Blackbook Format: Chapters, Font, Margins and Page Layout

Key takeaway

The usual blackbook format is A4, Times New Roman 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, a 1.5-inch left margin for binding and 1-inch margins elsewhere, with Roman page numbers for front matter and Arabic numbers from Chapter 1. Always check your own college's circular, which overrides any general guide.

Page setup

Setting	Common requirement
Paper	A4 (210 × 297 mm), one side printed
Body font	Times New Roman, 12 pt
Chapter headings	14–16 pt, bold, centred, often in capitals
Section headings	12–14 pt, bold, numbered (1.1, 1.2 …)
Line spacing	1.5 for body text
Margins	Left 1.5 in (binding); top, right, bottom 1 in
Alignment	Justified body text
Page numbers	Bottom centre or bottom right

Order of pages

1. Cover page (not numbered)
2. Certificate
3. Declaration
4. Acknowledgement
5. Abstract
6. Table of contents
7. List of figures and list of tables
8. Chapters 1 to 7
9. References
10. Appendices (code listings, screenshots, user manual)

Front matter from the certificate onwards is numbered i, ii, iii …; numbering restarts at 1 on the first page of Chapter 1.

Chapter structure

Most formats use the seven chapters below, numbered with sections like 1.1, 1.2 and sub-sections like 1.3.1:

1. Introduction
2. Survey of Technologies
3. Requirements and Analysis
4. System Design
5. Implementation and Testing
6. Results and Discussion
7. Conclusion

What belongs in each is covered in Final Year Project Report Chapters.

Figures, tables and diagrams

• Number figures by chapter: Figure 4.2 is the second figure in Chapter 4. Put the caption below the figure.
• Number tables the same way and put the caption above the table.
• Every figure and table should be referred to in the text and listed in the list of figures or tables.
• Standard diagrams: use case, ER, class, activity, sequence, data flow and a Gantt chart. See UML Diagrams for Your Project Report.

Formatting checklist

• Cover page has title, your name, roll number, degree, guide, college and year
• Certificate has space for guide, HOD and external examiner signatures
• Headings are numbered consistently
• Every figure and table is numbered, captioned and listed
• Page numbers switch from Roman to Arabic at Chapter 1
• References follow one citation style throughout
• The report matches the project you will demonstrate

Get the format right automatically

The BlackBook AI Blackbook Maker produces this structure for you: cover page, front matter, numbered chapters and diagrams, formatted for A4 in Times New Roman, and exports to PDF or an editable Word file so you can adjust anything your college requires.