Dissertation and Thesis Submissions
The Graduate School’s formatting editor both assists students in making sure their document’s formatting meets the requirements of the Graduate School, and accepts the formal submissions once the dissertation or thesis is complete.
1. Pre-Submission Requirements
Graduate School requirements for the appointment of a research director, topic approval, the committee formation, exam and defense arrangements, and more are available in the Graduate Bulletin 2008–2009 and the Policies section of this website. See Requirements for the Master’s Degree and Requirements for the Doctoral Degree.
2. Preparation of a Dissertation or Thesis File
Dissertations and theses must comply with formatting requirements outlined in Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission to ProQuest/UMI. For any formatting topic not covered by the ProQuest/UMI guide, students should refer to the Graduate School’s Guide for Formatting and Submitting Doctoral Dissertations and Master’s Theses. These guidelines were developed to provide a consistent, professional, and easy-to-read style throughout the graduate programs at Notre Dame, and will serve as a reference during the student’s formatting check.
Templates, Classes, & Resources
To assist students with their formatting, we have posted a Microsoft Word style template and a LaTeX class file, along with appropriate sample files based on the formatting guide.
In addition, the Graduate School and the IT Training Office have developed a formatting class, Preparing Your Dissertation, for graduate students who plan to use MS Word 2003 or 2007 to write their thesis or dissertation. For information on these classes, see the OIT Documentation page, or register through Endeavor.
Unfortunately, we are not yet able to offer classes for LaTeX users.
3. The Formatting Check
The D/T editors are available to review manuscript formatting until the formatting check deadline, usually set approximately three weeks before the formal submission deadline for the current academic term. Manuscripts may be submitted for their review in either PDF or paper format for this preliminary deadline, and should not include the original signature of your research director.
To submit a document for a formatting check, please email one PDF to sharihill@nd.edu, or deliver one printed manuscript to:
Shari Hill
The Graduate School
502 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
It is important to include contact information on the title page of any printed formatting check. Do NOT upload your formatting check to the electronic thesis and dissertation website; that website is reserved for formal submissions only.
Upon completion of your formatting check, the editors will contact you via e-mail. It is important to make sure you check your Notre Dame e-mail account unless you have specified another account for contact.
If your preliminary document is submitted after the formatting check deadline, we cannot guarantee you will receive comments and required changes in time to meet the formal submission deadline, so please have your layout checked as early as possible.
4. Formal Submission of Your Dissertation or Thesis
Formal submissions must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on the date of the submission deadline; the Graduate School should be in possession of your printed manuscripts or PDF, signed title page(s), payment, and forms by the end of the day. See the submission checklist to access the required links and forms.
If your formatting is not acceptable by 5:00 p.m. on this date, or if you are missing your signed title pages, forms, or payment by the end of the day, the Graduate School has the right to refuse your submission and remove you from the graduation list for that academic term.
Methods
Electronic submission is the method preferred by the Graduate School. To submit an electronic manuscript, convert your complete document to PDF and upload the file(s) to the library’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation website. Do not include a scanned signature on the title page of your PDF, or on the printed title page and that should accompany the microfilming form.
During the online file submission process, you will be asked to assign an availability level to your ETD: worldwide access, campus-only access, or withheld from all access. The campus-only and withheld options default to a length of one year, after which the document may be released to worldwide access. (Students who are submitting a microfilming form will also be given the opportunity to set an availability for the microfilmed document when they complete the UMI/ProQuest Microfilming Agreement.)
Paper submissions should be printed single-sided on white, acid-free paper of at least 20# weight. We require two printed, unbound manuscripts, each including your director’s original signature on the title page. Deliver the two printed copies to the Graduate School’s dissertation editor, Shari Hill, at 502 Main Building.
Forms and Title Pages
Both dissertation and thesis submissions, regardless of submission method, require two printed and signed title pages to be submitted with the rest of the submission forms. Please note: the date on the title page must reflect the actual submission month and year, not the defense, exam, or graduation date. In addition, the two signed title pages must include your adviser’s original signature; we will not accept faxed, scanned, or photocopied signatures.
To complete the submission of a doctoral dissertation, you should also submit the following items to the Graduate School by the deadline date: a receipt for the microfilming fee payment, your signed title pages, the doctoral placement form, the Survey of Earned Doctorates, and the UMI/ProQuest Doctoral Dissertation Agreement Form. See the submission checklist for the necessary links and forms.
If you are submitting a master’s thesis, you will need to submit a receipt for the submission fee, your signed title pages, and the master’s placement form. If you wish to register for microfilming and copyright, you must also submit the UMI/ProQuest Master’s Thesis Agreement Form. See the submission checklist for the necessary links and forms.
Payment
All students submitting a formal dissertation or thesis must pay their formal submission fees through the online payment center. This system is to be used for the formal submission only.
5. Ordering Personal Copies
The Graduate School does not offer binding and shipping for personal D/T copies. This includes any manuscript you wish to have bound into book format for yourself, your friends and family, your adviser, or your department. Only formal submission copies will be accepted for binding through our office.
As a courtesy to our students, we have put together a brief PDF (Personal Copies: Using Library Bindings as a Guide) that provides suggestions for binderies to contact, and options to request if you want your personal copies to look like the printed dissertations in the
6. The D/T Editor
If you have questions regarding the formatting or submission of your D/T, please contact the Graduate School’s formatting editor:
Shari Hill
502 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (574) 631-7545
E-mail: shill2@nd.edu
