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Labeeb reference · official university documents only · Last checked 22–28 September 2026

GCC Thesis & Dissertation Submission Rules by University (2026)

Abstract language and word limits, referencing style, formatting, similarity checks, editing rules and deposit steps for 37 universities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Every rule is taken from the university’s own graduate studies document, with the page it came from.

Look up your universityCompare universities

How this database was built

We read only official documents: deanship of graduate studies guides, university regulations and graduate catalogs. Seller blogs and summaries were not used.

  • 18 universities publish a full thesis guide that we could read. 19 more publish only part of their rules, or keep the full guide off their public website. Their cards say so.
  • Every rule shows its page or section and links to the document. If a document says nothing on a point, the card says “not stated”. We do not fill gaps from other universities.
  • For similarity checks we record only whether a check is required and how. We do not list “acceptable percentages”. How a result is judged is for your university’s procedure and your committee.
  • Documents age. Some are years old, such as UQU’s printing standards page (last modified 2018) and UAEU’s procedures manual (2014), the University of Bahrain’s thesis writing guide (2018) and Arabian Gulf University’s graduate regulations (2014). Confirm the current version with your department before you submit.
  • We could not reach an official submission guide for King Abdulaziz University, the University of Wollongong in Dubai, GUST or Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University on the check date, so they are not listed yet.

Free lookup · official university documents · Last checked 22–28 September 2026

Look up your university’s thesis submission rules

Choose your university to see what its official graduate studies documents say about the abstract and language, referencing style, formatting, similarity check, language quality and editing, and final submission. Each rule links to its source and page. Where a document is silent, the card says so: ask your department rather than guess.

These are quotations and summaries of published rules, not academic or legal advice. Rules change and departments can add requirements, so your university’s current text and your supervisor take precedence.

Comparison table: abstract, referencing, similarity check and editing

A summary of the cards above. Open your university in the lookup for the full rule, the page and the source link.

