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Thesis & Dissertation Submission

The Graduate School is here to help as you prepare and submit your thesis or dissertation.  The links below provide resources and instructions to guide you throughout the process.

Dissertation/Thesis Submission Process

• Format your thesis and follow the Thesis Approval Form (TAF) process
• Upload your pdf , attaching the single page TAF as a supplemental file, for Graduate School review and approval 
• The Gradaute School will contact you via e-mail to let you know if your submission has been accepted or if revisions are needed
• Any necessary revisions should be submitted by the posted deadline - work directly with the Graduate School should you have any questions or concerns

Thesis Approval Form

• Attach the final version of your thesis for their review 
• After the complete TAF is returned to you, save it as a separate one page document (uncoupled from your thesis)
• Then, upload the single page TAF as a supplemental file along with the thesis
• Detailed instructions are available to assist you

Resources & Guidelines for Thesis Submission

• The  ProQuest  ETD website provides a variety of resources related to PDF creation, thesis submission, copyright, and publishing options
• University Libraries provides a host of resources related to copyright, fair use, and authors' rights

Deadlines for Thesis Submission & Graduation

• All you need to know about graduation requirements and deadlines.
• Academic Programs & Degrees
• Academic Forms
• Graduation Requirements
• Format Requirements
• Research Support
• Graduate Student Registration Statuses

Thesis & Dissertation Guidelines

These guidelines provide students at Vanderbilt University with essential information about how to prepare and submit theses and dissertations in a format acceptable to the Graduate School. You can either explore the guidelines by topic below or review the complete Format Guidelines document .

General Information

Manuscript preparation.

• NEW: Dissertation Template
• Approved LATEX Template for Dissertations

Submission Requirements

Students in foreign language departments may submit manuscripts in a language other than English. The abstract, however, must be in English.

You may use a multi-part presentation format for combining original research that has been conducted in two or more related or non-related areas, or for presentation of combined journal articles (published or submitted for publication). You should organize the parts or articles into chapters, with well-defined subheadings, including an introduction, methods, results and discussion. Each chapter may contain its own list of references and appendices, or you may list them all at the end, depending on the custom of your discipline.

When using this format, the thesis or dissertation should nonetheless consist of an integrated argument that binds the chapters together. You should include the appropriate preliminary pages, an introduction presenting the general theme of the research, and a conclusion summarizing and integrating the major findings. Any additional appendices related to the dissertation as a whole or any general references from the introduction, conclusion or transitional sections should come at the end of the dissertation.

When you have previously published portions of your thesis or dissertation as an article or book chapter, you must ensure the work may also be published as part of the dissertation or thesis. The  standard provisions of copyright law  regarding quoted and previously published material under copyright apply to the publication of theses and dissertations. Many publishers provide exceptions to work published as part of graduation requirements and this is often clearly outlined as part of the publication agreement signed by the author.

In order to include your own previously published or co-authored material in your thesis or dissertation, you must comply with the following:

• You must be the first author, or obtain permission from your committee, to be uploaded as an Administrative file in Vireo.
• The article must be based on research completed while you were enrolled at Vanderbilt University.
• You must have permission from the publisher to reuse the work, which should be uploaded to VIREO as an Administrative file. The record of permission may take the form of the publishing agreement, a copy of the publisher’s webpage describing reuse rights, or an email approval from the publisher. You should also identify which chapters are associated with which articles when prompted within VIREO.
• If there are co-authors, you must obtain the permission of all co-authors to include the work in the thesis or dissertation as a matter of both copyright law and professional courtesy. Include these permissions (email approval is acceptable) as an Administrative file in VIREO.
• You must properly acknowledge previously published material and any co-authors within the text of your manuscript. This would typically take the form of a footnote, or, alternately, an italicized statement beneath the relevant chapter heading. The rubric should be: “This chapter is adapted from [Title] published in [Journal] and has been reproduced with the permission of the publisher and my co-authors [List co-authors]” and include the full citation required by the publisher, if any, or appropriate to your discipline.

If the work is submitted to the ProQuest database, ProQuest will scan the document to ensure it contains no copyrighted material without consent and proper citation.

Inclusion of Third-Party Content

If you are including content in your dissertation not authored or created by you, consider copyright issues. If your use of the content would exceed fair use under the Copyright Act, then you will need to seek the copyright holder’s permission in order to use the material. Obtaining copyright permissions often takes time and should not be left until the last minute.

You should discuss questions about copyrighted material with your dissertation advisor or contact the VU Librarian for Copyright and Scholarly Communications at  [email protected]  for help evaluating fair use or obtaining permissions.

Your thesis or dissertation is automatically protected by copyright as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form, such as being saved as an electronic file.  Although not required, it is good practice to include the copyright symbol, your name, and the year on the title page of your work (© 2017 by [your name]).

You also may choose to register your copyright, which will gain you additional protections in case of litigation for copyright infringement. You can file a copyright registration online directly with the  U.S. Copyright Office  for a fee of $45.00.

You will be asked to agree to the license to deposit your submission to the Vanderbilt Institutional Repository.  The Library, with the Vanderbilt Institutional Repository, enhances the metadata provided with your dissertation and adds your record to discovery tools like the Library Catalog and WorldCat, making it easily findable for scholars worldwide. The library also maintains the technical infrastructure of the repository.  If you plan to make your dissertation open access, we can assist you in understanding the options for licensing. If your dissertation makes use of copyrighted content, you will want to think early on about whether you may rely on fair use or need to acquire licenses. We will be glad to meet with you to discuss the requirements of your particular project.

PhD students also have the option to request deposit of your submission with ProQuest, at no additional cost to you. If you elect to deposit your submission with ProQuest, you must also agree to the ProQuest license. This agreement is entirely between you and ProQuest.  Vanderbilt’s sole responsibility is to pass on the license agreement and your work to ProQuest.  Please contact ProQuest Dissertation Publishing, at 1(800) 521-0600 or  [email protected]  with any questions.

The expectation of the Graduate School is that all theses and dissertations will be made publicly available absent these limited circumstances.  You have the option to make your submission available immediately or to temporarily embargo its release for a limited period of time. Students may elect to embargo their work if they anticipate publication, are making a patent application, have restrictions imposed by sponsors, or privacy concerns.  Metadata, including the abstract, about your submission will still be visible in the Vanderbilt Institutional Repository, thereby indicating that your submission was accepted.  You should discuss any anticipated hold on publication with your advisor. If selecting the ProQuest publishing option, be sure that you make the same embargo selection under the Vanderbilt options. Once your submission has been released to ProQuest, we have no ability to retract it.

If, after consultation with your advisor, you would like to request a temporary embargo, you can elect from the following:

• No embargo and release immediately for worldwide access
• Six (6) month embargo
• Twelve (12) month embargo
• Twenty-four (24) month embargo

If you, after consultation with your advisor, determine that you need to extend your embargo beyond your initial selection, you can only do so with permission from the Graduate School. If you have questions about your embargo, you may email  [email protected]

The Graduate School recommends Campus Copy for procuring bound copies of theses and dissertations. You may contact them directly at 615-936-4544, or online at  Printing Services .

These guidelines provide students at Vanderbilt University with essential information about how to prepare and submit theses and dissertations in a format acceptable to the Graduate School. The topics range from writing style to the completion of required forms. There are instructions and sample pages on the Graduate School website for guidance through this process.

There is a distinct difference between submitting a manuscript to a publisher and providing a completed thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School. A manuscript represents a pre-publication format; a thesis or dissertation is a final, completely edited, published document. Students should use these guidelines, not other style manuals, as the final authority on issues of format and style. Areas not covered in this document or deviation from any of the specifications should be discussed with a Graduate School format editor. Do not use previously accepted theses and dissertations as definite models for style.

Manuscripts consist of four major sections and must be placed in the order listed:

• Title Page (required)
• Copyright (optional)
• Dedication (optional)
• Acknowledgments/Acknowledgment of Support (optional)
• Table of Contents (required)
• List of Tables (required)
• List of Figures (required)
• List of Abbreviations/Nomenclature/Symbols (optional)
• Introduction (may be referred to as Chapter 1)

Body of Manuscript

• References  (required)
• Appendices  (optional)

The dedication is an optional portion of the academic manuscript. It is a personal message from the author in tribute to a person, group, or cause. Most dedications are brief statements beginning with “To…” or “For…” such as “To my family” or “For my daughter, Samantha.” The dedication, if any, is considered to be the sole work of the author and does not reflect endorsement of the views and opinions expressed therein by Vanderbilt University, the Graduate School, or the members of the faculty committee.

The acknowledgment is another optional portion of the academic manuscript. It is appropriately used to thank those people and organizations that have helped or encouraged the author in the process of obtaining the degree or otherwise making the graduate degree possible: advisers, the committee, labmates or members of one’s cohort, family, friends, etc. Typically, an acknowledgment is no more than 1 page in length.

Acknowledgment of grant/contract or other financial support may be included on the acknowledgment page. Similarly, permission to reprint copyrighted material may be included here.

The acknowledgment, if any, is considered to be the sole work of the author and does not reflect endorsement of the views and opinions expressed therein by Vanderbilt University, the Graduate School, or the members of the faculty committee.

The abstract is a separate document from the manuscript; it is not bound with the thesis or dissertation. Abstracts must be printed on white, 8 ½ x 11-inch paper. No page numbers are printed on the abstract. One copy is required. Abstracts must have the original signature(s) of the faculty advisor(s). The maximum length of the thesis abstract is 250 words. The maximum length of the dissertation abstract is 350 words, including the dissertation title. Majors are listed on the last pages of these guidelines.

NEW: Abstract sample

The title page must be printed on white, 8 ½ x 11-inch paper. Committee member signatures on the title page must be originals. Spacing on the title page will vary according to the length of the title. The five lines following your name must be formatted exactly as found on the sample title page. The title page is considered page ‘i’ but the page number is not printed on the page.  The month, day, and year representing the conferral date must be listed on the title page.

• NEW: ETD Title Page sample
• NEW: Title Page With Signatures sample

Use a standard font consistently throughout the manuscript. Font size should be 10 to 12-point for all text, including titles and headings. It is permissible to change point size in tables, figures, captions, footnotes, and appendix material. Retain the same font, where possible. When charts, graphs, or spreadsheets are “imported,” it is permissible to use alternate fonts. Italics are appropriate for book and journal titles, foreign terms, and scientific terminology.  Boldface  may be used within the text for emphasis and/or for headings and subheadings. Use both in moderation.

Measure the top margin from the edge of the page to the top of the first line of text. Measure the bottom page margin from the bottom of the last line of text to the bottom edge of the page. Page margins should be a minimum of one-half inch from top, bottom, left, and right and a maximum of one inch from top, bottom, left, and right. Right margins may be justified or ragged, depending upon departmental requirements or student preference.

The title page is considered to be page ‘i’ but the page number should not be printed on this page. All other pages should have a page number centered about ½ inch from the bottom of the page. Number the preliminary pages in lowercase Roman numerals. Arabic numerals begin on the first page of text. Pages are numbered consecutively throughout the remainder of the manuscript. The Introduction may be placed before the first page of Chapter 1, if it is not considered a chapter. The use of Arabic numbers may begin on the first page of the Introduction.

The entire text may be single-spaced, one and one-half spaced, or double-spaced. Block quotations, footnotes, endnotes, table and figure captions, titles longer than one line, and individual reference entries may be single-spaced. With spacing set, the following guidelines should be applied: Two enters after chapter numbers, chapter titles and major section titles (Dedication, Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, List of Abbreviations, Appendices, and References). Two enters before each first- level and second-level heading. Two enters before and after tables and figures embedded in the text. One enter after sub-level headings.

Chapters may be identified with uppercase Roman numerals or Arabic numbers. Styles used on the Table of Contents should be consistent within the text. Tables, figures, footnotes, and equations should be numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript with Arabic numerals. These may also be numbered consecutively by each chapter. Equation numbers should be placed to the right of the equation and contained within parentheses or brackets. Use uppercase letters to designate appendices.

Departments will determine acceptable standards for organizing master’s theses into chapters, sections, or parts.  Usually, if a thesis has headings, a Table of Contents should be included. The dissertation must be divided into chapters. The use of parts, in addition to chapters, is acceptable.

Words and Sentences

Take care to divide words correctly. Do not divide words from one page to the next. Word processing software provides for “widow and orphan” protection. Utilize this feature to help in the proper division of sentences from one page to another. In general, a single line of text should not be left at the bottom or top of a page. Blank space may be left at the bottom of a page, where necessary.

Headings and Subheadings

Use headings and subheadings to describe briefly the material in the section that follows. Be consistent with your choice of “levels” and refer to the instructions on spacing for proper spacing between headings, subheadings, and text. First-level headings must be listed on the Table of Contents. Second-level and subsequent subheadings may be included.

Acronyms/Abbreviations/Capitalization

Abbreviations on the title page should appear as they do in the body of the thesis or dissertation. (Examples:  Xenopus laevis , Ca, Mg, Pb, Zn; TGF-β, p53.) Capitalize only the first letter of words of importance, distinction, or emphasis in titles and headings. Do not alter the all-cap style used for acronyms (Example: AIDS) and organizational names (Example: IBM). Use the conventional style for Latin words (Examples:  in vitro, in vivo, in situ ). Genus and species should be italicized. Capitalize the first letter of the genus, but not that of the species name (Example:  Streptococcus aureus ).

Figures commonly refer to photographs, images, maps, charts, graphs, and drawings. Tables generally list tabulated numerical data. These items should appear as close as possible to their first mention in the text. Tables and figures may be placed in appendices, if this is a departmental requirement or standard in the field. Tables and figures should be numbered with Arabic numerals, either consecutively or by chapter. Be consistent in the style used in the placement of tables and figure captions. Tables and figures may be embedded within the text or placed on a page alone. When placed on its own page, a figure or table may be centered on the page. When included with text, a table or figure should be set apart from the text. Tables and figures, including captions, may be oriented in landscape. Make sure to use landscape page positioning on landscape-oriented pages. Table data and figure data must be kept together, if the information fits on one page.

The submission process for theses and dissertations begins at the Graduate School. Forms must be digitally submitted to the Graduate School.

View the Checklist for Graduation

The Vanderbilt Libraries have recently implemented  VIREO , an Electronic Thesis & Dissertation review and submission system for the Graduate School. The Graduate School requires electronic submission of all theses and dissertations through this new platform. Format reviews now occur within the VIREO submission process. If you have questions or would like an in-person format review,  contact administrators .

Students will use their VUnet ID and password to log in and begin completing the appropriate information, as outlined below.

Verify Your Information

• Orcid ID (can obtain in VIREO)
• Department/Program, Degree, Major
• Phone & Address

 License & Publication Agreements

• Vanderbilt License Agreement (required)
• ProQuest Publication (optional)

 Document Information

• Title, degree month/year, defense date, abstract, keywords, subjects, language
• Your committee, Chair email
• Previously published material (optional)
• Embargo options

Upload Your Files

• Primary document: thesis/dissertation
• Additional files: supplemental, source, administrative (CV, Survey of Earned Doctorates (additional SED information is in the Ph.D. Dissertation Requirements accordion below))

Confirm and Submit

• Students will receive a confirmation email once submitted

Any documents you will be uploading into VIREO as administrative files should be saved as a PDF, and named with your last name, first name-file-conferral month and year. Examples:

• King, Amanda-IntraTermApp-032021.pdf
• King, Amanda-CV-052021.pdf
• King, Amanda-SED-052021.pdf
• King, Amanda-Title Page-052021.pdf
• King, Amanda-Permissions-052021.pdf
• King, Amanda-DGS Approval-052021.pdf

Intent to Graduate OR Intra-term Application

Please note all students must submit either an Intent to Graduate form or an Intra-Term Application. Students planning to graduate at the end of the fall, spring, or summer term should submit the Intent to Graduate form through YES. Students planning to graduate on one of the  intra-term dates  should instead complete the Intra-Term Application and submit as an administrative file in their VIREO profile.

