Skip to main content
All modules

TemplateThesesthesiswritingpsychology

Dissertate (Harvard)

Jordan Suchow's Dissertate template, a typographically polished dissertation set in EB Garamond, driven by the vendored Dissertate class on xelatex.

MIT (Dissertate.cls, adapted font loading)

Loading PDF preview…

This workspace is set up with the Dissertate template, a beautifully typeset dissertation in EB Garamond, with a title page, abstract, acknowledgments, and two starter chapters. Tell me your topic, field, and university and I will fill in the details and start drafting with you.

What’s inside

  • Starter files
  • main.tex2.0 KB
    % !TeX program = xelatex
\documentclass{Dissertate}

\usepackage{booktabs}

\begin{document}

% ---------- Title page ----------
\pagenumbering{roman}
\begin{titlepage}
  \begin{center}
    \vspace*{2cm}
    {\Large\scshape A Sample Dissertation in the Dissertate Style\par}
    \vspace{2cm}
    {\large a dissertation presented \\ by \\[0.5em] {\scshape Your Name} \\[0.5em] to \\[0.5em] The Department Name\par}
    \vspace{1.5cm}
    in partial fulfillment of the requirements \\
    for the degree of \\ Doctor of Philosophy \\
    in the subject of \\ Field Name
    \vspace{1.5cm}

    University Name \\ City, State \\ May 2026
  \end{center}
\end{titlepage}

\setcounter{page}{2}

\chapter*{Abstract}
Replace this paragraph with the abstract of your dissertation. Dissertate
is Jordan Suchow's typographically polished dissertation template, set in
EB Garamond with old-style figures and small caps.

\chapter*{Acknowledgments}
Thank the people and funding sources that made the work possible. Replace
this placeholder with your own acknowledgments.

\tableofcontents

\clearpage
\pagenumbering{arabic}

\chapter{Introduction}

\newthought{State the problem} the dissertation addresses and why it
matters. The \verb|\newthought| command opens a section's first phrase in
small caps. Citations are superscript numbers via natbib and
bibtex\cite{garamond1530}. A display equation:
\begin{equation}
  p(\theta \mid y) \propto p(y \mid \theta)\, p(\theta) .
\end{equation}

\chapter{Method}

A small table set with booktabs; tables switch to tabular figures
automatically:

\begin{table}[ht]
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{lrr}
    \toprule
    Condition & $n$ & Result \\
    \midrule
    Control   & 40 & 0.62 \\
    Treatment & 40 & 0.87 \\
    \bottomrule
  \end{tabular}
  \caption{Summary of results.}
  \label{tab:results}
\end{table}

To continue, replace these chapters with your own material, or ask the agent
in the chat alongside this document to draft chapters in this style for you.

\bibliographystyle{unsrtnat}
\bibliography{references}

\end{document}
  • Libraries and docs
  • Dissertate.cls6.3 KB
    % -------------------------------------------------------------------
%  @LaTeX-class-file{
%     filename        = "Dissertate.cls",
%     version         = "2.0",
%     date            = "25 March 2014",
%     codetable       = "ISO/ASCII",
%     keywords        = "LaTeX, Dissertate",
%     supported       = "Send email to suchow@post.harvard.edu.",
%     docstring       = "Class for a dissertation."
% --------------------------------------------------------------------

\NeedsTeXFormat{LaTeX2e}
\ProvidesClass{Dissertate}[2014/03/25 v2.0 Dissertate Class]
\LoadClass[12pt, oneside, letterpaper]{book}

%
% Options
%
\RequirePackage{etoolbox}

% Line spacing: dsingle/ddouble
%   Whether to use single- or doublespacing.
\newtoggle{DissertateSingleSpace}
\togglefalse{DissertateSingleSpace}
\DeclareOption{dsingle}{
    \toggletrue{DissertateSingleSpace}
    \ClassWarning{Dissertate}{Single-spaced mode on.}
}
\DeclareOption{ddouble}{\togglefalse{DissertateSingleSpace}}

