ThezisOverleaf vs. Word for your thesis: citations, formatting, and supervisor feedback
This choice is mostly about collaboration and document requirements. A beautifully typeset thesis that your supervisor cannot comfortably review is a worse workflow than a plain document that supports steady feedback.
Start with the submission requirements
Find your department’s official template, submission instructions, and any required accessibility or PDF checks. These rules decide more than a preference for a word processor. If the department supplies a Word template or a LaTeX class, use that starting point rather than recreating formatting from scratch. Overleaf: Getting started with a thesis
| Your situation | A practical priority |
|---|---|
| Your supervisor comments in tracked Word documents | Test Word first; feedback speed matters. |
| The thesis has substantial mathematics or stable cross-references | Test the supplied LaTeX/Overleaf template. |
| You need a large team editing the same draft | Test simultaneous editing, comments, version history, and access controls. |
| You are close to a deadline | Avoid learning a new system unless the current one is actively blocking submission. |
Use one chapter as a fair comparison
- Set up one real chapter with headings, a table, a figure, citations, and a reference list.
- Ask a supervisor or peer to leave the feedback they normally would.
- Make two revision rounds and inspect the exported PDF.
- Check the final file against the submission guide.
- Choose the path with fewer fragile manual fixes.
Overleaf’s thesis documentation shows a standard template workflow, but a template only helps if it matches your institution and collaborators. Word’s strengths are often visible in departments where comments and tracked changes are the shared language of feedback. Overleaf: How to write a thesis in LaTeX