Format Review

A format review is required before thesis or dissertation approval. Review will take place through VIREO when you first upload your document. Allow time before the deadline for review and revisions. For questions contact  [email protected] .

Submit one copy of the title page, with original signatures of the advisor and a second reader (either a member of the committee or DGS of the program). The date on the title page will reflect the month, day, year of degree conferral.

Submit one copy of the abstract with the signature of the advisor.

Completion of Master's Degree Form

Form must be completed and signed by the advisor and the DGS, then submitted securely by the program.

Please note all students must submit either an Intent to Graduate form or an Intra-Term Application. Students planning to graduate at the end of the fall, spring, or summer term should submit the Intent to Graduate form through YES. Students planning to graduate on one of the  intra-term dates  should instead complete the Intra-Term Application and submit as an administrative file in their VIREO profile.

Defense Results

Students must schedule the Defense Exam with the Graduate School two weeks prior to the exam. Students will bring the Defense Results Form (along with the Title Page & Abstract) to obtain committee signatures. Upload the signed title page and abstract as one administrative file (title pate first followed by abstract) to VIREO as an administrative file, and have your department submit the defense results to the  graduate school submissions portal.

Title Page (+ Extra Copy)

Upload your signed title page as an administrative file in VIREO. The date on the title page will reflect the month, day, year of degree conferral. Be sure it is the date of conferral and not the date of your defense.

Upload your signed abstract as an administrative file in VIREO.

Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED)

Students finishing a doctorate degree are required to complete the  SED survey . Information provided to the National Opinion Research Council remains confidential and will be used for research or statistical purposes. Submit the Certificate of Completion with your VIREO submission as an administrative file.

Curriculum Vitae

Submit your CV through your VIREO submission as an administrative file. Directions on preparing a curriculum vitae are available here.

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Thesis & dissertation guidelines, the graduate school’s dissertation and thesis guidelines provide a comprehensive list of all materials that must be included when you submit your dissertation or thesis, and how to format your dissertation or thesis..

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Graduate School

Dissertation guidelines.

• Academics & Research
• Rules & Regulations

Ph.D. candidates at Brown must file their dissertations electronically.

Brown's  electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) system  collects and archives final dissertations as text-based PDF files. Electronic dissertations submitted through the ETD will appear in the Library's  discovery service  and in the Brown  digital repository .

In the spirit of the dissemination of new knowledge that is a hallmark of higher education, dissertations will be subject to web searches and unrestricted downloads unless the student requests to opt out of that system and have their dissertation unavailable for download outside of the Brown community. A request to restrict download access to a dissertation has an initial two-year window from the time the degree is conferred. Guidelines associated with restricted dissertation access are:

• The full text version of the dissertation will be available for download only to members of the Brown community.
• Web searches including the citation and abstract of restricted dissertations will continue to be available to the general public.
• After two years the restriction will elapse.
• Restrictions on full text download may be renewed for two-year periods up to a total of ten years from the date of degree conferral. Requests for additional two-year restrictions should be made to the Graduate School.
• Any requests to extend the restriction beyond ten years must go to the Graduate Council for approval.
• In cases where the dissertation is a co-worked piece and there is disagreement between the student and the advisor over whether the dissertation will or will not be available for download outside of the Brown community, the dispute will be brought before the Graduate Council for resolution.

To complete the electronic submission process, doctoral candidates must have successfully defended their dissertation and had it approved by their committee. To use the ETD system, doctoral candidates must possess a valid username and password for accessing Brown’s computer network. If you are unable to create an account in the system, please contact  [email protected]  for assistance.

Graduate students are eligible to have degrees conferred, and to receive their diploma, at three different times over the course of the academic year. 

For students who complete their degree requirements the preceding summer term. The Application to Graduate opens on July 1, 2024 and closes on September 6, 2024. Degrees are conferred on October 20, 2024.

For students who complete their requirements the preceding fall term. The Application to Graduate opens on October 1, 2024 and closes on January 10, 2025. Degrees are conferred on February 9, 2025.

For students who complete their requirements over the preceding spring term. The dissertation deadline is May 1, 2024. Please note, the Application to Graduate deadline is April 19, 2024.

The doctoral dissertation and all of the associated forms and documents related to the completion of a Ph.D. must be submitted to the Graduate School by the deadlines listed above; no extensions will be granted. See Submission of the Final Copy for important clarifications regarding the final submission process.

Commencement

Brown has one graduation per year; Commencement exercises and the conferral of degrees take place on the Sunday before Memorial Day. Students may file their dissertations at any time of the year in advance of the filing deadline. Students may choose to request a Certificate of Completion to show that they have completed all degree requirements before beginning a position, as faculty or postdoctoral fellow, for example.  See details below under Certificate of Completion. 

Tuition and Fees

If a doctoral student completes all of the requirements for the PhD during semester I, the tuition and fees for semester II will not be charged. Students must file before the first day of classes in semester II in order to avoid being charged the tuition and fees for semester II.

The Final Examination or Defense

The final examination or defense must be scheduled by the candidate at the convenience of the readers. At least two weeks prior to the final examination or defense, candidates must provide the department manager with the appropriate dissertation defense information so the  Dissertation Defense Information Form  can be completed and returned to the Graduate School.

NOTE:  Requests for waiving the final examination must be endorsed by the dissertation director as well as the director of graduate study or department chair.

After the Defense

The formal, final approval of all dissertations is handled by the Graduate School's Academic Affairs Manager (Barbara Bennett). Candidates must submit final copies of their dissertations  electronically .

The Manuscript

The signature page .

In addition to the electronic submission, all Ph.D. candidates are required to submit their signature page to the Graduate School, which may be sent electronically to  [email protected] . Samples are available online. The signature page should bear the signatures of the dissertation director and all readers. The typed names of the director and readers must appear under their signature lines. Electronic signatures are acceptable. An unsigned copy of the signature page should be uploaded to  ETD system .

Type and spacing 

Standard typefaces set to print at 10-, 11-, or 12-point font are acceptable. All text should be double-spaced, except for block quotations, captions, long headings, and footnotes. All these should be single-spaced with a blank line between items.

Page Numbers 

Each page, including blank ones, must have a number. The number should not appear on the title page or the copyright page but, these pages are assigned numbers and are included in the pagination. Preliminary pages are numbered with lower case roman numerals, centered at the foot of the page, three-fourths of an inch from the bottom edge. The title page counts as page i but the number does not appear on the page. The remainder of the dissertation is numbered with Arabic numerals beginning with 1.

Most dissertations consist of preliminary pages which are numbered using Roman numerals, and the dissertation proper which is numbered using Arabic numerals. The preliminary pages must appear in the following order:

• Title Page (do not number)
• Copyright Page (do not number)
• Signature Page (iii)
• Curriculum Vitae* (iv)
• Preface and Acknowledgments (v)
• Table of Contents (vi)
• List of Tables vii List of Illustrations (viii)

Should any element of the preliminary pages be longer than one page, number the pages consecutively. The preliminary pages should appear in this order but not necessarily with the page numbers shown above.

The dissertation proper (including introduction, main body of the text, illustrations, appendices, and bibliography) is numbered using arabic numerals. The numbering begins with "1" and runs consecutively to the end.

Do not place headers on each page. Use them only as appropriate to indicate major sections of the thesis (e.g., INTRODUCTION, CHAPTER 1, BIBLIOGRAPHY). They should be centered and placed two inches from the top of the paper in uppercase type.

* The curriculum vitae is a statement giving a short biography of the candidate, including institutions attended, degrees and honors, titles of publications, teaching or professional experience, and other pertinent information. Please do not include date or place of birth or phone numbers.

Graphs may be put on cross-section pages.

Dating the Dissertation  

Because degrees are conferred three times during the calendar year, the title page and abstract of a dissertation completed at any point during the academic year must be dated on the date the degree is conferred.

The Abstract

The dissertation must be accompanied by an abstract. The abstract should, in a concise manner, present the problem of the dissertation, discuss the materials and procedure or methods used, and state the results or conclusions. Mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other illustrative materials should be avoided. The abstract should not be part of the dissertation itself nor should it be included in the table of contents. It should be headed as follows:

Abstract of (TITLE OF DISSERTATION), by (AUTHOR'S NAME), Ph.D., Brown University, May (YEAR IN WHICH DEGREE IS TO BE AWARDED).

The abstract should be prepared carefully since it will be published without editing or revision. The abstract should be double-spaced and may not exceed 350 words (maximum 2,450 typewritten characters — including spaces and punctuation — about 70 characters per line with a maximum of 35 lines). 

Submission of the Final Copy

When the dissertation is presented to the Graduate School electronically, it must be in final form. Dissertations may require revision after their original presentation if it is determined by the Graduate School that the dissertation does not conform to the standards articulated above. The need for such revisions is not grounds for a deadline extension. If a dissertation is determined to be defective after the deadline, the Graduate School may refuse to confer a student's degree. Doctoral candidates are encouraged to submit their dissertations early, and to send questions not answered by the descriptions above, to  [email protected] .

ALL completing doctoral candidates are required to submit the documents listed below. (the title page and signature page can be sent electronically to  Barbara Bennett , the Academic Affairs Manager.) The dissertation will not be accepted and the candidate's degree will not be conferred if an item from this list is missing or incomplete. The online submission system will send notifications when each document has been received and approved by the Graduate School.

• Ph.D. Exit Survey , Brown University Graduate School; you may forward the email receipt.
• Survey of Earned Doctorates , National Research Council (The NRC sends the certificate directly to the Graduate School.)
• The title page; this may be sent by email.
• The signed signature page, which may be sent by email to  [email protected] .

Digital Supplementary Materials

Students interested in depositing digital supplementary materials along with their dissertation are welcome to contact the Library for assistance. Please contact: Andrew Creamer in the Library at  [email protected] .

Publishing the Dissertation

It is University policy that all research done at the University under its sponsorship must be freely published without restriction. Since 1954, the Graduate School has required that dissertations be published. In 1985, the Graduate Council reaffirmed that decision and approved the following policy:

"All Ph.D. dissertations and Master's theses will be open documents. The Graduate Council will not recommend the awarding of the Ph.D. or Master's degree until the dissertation or thesis is submitted to the Graduate School and accorded unlimited distribution status."

Exceptions to this requirement will be made only if there is a letter from a publisher stating that the dissertation will be published within one year after the degree is awarded and that requests that circulation of the dissertation be withheld for twelve months after the degree is conferred. Six months will be allowed for the clearing of a patent.

If you have a question about temporarily removing your dissertation from the  Library's digital repository , please contact  [email protected] .

The Diploma

The Office of the Registrar's Application to Graduate provides the candidate with an opportunity to indicate how the diploma name should appear. Otherwise, the name that will appear on the diploma and in the Commencement program, and under which the Library will catalog the dissertation, is the name under which the candidate is officially registered. Any request for a change of registered name should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar and accompanied by supporting legal documentation, such as a court order, marriage license, passport, driver’s license, or social security card. 

Certificate of Completion

If all academic requirements for the degree and all financial obligations have been met before May 1, the Office of the Registrar will issue a certificate of completion within three weeks of the candidate's request.

If you have any questions regarding the submission of your dissertation or thesis, please contact the Graduate School's Academic Manager, Barbara Bennett, 863-2843,  [email protected] .

Additional Information

• Sample: Dissertation Abstract
• Sample: Dissertation Copyright Notice
• Sample: Dissertation Signature Page
• Guidelines for Dissertation Titles

University Registrar’s Office

Dissertation submission, submitting the doctoral dissertation.

Notification of Readers (NOR):

• Set up by you or your program prior to dissertation submission, depending on departmental practice. If your program allows students to create the NOR you will see a Notification of Readers tile in the Dissertation Progress Reporting and Submission (DPRS) site. Contact your departmental registrar for questions and assistance.
• Notify program of your intent to submit by February 15 (spring) or September 1 (fall)
• Three readers are required with a maximum of five permitted. Two must be ladder or ladder-track Yale faculty, including the adviser. All readers must hold a PhD degree and a faculty position or be considered otherwise qualified to evaluate the dissertation by the DGS and the Graduate School.
• NOR Submission Instructional video

Submission Information:

• March 15 for spring degree conferral in May/June, 5:00 pm
• October 1 for fall degree conferral in December, 5:00 pm
• A pdf of your dissertation may be submitted using the degree petition page in the  Dissertation Progress Reporting and Submission  (DPRS) site at any time within the academic year. Dissertations submitted after the above semester submission deadlines will be processed for the following degree date
• Final changes to the dissertation must be uploaded in DPRS within 30 days of the submission deadline. To make changes to your dissertation after it has been submitted, email  dissertationreaders@yale.edu .
• Upon submission of your dissertation and approval of your readers by the DGS, a pdf of your dissertation will be automatically sent to all readers.
• Upon request from a reader, students are required to and responsible for mailing a soft-bound copy of the dissertation to the reader.

IMPORTANT: Students who submit their dissertations before the end of the add/drop course enrollment period (see the  academic calendar ) are NOT eligible to register as students for the remainder of that term. Students who wish to remain registered until the end of a given semester must submit their dissertations AFTER add/drop closes in order to remain registered for that semester.

• Submitting Degree Petition and Dissertation in DPRS:

The Degree Petition page in DPRS consists of the degree petition, links to required surveys, and a site to upload a pdf of your dissertation. No paper submission is required.

• ​ The dissertation title is populated from your most recent Dissertation Progress Report. You can change the final title on the petition page by clicking the “No” radio button and modifying the title. Click the save button at the bottom of the page to save the title prior to submitting the dissertation
• Survey of Earned Doctorates – submission confirmation page
• GSAS Exit Survey – upload first page of GSAS Survey that has your email address
• ProQuest (ETD) Publication Agreement – detail page
• Upload a pdf of your dissertation

Degree Petition and Dissertation Submission Instructional Video

Additional Questions?

• Dissertation Office: dissertationreaders@yale.edu   
• Barbara Withington: barbara.withington@yale.edu
• Austin Hanlin: austin.hanlin@yale.edu

Formatting the Doctoral Dissertation

Physical Requirements:

• Double spaced
• Exceptions: block quotations, bibliographic references, captions, footnotes should be single spaced, with a double space between each entry
• Saved as a pdf to be uploaded on the Degree Petition and Dissertation Submission page in DPRS
• No paper copy needs to be submitted

Margins: Left side margin of 1.5”, 1” margin on all other sides

Page Numbers

• 0.5” from any edge
• Preliminary pages are numbered with lower-case roman numerals, except title page and copyright page which are not numbered. The page following the copyright will be numbered (iii) and additional pages will be numbered sequentially
• The dissertation proper begins with page Arabic number “1” and runs consecutively to the end            
• 10- to 12-point font
• Same font type should be used throughout, including header, footnotes, page numbers

Order of Sections:

• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Front Matter (acknowledgements, list of illustrations or tables, etc.)
• Body of Text
• Back Matter (appendices, bibliography, supplemental figures and tables, etc.)
• Placed immediately preceding the title page
• Heading centered on page
• Dissertation title and name of author must match title page
• Text of abstract below the heading, double spaced

Full title of dissertation

Full name of author

Year of PhD conferral (e.g., 20XX)

• All text centered
• Month and year of conferral (e.g., May or June 20XX, or December 20XX)
• See attached example at end of guide

Copyright Notice:

• Typed 3” below top margin
• Format includes copyright symbol ©

                     © 20__ by [Student’s Name]

                     All rights reserved.