\ProcessOptions\relax

% Line Spacing
%   Define two line spacings: one for the body, and one that is more compressed.
\iftoggle{DissertateSingleSpace}{
    \newcommand{\dnormalspacing}{1.2}
    \newcommand{\dcompressedspacing}{1.0}
}{
    \newcommand{\dnormalspacing}{2.0}
    \newcommand{\dcompressedspacing}{1.2}
}

% Block quote with compressed spacing
\let\oldquote\quote
\let\endoldquote\endquote
\renewenvironment{quote}
    {\begin{spacing}{\dcompressedspacing}\oldquote}
    {\endoldquote\end{spacing}}

% Itemize with compressed spacing
\let\olditemize\itemize
\let\endolditemize\enditemize
\renewenvironment{itemize}
    {\begin{spacing}{\dcompressedspacing}\olditemize}
    {\endolditemize\end{spacing}}

% Enumerate with compressed spacing
\let\oldenumerate\enumerate
\let\endoldenumerate\endenumerate
\renewenvironment{enumerate}
    {\begin{spacing}{\dcompressedspacing}\oldenumerate}
    {\endoldenumerate\end{spacing}}

% Text layout.
\RequirePackage[width=5.75in, letterpaper]{geometry}
\usepackage{ragged2e}
\RaggedRight
\RequirePackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{fixltx2e}
\parindent 12pt
\RequirePackage{lettrine}
\RequirePackage{setspace}
\RequirePackage{verbatim}

% Fonts.
\RequirePackage{color}
\RequirePackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\RequirePackage{url}
\RequirePackage{amssymb}
% Font loading adapted for TeX Live-shipped fonts (loaded by filename via
% kpathsea, so no system font installation is needed); mathspec replaced by
% fontspec, so math falls back to the default math fonts.
\RequirePackage{fontspec}
\AtBeginEnvironment{tabular}{\addfontfeature{RawFeature=+tnum}}
\widowpenalty=300
\clubpenalty=300
\setmainfont{EBGaramond}[Extension=.otf, UprightFont=*-Regular,
    ItalicFont=*-Italic, BoldFont=*-Bold, BoldItalicFont=*-BoldItalic,
    Numbers=OldStyle, Ligatures={Common, TeX}, Scale=1.0]
\newfontfamily{\smallcaps}[Extension=.otf, UprightFont=*-Regular,
    RawFeature={+c2sc,+scmp}]{EBGaramond}
\setsansfont{Lato}[Extension=.ttf, UprightFont=*-Regular,
    ItalicFont=*-Italic, BoldFont=*-Bold, BoldItalicFont=*-BoldItalic,
    Scale=MatchLowercase]
\setmonofont{SourceCodePro}[Extension=.otf, UprightFont=*-Regular,
    ItalicFont=*-RegularIt, BoldFont=*-Bold, BoldItalicFont=*-BoldIt,
    Scale=MatchLowercase]
\RequirePackage[labelfont={bf,sf,footnotesize,singlespacing},
                textfont={sf,footnotesize,singlespacing},
                justification=RaggedRight,
                singlelinecheck=false,
                margin=0pt,
                figurewithin=chapter,
                tablewithin=chapter]{caption}
\renewcommand{\thefootnote}{\fnsymbol{footnote}}
\RequirePackage{microtype}


% Headings and headers.
\RequirePackage{fancyhdr}
\RequirePackage[tiny, md, sc]{titlesec}
\setlength{\headheight}{15pt}
\pagestyle{plain}
\RequirePackage{titling}

% Front matter.
\setcounter{tocdepth}{1}
\usepackage[titles]{tocloft}
\usepackage[titletoc]{appendix}
\renewcommand{\cftsecleader}{\cftdotfill{\cftdotsep}}
\renewcommand{\cftchapfont}{\normalsize \scshape}
\renewcommand\listfigurename{Listing of figures}
\renewcommand\listtablename{Listing of tables}

