Icontec standards for written work in Colombia 2026

Ask your advisor before formatting anything. Many Colombian universities require ICONTEC NTC 1486 for undergraduate theses and APA 7 for journal-style papers — formatting first and asking later is the most common rework trap.

Cover carries title, author, institution, advisor, city, and year. Then come the acceptance page, optional dedication and acknowledgments, and the table of contents with real page numbers — never typed by hand.

The classroom version most universities teach uses 3 cm top and bottom, a wider 4 cm left margin for binding, and 2 cm right, with page numbers at the top right. Confirm against the current norm text and your university's regulations before submitting.

Unlike APA's in-text author-year, ICONTEC cites with numbered footnotes: full reference on first mention, shortened form after. Number them consecutively and keep every note on the same page as its call.

Number each table and figure by order of appearance with a clear title above. If you adapted the data, say so in a note — adapted without credit is the fastest way to lose points with a jury.

Export the finished document to Word or PDF from the chat, reopen the file, and verify margins, numbering, footnotes, and characters before submitting.