• Note: the copyright available through ProQuest is optional and an additional fee

Tables and Figures:

• Tables placed as close as possible to their reference in the text
• Heading at top of table
• Consecutive numbering throughout, or by chapter (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2)
• Captions placed at bottom

(Sample Title Page)

Dissertation Title: Subtitle

(first letter of each word in title should be capitalized)

A Dissertation

Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School

Yale University

In Candidacy for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

[Full Name of Author]

Dissertation Director: [Full  Name of the Advisor(s)]

(or chairperson of advisory committee)

(month of graduation, not of submission)

Submission Policy

Dissertations for the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Doctor of Philosophy degree must be submitted to the Graduate School by 5:00 pm on March 15 for consideration at the May meeting of the degree committee, and by 5:00 pm on October 1 for consideration at the fall meeting of the degree committee. These deadlines are established to allow sufficient time for readers to make careful evaluations and for departments to review those evaluations and make recommendations to the Graduate School. No extensions of the deadlines will be granted. Dissertations submitted after the deadlines will be considered for degree conferral during the following term.

In accord with the scholarly ideal that the candidate for a doctorate must make a contribution to knowledge, all dissertations that have been accepted by the Graduate School are made available in the Yale library.

Students do not need to be registered to be eligible to submit the dissertation.

Students who complete all PhD requirements within four continuous years of full-time study in the PhD program will be registered and charged full tuition only through the term in which the dissertation is submitted. Students who take a leave of absence must complete the four-year full tuition obligation, regardless of when they submit the dissertation.

The Graduate School does not compel departments to evaluate the dissertations of degree candidates who are no longer registered. In practice, however, departments normally agree to evaluate these dissertations.

Checklist: Submitting My Dissertation or Thesis

Main navigation.

The following checklist includes all items that should be prepared in order to complete the submission of your dissertation or thesis, using the Axess Dissertation and Thesis Center  

We recommend that you take all necessary steps in order to upload your dissertation or thesis in time to meet all of the applicable posted deadlines and give your Final Reader plenty of time to approve the dissertation or thesis once it has been uploaded.

Prior to Online Submission

• Enroll in the quarter for which you intend to submit
• File online “Application to Graduate” through Axess by the appropriate deadline.
• Submit Reading Committee Signature Page requirement online.
• If a committee member is missing, or has been assigned an incorrect role, meet with your department who maintains reading committees and changes permitted within policy.
• For thesis: The name of your Thesis Advisor and designate them as your Final Reader.
• Confirm with your department that your candidacy is valid through your degree conferral date.
• Confirm with your department that you have completed all required university Milestones .
• Review Copyright Considerations for Authors of Electronic Theses and Dissertations . Discuss embargo and other release options with your co-authors and advisor before preparing the submission online.
• For students submitting a dissertation: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates .

During Online Submission 

Ensure your electronic dissertation or thesis is formatted following these guidelines:

• One electronic copy of the dissertation or thesis in PDF format.
• For D.M.A Composition students, score page size is 11" x 17".
• Type size 10, 11, or 12 point. Smaller fonts are acceptable for tables, captions, etc. 
• Font style is New Times Roman. If applicable, mathematic/scientific notation fonts are embedded in the PDF file.
• Line spacing of dissertation or thesis text is 1.5 or 2.
• Margins are 1.5 inches on the binding edge and 1 inch on all other sides.
• Text is divided correctly.
• Title page is formatted correctly.
• No signature page or copyright page is included.
• Pagination begins with the first page of the Abstract (page “iv” or if formatted for double-sided printing with the Abstract to appear on the right page, then pagination begins with a blank page as page "iv"). Pagination is continuous and placement of numbers is consistent throughout the manuscript.
• Dissertation contains no multimedia or large images embedded into the PDF file.
• The dissertation or thesis is ready-for-publication in appearance. All pages and sections are in order.
• The dissertation or thesis contains no unnumbered pages, except for the title page which is unpaginated, but is assumed page 'i'.
• PDF file size does not exceed 1 GB.
• PDF file has no encryption or other security measures applied.
• One version of the abstract, containing no special text formatting or HTML, entered into an online submission form.
• File size(s) do not exceed 1 GB. 
• Short description or label is applied to each file after upload. 
• Maximum 20 supplemental files.
• Agree to Stanford University publication license.
• Optional: Limit amount of dissertation or thesis content available via third-party distributors.
• Optional: Creative Commons license selected and applied.
• Optional: Delayed release (embargo) of the dissertation or thesis.
• Written permission from the appropriate copyright holder(s) to reproduce any copyrighted material in the dissertation or thesis. Each letter is formatted and uploaded as a single PDF file. Maximum 10 permission files.

After Online Submission

• Confirm via Axess that your designated Final Reader certifies the submission by noon of the final submission deadline date .
• For students submitting a dissertation, if you haven't done so already: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates .

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="dissertation submission guidelines"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Submitting your thesis/dissertation.

Submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be within 60 days of the final exam. Students who miss the 60 day submission deadline are ineligible to register in future terms.

The Graduate School uses ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process that results in publication in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database and Cornell’s Library Repository, eCommons. Before initiating the electronic process, students are required to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates (for doctoral students only). A SED Certification of Completion is provided to the student when the survey has been completed. Once the survey is completed, the final ETD can then be submitted to the Graduate School using the ProQuest system. The SED Certification of Completion is required for submission to ProQuest.

ProQuest Submission Steps

In order to complete the submission process, you will need to have the following:

• A single PDF file of your thesis or dissertation
• Your abstract
• Supplemental material
• SED Certification of Completion 

Step 1: Begin Submission Process

Master’s students go to  Cornell Master’s ProQuest site, doctoral students go to  Cornell Doctoral ProQuest site. Click on the “sign up and get started today” button and follow instructions to begin the submission process.

Submission Process: Submission steps are outlined on the left menu. You will see the items checked off as you progress through the submission steps. You must click “Save & Continue” at the bottom of each page, even pages on which you do not enter any information. Using the left menu, you can return to any page and make changes until the point of final submission.

Step 2: Publishing Options

Traditional Publishing:  “Traditional Publishing” is automatically selected and is included in the Cornell Thesis and Dissertation filing fees.

Delayed Release:  ProQuest provides six months, and one and two year embargoes. The Graduate School recommends you discuss the publishing options with your advisor. If your advisor is unavailable or has no opinion, the conservative approach is to choose a two-year embargo.

Step 3: Read and Agree to ProQuest and University Distribution License

Both ProQuest and Cornell University distribution licenses will be presented for your acceptance.

Step 4: Enter Thesis/Dissertation Information

In addition to the mandatory information, such as title and abstract, you will have the opportunity to select up to three categories (subject areas) and six key words that describe your ETD. This information will make it easier for others to find your work when searching the web.

Step 5: Upload PDF and Supplemental Files

Upload PDF: Whether you use the PDF conversion tool provided by ProQuest or you convert your document to PDF yourself, review your PDF to ensure your formatting remains as you intended after conversion.

Supplementary Materials: If supplementary materials – such as audio, video, and spreadsheets – are an integral part of your ETD, you can submit them as supplementary files during the online submission process.

Step 6: Upload Required Documents

The SED Certification of Completion if you are a Ph.D. candidate is required for submission to ProQuest.

Step 7: Register for Copyright

You can complete this process through ProQuest for a fee, or you complete the process independently through the U.S. Copyright Office.

Step 8: Order Copies

If you would like to purchase additional copies of your thesis/dissertation for yourself, your field, or your committee members, you may order bound copies through ProQuest (Order Copies page). The required bound archival copy for the library is automatically ordered for you and included in the Cornell thesis and dissertation filing fees.

Select the “Decline – do not order” option if you don’t wish to order additional copies.

Bound copies can also be ordered through Cornell Print Services .

Step 9: Review and Submit

Once the thesis editor has reviewed the formatting of your thesis/dissertation, you will receive an email to let you know whether any corrections are required. You will then have five days to make the changes and upload the revised PDF. You will not be certified for graduation until the formatting of your ETD has been fully approved by the Graduate School. You will receive a confirmation email of final acceptance.

Step 10: Submitting Revised PDF (if needed)

You will receive an email describing the formatting changes needed with instructions and a link for resubmission.

• Formatting Your Dissertation
• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

• Application for Degree
• Credit for Completed Graduate Work
• Ad Hoc Degree Programs
• Acknowledging the Work of Others
• Advanced Planning
• Dissertation Advisory Committee
• Dissertation Submission Checklist
• Publishing Options
• Submitting Your Dissertation
• English Language Proficiency
• PhD Program Requirements
• Secondary Fields
• Year of Graduate Study (G-Year)
• Master's Degrees
• Grade and Examination Requirements
• Conduct and Safety
• Financial Aid
• Non-Resident Students
• Registration

On this page:

Language of the Dissertation

Page and text requirements, body of text, tables, figures, and captions, dissertation acceptance certificate, copyright statement.

• Table of Contents

Front and Back Matter

Supplemental material, dissertations comprising previously published works, top ten formatting errors, further questions.

• Related Contacts and Forms

When preparing the dissertation for submission, students must follow strict formatting requirements. Any deviation from these requirements may lead to rejection of the dissertation and delay in the conferral of the degree.

The language of the dissertation is ordinarily English, although some departments whose subject matter involves foreign languages may accept a dissertation written in a language other than English.

Most dissertations are 100 to 300 pages in length. All dissertations should be divided into appropriate sections, and long dissertations may need chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions.

• 8½ x 11 inches, unless a musical score is included
• At least 1 inch for all margins
• Body of text: double spacing
• Block quotations, footnotes, and bibliographies: single spacing within each entry but double spacing between each entry
• Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures or illustrations, and lengthy tables: single spacing may be used

Fonts and Point Size

Use 10-12 point size. Fonts must be embedded in the PDF file to ensure all characters display correctly. 

Recommended Fonts

If you are unsure whether your chosen font will display correctly, use one of the following fonts: 

If fonts are not embedded, non-English characters may not appear as intended. Fonts embedded improperly will be published to DASH as-is. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that fonts are embedded properly prior to submission. 

Instructions for Embedding Fonts

To embed your fonts in recent versions of Word, follow these instructions from Microsoft:

• Click the File tab and then click Options .
• In the left column, select the Save tab.
• Clear the Do not embed common system fonts check box.

For reference, below are some instructions from ProQuest UMI for embedding fonts in older file formats:

To embed your fonts in Microsoft Word 2010:

• In the File pull-down menu click on Options .
• Choose Save on the left sidebar.
• Check the box next to Embed fonts in the file.
• Click the OK button.
• Save the document.

Note that when saving as a PDF, make sure to go to “more options” and save as “PDF/A compliant”

To embed your fonts in Microsoft Word 2007:

• Click the circular Office button in the upper left corner of Microsoft Word.
• A new window will display. In the bottom right corner select Word Options . 
• Choose Save from the left sidebar.

Using Microsoft Word on a Mac:

Microsoft Word 2008 on a Mac OS X computer will automatically embed your fonts while converting your document to a PDF file.

If you are converting to PDF using Acrobat Professional (instructions courtesy of the Graduate Thesis Office at Iowa State University):  

• Open your document in Microsoft Word. 
• Click on the Adobe PDF tab at the top. Select "Change Conversion Settings." 
• Click on Advanced Settings. 
• Click on the Fonts folder on the left side of the new window. In the lower box on the right, delete any fonts that appear in the "Never Embed" box. Then click "OK." 
• If prompted to save these new settings, save them as "Embed all fonts." 
• Now the Change Conversion Settings window should show "embed all fonts" in the Conversion Settings drop-down list and it should be selected. Click "OK" again. 
• Click on the Adobe PDF link at the top again. This time select Convert to Adobe PDF. Depending on the size of your document and the speed of your computer, this process can take 1-15 minutes. 
• After your document is converted, select the "File" tab at the top of the page. Then select "Document Properties." 
• Click on the "Fonts" tab. Carefully check all of your fonts. They should all show "(Embedded Subset)" after the font name. 
•  If you see "(Embedded Subset)" after all fonts, you have succeeded.

The font used in the body of the text must also be used in headers, page numbers, and footnotes. Exceptions are made only for tables and figures created with different software and inserted into the document.

Tables and figures must be placed as close as possible to their first mention in the text. They may be placed on a page with no text above or below, or they may be placed directly into the text. If a table or a figure is alone on a page (with no narrative), it should be centered within the margins on the page. Tables may take up more than one page as long as they obey all rules about margins. Tables and figures referred to in the text may not be placed at the end of the chapter or at the end of the dissertation.

• Given the standards of the discipline, dissertations in the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning often place illustrations at the end of the dissertation.

Figure and table numbering must be continuous throughout the dissertation or by chapter (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, etc.). Two figures or tables cannot be designated with the same number. If you have repeating images that you need to cite more than once, label them with their number and A, B, etc. 

Headings should be placed at the top of tables. While no specific rules for the format of table headings and figure captions are required, a consistent format must be used throughout the dissertation (contact your department for style manuals appropriate to the field).

Captions should appear at the bottom of any figures. If the figure takes up the entire page, the caption should be placed alone on the preceding page, centered vertically and horizontally within the margins.

Each page receives a separate page number. When a figure or table title is on a preceding page, the second and subsequent pages of the figure or table should say, for example, “Figure 5 (Continued).” In such an instance, the list of figures or tables will list the page number containing the title. The word “figure” should be written in full (not abbreviated), and the “F” should be capitalized (e.g., Figure 5). In instances where the caption continues on a second page, the “(Continued)” notation should appear on the second and any subsequent page. The figure/table and the caption are viewed as one entity and the numbering should show correlation between all pages. Each page must include a header.

Landscape orientation figures and tables must be positioned correctly and bound at the top so that the top of the figure or table will be at the left margin. Figure and table headings/captions are placed with the same orientation as the figure or table when on the same page. When on a separate page, headings/captions are always placed in portrait orientation, regardless of the orientation of the figure or table. Page numbers are always placed as if the figure were vertical on the page.

If a graphic artist does the figures, Harvard Griffin GSAS will accept lettering done by the artist only within the figure. Figures done with software are acceptable if the figures are clear and legible. Legends and titles done by the same process as the figures will be accepted if they too are clear, legible, and run at least 10 or 12 characters per inch. Otherwise, legends and captions should be printed with the same font used in the text.

Original illustrations, photographs, and fine arts prints may be scanned and included, centered between the margins on a page with no text above or below.

Use of Third-Party Content

In addition to the student's own writing, dissertations often contain third-party content or in-copyright content owned by parties other than you, the student who authored the dissertation. The Office for Scholarly Communication recommends consulting the information below about fair use, which allows individuals to use in-copyright content, on a limited basis and for specific purposes, without seeking permission from copyright holders.

Because your dissertation will be made available for online distribution through DASH , Harvard's open-access repository, it is important that any third-party content in it may be made available in this way.

Fair Use and Copyright 

What is fair use?

Fair use is a provision in copyright law that allows the use of a certain amount of copyrighted material without seeking permission. Fair use is format- and media-agnostic. This means fair use may apply to images (including photographs, illustrations, and paintings), quoting at length from literature, videos, and music regardless of the format. 

How do I determine whether my use of an image or other third-party content in my dissertation is fair use?  

There are four factors you will need to consider when making a fair use claim.

1) For what purpose is your work going to be used?

