Often yes if they sit in the main file. Confirm with your school. When unsure, count with captions, then you will not be short.

Can I ignore the limit if the examiners like the work?

Rarely. Many schools refuse over-length submissions before they reach examiners.

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Dissertation and thesis word count

Universities publish a limit such as 10,000, 15,000, or 80,000 words. The handbook — not a generic website — decides whether footnotes, bibliography, and appendices count.

Ask the handbook first

Typical taught-masters dissertations exclude the bibliography and sometimes footnotes. PhD theses vary. If the rule is “main text only,” count each chapter file without the reference list, then add. Do not trust a PDF page count; figures eat pages without eating words.

Track as you write

Paste one chapter at a time into the Word Counter and keep a running total in a note. Leave a 5–8% buffer under the cap for the supervisor’s “add a paragraph here.” Reading time on the counter is a sanity check, not a submission rule.

Steps

Copy the official inclusion rules from the handbook.
Count each chapter in the Word Counter.
Leave a buffer under the maximum before you format the PDF.

Frequently asked questions

Open the Word Counter

The guide is the rule. The tool does the count. No account.

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More short guides: all Wordnio guides.