% Endmatter
\renewcommand{\setthesection}{\arabic{chapter}.A\arabic{section}}

% References.
\renewcommand\bibname{References}
\RequirePackage[super,comma,numbers]{natbib}
\renewcommand{\bibnumfmt}[1]{[#1]}
\RequirePackage[palatino]{quotchap}
\renewcommand*{\chapterheadstartvskip}{\vspace*{-0.5\baselineskip}}
\renewcommand*{\chapterheadendvskip}{\vspace{1.3\baselineskip}}

% An environment for paragraph-style section.
\providecommand\newthought[1]{%
   \addvspace{1.0\baselineskip plus 0.5ex minus 0.2ex}%
   \noindent\textsc{#1}%
}

% Align reference numbers so that they do not cause an indent.
\newlength\mybibindent
\setlength\mybibindent{0pt}
\renewenvironment{thebibliography}[1]
    {\chapter*{\bibname}%
     \@mkboth{\MakeUppercase\bibname}{\MakeUppercase\bibname}%
     \list{\@biblabel{\@arabic\c@enumiv}}
          {\settowidth\labelwidth{\@biblabel{999}}
           \leftmargin\labelwidth
            \advance\leftmargin\dimexpr\labelsep+\mybibindent\relax\itemindent-\mybibindent
           \@openbib@code
           \usecounter{enumiv}
           \let\p@enumiv\@empty
           \renewcommand\theenumiv{\@arabic\c@enumiv}}
     \sloppy
     \clubpenalty4000
     \@clubpenalty \clubpenalty
     \widowpenalty4000%
     \sfcode`\.\@m}
    {\def\@noitemerr
      {\@latex@warning{Empty `thebibliography' environment}}
     \endlist}

% Some definitions.
\def\advisor#1{\gdef\@advisor{#1}}
\def\coadvisorOne#1{\gdef\@coadvisorOne{#1}}
\def\coadvisorTwo#1{\gdef\@coadvisorTwo{#1}}
\def\committeeInternal#1{\gdef\@committeeInternal{#1}}
\def\committeeInternalOne#1{\gdef\@committeeInternalOne{#1}}
\def\committeeInternalTwo#1{\gdef\@committeeInternalTwo{#1}}
\def\committeeExternal#1{\gdef\@committeeExternal{#1}}
\def\degreeyear#1{\gdef\@degreeyear{#1}}
\def\degreemonth#1{\gdef\@degreemonth{#1}}
\def\degreeterm#1{\gdef\@degreeterm{#1}}
\def\degree#1{\gdef\@degree{#1}}
\def\department#1{\gdef\@department{#1}}
\def\field#1{\gdef\@field{#1}}
\def\university#1{\gdef\@university{#1}}
\def\universitycity#1{\gdef\@universitycity{#1}}
\def\universitystate#1{\gdef\@universitystate{#1}}
\def\programname#1{\gdef\@programname{#1}}
\def\pdOneName#1{\gdef\@pdOneName{#1}}
\def\pdOneSchool#1{\gdef\@pdOneSchool{#1}}
\def\pdOneYear#1{\gdef\@pdOneYear{#1}}
\def\pdTwoName#1{\gdef\@pdTwoName{#1}}
\def\pdTwoSchool#1{\gdef\@pdTwoSchool{#1}}
\def\pdTwoYear#1{\gdef\@pdTwoYear{#1}}
  • references.bib171 B
    @book{garamond1530,
  author    = {Vervliet, Hendrik D. L.},
  title     = {The Palaeotypography of the French Renaissance},
  publisher = {Brill},
  year      = {2008}
}
  • main.pdfprebuilt · 40 KBReplaced by the first recompile.

    Binary file, seeded as-is.

  • main.synctex.gzprebuilt · 5.2 KBReplaced by the first recompile.

    Binary file, seeded as-is.