application form for dissertation submission

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.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="application form for dissertation submission"> 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.

• Submitting 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 Submission Checklist
• Formatting Your Dissertation
• Publishing Options
• 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:

Program Submission

Dissertation acceptance certificate, registrar’s office submission.

• Related Contacts and Forms

Students must submit their dissertation by the date established by their program, generally six to eight weeks prior to the Registrar’s Office dissertation submission deadline and follow the program’s instructions on the number of copies to submit and format (bound or unbound). Please note : Students are responsible for notifying their department of any requested embargoes that were approved at the time of online submission.

Students must complete a dissertation acceptance certificate (DAC), which includes the title of the dissertation and signatures of at least three readers approved by the student’s program. Electronic signatures  from committee members are acceptable. If a DAC is submitted with electronic signatures, an additional DAC with handwritten signatures will not be required. A  document version of the DAC  is available if needed.

Two signatories must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS); FAS emeriti (including research professors) and faculty members from other Schools at Harvard who hold appointments on Harvard Griffin GSAS degree committees are authorized to sign DACs as FAS members. Harvard Griffin GSAS strongly recommends that the chair of the dissertation committee be a member of FAS. If approved by the department, it is possible to have co-chairs of the dissertation committee as long as one is a member of FAS.  The title and the student name on the DAC must read exactly as it does on the title page of the dissertation, meaning if you use your full middle name or middle initial on one document, it must be the same on the other document. 

The DAC must additionally be uploaded as a separate "Administrative Document" when submitting the electronic dissertation to ProQuest ETD . All DACs are forwarded to the Harvard University Archives.

A copy of the signed DAC should appear before the title page of the online dissertation submission; no page number should be assigned to the DAC. The DAC will be included in all copies of the dissertation.

Students must submit their dissertation in PDF format to the FAS Registrar’s Office through ProQuest ETD by the deadline established for each degree conferral date (see the Degree Calendar  or the  Registrar’s Office website .  Please carefully review your dissertation formatting  before submitting online. Formatting errors may prevent you from receiving your degree.  During the submission process, students are asked to upload a separate copy of the signed DAC, approve two license agreements, and complete two surveys (the Harvard Griffin GSAS Employment Exit Survey and the Survey of Earned Doctorates). If you are requesting an embargo of more than two years, you will need to submit a signed approval form from the department's Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) with your dissertation submission.

The Registrar’s Office will review the dissertation for compliance and will contact the student to confirm acceptance or to request alterations.

In very rare cases, a dissertation may require redaction, which is the process of obscuring or removing sensitive information for distribution. If sensitive or potentially harmful material appears in the dissertation (e.g., commercially sensitive information, sensitive personal data, risk of harmful retribution, etc.), a student should contact the  Office for Scholarly Communication .

Contact Info

Registrar's Office   Faculty of Arts and Sciences  Harvard University  Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center Office  1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 450  Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Tel: 617-495-1543  Fax: 617-495-0815

Office Hours: 10:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday

For additional questions, please  send us a message .

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How to format and submit your thesis or dissertation

A thesis or dissertation is the culmination of your scholarly work in graduate school submitted as a written document. Most graduate programs at ASU require students to complete a thesis,dissertation or other culminating event. For those required to submit a thesis or dissertation, the Graduate College has specific requirements that must be met for a successful submission. 

The document that you submit for format approval must be a complete, defense-ready document. This means you should choose your style guide in consultation with your chair, write an abstract that meets the Graduate College guidelines, and thoroughly check your document for consistency, grammar, punctuation, etc. You are required to follow a standard style guide or accepted journal in their field in addition to the ASU Graduate College Format Manual . This manual outlines format requirements for theses and dissertations at ASU.  

Use the Format Wizard

To simplify the format process, you should use the Graduate College’s Format Wizard , a helpful tool that generates a Word or LaTeX document that follows ASU’s format standards for theses and dissertations. The Format Wizard will help with formatting the preliminary pages of the document, fixing the margins and setting pagination. Using the tool will result in fewer structural revisions to your document, saving you precious time and effort. 

