Preliminary pages are, in order, the title page; copyright page; Statement of Thesis/Dissertation Approval; abstract; dedication (optional); frontispiece (optional); epigraph (optional); table of contents; lists of tables, figures, symbols, and abbreviations; and acknowledgments (optional). See Table 2.1 for a detailed explanation of the order in which preliminary pages appear, which pages are mandatory, and correct pagination.
The preliminary pages are counted in sequence (except the copyright page, which is neither counted nor numbered). Any page with a main heading on it (title page, abstract, table of contents, etc.) is counted, but no page number is typed on the page. Second pages to the abstract, table of contents, lists, and acknowledgments are numbered with lower case Roman numerals centered within the left and right thesis margins and between the bottom margin and the bottom edge of the page.
Table 2.1: Order of preliminary pages, indicating which are mandatory and where page numbers should be included.
| Page | Required | Counted | Visible Page Number |
| Title Page | Mandatory | Yes | No |
| Copyright Page | Mandatory | No | No |
| Statement of Thesis/Dissertation Approval | Mandatory | Yes | No |
| Abstract | Mandatory | Yes | First page no, additional pages yes |
| Dedication | Optional | Yes | No |
| Frontispiece | Optional | Yes | No |
| Epigraph | Optional | Yes | No |
| Table of Contents | Mandatory | Yes | First page no, additional pages yes |
| Lists of Tables, Figures, Symbols, or Abbreviations | Mandatory if between 5–25 | Yes | First page no, additional pages yes |
| Acknowledgments | Optional | Yes | First page no, additional pages yes |
| Preface | Optional | Yes | First page no, additional pages yes |
Note: Page numbers in the preliminary pages appear centered on the bottom of the page in lower case Roman numerals. This differs from page numbers in the text, which appear on the top right of the page and use Arabic numerals. Note that although the table has a landscape orientation, the page number remains in the upper right corner for binding of the thesis/dissertation.
