Front Matter and End Matter: Purpose, Use in Your Proposal, and What APA Does Not Use
7 min read Question
Front Matter and End Matter
What is the purpose of front matter and end matter? Is it necessary for your proposal? Are there any components of front and end matter that APA does not utilize?
Introduction
A dissertation or doctoral proposal is more than its chapters. Before Chapter 1 comes the front matter, and after the final chapter comes the end matter (also called back matter). These sections frame the main text: they identify the work, help readers find their way through it, give credit, and hold supporting material that would clutter the body. They are among the first things a committee member, reviewer or librarian checks, so getting them right signals careful scholarship.
This article explains the purpose of front and end matter, whether you need them in a proposal, and which common components are not part of APA Style.
What is front matter?
Front matter is all the material that appears before the main body of the document. In dissertations it is usually numbered with lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii), depending on university requirements.
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Title page | Identifies the work, the author, the institution, the degree and the date |
| Copyright page | States copyright ownership (optional in many programs) |
| Approval or signature page | Records committee approval (required by some universities) |
| Abstract | A concise summary of the problem, methods, results and conclusions |
| Dedication | A short personal tribute (optional) |
| Acknowledgments | Thanks to the chair, committee, participants, funders and supporters |
| Preface or foreword | The author’s (or another person’s) introductory remarks about the work (rare in dissertations) |
| Table of contents | Lists the headings and page numbers for navigation (see how to create a TOC) |
| List of tables / list of figures | Locate each table and figure by number, title and page |
| List of abbreviations or symbols | Defines frequently used abbreviations (required by some programs) |
What is end matter?
End matter (back matter) is everything that appears after the final chapter.
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| References | Full details of every source cited, so readers can find and verify them (see reference page do’s and don’ts) |
| Footnotes (when placed on a separate page) | Brief content or copyright notes |
| Tables and figures (if not embedded in the text) | Present data visually |
| Appendices | Supporting material too detailed for the body: instruments, interview protocols, consent forms, IRB or site approval letters, recruitment flyers, additional tables, data collection tools, budgets or timelines |
| Glossary | Definitions of specialized terms |
| Bibliography | A list of works consulted, whether cited or not (not used in APA) |
| Index | An alphabetical list of topics with page numbers (books only) |
| Curriculum vitae or biographical sketch | Information about the author (required by a few universities) |
What is the purpose of front matter and end matter?
- Identification: the title page and abstract tell readers, librarians and databases what the work is, who wrote it, and for which degree and institution. The abstract also lets readers decide quickly whether the work is relevant.
- Navigation: the table of contents and lists of tables and figures act as a road map through a document of 100 pages or more.
- Credit and integrity: acknowledgments recognize those who contributed, and the reference list credits every source, which protects you from plagiarism.
- Verification and transparency: references and appendices let committees, IRBs and future researchers check your sources, instruments and procedures, and potentially replicate the study.
- Keeping the body focused: moving long instruments, raw tables and approval letters into appendices keeps the chapters readable while keeping the information available.
- Meeting institutional and publication requirements: graduate schools and repositories such as ProQuest require specific front and end matter before they accept a dissertation.
Is front and end matter necessary for your proposal?
Yes, but usually a shorter version. A proposal is a formal academic document that your committee, and often the IRB, must review and approve, so it needs enough front and end matter to be identifiable, navigable and verifiable. Requirements vary by university, so always use your program’s proposal template.
| Component | In the proposal? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title page | ✓ Required | Often marked “Proposal” or “Prospectus” |
| Abstract | Sometimes | Many programs add the abstract only in the final dissertation, because results are not yet known |
| Table of contents | ✓ Usually required | Proposals of 40–80 pages still need navigation |
| Lists of tables and figures | If you have tables or figures | For example, an alignment table or conceptual model |
| Dedication and acknowledgments | ✗ Usually not | Added in the final dissertation |
| References | ✓ Required | Every source cited in Chapters 1–3 |
| Appendices | ✓ Usually required | Draft consent forms, recruitment materials, instruments, interview guides, site letters, timelines and budgets, all needed for committee and IRB review |
Tip: Set up your proposal with built-in heading styles, an automatic table of contents and a properly formatted reference list from the start. The proposal usually becomes Chapters 1–3 of your final dissertation, so good setup now saves hours later (see Formatting your dissertation).
Are there components of front and end matter that APA does not utilize?
Yes. APA Style was designed mainly for journal articles and student papers, not books or dissertations. An APA paper includes only a limited set of parts (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020):
- Professional papers: title page (with author note), abstract, text, references, footnotes, tables, figures and appendices.
- Student papers: title page, text and references, plus an abstract, tables, figures or appendices only if needed or assigned.
The following common front- and end-matter components are not part of APA Style:
| Component not used in APA | What APA does instead |
|---|---|
| Table of contents | Not required for APA papers; headings organize the text. Dissertations add a TOC because the university requires it. |
| Dedication | Not included |
| Acknowledgments page | Professional papers put acknowledgments in the author note on the title page; student papers usually omit them |
| Preface, foreword or epigraph | Not included |
| Lists of tables, figures and abbreviations | Not used. Abbreviations are defined in the text at first use, and tables and figures are numbered and titled where they appear. |
| Copyright page | Not included (copyright is handled by the publisher) |
| Bibliography | APA uses a reference list of only the works cited in the text. (An annotated bibliography is a separate assignment type.) |
| Endnotes for citations | APA uses author–date in-text citations. Footnotes are used sparingly, only for supplementary content or copyright permissions. |
| Glossary | Terms are defined in the text, or in a “Definitions” section of the dissertation |
| Index | Not used in papers or dissertations |
| Curriculum vitae | Not part of APA Style. Include it only if your university requires one. |
This is why your university’s dissertation guidelines take priority. Graduate schools require components such as the table of contents, acknowledgments and lists of tables, which APA does not specify. You then follow APA for everything inside those components, including headings, citations, references, tables and figures. When the template and APA differ, follow the template.
Conclusion
Front matter introduces and organizes your work, and end matter documents and supports it. Together they make a long scholarly document identifiable, navigable, credible and verifiable. Your proposal needs a streamlined version: a title page, a table of contents, references and appendices for committee and IRB review. Components such as dedications, acknowledgments pages, tables of contents, lists, glossaries, bibliographies and indexes are not part of APA Style, so include them only when your university requires them, and format everything else according to APA 7.
Doctoral Writing series
- Series introduction
- How to Introduce Your Doctoral Thesis: Writing a Strong Dissertation Introduction (Chapter 1)
- Formatting Your Dissertation: APA 7 Rules, Section Order and Checklist
- Table of Contents in a Dissertation: What It Is and How to Create One
- Front Matter and End Matter: Purpose, Use in Your Proposal, and What APA Does Not Use (you are here)
- What Is an Academic Voice? A Guide for Doctoral Writers
- Should I Write My Dissertation in Passive or Active Voice?
- General Paragraph Structure in Thesis Writing: The MEAL Plan
- Long Versus Short Sentences When Writing Your Dissertation
- Best Ways to Create Transitions Between Ideas in Your Dissertation
- Analyzing vs. Synthesizing Ideas: Key Differences for Doctoral Writing
- Reference Page Do's and Don'ts: APA 7 Reference List for Your Dissertation
- What Are High-Quality Resources for a Thesis Paper?
- How to Balance Scholarly Voice with Citing Research
- Common Writing Challenges Doctoral Students Struggle With (and How to Overcome Them)
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