Before submitting a thesis, dissertation, or other culminating event to the Graduate College, The defense must be scheduled through MyASU at least 10 business days prior to the desired date. Students and their committee should thoroughly review the document and check for technical and grammatical errors before uploading their document for format review.

Students should submit the document through their Independent Plan of Study (iPOS) . The document should be uploaded 10 business days prior to the defense. To submit your document, you will log into your IPOS and select the “Format” tab, and then select “Attach Document” to upload your document.  Additionally, students must be enrolled in at least one credit hour during the semester they plan to defend their thesis or dissertation, while working on format revisions. 

Please do not submit your document to [email protected].  

Once the format team has received your document, the student will receive a notification through their iPOS on format revisions needed.

If format revisions are required after the defense, students will need to make these in time to meet the semester’s final revisions format submission and final pass/fail form deadline.

Once the Graduate College has received a student’s final pass/fail form, a formal advisor will direct them to ProQuest. Students should use their ASU email address to make a ProQuest account. 

On average, each document will go through the format check process 3-4 times, including a review in ProQuest. Once the student has received the final approval email from ProQuest, they have officially completed the formatting process.

The Graduate College hosts virtual formatting workshops each semester, including summer term, so be on the lookout for email announcements. 

Students with questions about formatting their thesis or dissertation can visit the Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation page of the Graduate College website, email [email protected]   or call 480-965-3521.

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.

Digital Submission Requirement

Graduating students earning either master’s or doctoral degrees are required to publish their thesis, report, dissertation or treatise digitally and in accordance with certain formatting rules. Students can also request to delay the publication of their thesis, report, dissertation or treatise.

Texas Digital Library (TDL)

Graduating students are required to publish their thesis, report, dissertation or treatise digitally by uploading it to tdl..

The document must be uploaded as a single PDF. Because electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) must be published, if any material contained in your document might require permission from another party for publication, all such permissions must be obtained prior to the submission of the ETD.

It is critical that your submission be complete and correct.

After submission, no revisions or corrections will be allowed except for those required by the graduate dean.

Thesis & Dissertation Submission System

Click the link above to begin your submission.

Technical Support

Texas Digital Library provides support to our members through training, documentation, and a Helpdesk.

ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global

To further promote and preserve the intellectual contributions of its degree recipients, UT Austin is partnering with ProQuest to disseminate its master’s theses/reports and doctoral dissertations through the ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global database, which reaches thousands of institutions and millions of academic researchers worldwide. ProQuest also partners with major search and discipline-specific indexes for additional amplification and provides all of these services free of charge.

By distributing your work with ProQuest, you will increase its visibility and impact within the global research community. ProQuest recognizes the critical importance of embargoes and will never publish a thesis until it has been released for dissemination by UT Austin.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Information

Further information can be found at this link. If you prefer not to have the full-text version of your thesis disseminated by ProQuest, please contact [email protected] .

The Graduate School offers Microsoft Word templates to assist you in formatting your thesis or dissertation.

Using the Thesis and Dissertation Templates User Guide

Before using a template, review this user guide.

Thesis Templates

Dissertation templates, format guidelines for dissertations, treatises, theses, and reports.

Theses, reports, dissertations, and treatises must follow the guidelines of the Graduate School booklet Format Guidelines for Dissertations, Treatises, Theses, and Reports. A format check is recommended before you submit your completed work. If the format has not been checked prior to submission, it will be checked at the time of submission.

LaTex Document Preparation & Overleaf

LaTex Document Preparation is an approved formatting option by the Graduate School, and Overleaf is designed to make the process of writing, editing and producing scientific papers faster for authors by providing an online LaTeX/Rich Text editor for their projects.

Petition to Write a Thesis, Report or in a Language Other than English

Those who wish to write a thesis, report, dissertation or treatise in a language other than English must petition to do so.

Contact Student Services at [email protected]

Students may request a format check via email.

Additional Formatting Resources

Template workshop.

Watch the video of our Template Workshop via Zoom.

