and binding required: First confirm the binding method and page margins, then decide the left and right margins of the main text, and finally adjust font size and line spacing.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Where can I find the formatting requirements for papers?

Prioritize checking the graduation thesis formatting guidelines published by the university's Academic Affairs Office or Graduate School, as well as templates and instructions issued by the college. If there is only a verbal request, please confirm with your advisor or college and keep written evidence.

2. Is line spacing more reliable with multiple line spacing, or is a fixed 20 lbs safer?

Both are common usages; which one to choose depends on school regulations. If a fixed value is specified, strictly follow the fixed value; If you only specify the line spacing requirements without specifying the method, you can ask your advisor or college first to avoid formatting and then making changes.

3. What is the difference between bolding titles and using title styles?

Bold only changes appearance; directories and navigation panes are not recognizable; The title style is recognized by the system as hierarchical, automatically generates a table of contents, and facilitates subsequent adjustments. In paper typesetting, both should be used simultaneously, meaning the title style should be set to bold and bold.

4. Why can't paper page numbers start from the cover?

Most schools require that the cover page is not counted, with table of contents and abstracts numbered separately, and the main text starting from chapter one in numbering. In Word, you need to set it up by sections, rather than simply deleting the page numbers at the beginning.

5. What should I do if I find the number of pages has increased after formatting?

First, check whether line spacing is mistakenly set as a multiple rather than a fixed value, then check whether the chart and references use the main text line spacing, and finally confirm whether the line spacing before and after the paragraph is consistent. These three factors are usually the main reasons for abnormal increases in page count.

📝 Summary

There is no universally applicable format or font size for theses; the official school regulations prevail. Common practices include SimSun font for the main text, bold titles, and consistent line spacing. Before starting, organize the inventory and then set it all at once with styles, saving a lot of rework time.

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