University Abstract and language Referencing Similarity check Editing and language Source
King Saud University (KSU) Arabic abstract up to 700 words; PhD adds a translated abstract Discipline convention, set by department Not stated in the guide (free check at the research support unit) Free of language errors; many typing errors can lead to rejection Official document
Qassim University About 600 words, not fewer than 400; Arabic and English templates One of three methods (APA-type author-date allowed) plus alphabetised list Not stated in the manual Researcher must ensure no spelling or language errors Official document
Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) Arabic and English, each up to 250 words on one page Not named; subject and reference indexes required Not stated on the page Not stated; no handwritten corrections accepted Official document
Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) Arabic and English, up to 350 words; full Arabic summary if not in Arabic Name-and-date system with page numbers Not stated in the pages reviewed Not stated in the pages reviewed Official document
King Khalid University (KKU) Arabic up to 300 words and English up to 300 words Chosen by the department (APA, MLA, IEEE, Chicago listed) Not stated in the guide PDF must be free of typographical and spelling errors Official document
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) English and Arabic, 1 page: up to 350 words (PhD) or 150 (master's) Numbered citations in parentheses Plagiarism screening required before a defence request Deanship reviews the final write-up and returns corrections Official document
University of Sharjah (UOS) Arabic and English, around 350 words each; no machine translation APA Signed declaration based on a similarity check Specialist advised for the Arabic abstract Official document
United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) (limited public rules) In the CGS templates (portal login required) In the CGS templates Not in the public manual Not in the public manual Official document
Khalifa University (limited public rules) In the semester Graduation Timeline (not public) In the Graduation Timeline Not in the public catalog Not in the public catalog Official document
American University of Sharjah (AUS) (limited public rules) In the AUS formatting guide on iLearn (login) In the AUS formatting guide on iLearn Not in the catalog Unacknowledged help counts as inappropriate collaboration Official document
Qatar University (limited public rules) One page, up to 5 keywords; English and Arabic sections on the template Not stated Plagiarism report and Similarity Index Approval Form required (Engineering) Not stated Official document
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) Abstract in both languages, about one page APA (some programmes follow college rules for chapters) Turnitin check required Choose US or UK English; Arabic language rules Official document
Kuwait University One page, 5 keywords; Arabic abstract and title page translation APA 7th edition Plagiarism defined; checking tool not named Professional editor allowed with supervisor's prior approval, language only, acknowledged Official document
Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) An abstract page is required and begins on page ii. It must not exceed one page and must not include subheadings, citations, tables or figures. Use the citation style of your discipline (for example APA, MLA or IEEE) or another style approved by your supervisor, consistently throughout; the reference list follows that style. All theses undergo a similarity check with iThenticate. The supervisor generates the Similarity Index Report, which the supervisor and committee review. Not stated in the published rules Official document
Alfaisal University English abstract, one page at most; Arabic summary if the thesis is not in Arabic Turabian, or a college style such as AAA, APA or MLA Not stated in the manual Not stated in the manual Official document
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Abstract up to 350 words, on page 2 Standard style of a major journal in your field, set by your advisor Turnitin report to the advisor required Student must proofread; unedited theses are returned Official document
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) (limited public rules) Full Arabic or English summary, depending on the thesis language Not stated in the student guide Similarity report from approved software required Not stated in the student guide Official document
Zayed University (ZU) (limited public rules) In the portal guidelines (not public) In the portal guidelines Not in the handbook Not in the handbook Official document
Ajman University About 300 words; Arabic-language theses add an Arabic and English summary Harvard (guide checklist) One Turnitin draft allowed; plagiarism report form Signed declaration of any help received Official document
University of Dubai (UD) Abstract up to 400 words; proposal in English (PhD) Latest APA, entered through a reference manager Guidance only; no check described Graduate office arranges editing at the candidate's cost Official document
Canadian University Dubai (CUD) (limited public rules) Not in the handbook Not in the handbook Originality software; stricter limit for theses Grammar and translation tools only if permitted and acknowledged Official document
Abu Dhabi University (ADU) (limited public rules) Not in the handbook Not in the handbook Turnitin on all written work Undeclared AI writing help counts as plagiarism Official document
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) (limited public rules) Not on the public page Not on the public page iThenticate report to the supervisor required Must be free of typographical errors Official document
Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) (limited public rules) Not in the handbook Not in the handbook Turnitin; stricter cut-off for dissertations Misrepresenting AI-assisted work is prohibited Official document
University of Bahrain (UOB) Arabic and English abstracts, up to 400 words each APA 6th edition Plagiarism defined; tool not named Free of language errors; supervisor responsible Official document
Arabian Gulf University (AGU) (limited public rules) In the unified guide (not public) In the unified guide Detection software used for AI misuse AI for grammar allowed with a disclosure statement Official document
University of Birmingham Dubai (limited public rules) Research theses in English; abstract no longer than two pages (taught dissertations: School handbook) Cite Them Right (University style); confirm with your tutor Every research thesis checked with plagiarism-detection software; no threshold published Editors or AI must not change arguments or meaning; research students acknowledge editing help Official document
Middlesex University Dubai (limited public rules) Summary of no more than 300 words, always in English Harvard (Cite Them Right) for most programmes; OSCOLA for law, APA for psychology Coursework normally submitted through Turnitin; no threshold published Proofreading that substantially alters content is misconduct; AI use must be disclosed Official document
Heriot-Watt University Dubai (limited public rules) Research theses in English; abstract preferably no more than 200 words Harvard HWU Cite Them Right, unless staff say otherwise Similarity-detection systems may be used; no threshold published Taught students must declare a proofreader; AI grammar fixes allowed, AI rewrites not Official document
Curtin University Dubai (limited public rules) Research theses: abstract of at least 200 words, in Standard English Set in your unit outline No minimum or maximum threshold defined; research chapters go through Turnitin Coursework: accepting an editor’s changes may be contract cheating; research students may use an editor after discussing it with their supervisor Official document
University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) (limited public rules) Not in the public policy Not in the public policy Text-matching software such as Turnitin may be used; no threshold published Obtaining assessed work through a website counts as cheating; no public proofreading or AI rule found Official document
British University in Dubai (BUiD) Abstracts in English and Arabic; title up to 15 substantive words APA 7th edition for most programmes; OSCOLA for Law Not in the published guides Proofreading only through the Doctoral Training Centre’s approved proofreaders (Policy 5.6) Official document
Amity University Dubai Abstract in the front matter; clear, grammatical English (language is evaluated) APA for HAAS and ABS programmes; IEEE for EAID Turnitin or similar check required before submission; the catalog sets a maximum similarity index Having someone write your research without faculty permission, or uncited AI material, counts as plagiarism Official document
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Dubai, PhD rules (limited public rules) PhD: structured abstract of up to 2,000 words PhD: a standard format, for example Vancouver, Harvard or APA PhD: similarity report certified by the MAHE library, which applies a maximum limit Not in the PhD guidelines Official document
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai Abstract required; capstone abstracts up to 300 words Your department’s style; otherwise the library recommends Chicago Not in the library guides Not in the library guides Official document
BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus (limited public rules) Thesis written in English Not in the regulations Project reports checked with plagiarism software; no threshold published Not in the regulations Official document
American University in Dubai (AUD) (limited public rules) Not in the catalog Not in the catalog Not in the catalog Work done in full or in part by someone else is cheating, as is unauthorised collaboration, including with tutors Official document