Common Formatting Errors Workshop

Watch the video of our Common Formatting Errors Workshop via Zoom.

iThenticate by Turnitin

Ithenticate.

The University has acquired access to iThenticate by Turnitin that allows you to check your report, thesis, or dissertation to help identify potential textual similarities between your document and other previously published documents.

The Graduate School strongly encourages the use of this tool while preparing drafts of your report, thesis or dissertation, along with discussion of the results of these reviews with your supervisor.

Requests to Delay Publication

Initial request for delay of publication.

If you wish to request a temporary delay of publication of your thesis, report, dissertation, or treatise, you must make this request before graduation. The request should be made by using this form. If no request to delay publication is made, the document will be freely available online.

Note that it is not appropriate to use a delay of publication to avoid securing copyright permissions required for publication. Any required publication permissions must be obtained prior to submitting the ETD. The graduate dean makes the final decision regarding delayed publication.

Restrictions and/or holds on publishing requested from ProQuest do not apply to the dissertation archived at the TDL.

Extension Request for Delay of Publication

Authors who already have an approved delay of publication, but wish to extend the time of the delay, may request an extension (up to seven years from the date of graduation).

Request to End Delay of Publication Prior to Scheduled Date

Authors who have an approved delay of publication, but wish to publish their ETD prior to the date initially requested, may request to end the delay of publication.

Publish a Dissertation Electronically

Request to migrate format of thesis/dissertation at the university of texas libraries.

If your dissertation or thesis was previously published in a printed, bound copy or on CD-ROM, you may request to have it published electronically. Complete the form above to have it uploaded to the UT Digital Repository.

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The Graduate School

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation

Thesis and dissertation, about electronic theses & dissertations (etd), submitting your etd, review process and additional help, the electronic thesis/dissertation.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro requires thesis and dissertation students to submit an electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD) for publication that is formatted according to the appropriate template. The ETD is submitted and archived as a PDF instead of being printed and bound. This format allows students the option to include audio, video, animations, or simulations within the document and provides immediate world-wide access to UNCG students’ scholarship.

For University Policy , visit:

• UNCG Graduate Policies

Publishing Requirement by UMI Dissertation Publishing/ProQuest Information and Learning

• The Graduate School requires publication of the thesis/dissertation by UMI Dissertation Publishing/ProQuest Information and Learning.  For more information about PQIL and your rights as the author, visit: ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis

Deadlines: What's Due and When?

• The Deadline Sheet for the current semester can be found here .
• Further information regarding graduation can be found on the Graduate School webpage .
• The Approval Copy deadline is specifically listed for both doctoral and masters candidates.  The Final Submission deadline is the final date for the complete clearance of graduate degree candidates.  These deadlines are strictly enforced.

Required Paperwork for All Students

• Title Page : Have your Committee Chair (and Co-Chair, if applicable) sign with a verified digital signature and turn into The Graduate School via email.
• Approval Page : Have everyone on your committee sign with a verified digital signature and turn into The Graduate School via email.

If anyone signs the Title and/or Approval page(s) with an original / physical signature , we will need the original copy delivered to The Graduate School in person or mailed to our office.

• ETD Release and Hold Harmless Agreement Form : You can find this form under the Copyright section of our website (Students -> Enrolled Students -> Thesis and Dissertation -> Copyright). This item requires an original/physical signature as well as the signature of a witness. The form cannot be submitted electronically . It should be delivered or mailed to:

UNC Greensboro

270 Mossman Building

1202 Spring Garden Street

Greensboro, NC 27412

Additional Paperwork for Dissertation Students

• Embargo form : if you select an embargo option (delayed release), you will be sent the appropriate form during format review.
• Dissertations with Multiple Authors form : required if your dissertation contains co-authored material. This needs to be filed as early as possible. Download it here .
• The Survey of Earned Doctorates: will be sent to doctoral students during format review.

Additional Paperwork for Thesis Students

Instructions.

This page contains templates for use in creating UNCG Theses or Dissertations in Microsoft Word and LaTeX, which must be used for all theses/dissertations beginning Fall 2021. Note that the templates will not work properly in Google Docs.

