Front matter

How it is used

Used in thesis and book formatting to refer to preliminary pages, often with different numbering from the main chapters.

Example sentences

1. The graduate school rejected the PDF because the front matter was missing the signed approval page and Turkish abstract.

   Here the term refers to the required preliminary pages that must appear before the thesis chapters begin.

2. She fixed the page numbering in the front matter before submitting the final dissertation to the university archive.

   In this sentence, the term means the opening section of the dissertation, which often has its own formatting rules.

Common collocations

• front matter pages
• prepare the front matter
• front matter requirements

Related terms

• thesisA long piece of original research written for a university degree; also the main idea or position that an essay or article argues for.
• dissertationA long, formal piece of research writing completed for a degree; in the US usually a doctoral thesis, in the UK often a final project for a bachelor's or master's.

More terms: Thesis and Article Structure

• abstract
• paper
• conclusion
• discussion
• draft
• limitation
• proofread
• IMRaD
• introduction
• methods section
• keyword
• appendix