Thesis & Proposal Format Checker
Compare your document with the rules you set before you submit. For a DOCX the tool reads page size, margins, fonts, sizes and line spacing (following Word styles and theme fonts), heading styles, page-number fields and a table of contents. For a PDF it measures page size and approximate margins and text size. For pasted text it checks sections, headings, title-page details and citations. Every finding says whether it was measured, approximate or a guess, and a table shows what each kind of input can and cannot check.
Your file is read in your browser and is not uploaded.
Drag and drop here, or choose a file. Up to 50 MB. DOCX gives the most checks. Read in your browser, never uploaded.
Pasted text can only be checked for sections, headings, title-page details and citations.
What can be checked for each kind of input
| Check | DOCX | Pasted text | How | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page size | Measured | Measured | Not checked | From the page setup of the file (the last section of a DOCX, the first page of a PDF). |
| Margins | Measured | Approximate | Not checked | DOCX: the section margin settings. PDF: left and right edges of the body text, which approximate the margins. |
| Page count | Not checked | Measured | Not checked | A DOCX has no fixed page count until it is laid out in Word. |
| Font family | Measured | Not checked | Not checked | DOCX fonts are followed through styles and the theme. PDF font names are not reliably readable. |
| Font size | Measured | Approximate | Not checked | PDF sizes come from the height of the text. |
| Line spacing | Measured | Not checked | Not checked | DOCX spacing is followed through paragraph styles. |
| Heading structure | Measured | Heuristic guess | Heuristic guess | DOCX: Word heading styles. PDF and text: numbered lines such as “2.1 Methods”. |
| Required sections | Heuristic guess | Heuristic guess | Heuristic guess | Looks for a heading line with the section name. |
| Page numbers | Measured | Not checked | Not checked | DOCX: a page-number field in a header or footer. |
| Table of contents | Measured | Not checked | Not checked | DOCX: a table-of-contents field. |
| Title-page details | Heuristic guess | Heuristic guess | Heuristic guess | Keyword search in the first part of the document. |
| Citations and reference list | Heuristic guess | Heuristic guess | Heuristic guess | Looks for author-year or numbered citations and a reference heading. It cannot check that they are correct. |
| Plagiarism, quality or institutional approval | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Never checked by this tool. |
Measured · Approximate · Heuristic guess · Not checked: “Measured” is read from the file. “Approximate” is calculated from text positions or heights. “Heuristic guess” is a pattern in the text and can be wrong. “Not checked” means the tool cannot tell.
Your rules
Set every rule yourself. These are not your institution's rules.
Edit to match your institution's template.
Example findings
Upload a document to see real results. This is what findings look like (sample, not your document):
How it works
- Choose a DOCX or PDF, or paste text.
- Optionally start from common defaults and edit the rules, required sections and title-page check.
- Press Run checks.
- Filter and read the findings grouped by category, then copy, download or print the report.
Options explained
- Support table
- Shows for each check whether it is measured, approximate, a heuristic guess or not checked for DOCX, PDF and pasted text.
- Common defaults
- APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago and generic thesis starting points. They are not your institution's rules.
- Report
- Copy, download as text or HTML, or print the findings with their evidence and confidence.
How the result is worked out
- Likely issue means a measured or detected value differs from your rules. Check this means the tool could not be sure. Passed means it matched.
- DOCX spacing and fonts are followed through the paragraph style, its parents, Normal and the document defaults. PDF margins come from the left and right edges of body text, so they are approximate.
Example
A DOCX with 1.5 inch margins and a rule of 1 inch reports “Margins differ from 1 inch on: top, bottom, left, right” with the measured values, marked as measured.
Tips for better results
- Upload a DOCX for the most checks: margins, page size, fonts, spacing and heading levels.
- Set the rules to match your institution's guidelines before running the checks.
- Findings marked Check this mean the tool could not be sure. Look at them yourself in your document.
Limitations
- It does not check plagiarism, writing quality, or whether any institution will accept the document.
- PDF font names and line spacing cannot be read reliably, so they are not checked. Legacy .doc, .odt and .pages files are not supported.
- Section and citation checks are pattern-based guesses and can be wrong.
- Scanned PDFs have no readable text and need OCR, which is not supported.
Guides that go with this tool
Frequently asked questions
Can it guarantee my thesis meets my university's rules?
No. It compares your file with rules you enter. Your institution's handbook is the authority.
Why is a check marked approximate or a guess?
Because the information is calculated from text positions or found by keyword, not read from a setting.
Is my document uploaded?
No. It is read in your browser.