LaTeX users should download the .zip file containing all the necessary files for using LaTeX to typeset a UNCG Thesis or Dissertation.

Instructions for using the templates are embedded into the templates themselves.

Two Paper Thesis (M.A. in English only)

The document should be set up to include two abstracts, one for each paper. These theses should have only one title page, listing both titles, separated by the word “AND.” The table of contents should include any preliminary introduction, the title of the first paper and its references, followed by the title of the second paper and its references. Each item should be left flush, in all capital letters, followed by dot leaders and the corresponding page number.

The thesis itself should begin with a brief introduction of the two papers, followed by the first paper, its references/bibliography, and subsequently the second paper and its references/bibliography.

M.F.A. in Studio Art

Students should include images with their online thesis submission using any of the formats listed under the Including Multimedia Material heading on this page. Add these item as Supplemental Files.

Including Multimedia Material

• In an electronic thesis or dissertation, students may include external or internal links to multimedia files. Multimedia components should be identified in the abstract. Acceptable formats include:

Please note that although ProQuest/UMI does not limit file size, UNCG’s institutional repository,  NCDOCKS (where digital theses and dissertations are “stored”) has a 500 mb size limit. In rare cases, students may need to submit large supplemental files on CD/DVD. For more information, please contact the Graduate School Evaluator.

Chapters That Are Published or Pending Publication

• Chapters that are published/pending publication must contain the publication information.
• If applicable, students should solicit permission from the publisher to reproduce any material that is already published and include this permission in their document. This must also be detailed in the ETD Release and Hold Harmless form (see the Copyright tab for additional information).

Chapters with Multiple Authors

• In situations where dissertations have multiple authors, it is the responsibility of the advisory/dissertation committee chair to identify the percentage of proposed work to be developed by each of the contributors and submit it to the Graduate School for approval.
• To be submitted as part of a student’s dissertation, the student must be primary author.
• This must be done at the proposal stage and again at the final defense if the original plan has been revised. (See Dissertations with Multiple Authors form .)

Template Files

Microsoft word.

MS Word Template

LaTeX Template

Before You Submit Your Thesis/Dissertation

There are 3 things to consider before you submit your etd.

• Do you need to copyright? For more information about copyright, visit the U.S. Copyright Office via the Library of Congress website at www.copyright.gov . You may also visit http://copyright.uncg.edu/ . For information regarding the inclusion of a copyright page in your thesis/dissertation see. There is an additional charge for copyrighting.
• Do you want to purchase personal copies of your manuscript? Keep in mind you can have the document bound on your own. This decision must be made prior to submitting your ETD. After you have completed this portion of the submission process, you cannot go back to change your decision.
• Do you need to embargo or restrict access to this document? In most cases, embargoes are needed when a student has a patent pending or other technology transfer issue. Some publishers may note concerns about journal articles, creative works, or potential books made available online. In these cases, students may want to consider placing an embargo/restricting access to the ETD. Please discuss this issue carefully with potential publishers and with your committee.

**Please note that UNCG policy allows a one- or two-year embargo/restricted period for most students. The only exception is for M.F.A. in Creative Writing students, who may opt for a five-year embargo. Students selecting an embargo will be required to submit an additional form, the ETD Request to Restrict Access form, which must be signed by both the student’s committee chair and the Dean of the Graduate School. Please contact the Graduate School to obtain this form. This item requires original signatures and therefore cannot be submitted electronically

Submitting the Approval Copy

• The approval copy of a thesis or dissertation must be submitted by the Approval Copy Deadline to The Graduate School via the online submission process. Please do not submit an email or paper copy of the document to The Graduate School. The online submission system is designed to allow multiple submissions (approval copy and revised/final). Only the final document will be published.
• For master’s candidates, thesis defense does not need to occur prior to submission of the approval copy. Though your document will continue to change as you work toward the defense, the approval copy submission allows the thesis evaluator an opportunity to provide formatting comments early enough in the semester for these changes to be incorporated into the final product.

