UTM breaks from the other four Malaysian universities on three separate counts, and each one costs money if you find out late: your final thesis is printed double-sided on B5 paper, and your similarity score is checked chapter by chapter.
This page sets out the UTM thesis format requirements in force at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia as of September 2026, read from the university’s own guideline rather than from a template passed down between students. Margins are drawn to scale, and the Word settings are given so you can set them up before you write another paragraph.
Your UTM page, drawn to scale
Most formatting errors are margin errors, and most margin errors come from setting all four sides the same. Here is what a Universiti Teknologi Malaysia thesis page actually looks like:
Your UTM page, drawn to scale. UTM is the outlier: both the left and right margins are 3.25 cm, because the thesis is printed double-sided and either edge can end up at the binding. If you set 3.25 cm on the left only, half your pages will be wrong.
Set your UTM thesis up in Word first
Retrofitting margins and spacing into a finished 200-page document is miserable. Setting them correctly at the start costs ten minutes. Copy these values straight across:
| Top | 2.5 cm |
| Bottom | 2.5 cm |
| Left | 3.25 cm |
| Right | 3.25 cm |
| Paper size | A4 for viva copies, B5 for the final hardbound copy |
| Typeface | 12 pt — Times New Roman or Book Antiqua; or Arial, Tahoma or Calibri |
| Body text | No blanket rule — set by line-counts between elements |
Do this before you write another paragraph. If you are already deep into the thesis, fix it now anyway — the longer you leave it, the more your tables, figures and page breaks will shift when the margins finally change.
UTM thesis length limits
No word limit stated — UTM caps pages instead
Abstract requirements
Length: 300–500 words, one page, single or 1.5 spacing.
Languages: Both Bahasa Malaysia and English required, whichever language the thesis is written in.
Every Malaysian university on this list requires both a Bahasa Malaysia and an English abstract, regardless of which language the thesis itself is written in. Where they differ is the order and the word count, and both are checked.
Referencing style
Harvard, Vancouver or APA — pick one.
Turnitin and similarity
Binding and cover colour
For examination: Soft-bound, A4.
Final submission: 1 hardbound (B5) + 1 softcopy to the library.
Check the cover specification before you pay the binder. Binders print exactly what you hand them, and a wrong-coloured cover is an expensive reprint rather than a quick fix.
What trips people up at UTM
1. Two paper sizes at two stages
Your viva copies are A4. Your final hardbound copy is B5. The page count and layout you defended is not the artefact you bind — and B5 is 176 × 250 mm against A4’s 210 × 297, so everything reflows.
2. Printed on both sides
The only one of the five. Every other university wants single-sided. This is why both margins are 3.25 cm rather than just the left.
3. Turnitin is scored per chapter
20% per chapter, not overall. A thesis sitting at a comfortable 12% overall can still fail if the literature review alone is at 24%. Check chapter by chapter early, not at the end.
4. A generative-AI declaration is now required
A separate form covering AI use in the writing process is part of the required paperwork under the 2023 manual. It is new enough that many supervisors have not mentioned it.
5. The official template is mandatory
UTM’s Word (.dotx) or LaTeX thesis template must be used. This is not a suggestion — and using it from the start saves you every other rule on this page.
6. No single spacing rule to copy
UTM does not say “double spaced”. It specifies exact line-counts between elements: four line-spaces after a chapter title, two between paragraphs, two before and after tables. Most candidates assume double spacing and are wrong.
The rule that overrides everything on this page. Your faculty can be stricter than your university, and frequently is. Confirm three things in writing with your own faculty before you submit: the word limit, the similarity cap, and the referencing style. Those three are where faculty-level overrides almost always live. Margins, paper and binding colour are set centrally and rarely vary.
Of the five, UTM is the one where downloading the official template first genuinely saves you the most work. Almost every rule on this page is already built into it.
UTM thesis format compared with the other Malaysian universities
If you are moving between universities — a Master’s at one and a PhD at another, which is extremely common in Malaysia — the assumptions you carry across are usually wrong. Our
side-by-side comparison of all five universities puts every number in one table.
- UiTM thesis format requirements
- IIUM thesis format requirements
- UTAR thesis format requirements
- MMU thesis format requirements
- UNIMAS thesis format requirements
- UM thesis format — Universiti Malaya
- UPM thesis format — Universiti Putra Malaysia
- UKM thesis format — Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
- USM thesis format — Universiti Sains Malaysia
Want your UTM thesis to pass format checking the first time?
We work with postgraduate researchers at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia on structure, formatting compliance and getting a manuscript through format checking without a return — on your own work, to your own faculty’s specification.
Source: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Thesis Manual 2023 (updated 18 October 2023), School of Graduate Studies —
sps.utm.my/thesis-formatting-2023.
Read as published in September 2026. Guidelines are revised without notice and faculties may impose stricter requirements — always confirm against your own faculty before submission. If you spot something that has changed, tell us and we will update this page.