• Nonprofit, educational, scholarly, or research use favors fair use. Commercial, non-educational uses, often do not favor fair use.
• A transformative use (repurposing or recontextualizing the in-copyright material) favors fair use. Examining, analyzing, and explicating the material in a meaningful way, so as to enhance a reader's understanding, strengthens your fair use argument. In other words, can you make the point in the thesis without using, for instance, an in-copyright image? Is that image necessary to your dissertation? If not, perhaps, for copyright reasons, you should not include the image.  

2) What is the nature of the work to be used?

• Published, fact-based content favors fair use and includes scholarly analysis in published academic venues. 
• Creative works, including artistic images, are afforded more protection under copyright, and depending on your use in light of the other factors, may be less likely to favor fair use; however, this does not preclude considerations of fair use for creative content altogether.

3) How much of the work is going to be used?  

• Small, or less significant, amounts favor fair use. A good rule of thumb is to use only as much of the in-copyright content as necessary to serve your purpose. Can you use a thumbnail rather than a full-resolution image? Can you use a black-and-white photo instead of color? Can you quote select passages instead of including several pages of the content? These simple changes bolster your fair use of the material.

4) What potential effect on the market for that work may your use have?

• If there is a market for licensing this exact use or type of educational material, then this weighs against fair use. If however, there would likely be no effect on the potential commercial market, or if it is not possible to obtain permission to use the work, then this favors fair use. 

For further assistance with fair use, consult the Office for Scholarly Communication's guide, Fair Use: Made for the Harvard Community and the Office of the General Counsel's Copyright and Fair Use: A Guide for the Harvard Community .

What are my options if I don’t have a strong fair use claim? 

Consider the following options if you find you cannot reasonably make a fair use claim for the content you wish to incorporate:

• Seek permission from the copyright holder. 
• Use openly licensed content as an alternative to the original third-party content you intended to use. Openly-licensed content grants permission up-front for reuse of in-copyright content, provided your use meets the terms of the open license.
• Use content in the public domain, as this content is not in-copyright and is therefore free of all copyright restrictions. Whereas third-party content is owned by parties other than you, no one owns content in the public domain; everyone, therefore, has the right to use it.

For use of images in your dissertation, please consult this guide to Finding Public Domain & Creative Commons Media , which is a great resource for finding images without copyright restrictions. 

Who can help me with questions about copyright and fair use?

Contact your Copyright First Responder . Please note, Copyright First Responders assist with questions concerning copyright and fair use, but do not assist with the process of obtaining permission from copyright holders.

Pages should be assigned a number except for the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate . Preliminary pages (abstract, table of contents, list of tables, graphs, illustrations, and preface) should use small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.). All pages must contain text or images.  

Count the title page as page i and the copyright page as page ii, but do not print page numbers on either page .

For the body of text, use Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) starting with page 1 on the first page of text. Page numbers must be centered throughout the manuscript at the top or bottom. Every numbered page must be consecutively ordered, including tables, graphs, illustrations, and bibliography/index (if included); letter suffixes (such as 10a, 10b, etc.) are not allowed. It is customary not to have a page number on the page containing a chapter heading.

• Check pagination carefully. Account for all pages.

A copy of the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (DAC) should appear as the first page. This page should not be counted or numbered. The DAC will appear in the online version of the published dissertation. The author name and date on the DAC and title page should be the same. 

The dissertation begins with the title page; the title should be as concise as possible and should provide an accurate description of the dissertation. The author name and date on the DAC and title page should be the same. 

• Do not print a page number on the title page. It is understood to be page  i  for counting purposes only.

A copyright notice should appear on a separate page immediately following the title page and include the copyright symbol ©, the year of first publication of the work, and the name of the author:

© [ year ] [ Author’s Name ] All rights reserved.

Alternatively, students may choose to license their work openly under a  Creative Commons  license. The author remains the copyright holder while at the same time granting up-front permission to others to read, share, and (depending on the license) adapt the work, so long as proper attribution is given. (By default, under copyright law, the author reserves all rights; under a Creative Commons license, the author reserves some rights.)

• Do  not  print a page number on the copyright page. It is understood to be page  ii  for counting purposes only.

An abstract, numbered as page  iii , should immediately follow the copyright page and should state the problem, describe the methods and procedures used, and give the main results or conclusions of the research. The abstract will appear in the online and bound versions of the dissertation and will be published by ProQuest. There is no maximum word count for the abstract. 

• double-spaced
• left-justified
• indented on the first line of each paragraph
• The author’s name, right justified
• The words “Dissertation Advisor:” followed by the advisor’s name, left-justified (a maximum of two advisors is allowed)
• Title of the dissertation, centered, several lines below author and advisor

Dissertations divided into sections must contain a table of contents that lists, at minimum, the major headings in the following order:

• Front Matter
• Body of Text
• Back Matter

Front matter includes (if applicable):

• acknowledgements of help or encouragement from individuals or institutions
• a dedication
• a list of illustrations or tables
• a glossary of terms
• one or more epigraphs.

Back matter includes (if applicable):

• bibliography
• supplemental materials, including figures and tables
• an index (in rare instances).

Supplemental figures and tables must be placed at the end of the dissertation in an appendix, not within or at the end of a chapter. If additional digital information (including audio, video, image, or datasets) will accompany the main body of the dissertation, it should be uploaded as a supplemental file through ProQuest ETD . Supplemental material will be available in DASH and ProQuest and preserved digitally in the Harvard University Archives.

As a matter of copyright, dissertations comprising the student's previously published works must be authorized for distribution from DASH. The guidelines in this section pertain to any previously published material that requires permission from publishers or other rightsholders before it may be distributed from DASH. Please note:

• Authors whose publishing agreements grant the publisher exclusive rights to display, distribute, and create derivative works will need to seek the publisher's permission for nonexclusive use of the underlying works before the dissertation may be distributed from DASH.
• Authors whose publishing agreements indicate the authors have retained the relevant nonexclusive rights to the original materials for display, distribution, and the creation of derivative works may distribute the dissertation as a whole from DASH without need for further permissions.

It is recommended that authors consult their publishing agreements directly to determine whether and to what extent they may have transferred exclusive rights under copyright. The Office for Scholarly Communication (OSC) is available to help the author determine whether she has retained the necessary rights or requires permission. Please note, however, the Office of Scholarly Communication is not able to assist with the permissions process itself.

• Missing Dissertation Acceptance Certificate.  The first page of the PDF dissertation file should be a scanned copy of the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (DAC). This page should not be counted or numbered as a part of the dissertation pagination.
• Conflicts Between the DAC and the Title Page.  The DAC and the dissertation title page must match exactly, meaning that the author name and the title on the title page must match that on the DAC. If you use your full middle name or just an initial on one document, it must be the same on the other document.  
• Abstract Formatting Errors. The advisor name should be left-justified, and the author's name should be right-justified. Up to two advisor names are allowed. The Abstract should be double spaced and include the page title “Abstract,” as well as the page number “iii.” There is no maximum word count for the abstract. 
•  The front matter should be numbered using Roman numerals (iii, iv, v, …). The title page and the copyright page should be counted but not numbered. The first printed page number should appear on the Abstract page (iii). 
• The body of the dissertation should be numbered using Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, …). The first page of the body of the text should begin with page 1. Pagination may not continue from the front matter. 
• All page numbers should be centered either at the top or the bottom of the page.
• Figures and tables Figures and tables must be placed within the text, as close to their first mention as possible. Figures and tables that span more than one page must be labeled on each page. Any second and subsequent page of the figure/table must include the “(Continued)” notation. This applies to figure captions as well as images. Each page of a figure/table must be accounted for and appropriately labeled. All figures/tables must have a unique number. They may not repeat within the dissertation.
• Any figures/tables placed in a horizontal orientation must be placed with the top of the figure/ table on the left-hand side. The top of the figure/table should be aligned with the spine of the dissertation when it is bound. 
• Page numbers must be placed in the same location on all pages of the dissertation, centered, at the bottom or top of the page. Page numbers may not appear under the table/ figure.
• Supplemental Figures and Tables. Supplemental figures and tables must be placed at the back of the dissertation in an appendix. They should not be placed at the back of the chapter. 
• Permission Letters Copyright. permission letters must be uploaded as a supplemental file, titled ‘do_not_publish_permission_letters,” within the dissertation submission tool.
•  DAC Attachment. The signed Dissertation Acceptance Certificate must additionally be uploaded as a document in the "Administrative Documents" section when submitting in Proquest ETD . Dissertation submission is not complete until all documents have been received and accepted.
• Overall Formatting. The entire document should be checked after all revisions, and before submitting online, to spot any inconsistencies or PDF conversion glitches.
• You can view dissertations successfully published from your department in DASH . This is a great place to check for specific formatting and area-specific conventions.
• Contact the  Office of Student Affairs  with further questions.

CONTACT INFO

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Thesis and Dissertation Guide

• « Thesis & Dissertation Resources
• The Graduate School Home

• Introduction
• Copyright Page
• Dedication, Acknowledgements, Preface (optional)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
• List of Abbreviations
• List of Symbols
• Non-Traditional Formats
• Font Type and Size
• Spacing and Indentation
• Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
• Formatting Previously Published Work
• Internet Distribution
• Open Access
• Registering Copyright
• Using Copyrighted Materials
• Use of Your Own Previously Published Materials

Submission Steps

• Submission Checklist
• Sample Pages

IV. Submission

A Checklist and Sample Pages are provided at the end of this Guide. To expedite the submission process, your work must conform to these guidelines before you submit your document electronically . Please take time before submission to review and comply with these guidelines. You will be required to resubmit your document if revisions are needed, which delays your graduation clearance processing.

Read and follow all information on The Graduate School's Electronic Thesis and Dissertation website.

Completed theses and dissertations must be submitted by the deadlines posted on the Graduation Deadlines website . You are encouraged to submit your document as early as possible to provide ample time for necessary revisions before graduation.

You need to successfully apply to graduate in ConnectCarolina before submitting your document. Your Committee Composition and Exam Report forms (with all approval signatures) should be submitted to The Graduate School before submitting your document.

The time between initial submission and final approval by The Graduate School may also vary due to factors such as proximity to deadlines and your projected graduation date. You will be contacted once your thesis or dissertation has been reviewed by The Graduate School, and you are expected to submit required revisions in a timely manner; please see further details below. Please continue to monitor your email account for notifications until the document is approved.

• Create an account on the ProQuest submission site . Be sure to use an email address that you check regularly (including your junk/spam folder) to prevent delays in communication that will impact graduation clearance. Once the account is created, you can use it to log in and complete the following steps at any time.
• Read and review the information on the ProQuest Instructions page to answer any questions that you may have as you prepare to submit your thesis or dissertation.
• You may convert your document to a PDF a number of ways. You may use the conversion tool provided on the submission site. Other options include using Adobe software (available on campus) or programs and applications such as Microsoft Word 2010 that allow you to print to PDF or save files as a PDF.
• If converted properly, the conversion to PDF format should not affect the quality of the original document.
• See the ProQuest submission site PDF FAQs for more information.
• Review the ProQuest Publishing Options page and select the appropriate publishing options for you. For more information about publishing options, see the section on Distribution above. Select Save & Continue.
• Read and agree to the ProQuest Traditional Publishing Agreement .
• Provide the requested contact information. Be sure to include current, accurate information so that ProQuest and The Graduate School can contact you about your submission. Select Save & Continue.
• Pay careful attention to capitalization and spelling, as this information will be displayed online exactly as it is entered. The keywords and abstract information that you enter will be used to provide online database access to your thesis or dissertation, so accuracy is important.
• Please review the section on your Abstract when submitting this information, especially the tips on keywords and word limits.
• Acceptable media types and information about supplemental files can be found on the ProQuest FAQ page.
• The Graduate School recommends using common file formats that do not require specialized software to open and use. This will increase the likelihood of readers having ready access to the contents of your supplemental files as they review your entire thesis or dissertation.
• The Graduate School recommends that you take care to identify supplemental files as your own. If possible, embed your name and document information within the file contents. You are also encouraged to include your name as a part of the file name. When supplemental files are made accessible online, the file name and the specific contents of the file are the only way to identify to whom the work belongs.
• Electronic file size is limited to 1000 MB total of all files added together. Files can be uploaded in zipped folders.
• Although the ProQuest submission site discusses mailing in documents with very large supplementary files on a CD, DVD, or USB drive, UNC-Chapel Hill will not accept submissions in this manner.
• Choose whether or not you would like ProQuest to file a copyright on your behalf. Please see the section on Registering Copyright for more information. Select Save & Continue.
• Please note The Graduate School cannot take responsibility for your printing job.
• You may order your copies through the ProQuest site at the time of submission or at a later date.
• The Print Stop and Copy Center in the UNC Student Stores will also send documents out to a library bindery on behalf of students. The Print Stop handles payments, provides on-campus customer service, and takes care of the shipping and order tracking. For more information, visit the Print Stop on the third floor of Student Stores or call 919-962-7016.
• You may also find other companies online that offer printing or binding services for theses and dissertations.
• Pay for any applicable fees with a credit card. Expect your card to be charged after you graduate.
• Submit your document by selecting the Submit Dissertation/Thesis button.
• Allow sufficient time for The Graduate School staff to review your document, generally within ten business days of submission. You will be notified via email if revisions are needed, and you must complete all required revisions in a timely manner, usually within 72 hours. Be sure to include an email address that you check regularly in the contact information requested by ProQuest. This email address will be used to contact you with revisions and final approval.
• Once you receive notice that The Graduate School has accepted the final document, no revisions or re-submissions are accepted.

For more details about submission, please visit The Graduate School's Electronic Thesis and Dissertation site and the Frequently Asked Questions on the ProQuest site.

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Thesis/Dissertation

To graduate with a master’s (thesis program) or doctoral (dissertation program) degree, students are required to submit an Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) and a Committee Approval Form to the Graduate School through the  UW ETD Administrator Site . ETDs are distributed by ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing and made available on an open access basis through UW Libraries  ResearchWorks Service .

The Graduate School partners with the UW Libraries to provide comprehensive resources for students as they write, submit, and publish academic theses or dissertations. These pages outline information and policies related to preparing your thesis/dissertation, including formatting, deadlines, copyright and distribution decisions, and, ultimately, graduation. We also encourage you to review the  ETD Library Guide  for additional information.

For comprehensive information on preparing to graduate, please refer to our graduation requirements information page .

Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation

Etd resources.

As a starting point, students submitting an ETD are encouraged to review the below resources:

• Hacking the Academy: UW Theses & Dissertations (Recording of July 29, 2020 event) This session helps students think through their options for how and when to share their work, including the copyright and publishing considerations they may need to take into account.
• Electronic Theses & Dissertations with the UW Libraries The University Libraries welcomes you to this self-guided course on electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) at the UW. In this five-part learning experience, you will learn a lot about the ETD process including how the submission process works, how to give and receive recognition for your work, how to find and interpret publisher policies and how to read and inspect publishing contracts.

Formatting Guidelines

After you submit your ETD, the Graduate School will review your document as part of the graduation process at the end of each quarter. We will review for information accuracy, consistency, and to ensure your ETD meets the formatting requirements described below. There are three required sections (pages) that must be included at the beginning of your manuscript: 1) Title Page, 2) Copyright Page, 3) Abstract. Templates for these sections are provided below.

Apart from these first three pages, the Graduate School does not adhere to any specific formatting or publishing requirements unless explicitly stated by the ProQuest Author Guide: Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission (provided below). You should refer to the citation, formatting, and style specifications of your discipline and the guidance of your supervisory committee.  Note: theses and dissertations must be submitted in PDF format.

For a complete overview of the graduation process, please review  Preparing to Graduate .

