{"id":7064,"date":"2026-02-11T14:29:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T06:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/?p=7064"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:29:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T06:29:39","slug":"thesis-formatting-guide-for-malaysian-universities-um-utm-ukm-upm-usm-surviving-the-ips-check-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/thesis-formatting-guide-for-malaysian-universities-um-utm-ukm-upm-usm-surviving-the-ips-check-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesis Format Panduan untuk Malaysia Universiti (UM, UTM, KATANYA, UPM, LENYAP): masih Hidup IPS Memeriksa (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You have finished writing. Your supervisor is happy. You print your draft and walk confidently into the <strong>Institute of Postgraduate Studies (IPS)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five minutes later, you walk out with your thesis in your hand and a rejection slip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>&#8220;Left margin is 3.8cm, needs to be 4.0cm.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;Page number font is size 11, needs to be 12.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;The abstract is 1.5 spacing, needs to be single spacing.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to the <strong>&#8220;Technical Review&#8221;<\/strong>, the final boss battle of your PhD or Master&#8217;s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every major Malaysian university, whether, <strong>UM, UTM, UKM, UPM, and USM<\/strong>, has its own specific &#8220;Thesis Manual.&#8221; They differ slightly, but they are all incredibly strict. A formatting error here isn&#8217;t just a typo; it is a <strong>Desk Rejection<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is your 2026 Survival Guide to formatting your thesis for the &#8220;Big 5&#8221; Malaysian universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/the-definitive-guide-to-thesis-formatting-citation-styles-in-malaysia-2026-edition\/\">More on Citations\/References.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. The &#8220;Universal&#8221; Malaysian Standard (The 4.0 cm Rule)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While each university has quirks, there is one rule that rules them all: <strong>The Binding Margin.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because your thesis will be hardcover bound (often in black, maroon, or dark blue), the glue and stitching take up space on the left side of the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The &#8220;Gutter&#8221; Rule:<\/strong> The Left Margin must be <strong>4.0 cm (1.57 inches)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Rest:<\/strong> Top, Bottom, and Right are usually <strong>2.5 cm (1.0 inch)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Mistake:<\/strong> Do <em>not<\/em> just set the Left Margin to 4.0cm in Word. Use the <strong>&#8220;Gutter&#8221;<\/strong> setting if you are printing double-sided (Mirror Margins), or stick to a hard 4.0cm Left if printing single-sided.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. University-Specific Quirks (2026 Edition)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not assume &#8220;APA Style&#8221; handles the formatting. APA is for citations. <strong>The Thesis Manual<\/strong> is for layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Universiti Malaya (UM) \u2013 <em>The &#8220;Title Page&#8221; Trap<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UM is famous for having a Title Page that uses a completely different font from the rest of the thesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Body Text:<\/strong> Times New Roman, 12pt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Title Page:<\/strong> <strong>Arial Narrow<\/strong>. (Yes, really). The Title must be 18pt (uppercase), and the Author Name must be 16pt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Trap:<\/strong> If you write your Title Page in Times New Roman, the IPS officer will spot it from across the room.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) \u2013 <em>&#8220;Gaya UKM&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UKM has its own style called <strong>Gaya UKM<\/strong>. It is a modified version of Harvard\/APA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Bilingual Rule:<\/strong> You often need <strong>two<\/strong> Title Pages and <strong>two<\/strong> Abstracts (one in Bahasa Melayu, one in English).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Numbering:<\/strong> UKM is very strict on heading numbering (1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.1.1). If you miss a level, you fail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Citations:<\/strong> For Malay theses, you must use &#8220;dan&#8221; instead of &#8220;and&#8221; in the brackets <em>(Ali dan Tan, 2026)<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukm.my\/pusatsiswazah\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/2015-GayaUKM-BI-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Download Gaya UKM Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) \u2013 <em>The &#8220;Indentation&#8221; Obsession<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UTM\u2019s manual is engineering-precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Paragraphs:<\/strong> The first line of every paragraph must be indented exactly <strong>1.27 cm (0.5 inch)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spacing:<\/strong> There is <strong>NO<\/strong> double spacing between paragraphs. You just continue to the next line. (Most other unis require a blank line).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong> The leader dots (&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;) must align perfectly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sps.utm.my\/thesis-formatting-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Download UTM Thesis Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) \u2013 <em>The &#8220;Appendices&#8221; Layout<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UPM follows APA closely but has strict rules on the <strong>Appendices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Labeling:<\/strong> Must be labeled <strong>APPENDIX A<\/strong>, <strong>APPENDIX B<\/strong> at the top center.