Online Submission of ETD

After the pdf has been created, students should complete the following steps:

• Go to The Graduate School’s website http://grs.uncg.edu/ , click on “ Enrolled Students ,” then under the section titled “ Thesis and Dissertation ,” click “Submit your Electronic Thesis/Dissertation.”
• Review all instructions and guidelines for submission, and then click on “Sign up and get started today!”
• Create an account by entering the requested contact information, including a valid email address, and selecting a personal username and password. A link to activate your account will emailed to you immediately.
• Once you have activated your account, follow the submission instructions provided on the site.

Selecting Your Institution

The first step is to identify your institution. Navigate to the United States section and click on University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

You will be taken to an Instructions page that covers 1) Some items to have on hand, 2) the fees for publishing, and 3) the Submission Agreement. Read this entire page carefully and click Continue when you are ready to move forward. This takes you to Publishing Options.

Publishing Options

Two publishing options are available. Please consult the “Publishing Guides” available on the ETD site for detailed information prior to making your selection.

Restrictions (Embargo)

• For most students, two publishing restriction (embargo) options are available: one- or two-year delays. M.F.A. in Creative Writing students have a five-year option. Please note that in most cases no restriction is needed. If an embargo is appropriate for your document, be certain to select the appropriate amount of time in one of these boxes.
• Your selection here should match your selection on the ETD Release and Hold Harmless Agreement form.

Publishing Agreement

• Please consult the “Publishing Guide” for detailed information.

Contact Information & About My Dissertation/Thesis

Contact Information

• Enter your current and future contact information.

Dissertation/Thesis Details

• Enter the title of your thesis or dissertation, paying close attention to correct capitalization. Do not use all CAPS for your title , use title case whenever possible. Provide the requested information regarding your submission. You will need to insert your abstract into the box provided. Be sure to include the information at the top of your abstract (name, title, etc…).
• Please carefully review your document after converting it to PDF to ensure all your content is visible and correctly formatted. After you have reviewed your PDF, upload it here.

Supplemental Files (optional)

• If you have any supplemental files upload and name/describe each one. These files may include images, sound, or video components of thesis or dissertation that are a critical part of the study but could not be incorporated into the pdf.

Notes to Administrator (optional)

• If you have any questions or information that should be shared with the Evaluator (other publishing arrangements, patents pending, etc.), you can include a message in the “Notes to the Administrator” box.

Register U.S. Copyright

• If you have previously filed for a copyright, please indicate this in item #1; you must also include the registration number and year. In item #2, select whether or not to copyright your thesis/dissertation. If you choose “File for a new copyright,” ProQuest will file the copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office on your behalf. You will not be able to change this decision after your initial ETD submission . A $55 fee is required for this service.

Order Copies (Optional)

• The next screen will offer you the option to order personal, bound copies of your thesis/dissertation directly from ProQuest. Keep in mind that the printing of these copies will not begin until after the Evaluator uploads the batch of documents shortly after the close of the semester. From that point, you can expect to receive your copies in 8 to 12 weeks. If you choose to order, be sure to include a shipping address that will be appropriate after graduation.
• You will not be able to return to this option after your initial ETD submission. Fees vary.

Submit & Pay

• Verify the information shown is correct and continue with submission.
• Publishing is required of all UNCG students. There is no fee for traditional publishing, but open access publishing has a $95 fee. This section will include the cost of any personal copies. If you have opted to copyright, the traditional $55 copyright fee will be added to the total.
• Check all information for accuracy and enter payment information. ProQuest accepts MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. Your credit card will be charged immediately.
• Lastly the “Order Summary” screen displays the information you have provided and the order placed. Within a few minutes, you will receive a confirmation email. Please print or save the email for your personal records.

Use of Copyrighted Material

The law permits the limited use of extracts and quotations for purposes of illustration and criticism covering most quotations in theses and dissertations.  In many instances, it is not necessary for candidates preparing theses/dissertations to obtain permission to quote from professional journals in their fields or from copyrighted books; however, copyrighted items, such as copies of pictures, charts, tests, forms, and questionnaires, no matter how short, should never be reproduced without permission.