Required Sections:

• Must include all items listed in the sample title page and placed in the same order
• May be the first or second page of your document
• Title of document
• Author’s Full Name
• Name of degree as it will appear on your diploma
• Year of graduation
• Names of chair/committee members (do not include signatures or professional titles, e.g. Dr. or PhD, before/after faculty names)
• Program authorized to offer degree (school or department)
• Name and year must match title pages
• List the year of graduation
• Place abstract after copyright and title page

Master’s Thesis Approval Form:

You are required to upload a completed and signed Master’s Thesis Approval Form into the UW ETD Administrator (ProQuest) site; the Approval Form is part of your ETD submission. This Approval Form is a separate PDF and should not be included as a page in the thesis or dissertation itself.

• Master’s Thesis Approval Form

Electronic Doctoral Dissertation Approval:

Final Exams scheduled after March 3, 2020 include a link for Reading Committee Members to approve the dissertation online at MyGrad Committee View.

ETD Formatting Resources:

• Thesis/Dissertation Formatting Checklist  – a quick reference guide of the formatting do’s and don’ts provided below.
• ProQuest Dissertation Publishing — Author Guide: Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission
• ProQuest Online Submission FAQs
• Master’s Thesis Title Page – Fillable PDF Template 
• Doctoral Dissertation Title Page – Fillable PDF Template
• Word Templates  – Alex Mamishev, Professor in Electrical Engineering maintains a Word file that other students may find useful when formatting their document.

Common ETD Formatting Revisions Requested

To ensure timely graduating, take some time before you submit to review this information and ProQuest’s document formatting guidelines. These are all common errors and revisions the Graduate School will request when reviewing ETD formatting. You will be required to resubmit if revisions are needed. Be precise, and consistent as you format your document.  Many formatting errors result from following a fellow or former student’s example, so it’s important to review the most current templates and guidelines.

Title Page, Copyright Page, Abstract

Language requirement.

Your document must be written in English ( policy 1.1.4.3 ). If you need to write your document in another language to accommodate the main audience, you must get prior approval to do so by  submitting a petition the dean via MyGrad . If the petition is approved, the required sections (title page, copyright page, abstract) must still be written in English.

Plagiarism is using words, ideas, diagrams, and other content from publicly available work without appropriately acknowledging the sources of these materials. This definition constitutes plagiarism whether it is intentional or unintentional and whether it is the work of another or your own, previously published work.

Plagiarism is a very serious offense that the University of Washington does not tolerate. Evidence of plagiarism may prevent granting of your degree.

Submitting and Publishing

Submitting for dissemination and access.

The Graduate School and the Libraries require that all UW theses and dissertations be submitted electronically for management efficiency, cost control, ease of dissemination, and long-term preservation reasons. In addition, your ETD must eventually be made available openly on the web. Your ETD will be hosted in both UW’s institutional repository,  ResearchWorks , and in  ProQuest’s ETD Database .  Consequently, you will need to indicate your choices in two sections about how your ETD is made available. Most students choose to make their work available immediately, but you can choose to limit access  temporarily  before making it available openly.

Students may restrict access to their theses and dissertations…

• while seeking to publish journal articles or books based on them,
• to protect intellectual property during the patent application process, or
• to prevent the disclosure of sensitive or classified information.

During the submission process, you will select ProQuest and ResearchWorks (Institutional Repository, or IR) publication options. The options are summarized on a table below, followed by selected scenarios to assist you in making your decisions.

IMPORTANT: The metadata describing your ETD, including the citation and abstract, is openly available  immediately— regardless of the embargo or restriction status. This information is searchable by Google, Bing and other search engines, so take care that neither the descriptive information nor the text contain confidential or sensitive information.

Selecting Access Options

Selected etd access scenarios.

The UW Libraries and the Graduate School are committed to the goal of sharing graduate students’ research as soon and as widely as possible, while allowing students to temporarily limit access to their theses and dissertations for such reasons as to support formal publication in journal article or book form or to allow time for filing patents. Below are some examples of how students may wish to use these options to support their publishing or intellectual property-protection goals.

Discussion of Scenarios

• Journal Article Publishing. In recent years graduate students – especially in scientific, medical and technical fields — have increasingly been publishing results of their research in journals.
• The “Research Article” Dissertation. In some disciplines students may be expected to publish 2 or more journal articles during the course of their studies and submit them as the core of their thesis or dissertation — along with an introduction, literature review, and conclusions. Because this has become so common, most journals now permit authors to immediately republish their articles within their theses or dissertations as long as they provide the full article citation and a statement that an article is being “reprinted with permission” of the journal. However, some other journals allow the practice but require that an article not appear on an open access basis before a delay of 6 or 12 months. The Libraries strongly suggests that students become familiar with the policies in place at the journals in which they would like to publish their work, and choose appropriate access restrictions if needed when they submit their ETD’s.
• Book Publishing. Some students in such humanities and social science disciplines as history and political science may hope to publish a revised version of their dissertation as their first book. As they consider that possibility they may be concerned they might undermine their prospects by making their dissertations widely available via ProQuest and/or on an open access basis.Before deciding whether or for how long to limit access to their work based on these concerns, The Libraries recommends students become familiar with the arguments and evidence put forward on these issues. For example, Cirasella and Thistlethwaite 3 and Courtney and Kilcer 4 provide excellent discussions of issues and review recent literature, while William Germano’s classic From Dissertation to Book 5 and Beth Luey’s Revising Your Dissertation 6 offer important insight into what might be involved during the dissertation revision process. While the Libraries recommends that most students hoping to publish their dissertations as books make them widely available while they work toward that goal, they should feel free to consider choosing otherwise, such as “Immediate Access” for ProQuest and limiting to UW for five years – at the end of which students may request additional time.
• Patent Protection Strategies. Students whose theses or dissertations describe work for which patent protection might be appropriate should contact Jesse Kindra at CoMotion ( [email protected] or 206 616-9658) prior to submitting their work to ProQuest and choosing access restrictions. Depending on the circumstances, a student may choose to completely withhold access for one year, but should recognize that doing so will prevent anyone else at the UW from having access to it during the restricted access period. To exercise this option, students should delay releasing their work to ProQuest for 1 or 2 years, and then choose “No access for 1 year, then make Open Access” from the Institutional Repository (IR) Publishing Options menu for the UW copy. In unusual circumstances, requests for access to be withheld an additional year may be considered. To make such a request, students should describe the reason(s) for it in an email to [email protected] prior to expiration of the original embargo period.

1 Marisa L. Ramirez, Joan T. Dalton, Gail McMillan, Max Read and Nancy H. Seamans, “Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities,” College and Research Libraries 74 (July 2013): 368‐80, http://crl.acrl.org/content/74/4/368.full.pdf+html .

2 Marisa Ramirez, Gail McMillan, Joan T. Dalton, Ann Hanlon, Heather S. Smith and Chelsea Kern, “Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Sciences?” College and Research Libraries 75 (November 2014): 808-21, http://crl.acrl.org/content/75/6/808.full.pdf+html .

3 Jill Cirasella and Polly Thistlethwaite, “Open Access and the Graduate Author: A Dissertation Anxiety Manual,” pp. 203-224 in Open Access and the Future of Scholarly Communication: Implementation (Kevin L. Smith and Katherine A. Dickson, eds.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2017), http://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_pubs/286/ .

4 Kyle K. Courtney and Emily Kilcer, “From Apprehension to Comprehension: Addressing Anxieties about Open Access to ETD’s,” pp. 225-244 in Open Access and the Future of Scholarly Communication: Implementation (Kevin L. Smith and Katherine A. Dickson, eds.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2017).

5 William Germano. 2013. From Dissertation to Book, 2d. ed. : University of Chicago Press.

6 Beth Luey (ed.). 2008. Revising Your Dissertation: Advice from Leading Editors. University of California Press.

Publishing Agreements

When you submit your ETD for review and publication, you will be required to read and accept two separate publishing agreements. You will also have to decide whether to publish your work right away or to delay its release. Additional pages within this section will outline all the considerations to keep in mind, when deciding how to make your work available to the scholarly community.

All students writing a thesis or dissertation should review the UW Libraries Copyright Research Guide . Understanding copyright law is another critical aspect as you write your thesis or dissertation.  As you compose your work, ask yourself the following questions:

• Have you referenced others’ work? If so, you either need to get explicit permission from the rights holder or to determine that your use is Fair.
• Have you previously published any part of the work? If you’ve signed your copyright over to your publisher, you will need permission to use your material in your thesis.

Ordering Paper Copies

There are no required fees , although you have the option to register your copyright via ProQuest for a fee. If you want to order bound (paper) copies of your document, you may do so through the UW Copy Centers or through ProQuest. Questions should be directed to the UW Copy Centers or to ProQuest at 1.800.521.0600 ext. 77020 — available 8 a.m.–5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. holidays).

Frequently Asked Questions

I created an account in the etd administrator site, but i’m not ready to submit my etd. can i come back to my account later.

Yes. If you need to finish your submission later (for instance, if you need to update your PDF file before uploading it), you can save your information and come back to finish. No information will be lost.

I submitted my ETD but would like to make an edit to the document. How can I edit my submission?

Once your thesis/dissertation is submitted, no additional changes to the document are allowed with the exception of a major data error in the document. In this circumstance, a letter outlining the necessary changes is required from your supervisory committee chair.

What will the Graduate School be reviewing after I submit my ETD?

Submissions are reviewed by GEMS advisors for formatting requirements for the three required sections — title page, copyright page, abstract — before they are delivered to ProQuest for publication. We are checking for accuracy and consistency. Refer to the Formatting Guidelines section on this page for detailed information.

I submitted my ETD and haven't heard anything yet. When will it be reviewed?

We try to review all ETDs as they are received, but if you submit early in the quarter it may not be acted on immediately. If you need to confirm completion of your degree requirements to an external agency or employer, please access the request for letter of certification in the forms section of our Additional Resources page (once your degree has posted to your UW transcript, we can no longer issue this letter). In general, ETDs are reviewed in the last two to three weeks before the quarter ends and after the last day of the quarter. When your submission has been accepted by a GEMS advisor, you will receive email confirmation.

How can I tell if my ETD was submitted and received by the Graduate School?

When your ETD is successfully submitted and pending review, the status will read “submission in review.”

When will my ETD be made available for access?

This depends on the type of access restrictions you selected when creating your account. However, your submission will be delivered to ProQuest for publishing four to six weeks after graduation and you will receive email confirmation when this has occurred. It should be available in UW ResearchWorks around the same time.

When will the printed dissertation / thesis copies I ordered from ProQuest be ready?

After you receive the email confirmation that UW has “delivered” your submission (ETD) to ProQuest, you should please refer to the ProQuest customer service guidelines for the expected delivery date of your order.

What if I am missing a faculty signature for my thesis or dissertation, or I have encountered difficulties in uploading my ETD? Must I pay the graduate registration waiver fee and graduate in the following quarter?

If you encounter these types of situations, contact Graduate Enrollment Management Services (206.685.2630 or  [email protected] ) as early as possible and no later than the last day of the quarter in which you intend to graduate.

Additional Resources

• Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) Guide  (start here!)
• Copyright and Fair Use
• Open Access
• Scholarly Publishing
• ProQuest/UMI Agreement — Traditional Publishing Agreement
• University Agreement — UW Libraries Thesis and Dissertation Submission Agreement
• UW Human Subjects Division (HSD)
• UW CoMotion

• Dean of the Graduate School
• PhD Program Characteristics
• Graduate Events
• Graduate Degrees awarded at USC
• Fellowships
• Guidelines and Forms
• Student Resources
• Required Documents
• Submission Deadlines

Guidelines to Submission

• Manuscript Formatting Guidelines
• Fellowships for PhD Students
• Scholarships for Masters Students
• Academic Support, Professional Development and Diversity Inclusion Programs

Thesis Center: Guidelines to Submission (Steps 1 to 7)

Finalize your committee

• Download the  Appointment/Change of Committee form
• Complete this form well in advance of your defense date, as it requires the signature of the school dean, department chair, and committee members. At the time of submission to Thesis Center, all applicable fields on the form must be complete and current
• Save a PDF of your completed Appointment/Change of Committee form

Create a profile in Thesis Center

• After clicking “Register”, a verification email will be sent. Click the link to verify the registration. This will activate your Thesis Center profile
• Click ‘Create a new profile’
• Fill out the “New Manuscript Submission Profile” in Thesis Center with your information. Refer to your Appointment/Change of Committee form to complete the Committee Information section. They  must  match
• Click “Create”
• Upload a PDF of the Appointment/Change of Committee form to the Checklist page in Thesis Center

**PhD students only**:  Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). You are only required to complete the first section. Save a PDF of the completion certificate. Upload the PDF to the Checklist page. The survey is available here:  https://sed-ncses.org

The morning of your defense, you may go to the Checklist page in Thesis Center to generate the electronic  Approval to Submit  form. Your action will prompt Thesis Center to send an email containing a link to the form to all of your committee members.

Your committee members must indicate their approval by the  Checklist Submission Deadline.

• Defend your dissertation or thesis, and make any changes to your manuscript that your committee requires
• Monitor the progress of the electronic  Approval to Submit  form through the Checklist page of your Thesis Center profile

No further changes to the manuscript are allowed, with the exception of revisions to the formatting required by the Thesis Coordinator.

• A PDF of the completed  Appointment/Change of Committee form
• All committee members must have indicated their approval on the  Approval to Submit  form
• PhD students only:  a PDF of the completion certificate from the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED)
• Checklist verification will begin once your expected semester of degree conferral starts.
• All Checklists are reviewed in the order received.
• If you miss the Checklist deadline, your submission will automatically update to be reviewed for the following semester.
• In the submissions page of the Thesis Center profile, upload a single PDF file of the manuscript that was approved by your committee. Be sure to upload by the Manuscript Submission Deadline . This deadline pertains to the initial upload of the manuscript
• Confirmation of your submission will be sent to the email address you’ve entered in Thesis Center. The subject will read: “Manuscript Received”
• The Thesis Coordinator will review the manuscript for format and presentation and, should any changes be required, send a notification email. Normally this takes place within 3 weeks during peak submission times and sooner during off-peak times. The subject of the notification email will read: “Formatting Changes Available”

Submissions made past the deadline will not be processed until the beginning of the following semester.

• If you receive an email with the subject “Formatting Changes Available”, follow the instructions in the email and return to the Submissions page in Thesis Center to view the corrections listed there
• Address the corrections, and upload the revised manuscript to the Submissions Page as a single PDF
• The Thesis Coordinator will review the manuscript for format and presentation and send a notification email, should any additional changes be required
• After all corrections have been addressed, an email confirmation will be sent

Monitor your email for a message from the USC Digital Library. You will confirm the thesis or dissertation publishing information with the USC Digital Library. At this point, you will be able to upload any necessary supplemental media files to accompany the PDF thesis or dissertation manuscript. You  must respond to the email to finalize publishing information with the USC Digital Library. The deadline for finalizing publishing information is the degree conferral date of the given term. This is the final step required for degree conferral.  At this time, the manuscript processing fee will be applied to your student fee bill. The fee is $115 for doctoral students and $105 for master’s students.

• Student Support
• StudentInfo

Graduate Studies

Submitting your electronic thesis or dissertation.

