Introducing templates

Styles can be modified and new styles added. This happens when we create new templates.

• A document's template is the set of styles available to format it.
• When we set a document to a particular template, we say that the template is attached to the document.

When you begin to write your thesis, you will need to format the chapters consistently. Recreating these layouts in each new chapter is tedious and time-consuming. Templates let you format your thesis automatically.

Thesis templates usually have two parts: the main body template (to format every chapter and appendix) and the preliminary pages template (used once only, prior to printing the final copy of your thesis).

Main body template

The main body template contains all of the styles needed to format a thesis chapter. It can store:

• information on page size and orientation, margins, headers and footers
• special text that is required in your document – eg chapter number and title, headings and sub-headings, block quotes, footnotes or endnotes, reference list and appendices
• paragraph styles, including alignment, line spacing, indenting and bulleted lists

Find out about and link to the UniSA thesis template

Preliminary pages template

You can also save a template to format such preliminary pages as:

• title page
• lists of contents, tables and figures,
• acknowledgements, declaration and summary

Find out about and link to the UniSA preliminary pages template