Electronic theses and dissertations (eTDs) usually consist of one PDF file. The PDF file is submitted to the Graduate School by email for review and is eventually placed in the eTD archives as the final thesis or dissertation.

It is preferred that you submit a single PDF file for your eTD. This can be accomplished in several ways.

• If you are able to treat your thesis or dissertation as a single document file (master document), you can then create a single PDF file representing your entire dissertation.
• If, however, it is necessary for you to create multiple PDF files (e.g., chapters), you can then use "Adobe Acrobat" to combine the PDF files into a single PDF file. To do this, open the first PDF file in "Adobe Acrobat" and then pull down "Document" to "Insert Pages," which will first prompt you for the name of the next file and then prompt you where to place this second PDF file with respect to the first one.

See creating PDF files for more specific instructions.

The author bears ultimate responsibility for meeting Graduate School requirements, but it is the responsibility of the committee to judge the thesis or dissertation from all standpoints, including neatness, mechanics, and technical and professional competency. Therefore, continuing current practice, it is important that the committee is provided with a copy of the thesis or dissertation before the defense.

In the past, the printed thesis or dissertation was the public display of the quality of work acceptable to the student's graduate program and to the Graduate School for meeting graduate degree requirements. The eTD assumes the same role.

Preparing an eTD is similar to the process of preparing a manuscript for publication. For both, the student must prepare the information for the document, present it in an orderly fashion, undergo a review cycle, and receive approval from the committee and the Graduate School. For the eTD, however, the student must complete the electronic publication process by submitting the eTD according to the rules that follow.

Formal Style

Each graduate program should specify or develop an acceptable formal style or styles for eTDs prepared by its graduate students. Generally, the style should conform to the professional journals or style manuals in the student's area of study. The graduate program may wish to specify a style directly or may develop its own or suggest a journal whose style is acceptable. The student should learn the accepted style and how it applies to various word processors before preparing the eTD.

For additional reference, there are many books that deal specifically with writing style. Among those with general applicability are:

• A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Kate L. Turabian
• Form and Style in Thesis Writing, William G. Campbell
• The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White
• Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press
• The MLA Style Manual, Walter S. Achtert and Joseph Gibaldi, eds.

Front Matter-the front matter contains the following items, in the order each should appear:

Title Page (required)--this page contains the name of the University, thesis title, author's name, degree, major, and date of graduation and may also show a copyright statement (see example in Thesis Guide).

Committee Page (required)--this page lists the names and academic titles of all committee members who have or will sign off on the document as well as department head or program chair. Actual signatures should be obtained on the Approval Page and submitted to the Thesis Office. The Committee Page appears immediately after the title page and is numbered page ii.

Abstract (required)--every eTD must include an abstract. Abstracts will become part of the bibliographic record in the library's online catalog. In addition, doctoral abstracts will be published in Dissertation Abstracts International. The Abstract must begin on page iii.

Table of Contents (required)--includes the chapter and section numbers and titles along with the page on which each chapter or section begins.

Lists of Multimedia Objects (required if any objects in text)--for each multimedia type (table, graph, diagram, equation, etc.) list the number and title of the object and the page on which it appears. Must be included in the table of contents.

Acknowledgments (optional)--required only if the author is obliged to acknowledge grant sources or previously copyrighted material. Acknowledgments are used to express the author's professional and personal indebtedness. Must be included in the table of contents.

Epigraph or Frontispiece (optional)--these items, if used, should come at the end of the front matter and should not be listed in the table of contents.

Text or Body--the body contains the chapters or sections of the eTD, in logical order, each with its own title. Chapter titles may include, but are not limited to: Introduction, Review of Literature, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Summary. Your thesis adviser and/or other committee members can provide guidance in choosing chapter titles.

Back Matter--the back matter may contain any or all of the following items:

References or Bibliography (required)--these may appear in the back matter or at the end of each chapter.

Appendices (optional)--materials that are pertinent to the text but are somewhat tangential or very detailed may be placed in appendices. Appendices may appear before or after the reference section.

Vita (required for doctoral only)--the vita is an autobiographical sketch, based on your academic and professional experience. The heading should include the word "Vita" and your name. Limit the vita to one page(unnumbered).

If you have already created your eTD, you can still edit the contents of the corresponding PDF file using "Adobe Acrobat." Here are a few examples of things you might want to edit in the final stages.

• Make minor corrections in the text using the "Text Tool"
• Select text and then add the text as a "bookmark." This will allow one who is viewing your eTD to jump from one section to another
• Add "hyperlinks" using the "Links Tool"
• Add audio and video clips using the "Movie Tool"

This page was last updated on Wednesday, January 30, 2008.