What is Form and Style?

Some institutions describe the format editing process as “Form and Style.”  Completion of the Format Editing process is required in Dissertation Milestone 12.

Dissertation learners must submit completed manuscripts for review by Capella's Format Editors, who specify corrections to be made to the manuscript prior to publication. The format editing process is intended to ensure that the manuscript is properly formatted, with correct citations and references.  Format Editors also monitor to ensure that the dissertation meets the requirements for ethical research and that there is no evidence of plagiarism or fabrication or falsification of data.  It is not the function of the format editor to copyedit or proofread the dissertation.

Find resources to help you write and revise your dissertation. 

The format editor checks for these things:

• Capella style for margins, page numbering, and overall formatting
• APA style for headings, lists, quotations, and tables
• APA style for citations and references
• Appropriate appendix items
• Confidentiality issues
• Copyright issues.
• Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification 

Be sure to consult the Dissertation Format Guidelines while working on your dissertation and to use the correct Dissertation template.