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pagination:<\/strong> The page numbers in the Appendix must continue from the main text. Many students accidentally restart numbering at &#8220;1&#8221; in the Appendix.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sgs.upm.edu.my\/upload\/dokumen\/92225_GUIDELINE_TO_THESIS_PREPARATION.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Download UPM Thesis Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) \u2013 <em>The &#8220;List of Publications&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">USM places high value on your published works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Placement:<\/strong> Depending on your school (Arts vs. Science), the <strong>List of Publications<\/strong> might go <em>before<\/em> the Table of Contents or at the very end. Check your specific School\u2019s manual.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Binding Color:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>PhD:<\/strong> Black.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Master\u2019s:<\/strong> Red\/Maroon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/staffusm-my.sharepoint.com\/personal\/adminlib_usm_my\/_layouts\/15\/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fadminlib%5Fusm%5Fmy%2FDocuments%2FTESIS%20TEMPLATE&amp;ga=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Download USM Thesis Template<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. The Technical Nightmare: Pagination (i vs. 1)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the #1 reason students cry in front of their laptops at 3 AM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your thesis requires two different numbering systems in the <strong>same Word document<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Front Matter<\/strong> (Abstract, Acknowledgements, Lists): <strong>Roman Numerals (i, ii, iii)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Main Body<\/strong> (Chapter 1 onwards): <strong>Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Fix It (The &#8220;Section Break&#8221; Hack):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click at the very end of your &#8220;List of Figures&#8221; page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to <strong>Layout<\/strong> > <strong>Breaks<\/strong> > <strong>Next Page<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Double-click the Footer on the new page (Chapter 1).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CRITICAL STEP:<\/strong> Click <strong>&#8220;Link to Previous&#8221;<\/strong> to turn it OFF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Now, format the page number to start at &#8220;1&#8221;. The previous pages will stay as &#8220;iv&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. The &#8220;Table of Contents&#8221; Disaster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you type your Table of Contents (TOC) manually, you are doomed. When you edit Chapter 3, the page numbers will change, and your manual TOC will be wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Fix:<\/strong> You <strong>MUST<\/strong> use Microsoft Word\u2019s <strong>&#8220;Styles&#8221;<\/strong> function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Highlight &#8220;Chapter 1&#8221; -> Click <strong>Heading 1<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highlight &#8220;1.1 Introduction&#8221; -> Click <strong>Heading 2<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the top page -> <strong>References<\/strong> -> <strong>Table of Contents<\/strong> -> <strong>Automatic Table 1<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Result:<\/em> Word updates the page numbers for you automatically forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Summary Checklist: Before You Go to IPS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Print this list and check it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>[ ] <strong>Left Margin:<\/strong> Is it exactly 4.0 cm?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>[ ] <strong>Font:<\/strong> Is it Times New Roman 12pt (except for UM Title Page)?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>[ ] <strong>Spacing:<\/strong> Is it Double Spacing (2.0) or 1.5? (Check your manual\u2014most are Double, but Abstract is often Single).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>[ ] <strong>Pagination:<\/strong> Does Chapter 1 start on Page 1? (Not Page 15?).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>[ ] <strong>Running Head:<\/strong> Did you accidentally leave a &#8220;Running Head&#8221; (APA 6th) when your uni uses APA 7th?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Scared of the &#8220;Red Pen&#8221; at IPS?<\/strong> Don&#8217;t let a margin error delay your graduation by 3 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/manuscript-style-formatting-services\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"3234\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>[Manuscript Style Formatting Service]<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 We don&#8217;t just &#8220;check&#8221; your thesis; we <strong>re-format<\/strong> it. We apply the specific 2026 templates for <strong>UM, UTM, UKM, UPM, and USM<\/strong> to ensure you pass the Technical Review on the first try.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/citations-references-adjustment-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"3226\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">[Citations &amp; References Adjustment]<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 We fix your bibliography to match &#8220;Gaya UKM&#8221; or &#8220;USM Harvard&#8221; perfectly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You have finished writing. Your supervisor is happy. You print your draft and walk confidently into the Institute of Postgraduate Studies (IPS). Five minutes later, you walk out with your thesis in your hand and a rejection slip. Welcome to the &#8220;Technical Review&#8221;, the final boss battle of your PhD or Master&#8217;s degree. Every major [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[169,137,177,168,113],"class_list":["post-7064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-citations-references-formatting","tag-bibliography","tag-citations","tag-gaya-ukm","tag-references","tag-style-format-adjustment"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/proofreadingmalaysia.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}