The University of New Mexico encourages open access to all thesis and dissertations produced for graduate degrees. Therefore, all theses are submitted electronically in PDF format to Graduate Studies. These electronically submitted theses (ETDs) are uploaded on a server housed in the UNM Digital Repository  where they are accessible for search and download through web search engines such as Google.  In most cases, students submitting ETDs benefit from having their work available in the open access repository. In some special cases, however, students may want to delay making their work available for varying lengths of time.  For this reason, UNM has implemented an embargo policy that enables students, with approval from their advisers and Graduate Studies, to delay public-wide access to their work in the UNM Digital Repository. While under embargo the manuscript nonetheless remains available to the University of New Mexico academic community in order to satisfy requirements for the degree. Before submitting your thesis, please consult with your committee chair and review the Embargo Restriction Policy  to determine whether or not you should release your work to open access or petition for an appropriate embargo option. For more information on the embargo policy please see Embargoing your Electronically Submitted Thesis or Dissertation . If the decision is made to request an embargo restriction then the form must be submitted to Graduate Studies at the same time as you submit the Announcement of Examination form — at least two weeks before your dissertation defense.

Steps for Submitting Your Manuscript

Once your thesis or dissertation committee approves your final manuscript and you have made all necessary revisions and corrections, you are ready to submit your work as a single pdf file to the UNM Digital Repository and, for dissertation writers, the ProQuest ETD Administrator archive following the instructions below . At the minimum, you must submit your thesis or dissertation to Graduate Studies within (90) ninety days of your final defense or by the graduation deadline for the term in which you are graduating, whichever comes first.

Submission Instructions by Degree:

• Doctorate of Education
• Doctorate of Philosophy
• Master of Fine Arts
• Master of Arts or Master of Science

Note: You must submit the manuscript as a PDF, thus you will need to convert your Microsoft Word document or any other document to the pdf format. When using either a PC or Macintosh platform with recent versions of Microsoft Office you may lose some formatting when converting your Word document into pdf or when submitting your pdf document to the UNM Digital Repository. To protect against such problems, it is important that you create and save all changes to your document on the same computer platform and using the same version of Microsoft Office. Thus, when you complete your final manuscript do not shift between computers and different versions of Word. If you encounter these problems, contact the Manuscript Coordinator at Graduate Studies for assistance.

Steps to Create a Single Thesis or Dissertation File (Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010)

• For the best results to set up the file, please do NOT Copy/Paste the two Template pages before this file is generated with the following instructions.
• Create a number of pages (Page breaks)—Go to Insert (Ribbon)—Click on “Page Break” any number of times (10-20). You need to estimate how many pages you may need for the Front Matter. Please consult the  Examples of Front Matter . Review the example to decide on the number of pages in the Front Matter.
• In order to be able to create page numbers for the Front Matter (lower case Roman numerals) and Body of Research (Arabic numerals), pick the halfway placement of the pages to set the section break. Place the cursor on the page in which the section break will be set at the beginning of that page.
• Set the section break: Go to Page Layout (Ribbon)—Click on Breaks—Click on Section Break (Next page). Do NOT use the continuous section break.
• At this point, you want to set the lower case Roman numeral page numbers for the Front Matter. Go to the first page of the file and place the cursor at the first page. Go to Insert (Ribbon)—move to the right and click on Page Number. You will need to pick the location placement of your page numbers (window examples). You need to pick either upper right hand corner or bottom center. Once the location is set and make sure your cursor is still at the first page of the file. You should be able to go back to Insert (Ribbon)—Page Number (which may have moved to just below to the left from the ribbon. Scroll down to Format Page Numbers and click to show the window box. At this time, click on the arrow and select the ”i,ii,iii,iv”-lower case Roman numerals which will be highlighted in gray. Move down to the page numbering section and select the start at:  type in “i”. Click on the “OK” button.
• The previous step should have incorporated the lower case roman numbers for the Front Matter. You will see that at the transition page where the section break was set for the Body of Research that an Arabic number is in place instead of the lower case number. Example: I,ii,ii,vi,v,vi,vii,viii,ix,x,11,12,13.
• The first page of the Body of Research should start as page 1. You will need to reset the page numbers for the Body of Research. Place the cursor on this page of the Body of Research and follow the previous step to incorporate correct Arabic page numbers. Go to Insert (Ribbon)—move to the right and click on Page Number. You will need to pick the location placement of your page numbers (window examples). You should be able to go back to Insert (Ribbon)—Page Number (which may have moved to just below to the left from the ribbon. Scroll down to Format Page Numbers and click to show the window box. At this time, click on the arrow and select the  ”1,2,3,…”-Arabic numerals which will be highlighted in gray. Move down to the page numbering section and select the start at:  type in “1”. Click on the “OK” button. This step should have renumbered the Body of Research correctly to start as p.1.
• At this point, this is the file that can now be formatted to become the full thesis or dissertation file. You will now continue with the format criteria for margins, line spacing, fonts, and all other style (APA, MLA, or Chicago) criteria that you can confirm with your committee chair if necessary.
• You can create the two template pages (Approval page and the Title page) which can be copy/pasted to the p.i and p.ii of the Front Matter.  Please consult the  Examples of Front Matter for Thesis or Dissertation  to decide how the Front Matter pages will be generated –Approval page, Title page, Dedication page(optional), Acknowledgement page(optional), Abstract page, Table of Contents, List of Tables(optional), List of Figures(optional).
• For Microsoft 2010 to copy/paste the Template pages, follow the next instructions.  When you are ready to create the template pages, you must unlock the template to complete typing within the gray fields but, also, to Save the template page to your laptop/computer. Go to “Review” (Ribbon) and click on “Review” icon. Move to the far right side and click Restrict Editing. Look down the right side to the bottom area and click Stop Protection. This will allow you to complete the template page and save it to your computer.
• With the document file, you will want to copy/paste your Template pages (Approval page and Title page), Abstract page, Table of Contents to the Front Matter section. You can copy/paste individual files (Introduction or Chapter 1, Chapter 2,…) to the Body of Research section. You want to complete all your edit/revisions within this file. When you paste the documents to the full thesis or dissertation file, use the Paste Special option and then the Picture option to move the selected text to your thesis or dissertation file.
• Most important, please backup your thesis or dissertation file to a USB stick or external hard drive. Be sure to save this file to multiple places so when you have a final thesis or dissertation file, you will be ready to convert this file to a PDF for final submission to the electronic digital repositories to meet the final degree requirement for your degree program.

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Thesis and dissertation filing guidelines

Students who have enrolled in dissertation or thesis credits will prepare a manuscript to publish through ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing. You own and retain the copyright to your manuscript. The Graduate School collects the manuscript via electronic submissions only. All manuscripts are made available through ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (PQDT), in ProQuest/UMI’s Dissertation Abstracts International, and through the University’s institutional repository, ScholarWorks.

Getting started with campus resources:

• Office of Human Research Protection
• Campus computer Help Desk @One : (775) 682-5000
• ProQuest Help Line: (877) 408-5027 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET, or 5 a.m. - 2 p.m. PT)
• For specific questions, call the Graduate School Graduation staff at (775) 784-6869

Jump to a section

• Important dates and milestones for graduating students
• Electronic manuscript submission
• Checklist to complete your electronic submission
• Instructions for completing thesis/dissertation committee approval page
• Formatting your dissertation or thesis
• Templates, samples and forms for filing

1. Important dates and milestones for graduating students

• Contact your advisor to discuss department considerations and potential dates for your defense.
• Contact the Graduate School to ensure your progression paperwork has been approved.
• View important dates and purchase a graduation application through MyNevada for your graduation semester.
• Doctoral students must submit their dissertation title for the commencement program.
• Schedule defense date with the entire advisory committee in accordance with graduation deadlines.
• Submit all forms and final manuscripts to the Graduate School by established deadlines.

2. Electronic Manuscript submission

ProQuest electronic submission site

Set up an account with ProQuest and wait for a password sent via email. ProQuest offers email and phone support,   1-877-408-5027 , frequently asked questions, etc. Visit the site early to familiarize yourself with the submission process.

3. Checklist to complete your electronic submission

• Master's  Notice of Completion and Doctoral Notice of Completion Form  - This form includes all committee signatures AND the Graduate Program Director’s signature.
• Master's Final Review Approval and Doctoral Final Review Approval   Form - This form serves as the final approval from your advisor. The Graduate School will accept the dissertation/thesis after the date listed on the form. The approval date on the form indicates the student’s submission can be accepted.
• Committee Approval Page   - Use the online Word document template (NO SIGNATURES and no page number). This page will be merged into your manuscript to acknowledge committee members.
• Filing for Copyright Registration   (optional) - Students have the opportunity to register a copyright of their graduate work with the U.S. Copyright Office. It is strictly optional, and there is a $75.00 fee associated with the service, which is paid online with student submission.
• Processing fee  - $85 thesis / $95 dissertation.  Log into your Student Center in MyNEVADA . Under the Finances section, click on the link “Purchase Miscellaneous Items.” Select the applicable processing fee to pay (Dissertation or Thesis) and complete the transaction. You will receive a receipt that generates overnight.  Please keep this item as proof of payment for your records. Our office will automatically check for payment posted.
• NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates  – For  doctoral students only.

4. Instructions for completing thesis/dissertation committee approval page

• The Committee Approval Page (see forms links at bottom of page ): This interactive template has established borders.
• Use the accompanying template on page two of this handout to complete the Committee Approval form. Check spelling carefully and make sure that case (upper-case/capital and lower-case letters) and font style (regular or bold) follow the template. Spacing between lines will depend on how long your thesis/dissertation title is and how many committee members you have.
• Type the words as they appear on the template, i.e., on the first line “We recommend that the thesis/dissertation”, followed by the second line “prepared under our supervision by.”
• At brackets [1] enter your full name in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and BOLD-FACED.
• Type the word “entitled” all in lowercase letters.
• At brackets [2] enter the complete title of your thesis/dissertation. The title should be in both CAPITAL and lower-case letters and must be Bold-Faced. If the title is long, use two or more lines, breaking the lines at appropriate words in the title. Do not hyphenate between lines.
• Type the words “be accepted in partial fulfillment of the,” and then, on the next line, “requirements for the degree of.”
• At brackets [3] enter the name of the degree being awarded, e.g., for Ph.D. enter “Doctor of Philosophy,” for Ed.D. enter “Doctor of Education”. The degree should be in all CAPITAL LETTERS and Bold-Faced. DO NOT enter the name of the graduate program, such as anthropology or economics.
• At brackets [4] type the full name of your thesis/dissertation advisor followed by his/her degree, followed by the word “Advisor”. For example, “Sonia A. Skakich, Ph.D., Advisor”. Use both capital and lowercase letters.
• Enter the subsequent committee members and type the full names of the rest of your committee members followed by their degrees and their roles in the committee (Committee Member or Graduate School Rep.) under each one. Use one line for each member. The Graduate School Representative should be the last committee member listed. Use both capital and lowercase letters.
• The last entry is reserved for the Dean of the Graduate School (which is already entered on the form).
• At brackets [5] enter the month and year of official graduation. The month must be May, August, or December. Enter the appropriate four-digit designation of the year (e.g., 2018).

5. Formatting your dissertation or thesis

The Graduate School requires standardized formatting for the dissertation and thesis documents. Students will follow a style guide (APA, MLA, etc.) to prepare their document; however, the document must comply with University formatting requirements listed below.

Margins and spacing

• Left margin: 1.5” from the left edge of the page.
• Right margin: 1.0” from the right edge of the page.
• Top margin: 1.0” from the top edge of the page.
• Bottom margin: 1.25” from the bottom edge of the page.
• All text should be double-spaced with the exception of captions, footnotes, long quotations, bibliographic entries of more than one line, and materials in tables and appendices.

Recommended fonts

Fonts should be easy to read. Times New Roman, Arial, or a similarly clear font is preferred; type size must be 10, 11, or 12 points. Script and italic typefaces are not acceptable except where absolutely necessary i.e. in Latin designations of species, etc.

In preparing your dissertation or thesis for electronic submission, you must embed all fonts. In Microsoft Word 2013, this is done by accessing the FILE menu; selecting OPTIONS, select SAVE. From the SAVE menu check the box labeled, ”Embed fonts in the file.” If the file size is a concern, check the box next to “Do NOT embed common system fonts."

Large tables, charts, etc., may be reduced to conform to page size, but the print must remain clear enough to be readable. You can also attach a PDF for electronic submissions.

Page numbering

Every page, with the exception of the title page, the copyright page, and the committee approval page is numbered in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top of the page and one inch from the right edge of the page. Do not underline or place a period after the number. Do not use a running header.

• The prefatory materials (abstract, acknowledgments, table of contents, etc.) are numbered in lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv…). Insert a section break after the Roman numerals to create different page numbering styles.
• The first page of the main text and all subsequent pages are continuously numbered in Arabic numerals beginning with one until the final page number (1, 2, 3, 4…)
• Do NOT number appendices or pages of additional material with numbers such as 4a or A-1.

Tables and appendices

Tables and appendices are part of the document and must conform to the same margin and page numbering requirements.

Format and sequence of pages

Assemble pages in the following order:

• Title page *no page number* (create according to the example provided)
• Copyright Notice *no page number* (optional - see example)
• Committee Approval Page *no page number* (use the online template available on our   forms page – NO SIGNATURES on this page)
• Abstract (begins lowercase Roman numerals i, ii, iii…)
• Dedication (optional)
• Acknowledgments (optional)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Body of Manuscript (begins Arabic numbering 1, 2, 3…)
• Back Matter (appendices, notes, bibliography, etc.)
• Do not number the title page
• Center each line of type
• Use BOLD text type for the manuscript title
• The date listed is the month and year in which you will graduate. The only acceptable months are May, August, and December (graduation cycles).

Copyright page

No page number on this page. Although not required, we strongly recommend you insert a copyright notice in your manuscript following the title page. Essential components of the copyright notice include the copyright symbol, full legal name of the author, and year of first publication. Follow the format of the sample provided below.

Committee approval page

• No page number on this page
• Use the electronic PDF template provided below. This page will list the advisory committee members and graduate dean but will NOT include committee signatures.   Combine the PDF into your manuscript to form a single PDF file.  To do this in Adobe Pro, select "Organize pages," "Insert," and "From file."   
• A window will open and you can drag your separate PDF files into this window to combine them into a single file.
• Choose the PDF documents in order of page sequencing (title page, committee page, main manuscript) and then combine files into a single PDF.

(Lower case Roman numeral “i” page number)

Abstracts are required for all theses and dissertations. ProQuest no longer has a word limit on the abstract, “as this constrains your ability to describe your research in a section that is accessible to search engines, and therefore would constrain potential exposure of your work.” ProQuest does publish print indices that include citations and abstracts of all dissertations and theses published by ProQuest/UMI. These print indices require word limits of 350 words for doctoral dissertations and 150 words for master’s theses (only text will be included in the abstract). You may wish to limit the length of your abstract if this concerns you. The abstracts as you submit them will NOT be altered in your published manuscript.

Processing note

Each copy of your thesis or dissertation will be checked for margins, clarity of copy, and pagination. The Graduate School will run the manuscript through the Turn It In plagiarism tool.

Electronically submitted theses/dissertations are available in electronic format only; no hard copies will be produced. Students are responsible for binding any copies for personal use or for distribution to their advisor, department, or committee members.

Dissertation & Thesis Processing Fee

Mandatory processing fees are required for all theses ($85.00) and all dissertations ($95.00). Log into your Student Center in MyNEVADA. Under the Finances section, click on the link “Purchase Miscellaneous Items.” Select the applicable processing fee to pay (Dissertation or Thesis) and complete the transaction. You will receive a receipt that generates overnight.  Please keep this item as proof of payment for your records. Our office will automatically check for payment posted.

Using copyrighted materials

You must certify in ProQuest that any copyrighted material used in your work, beyond brief excerpts, is with the written permission of the copyright owner. Attach copies of permission letters to the agreement form.

