What is the Chinese abstract length requirement for a Peking University master's thesis?

Under the *Peking University Guide to Writing Graduate Theses* (北京大学研究生学位论文写作指南), the Chinese abstract is commonly about **600 Chinese characters**—always verify against the current Graduate School and departmental notices. It should summarize purpose, methods, results, and conclusions as a standalone piece, not repeat the introduction at length. The English Abstract should match the Chinese in substance; it may be slightly longer but should stay concise.

What citation style does Peking University use for master's theses?

Master’s theses usually adopt **GB/T 7714-2005** in **numeric order**: bracketed numbers in text and a numbered reference list. Do not mix author–year and numeric styles. Entries must follow GB/T 7714 for books, journals, conferences, dissertations, etc.

What must appear on the PKU thesis cover?

Covers and title pages typically include: Chinese title, English title, author name, student ID (if required), school/department, discipline or major, supervisor, degree category (master’s), and completion or submission date. Some departments add subtitle, research direction, or joint-training unit. Use the Graduate School’s unified template and match administrative systems exactly.

Peking University Master's Thesis Template Formatting Guide

Overview of formatting requirements

Peking University master’s theses are centered on the writing guide and layout specifications from the Graduate School. In practice, many programs still align with the circa-2014 layout baseline (often called the “2014 formatting guide” tradition) for margins, line spacing, and abstract length. Departments may add rules for figures, appendices, or symbol lists, but margins, body font, abstract length, and reference style should match university baselines to reduce format-review revisions.

Recommended workflow: apply the official template styles first, then write the body, lastly update TOC, figure lists, and reference fields. PKU templates often require different odd/even headers—verify in print preview before duplex printing.

Page setup

Paper: A4 portrait.
Margins: Top 3.0 cm, bottom 2.5 cm, left 2.6 cm, right 2.6 cm. This is not uniform 2.5 cm or 3 cm on all sides—do not change these when re-exporting PDFs or resetting pages.
Binding: Usually left; if duplex, check whether the inner margin needs extra space per the current guide—this document uses the stated four-edge values as the baseline.
Headers and footers: Odd and even pages may differ (e.g. thesis title on odd pages, chapter title on even, or the reverse per template). Enable “different odd and even” under Page Setup → Layout and edit each header separately—avoid one header string for the whole document.
Page numbers: Whether front matter is sectioned and whether number styles change follows the Graduate School template; after section breaks, check starting page number and “continue from previous section”.

Fonts and typography

Chinese body: Songti (宋体), 12 pt.
English body: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Line spacing: Fixed 20 pt (not the same as multiple line spacing—pasted paragraphs often lose this; lock it with styles).
Headings: Level 1 often Heiti, larger than body; lower levels step down—use Word heading styles or template styles for automatic TOC.

Figures and formulas: Caption size is often slightly smaller than or equal to body text, applied consistently; right-aligned equation numbers should align with the text block and avoid overflow.

Cover and front matter

Cover fields must match the integrated graduate management system and submission forms:

| Item | Notes |

|------|--------|

| Chinese title | Same as proposal/defense materials; include subtitle if any |

| English title | Matches Chinese meaning; consistent proper nouns |

| Author | Legal name as on record |

| Department | Full official name of the training unit |

| Discipline/major | As registered |

| Supervisor | Name and title if the template has a line |

| Degree type | Master’s degree |

| Date | Submission year/month or defense pass date per template |

Originality and copyright pages with fixed text must not alter clauses. Abstract pages need keywords in Chinese and English; when targeting ~600 characters for the Chinese abstract, outline first then compress—avoid long literature-style openings in the abstract.

Chapter structure

Typical modules (wording varies by department):

Abstract (Chinese, ~600 characters)
Abstract (English)
Introduction (绪论)
Main chapters (theory, methods, experiments, cases)
References
Acknowledgments

The introduction should state the problem, significance, literature context, and structure; acknowledgments should be appropriate and complete (including grant numbers if required).

If you include appendices or a list of publications during the degree, pagination and TOC entries must follow one rule; publication list format often specifies author order, journal name, volume, issue, and pages.

