What Is the List of Tables and List of Figures in a Malaysian Thesis?
The List of Tables and List of Figures are mandatory preliminary pages in Malaysian postgraduate theses that provide readers with a navigational overview of all tables and figures contained within the document. In most Malaysian universities, these pages appear after the Table of Contents and before the List of Abbreviations (if present), as part of the preliminary section that uses lowercase Roman numeral page numbering. Their purpose is functional: they allow examiners, supervisors, and future readers to locate specific visual data quickly without needing to scroll through the entire document.
The formatting requirements for these pages in Malaysian theses are governed by two overlapping authorities: APA 7th Edition, which specifies the structural conventions for tables and figures within the body of the thesis, and the specific IPS (Institute of Postgraduate Studies) formatting guidelines of your university. Where the two sources conflict, IPS requirements take precedence, as it is the IPS that will conduct the technical review of your thesis before acceptance. Familiarise yourself with both sets of requirements before finalising these pages.
What to Include in the List of Tables
The List of Tables in a Malaysian thesis must include every table that appears in the main body of the thesis — from Chapter One through the final chapter, including any tables in the appendices if your IPS guidelines require their inclusion (this varies by university). Each entry in the List of Tables contains three elements: the table number (formatted consistently with how the table appears in the text, such as Table 3.1), the full table title (reproduced exactly as it appears above the table in the text, including capitalisation and punctuation), and the page number on which the table appears.
In APA 7th Edition, table titles appear in italics immediately below the bold “Table X” label. In the List of Tables, however, the formatting varies by university — some IPS guidelines require the title to appear in regular weight without italics in the list, even if it is italicised in the body text. Check your specific university’s IPS manual for this detail, as it is a common source of technical review correction. Entries in the List of Tables are typically single-spaced within each entry and double-spaced between entries, though this too varies by institution.
What to Include in the List of Figures
The List of Figures follows the same structural logic as the List of Tables, containing the figure number, the full figure caption, and the page number for every figure in the thesis. In APA 7th Edition, figure captions appear below the figure, beginning with the bold “Figure X.” label followed by a descriptive caption in regular weight. In the List of Figures, the entry should reproduce the descriptive portion of the caption exactly as it appears beneath the figure in the body of the thesis.
For Malaysian theses that include charts, graphs, photographs, maps, conceptual frameworks, flow diagrams, and any other non-table visual elements, all of these count as figures and must appear in the List of Figures. A common oversight among Malaysian postgraduates is omitting framework diagrams or process flow charts from the List of Figures on the assumption that only statistical graphs qualify. Any numbered figure in the body of the thesis must have a corresponding entry in the List of Figures.
Formatting the Page Itself: Malaysian IPS Standards
The page header for the List of Tables and List of Figures in Malaysian theses is typically centred, capitalised (“LIST OF TABLES”), and formatted in the same font and size as other preliminary page headers in the document — commonly Times New Roman 12pt, consistent with the body text. The header is usually bold, though some IPS guidelines specify unbold centred headings for preliminary pages. Below the header, a two-row column header row typically labels the columns: “Table,” “Title,” and “Page” (or “Figure,” “Caption/Title,” and “Page”).
The most critical formatting requirement for the Malaysian IPS technical review is consistency: the table or figure number in the list must exactly match the label used in the body text, and the page number must be accurate to the final paginated version of the submitted document. Any discrepancy — even one page off — will be flagged during technical review and require resubmission. It is therefore essential to generate the List of Tables and List of Figures as the very last step in thesis preparation, after all pagination has been finalised.
Using Microsoft Word to Generate These Lists Automatically
Malaysian postgraduates who use Microsoft Word can generate the List of Tables and List of Figures semi-automatically using Word’s built-in “Insert Table of Figures” function, provided that all tables have been captioned using the “Insert Caption” feature with the label type set to “Table” and all figures captioned with label type “Figure.” To insert the list: go to References → Insert Table of Figures → select either “Table” or “Figure” from the Caption label dropdown → confirm formatting settings → click OK. The resulting list can then be formatted to match your IPS requirements. The major advantage of this method is that page numbers update automatically when the document is repaginated — though a final manual check is still essential before submission.
Conclusion
Formatting the List of Tables and List of Figures correctly in your Malaysian thesis requires careful attention to both APA 7th Edition structural conventions and your specific university’s IPS requirements. The single most important practice is to generate these lists last, after all content and pagination are finalised, to ensure that every entry is accurate. A well-formatted set of preliminary lists signals to both the IPS technical reviewer and your examiners that your thesis has been prepared with the professional care that postgraduate research demands.