Copyright registration (optional)

Students have the opportunity to register a copyright on their graduate work with the U.S. Copyright Office. It is strictly optional, and there is a $75.00 fee associated with the service. Students submitting electronically pay online. Paying for the claim to copyright is a voluntary action, which allows a court of law to award monetary damages if the copyright is infringed. You may file a Registration of Copyright yourself by sending a properly completed application form, a nonrefundable filing fee of $45.00 and a nonreturnable copy of your thesis or dissertation to the United States Copyright Office. Application materials and instructions are available from:

Register of Copyrights Copyright Office Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20559-6000 Information is also available at the Copyright Office’s website:   lcweb.loc.gov/copyright

ScholarWorks repository

ScholarWorks - the University's institutional repository - assists in collecting, preserving, and distributing the university's intellectual output accessible to end-users on local and global levels with few if any barriers. The repository will provide long-term access to the items deposited and can accept works from all the University faculty/staff/students. A wide variety of items including Articles, Datasets, Presentations, Technical Reports, Thesis and Dissertations, Posters, Conference Papers, etc. in all file formats can be deposited into the repository. The repository supports creative commons licensing and open-access publishing without any cost.

The discovery services and search engine optimizations ensure that major search engines easily discover the uploaded content. This increases the visibility, citations, and overall impact of the research. All items deposited in the repository receive a persistent URL that can be used for citations. Various statistics are collected with the built-in statistics module and Google Analytics modules. Information on monthly/yearly views, number of downloads, demographic information, etc. is available for each deposited item upon request.

All the ETDs uploaded into ProQuest are automatically deposited into the University's ScholarWorks repository. The embargo period set in ProQuest during deposit is carried over to the ScholarWorks repository. Any changes to the embargo period after deposit can be made by contacting ProQuest at 1-800-521-0600 as well as the ScholarWorks administrator at [email protected] .

Scholarworks FAQ

Do I need to upload my ETD into the ScholarWorks repository?

• No, ProQuest will automatically upload the ETD into ScholarWorks on approval from the Graduate School.

Can I extend the embargo period on my Thesis/Dissertation after uploading it to ProQuest?

• Yes, to change or extend the embargo period of your ETD you need to contact ProQuest at 1-800-521-0600 and the ScholarWorks administrator at [email protected] .

Can I make my ETD open access in the ScholarWorks repository?

• Yes, ScholarWorks supports open access with creative commons licensing. It is available as a free service to all the faculty/staff/students.

Alternative formatting for thesis or dissertation

These guidelines apply to those theses or dissertations which consist of a number of papers either previously published or being published concurrently with the submission of the thesis or dissertation. Acceptance and publication of the articles are not criteria for this alternative. Each of the papers should constitute a separate chapter of the overall work. Preceding the papers should be an introductory section. This section may be one or more chapters but should include:

• an overall introduction to the thesis/dissertation,
• a review of the appropriate literature, and
• a description of the methodology used in the study.

The student’s advisory committee should determine the format and specific content of this introductory section.

The number of individual papers constituting chapters of the thesis/dissertation is determined by the student’s advisory committee. These chapters may be formatted in the same style required by the journals to which they are to be submitted. However, the margins must conform to those of the overall thesis, i.e. left margin = 1.5"; right margin = 1"; top margin = 1"; bottom margin = 1.25". In addition, each page must be numbered consistent with the rest of the thesis/dissertation, that is, the first page of text is numbered 1 with each subsequent page numbered consecutively until the end, to include all appendices, indexes, etc.

Following the chapters consisting of individual papers, there must follow a summary, conclusions and recommendations section. This section may be formatted as one or more chapters.

Work reported in the articles should represent a major contribution by the student that is the review of the literature, the conceptual framework and/or research design for the reported work. The statistical analyses, summaries, conclusions, and recommendations should represent the student’s own work.

For publication purposes, other researchers may be named as additional authors. This would be especially appropriate when publication is dependent upon extensive revision of the initial manuscript submitted and the faculty involved assumes responsibility for the revisions, or when the student is using an existing database.

When a student chooses this option, the articles will be submitted to the journals agreed upon by the concerned academic unit. Responsibility for follow-up, revisions, etc., should be identified in a written document and agreed upon by the student and faculty member(s) involved.

6. Templates, samples and forms

Please be sure to read the above instructions before proceeding with documents.

Forms for filing a master's thesis   Forms for filing a doctoral dissertation

Thesis filing templates and samples

• Committee Approval page for 3-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page for 3-member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page for 4-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page for 4-member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)

Sample pages

• Thesis Title page (SAMPLE)
• Thesis Copyright page (SAMPLE)
• Thesis Committee approval page (SAMPLE)

Dissertation filing templates, samples and Survey of Earned Doctorates

• Committee Approval page  for 5-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page  for  5-member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page  for 6-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page  for 6 -member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)
• Dissertation Title page (SAMPLE)
• Dissertation Copyright page (SAMPLE)
• Dissertation Committee approval page (SAMPLE)

Survey of Earned Doctorates

• Survey of Earned Doctorates  - The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is an annual census conducted since 1957 of all individuals receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. institution in a given academic year. The SED is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and by three other federal agencies: the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and National Endowment for the Humanities. The SED collects information on the doctoral recipient's educational history, demographic characteristics, and postgraduation plans. Results are used to assess characteristics of the doctoral population and trends in doctoral education and degrees. Read more about the purpose and methods of the SED .

Electronic Thesis - Dissertation Guidelines | Graduate School | SIU

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) provide a new method for graduate students at Southern Illinois University to submit theses and dissertations. In the Spring of 2005, the Graduate Council at SIU approved mandatory electronic submissions of theses and dissertations.

You are required to submit ETDs at the ProQuest submission site .

Graduate students at Southern Illinois University who are required to submit a Thesis or Dissertation must follow the Graduate School formatting guidelines and submit through the ProQuest submission website. Review the guidelines for formatting and submission on this website and/or download Guidelines for the Preparation of Dissertations, Theses, and Research Papers .   Two submission deadlines must be met: Initial Submission and Final Submission. Deadlines are posted at https://gradschool.siu.edu/about-us/dates-deadlines.php .

Initial Submission  – Upload your ETD (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation) in one PDF file to the ProQuest submission website. Your ETD does not have to be perfect for this first upload, but it must be close enough to being complete that your committee chair has approved you sending it to your committee members. The initial submission will take several minutes, since you must respond to several questions. (See below). Within 1-3 days after submission, you will receive an email from the ETD Administrator with a list of corrections that must be made to meet formatting requirements. Make those changes and upload your ETD again, using the same ProQuest login. There is a charge for the first upload, and no charge for subsequent uploads. Upload as many times as needed to meet all formatting requirements.

Initial Submission Questions – Before you can upload your thesis or dissertation for the initial submission, the following questions must be answered on the ProQuest website. Look in the Guidelines for more information about initial submission questions.

• In which primary subject category and additional subject categories does your paper topic belong?
• What are the keywords that fit with your paper topic (up to 6)?
• What are the names of your committee chair and committee members?
• Which type of publishing, traditional or open access? (Choose traditional, since OpenSIUC offers open access free of charge.)
• Do you want to delay the release of your paper after graduation? (Optional. Some choose to delay due to pending publication, pending patent, or sensitive content.)
• Do you want search engines to have access to your paper?
• Do you want ProQuest to file for copyright registration on your behalf? (Optional. You will own the copyright of your paper, but ProQuest is offering to register it, for a fee.)
• Do you want to purchase bound copies of your paper? (One bound copy is required, $30. This is the library copy and will be stored in special collections at Morris Library. You have the option of purchasing additional bound copies through ProQuest. You also have the option of purchasing bound copies through another vendor, including the University Bookstore in the Student Center.)

Final Submission – All corrections to content (based on your committee’s feedback) and formatting (based on ETD Support feedback) must be completed by the final submission deadline.

Questions should be directed to [email protected].

Note: Students who will submit a Research Paper should visit https://gradschool.siu.edu/current-students/thesis-dissertation-researchpaper/research-paper-guidelines.php for instructions.

These links will help guide you through the process of preparing and submitting your Thesis or Dissertation.

• ETD Guidelines
• ETD Submission Process
• ETD Templates
• ETD Checklist
• Copyright Information
• Ordering Copies of Thesis / Dissertation

Submission site

• Publishing Guidelines
• ETD Guidelines Presentation
• ETD Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guidelines Video

Questions / Concerns

For any questions or concerns regarding ETDs, please contact ETD support at [email protected] .

For technical help, please contact ETD Support at 453-4514.

The ETD provides a technologically advanced medium for expressing your ideas by incorporating multimedia objects. You may prepare your ETD using nearly any word processor or document preparation system. Electronic Theses and Dissertations must be submitted as a PDF file and be ONE document. 

ETDs may include color diagrams, color images, hypertext links, audio, video, animations, spreadsheets, databases, simulations, and virtual reality worlds. The inclusion of new multimedia can allow students to better express ideas.

• Improves graduate education through more effective sharing
• Opportunity to better express ideas
• Worldwide access to scholars
• Timely sharing of technology, knowledge, and peer review

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Compliance with copyright law is imperative. Information on copyright issues is available from the following website:  

• UMI Copyright Law and Graduate Research  

Submitting Dissertations and Theses in Digital Format

For electronic submission of your thesis or dissertation, please go to dissertations.umi.com/siu . Here you will find a detailed FAQ, as well as information from UMI regarding ETD submission requirements.  

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The Special Collections reading rooms in Firestone and Mudd Libraries will be closed on the following upcoming holidays: Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day), Wednesday, June 19 (Juneteenth), Thursday, July 4 (Independence Day), and Monday, September 2 (Labor Day). We will be closing at 12:00pm on Friday, June 14. We will also begin our Summer Hours, 9am-4:15pm, on Monday, June 3. During this time we stop paging at 3:45pm. 

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• Master's Theses and Ph.D. Dissertations: Submission Guidelines
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The Princeton University Archives at the Mudd Manuscript Library is the repository for Ph.D. dissertations and Master’s theses. The Princeton University Archives partners with ProQuest to publish and distribute Princeton University dissertations beyond the campus community.

Below you will find instructions on the submission process and the formatting requirements for your Ph.D. dissertation or Master's thesis. If you have questions about this process, please use our Ask Us form  or visit the Mudd Manuscript Library during our open hours.

Ph.D Dissertation Process

Overview of the Ph.D. Dissertation Submission Process

Publishing options, embargo renewals, formatting your dissertation.

• A ccess to Dissertations and Theses
• The Master’s Thesis Submission Process   

Ph.D Dissertation Submission Process

Step 1) Near the time of the final public oral examination (FPO) (shortly before or immediately after) the student must complete the online submission of their dissertation via the ProQuest UMI ETD Administrator website ( www.etdadmin.com/princeton ). Students are required to upload a PDF of their dissertation, choose publishing options, enter subject categories and keywords, and make payment to ProQuest (if fees apply). This step will take roughly 20-25 minutes.

Step 2) After the FPO the student should log on to TigerHub  and complete the checkout process. When this step is complete, Mudd Library will be notified for processing. This step will occur M-F during business hours. The Mudd Library staff member will review, apply the embargo (when applicable), and approve the dissertation submission in ProQuest. You will receive an email notification of the approval from ProQuest when it has been approved or needs revisions. 

Step 3) The vast majority of students will not be required to submit a bound copy of their dissertation to the library. Only students who have removed content from the PDF to avoid copyright infringement are required to submit a bound copy to the library. This unredacted, bound version of the dissertation must be formatted according to the Dissertation Formatting Guidelines , and delivered by hand, mail, or delivery service to the Mudd Manuscript Library by the degree date deadline in order to be placed on the degree list. Address the bound copy to: Attn: Dissertations, Mudd Manuscript Library, 65 Olden Street, Princeton, NJ 08540.

ProQuest Publishing Options

When you submit your dissertation to the ProQuest ETD Administrator site, you will be given two options: Traditional Publishing or Open Access Publishing Plus. ProQuest compares the two options in their  Open Access Overview document . Full details will be presented in the ProQuest ETD Administrator site.

Traditional Publishing

No fee  is paid to ProQuest; your dissertation will be available in full text to subscribing institutions only through the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: Full Text database ; If you have an embargo, your dissertation will be unavailable for viewing or purchase through the subscription database during the embargo period.

Open Access Publishing Plus

$95 fee to ProQuest; your dissertation will be available in full text through the Internet to anyone via the ProQuest Database ; if you have an embargo, your dissertation will be unavailable for viewing through the open access database during the embargo period.

Optional Service: Copyright Registration

$75 fee to ProQuest; ProQuest offers the optional service of registering your copyright on your behalf. The dissertation author owns the copyright to their dissertation regardless of copyright registration. Registering your copyright makes a public record of your copyright claim and may entitle you to additional compensation should your copyright be infringed upon. For a full discussion of your dissertation and copyright, see ProQuest’s Copyright and Your Dissertation .

If you have questions regarding the ProQuest publishing options, contact their Author and School Relations team at 1-800-521-0600 ext. 77020 or via email at [email protected] .

Princeton’s Institutional Repository, DataSpace

Each Princeton University dissertation is deposited in Princeton’s Institutional Repository, DataSpace . Dissertations will be freely available on the Internet except during an embargo period. If your dissertation is embargoed, the PDF will be completely restricted during the embargo period. The bound copy, however, will be available for viewing in the Mudd Manuscript Library reading room during the embargo. 

According to the Graduate School’s embargo policy , students can request up to a two-year embargo on their dissertation, with the potential for renewal by petition. If approved, the embargo would apply to the dissertation in ProQuest, as well as in Princeton’s digital repository, DataSpace . Students in the sciences and engineering seeking patents or pursuing journal articles may be approved for a shorter embargo period. Students must apply for the embargo during the Advanced Degree Application process . More information can be found on the Graduate School's Ph.D. Publication, Access and Embargoing webpage .

Those who have been approved for the embargo can choose "Traditional Publishing" or "Open Access Plus" publishing when they complete their online submission to ProQuest. Mudd Manuscript Library staff will apply the embargo in the ProQuest ETD system at the time of submission of materials to the Library. In the case of Open Access Plus, the dissertation would become freely available on the ProQuest open access site when the embargo expires. The embargo in ProQuest will also apply to the embargo in Princeton’s digital repository, DataSpace

Those who wish to request a renewal of an existing embargo must email Assistant Dean Geoffrey Hill and provide the reason for the extension. An embargo renewal must be requested in writing at least one month before the original embargo has expired, but may not be requested more than three months prior to the embargo expiration date. Embargoes cannot be reinstituted after having expired. Embargoes are set to expire two years from the date on which the Ph.D. was awarded (degrees are awarded five times per year at Board of Trustee meetings); this date will coincide with the degree date (month and year) on the title page of your dissertation. Please note: You, the student, are responsible for keeping track of the embargo period--notifications will not be sent.

• To find the exact date of an embargo expiration, individuals can find their dissertation in DataSpace , and view the box at the bottom of the record, which will indicate the embargo expiration date.
• The Graduate School will inform the Mudd Library of all renewals and Mudd Library staff will institute the extensions in ProQuest and DataSpace .   
• Princeton University Archives'  Dissertation Formatting Requirements  (PDF download) document provides detailed information on how to prepare the dissertation PDF and bound volume (if you are required to submit a bound volume). Please take special note of how to format the title page (a title page example is downloadable from the upper-right-hand side of this webpage). The title page must list your adviser’s name.  
• ProQuest's Preparing Your Manuscript guide offers additional information on formatting the PDF. Where there are discrepancies with the Princeton University Archives Dissertation Formatting Requirements document, the Princeton University Archives requirements should be followed. Special consideration should be paid to embedding fonts in the PDF.
• ProQuest ETD Administrator Resources and Guidelines  web page offers several guides to assist you in preparing your PDF, choosing publishing options, learning about copyright considerations, and more. 
• ProQuest's Support and Training Department can assist with issues related to creating and uploading PDFs and any questions regarding technical issues with the online submission site.