Reference list format

Style: GB/T 7714-2005 numeric; in-text [1]–[n] matches the list.
Quick checks:

- Journal: Author. Title[J]. Journal name, Year, Vol(Issue): pages.

- Book: Author. Title[M]. Edition. Place: Publisher, Year: cited pages.

- Conference: Author. Title[C]//Proceedings. Place: Publisher, Year: pages.

Electronic sources: Add access date and URL per current GB/T 7714 and school rules.

After exporting from NoteExpress, Zotero, etc., verify truncated volume/pages and all-caps author names from software defaults.

Common formatting mistakes

Fixed 20 pt line spacing broken—pasted text becomes single or 1.5×; clear formatting and reapply the “Body” style.
Odd/even headers identical—“different odd and even” not enabled or only one header edited.
Wrong margins—uniform 2.5 cm or 3 cm instead of PKU’s top 3.0 / bottom 2.5 / left–right 2.6.
Abstract length—far above or below ~600 characters; use word count on the abstract paragraph while drafting.
TOC out of sync—after edits, use “update entire table” before final submission.

Practical tips (typical graduate scenarios)

Section breaks: Separate cover, abstract, TOC, and body for independent headers/footers; after each break, set paper/margins then page number format.
Cross-references: Insert cross-references to captions so “see Figure 3-2” updates automatically.
Wide tables: Use a landscape section if needed; check header orientation and page number position.
Reference numbers: Avoid typing numbers manually—use fields or reference software to reduce renumbering errors when deleting citations.

Department-level differences to watch

Humanities vs. STEM/medicine: Figure conventions, international reference share, or required appendices may differ—follow your school’s supplement.
Professional vs. academic degrees: Cover lines for “field” or “research direction” may differ—do not confuse with “discipline/major”.
English abstract: Some departments require English keywords to align strictly with Chinese (order may vary) for bilingual retrieval.

Matching English Abstract to Chinese

Substance: Methods, main results, and conclusions should align—avoid translating only the first half in English.
Proper nouns: Use standard spellings (pinyin vs. established English names per journal practice).
Acronyms: Spell out on first use in the English abstract and stay consistent with the main text.

Checking headers for duplex printing

Use Print Preview with duplex enabled and review each page: odd headers on the outer edge, even headers symmetric; page numbers in the required position (footer center or outside). Two-page view in a PDF reader also reveals missing even-page headers.

“Format freeze” in the week before submission

Freeze chapter structure; allow only minor wording edits.
Normalize full-width/half-width punctuation per Chinese body conventions.
Align figure list page numbers with actual pages.
Back up the reference list separately to avoid overwrite during collaboration.

Suggested ~600-character abstract structure (non-mandatory)

A workable skeleton: 1–2 sentences purpose + 2–4 sentences methods + 3–6 sentences main results + 1–2 sentences conclusions and significance—avoid a full literature review inside the abstract. English Abstract: short, parallel sentences and limited subordination for non-Chinese-speaking reviewers.

Misunderstandings about the “2014 layout guide”

“2014” usually marks a baseline year for the writing/layout PDF; later errata or notices may apply—always use the latest official PDF. If margins or abstract length change, update your template after the announcement.

What reviewers and spot-checks often notice

Implicit checks include: TOC reflects real heading levels, figure/table numbering is continuous, references are verifiable. Clean format helps first impressions; header chaos or an oversized abstract often fails formal review.

Library metadata and electronic submission

If the system asks for title, keywords, abstract, match the thesis title page character for character. English title capitalization (title case vs. sentence case) should match the cover English title.

Final PDFs should be searchable text, not full-page scans of images.

If anything here conflicts with the latest university file, the official file wins.

How to generate PKU thesis format with AutoSCI

Upload your thesis — PDF or Word
Choose a template — “Peking University Master’s Thesis” (北京大学硕士学位论文)
Fill in cover fields — Title, author, supervisor, department, etc.
Export — Word or PDF meeting PKU rules

AutoSCI follows Peking University’s current degree thesis guidelines for cover layout, pagination, fonts, and references.