Last checked: 22–28 September 2026. “Limited public rules” means the university keeps its detailed thesis rules on a student portal.

What Labeeb does, and where we stop

At the submission stage, the work that is left is usually language, formatting, the bilingual abstract and a final check of the statistics. We do that work on the thesis you wrote, inside your university’s rules. We do not write chapters, results or any text for you to submit. We are not affiliated with or approved by any university, and we cannot promise that a thesis will be accepted.

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Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Do GCC universities require an Arabic abstract for a thesis written in English?

Most of the universities in this database do. King Saud University, the University of Sharjah, Sultan Qaboos University, KFUPM, King Khalid University, Umm Al-Qura University, IMSIU and Kuwait University all require an abstract in both Arabic and English, or an Arabic abstract or translation for a thesis in another language. Word limits and placement differ, so check your own university's card.

What is the abstract word limit?

It depends on the university. KSU caps the Arabic abstract at 700 words, Qassim University asks for about 600 and at least 400, King Khalid University allows up to 300 words each in Arabic and English, Umm Al-Qura up to 250, IMSIU up to 350, and KFUPM up to 350 for a PhD and 150 for a master's. The University of Sharjah asks for around 350 words each. Sultan Qaboos University and Kuwait University set one page.

Which referencing style do these universities require?

APA is named by the University of Sharjah and Sultan Qaboos University, and Kuwait University's guide points to APA 7. KFUPM uses numbered citations in parentheses. KSU and King Khalid University leave the style to the department. Qassim University accepts one of three methods, and IMSIU uses the name-and-date system. Where the guide leaves it to your department, ask your department.

Is a similarity (plagiarism) check required before submission?

Several universities say so explicitly: Sultan Qaboos University requires a Turnitin check, KFUPM requires a plagiarism-screened final draft before a defence request, Qatar University's College of Engineering requires a plagiarism report and a Similarity Index Approval Form, and the University of Sharjah's template includes a declaration based on a similarity check. We do not list acceptable percentages. Your university's current procedure and your committee decide how the result is judged.

Can I use a professional editor or proofreader for my thesis?

Kuwait University allows a professional editor with the supervisor's prior approval, limited to language and not content, and the help must be acknowledged. The University of Sharjah advises using a specialist for the Arabic abstract rather than machine translation. King Saud University's Researcher Support and Services Unit offers free language editing to its graduate students. Check your own rules, tell your supervisor, and acknowledge the help where asked.

Will Labeeb make sure my thesis is accepted?

No. Acceptance is decided by your committee and your deanship. Labeeb is not affiliated with or approved by any university. We proofread and edit the language of the thesis you wrote, format it to your university's guide, edit or translate your own abstract, and review statistical analysis you ran. We do not write theses or any text for submission.

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Studying at the British University in Dubai (BUiD)? BUiD’s Proofreading Policy 5.6 (approved November 2023) says students must use only proofreaders on the university’s authorised list, after mandatory screening by its Doctoral Training Centre, for work including master’s dissertations and doctoral theses. Labeeb is not on that list, so BUiD students should not use Labeeb, or any other unlisted service, for proofreading. Read BUiD Policy 5.6.

How to cite this page (APA 7)

Labeeb Writing & Designs. (2026, September 28). GCC Thesis & Dissertation Submission Rules by University (2026). https://labeeb.ae/gcc-thesis-submission-rules/

Sources

Official documents read on 22 and 28 September 2026. Policies change: your university’s current text and your supervisor always take precedence. Corrections: contact@labeeb.ae.