Whether a student pays fees to ProQuest in the ETD Administrator Site depends on the publishing option they choose, and if they opt to register their copyright (if a student selects Traditional Publishing, and does not register their copyright, no charges are incurred). Fees are to be submitted via the UMI ETD Administrator Site. Publishing and copyright registration fees are payable by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express and a small service tax may be added to the total. The options listed below will be fully explained in the ETD Administrator site. 

• Traditional without copyright registration: $0 to ProQuest (online)
• Traditional with copyright registration: $75 to ProQuest (online) 
• Open Access without copyright registration: $95 to ProQuest (online)
• Open Access ($95) with copyright registration ($55): $150 to ProQuest (online)

Degrees are granted five times per year at Board of Trustee meetings. Deadlines for materials to be submitted to the Mudd Manuscript Library are set by the Office of the Graduate School . The title page of your dissertation must state the month and year of the board meeting at which you will be granted your degree, for example “April 2023.”

Academic Year 2023-2024

• Tuesday, October 31, 2023, degree date "November 2023"
• Friday, December 29, 2023, degree date "January 2024"
• Thursday, February 29, 2024, degree date "March 2024"
• Thursday, May 9, 2024, degree date "May 2024"

Academic Year 2024-2025

• Friday, August 30, 2024, degree date "September 2024"
• Thursday, October 31, 2024, degree date "November 2024"
• Tuesday, December 31, 2024, degree date "January 2025"
• Friday, February 28, 2025, degree date "March 2025"
• Thursday, May 8, 2025, degree date "May 2025"

Please note: If a student is granted an extension for submission of their materials after a deadline has passed, the Mudd Manuscript Library must have written confirmation of the extension from the Office of the Graduate School in the form of an email to [email protected] .  

Access to Ph.D. Dissertations

Bound Copy : One non-circulating , bound copy of each dissertation produced until and including the January 2022 degree list is held in the collection of the University Archives. For dissertations submitted prior to September 2011, a circulating , bound copy of each dissertation may also be available. Information about these dissertations can be found in Princeton University Library's main catalog .

Electronic Copy (PDF) in ProQuest: ProQuest Dissertation Publishing distributes Princeton University dissertations. Members of the Princeton University community can access most dissertations through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses subscription database, which is made available through the Princeton University Library. For students that choose "Open Access Plus publishing," their dissertations are available freely on the internet via  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses . Dissertations are available for purchase through ProQuest Dissertation Express . Once the dissertation has been accepted by the Mudd Library it will be released to ProQuest following the Board of Trustee meeting on which your degree is conferred.Bound copies ordered from ProQuest will be printed following release.  Please note, dissertations under embargo are not available in full text through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses subscription database or for sale via ProQuest Dissertation Express during the embargo period.

Electronic Copy (PDF) in Princeton's Institutional Repository, DataSpace : Beginning in the fall of 2011, dissertations will be available through the internet in full-text via Princeton's digital repository, DataSpace . (Embargoed dissertations become available to the world once the embargo expires.)

Interlibrary Loan : Dissertations that have bound copies and are not under embargo are available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to libraries in the United States and Canada, either through hard copy or PDF. If PDFs are available, they can be sent internationally. 

Submitting Your Master’s Thesis to the Mudd Manuscript Library

Students who are enrolled in a thesis-based Master’s degree program must upload a PDF of their thesis to Princeton's ETD Administrator site (ProQuest) just prior to completing the final paperwork for the Graduate School. These programs currently include:

• The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Computer Science (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Near Eastern Studies (M.A.)

The PDF should be formatted according to our  Dissertation Formatting Requirements  (PDF download) . The Mudd Library will review and approve the submission upon notification from the Graduate School that your final paperwork is ready for this step. Bound copies are no longer required or accepted for Master's theses. 

Students who are not in a thesis-based Master's degree program do not need to make a submission to the library upon graduation. If you have questions, please contact the Mudd Manuscript Library using our Ask Us form.

Downloadable Documents

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology Program

• Program Overview
• UC San Diego
• JDP Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee
• Program Committees
• Student Council
• SDSU Psychology Clinic
• Program Administration
• Program Faculty
• Practicum Supervisors
• Doctoral Students
• Degree Learning Outcomes
• Major Areas of Study
• Clinical Practicum
• Course Catalog
• Facilities & Centers
• Research and Clinical Training
• Student First-Authored Publications
• Selection Process
• What We Consider for a Competitive Application
• How to Apply
• Faculty Mentorship
• Financial Support
• Admission FAQs
• Student Admissions, Outcome, and Other Data
• Basic Needs Resources
• Community/Cultural Centers
• Financial Aid & Scholarships
• Graduate Affairs
• Graduate Housing
• Student Disability Centers
• Student Health & Well-Being
• Student Handbook Table of Contents
• Mentor-Student Guide
• Registration
• Classes / Sample Curriculum
• Cognitive Psychology Requirement
• Statistics and Research Design
• Emphasis in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
• Emphasis in Quantitative Methods
• Master of Science in Clinical Psychology
• Master of Public Health
• Class Attendance
• Transcripts
• Change in Major Area of Study
• Waiving Courses
• Grounds for Dismissal
• Student Records
• Program Milestone Checklist/Timelines
• Guidance Committee
• Second Year Project
• Clinical Comprehensive Exam
• Behavioral Medicine Comprehensive Exam
• Experimental Psychopathology Comprehensive Exam
• Neuropsychology Comprehensive Exam
• Dissertation
• Advancement to Candidacy
• After Graduation
• Student Funding
• Tuition and Fees
• Establishing Residency
• International Students
• Financial Aid
• Incentive Awards & Program Support
• Travel Funds
• Ethical Standards/Professional Behavior
• Where Do You Go When You Have A Problem, Question, Concern, or Complaint?
• Policy on Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest
• Representation of Your Affiliation
• Web page and blog policy
• Membership in APA
• Outside Employment
• Requests to Spend Time Off-Site
• Research Experience
• Human Subjects/IRB
• Practicum Placements
• Accruing Clinical Hours in the Context of Research Activities
• Supervision
• Tracking Clinical Hours
• Integrated Reports
• Practicum Grades
• Policy on Working with Diverse Clients/Patients
• Prerequisites
• JDP Student Awards
• Student Portals
• Campus ID Cards
• E-Mail Accounts
• Change of Address
• Leave of Absence
• Second Year Project Cover Sheet
• Dissertation Proposal Defense Announcement
• Final Dissertation Defense Announcement
• Spring Student Evaluation
• Individual Development Plan (IDP)
• MPH Interest Form
• JDP SharePoint

Dissertation Submission Guidelines

Below is a brief outline for how to file your dissertation.  The following steps for filing your dissertation should be taken in order .

• Make a final appointment with Sara Miceli in UC San Diego Graduate Division and file your dissertation by the specified deadlines
• Submit final dissertation to the JDP
• Complete the SDSU Doctoral Dissertation Submission Form for Pat Walls in SDSU Graduate Studies
• Submit dissertation to SDSU Montezuma Publishing

Filing Dissertation at UC San Diego

Upon successful completion of the dissertation defense and once the dissertation is FINALIZED, make a final appointment with Sara Miceli in the Graduate Division at UC San Diego. The final appointment will not be held face-to-face.

Final Appointment Scheduling Window : Final appointments will need to be scheduled anytime AFTER the end of Spring quarter at UC San Diego but BEFORE June 30 of that year (see below “Important Deadlines”).  This gives students a 2-week window to complete their final appointments.

Appointments can be made online using the Graduate Division Calendar at https://gradforms.ucsd.edu/calendar .*  Please refer to the site prior to making an appointment as there are specific guidelines to be followed. *NOTE: Appointments may be made at least one full day in advance, but not more than 60 days in advance , so plan accordingly.

Once you schedule your final appointment, you will receive an email from Sara Miceli with a Final Dissertation Appointment Checklist which includes detailed instructions on how/what to prepare for your final meeting. You can also refer to the Dissertation & Thesis Submission website: https://grad.ucsd.edu/academics/preparing-to-graduate/dissertation-thesis-submission.html

For any questions regarding the final appointment, you can contact the Graduate Academic Affairs Advisor, Sara Miceli ( [email protected] ).

Important Deadlines

Please note that we follow the deadlines at UC San Diego for filing the dissertation, however students are still required to apply for graduation at SDSU (refer to the Graduation webpage).   Students must be registered for PSY 899 at SDSU when submitting the final copy of the dissertation and will need to apply for graduation at SDSU for the semester in which the final copy will be submitted.  Even though students will apply for summer graduation, they will NOT have to register for any units during the summer term but ONLY IF the following requirements are completed by the deadlines listed below.

Summer Graduation (no registration fees)

• Successful defense of dissertation
• Dissertation signature page signed
• JDP-5 Form signed by committee members and JDP Co-Directors
• Final meeting with the Graduate Division at UC San Diego

If a student does not meet the criteria listed above by the specified dates, they will need to register for either the SDSU Summer or Fall term at their own expense.  See below for more information regarding the two additional options:

Summer Graduation (registration fees required)

Student does not need to reapply for graduation but will be required to register for 1 unit of PSY 899 at SDSU at their own expense.  For SDSU tuition and fees information, visit the University Bursar’s Office Tuition and Fees website.

Extended deadlines to still graduate during the summer term are as follows:

• Final meeting with UC San Diego Graduate Division

Fall Graduation (registration fees required)

Student will need to reapply for graduation and pay the $100 application fee again.  They will also be required to register for 3 units of PSY 899 at SDSU at their own expense plus the mandatory student fees.  For SDSU tuition and fees information, visit the University Bursar’s Office Tuition and Fees website.

Deadlines for Fall graduation are as follows:

Submitting Dissertation to JDP

AFTER the final appointment with the Graduate Division at UC San Diego, and Sara Miceli has approved your dissertation, submit the final copy of your dissertation by e-mail to both the SDSU and UC San Diego Program Coordinators and copy both the SDSU and UC San Diego Co-Directors.  Please follow the guidelines listed below when submitting the final dissertation:

• The file should be a PDF document.  The title of the file should be Final Dissertation – [First and Last Name].
• The subject line of the email should read [Your name] Final Dissertation.
• The body of the email should read:

“Attached please find a copy of my final dissertation titled “[Insert Dissertation Title here]”.  It has been approved by [Name of Grad Division Advisor at UC San Diego who approved dissertation].  I understand that my posted graduation date must be after the completion of my pre-doctoral internship.  In order to ensure compliance with this requirement, I have listed the necessary internship information below:

• [Name and location of internship placement]
• [Internship start and end dates]

I understand that the SDSU Graduate Division Evaluator will not post my degree without this information and a confirmation email from the SDSU Program Coordinator.”

Filing Dissertation at SDSU

Once your dissertation has been submitted to the JDP, the SDSU Program Coordinator will send you a confirmation email.

At this time, please complete the  SDSU Doctoral Dissertation Submission Form . You will need the following to complete this form:

• Degree: Ph.D. Clinical Psychology 778310
• Completed Dissertation Signature Page
• Certificate of Completion of the Survey of Earned Doctorates from  sedsurvey.org  (you should have already completed this for your  final  meeting with Sara)
• Email confirmation from the SDSU Program Coordinator that you have submitted your dissertation to the JDP
• Embargo Letter (if needed)

Within five business days Pat Walls ( [email protected] ) in Graduate Studies will evaluate your academic record and dissertation packet then share your documents with Montezuma Publishing.

Submitting Dissertation to Montezuma Publishing

You will receive a separate email from Montezuma Publishing after Pat Walls sends your dissertation packet materials to them (see above).

There is a $45.00 processing fee (required by the University) which includes ProQuest submission, an electronic file, metadata file, and abstract for SDSU Library. Credit card is accepted.

Once this process is complete, please forward your Montezuma Publishing receipt confirmation email to both the SDSU and UC San Diego Program Coordinators.

Montezuma Publishing will notify Pat that the dissertation has been processed. At this time, the SDSU Graduate Dean will sign your JDP-5 Form and be routed to the Graduate Division for the UC San Diego Dean’s final signature.

Degree Conferral

Degrees are only posted once the degree has been conferred on the last day of final exams of UC San Diego Summer Session II (beginning of September).

You will receive one diploma from UC San Diego and have an official transcript from each campus.

Since many students complete all program requirements prior to their degrees being officially conferred by the University, you may be required to provide a letter from the program verifying that you have met all requirements prior to starting a Postdoctoral Fellowship. For more information about how to request this letter as well as postdoc hours and licensing boards, please refer to the After Graduation webpage.

Updated 9/10/2021

Florida State University

FSU | The Graduate School

Main navigation Pulldown

The graduate school.

• Current Students
• Thesis, Treatise, and Dissertation

Manuscript Submission Process

Submit manuscript for an initial format review.

Students must create an account in the ProQuest ETD Administrator before they can upload their manuscript for an initial format review. Initial submission and all revised submissions must be completed through the ProQuest ETD Administrator.

Instructions for creating an account can be found here:  Instructions for Submitting your Manuscript

When creating an account on the ProQuest ETD Administrator, a lot of information is required upfront, including access preferences as well as optional paid services like purchasing bound copies of the manuscript and filing for copyright. ProQuest does not complete these instructions using the initial submission. They only publish the final approved manuscript and implement student publishing preferences and any paid services AFTER the manuscript has been approved by the FSU Manuscript Clearance Office and the student's graduation has been confirmed by the Registrar’s Office.

The Graduate School recommends that students submit their completed manuscript for an initial format review at the same time the manuscript is submitted to the committee prior to the defense. However, students must submit their manuscript for an initial format review no later than the relevant initial submission deadline for the semester in which they intend to graduate. Initial reviews are valid for two semesters (the original semester and one semester following). If the defense is delayed further than that, a new initial review must be completed by the appropriate deadline.

While it is understood that content will likely change after the defense, it is expected that manuscripts submitted for the initial format review are at least 90% complete and have been formatted in full accordance with the criteria in the most recent version of the Guidelines and Requirements.

• 90% complete: MUST include the title page, committee page, table of contents, lists (if needed), abstract, chapters, references, biographical sketch and a majority of tables and figures.
• Those manuscripts that do not meet this standard will NOT be reviewed and will NOT count as an initial submission to meet any deadline.

The Manuscript Clearance Office works with 250+ students per semester, so students are always encouraged to submit early.

Students must defend no later than the “last day for submission of final defended, content-approved thesis, dissertation or treatise and required forms” for the semester in which they intend to graduate. The Graduate School allows defenses up to this deadline with the understanding that all content corrections must be completed, approved by the major professor or committee, and submitted to the student's online ETD account no later than 11:59 p.m. on that deadline; however, to allow time for such corrections, the Graduate School recommends defending no later than 1 week prior to the deadline.

Submit Revised Manuscript

Once the student has completed all content changes required and approved by the committee, and incorporated all formatting corrections noted in the initial review, the student submits the revised version through their ETD account using the Revise option. The student should not create a new submission. This must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on the “last day for submission of final defended, content-approved thesis, dissertation or treatise and required forms.”

The revised manuscript will be reviewed by the Manuscript Clearance Advisor. If there are additional formatting corrections, the student will be notified. Manuscripts typically require 2-3 revisions to correct formatting issues that may arise after the content is corrected. A manuscript is not considered cleared until the formatting has been approved, all forms have been received and approved by the Manuscript Clearance Office, and the student has received an email from the Manuscript Clearance Office stating that their manuscript has been cleared.