Students must receive permission from the author or publisher to quote any extensive information from copyrighted materials.  In most cases, the author or publisher is willing to grant permission with the condition that acknowledgments are included in the document.  For additional information see the UNCG Libraries’ copyright page or ProQuest’s FAQ . A copy of all permissions to use copyrighted materials must be attached to the ETD Release and Hold Harmless form . Note: this item requires an original signature and cannot be submitted electronically.

The inclusion of papers that have already been published should be accompanied by a letter from the publisher providing written permission for the use of the material in block quote form under the chapter title of the corresponding section.

Copyrighting

Students should consult with their committee chair and members concerning the benefits and usefulness of copyrighting their document. If the thesis/dissertation will be copyrighted, the student must complete an application and pay the additional copyright fee during the online submission process.

If copyrighting, the student must include a copyright page in the actual document.

Review by Graduate School ETD Administrators -- What Happens?

• Submissions are reviewed in the order they are received.
• Your document will be evaluated based on the template you use (MS Word or LaTeX)
• The email will contain a link to submit your revisions, if needed.
• Turnaround time: note that every effort is made to provide feedback within five business days (this does not include weekends, holidays, or other times when the University is closed).
• When you have completely passed format review AND we have all the required paperwork, you will receive a “Congratulations” message confirming you have passed all necessary checks. YOU ARE NOT DONE UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THIS MESSAGE.

ETD Administrator Contact

• Your document will be reviewed by a member of The Graduate School staff – this person is your administrator and will work with you during the format review process.
• If you have questions about the formatting notes you receive, reply to the email to ask for clarification and your administrator will respond.
• General formatting/ETD questions may be directed to Beverly Lucas: [email protected]
• Applicants must submit a completed online application  
• $65 nonrefundable application processing fee (Note: the application fee is not required for full-time UNCG employees (excludes student employees), McNair Scholars, or UNCG students currently enrolled in a graduate degree program applying for a certificate.
• Applicants who are unable to demonstrate English proficiency may apply for conditional admission and earn their proficiency through Interlink International Institutes .
• Community standards/Campus Safety questionnaire. The UNC system requires all applicants to answer questions regarding community standards .
• Completion of a bachelor’s degree and a graduate degree (if required by the program) from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association or completion of a bachelor’s and a graduate degree (if required by the program) that is equivalent to a U.S. degree from an international college or university recognized and approved by the Ministry of Education or Commission responsible for higher education in the country where the degree is earned.
• For U.S. degree(s), one transcript from all colleges and universities where a bachelor’s degree and a graduate degree (if required by the program) was earned.
• Exception – A credential evaluation is not required for the international undergraduate degree program if the applicant earned or is in the process of earning an advanced degree from an accredited U.S. institution. 
• For U.S. degree, one transcript from all colleges and universities where a bachelor’s degree and a graduate degree (if required by the program) is in process. 
• For international degree, a course-by-course evaluation from a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES®) service, showing proof of in process status of U.S. equivalency of a bachelor’s and/or a graduate degree (if required by the program), credit hours, expected graduation date, and current GPA ( see Graduate International Admissions ).

The purpose of the credential evaluation report is to authenticate your academic credentials and ensure course credit and U.S. grade equivalency are completed accurately.  This also eliminates the need to obtain official, translated transcripts from your school(s) being sent to UNCG.

Program Supplemental Materials

The supplemental documents and test score requirements can be found on the Programs page.

• Most programs require three letters of recommendation from former professors, employers, or persons well acquainted with the applicant’s academic potential. If you need additional guidance, see this helpful article .
• Official results of GRE scores or other examinations as required by the program to which one applies. Scores are valid for five years from the time originally taken.
• Any additional materials required by the program or department such as audition, interview, portfolio, resume, writing sample, personal statement, etc

All credentials must be in English and received by the Graduate School by the posted deadline.

For mailing purposes, please use the following address:

UNC Greensboro The Graduate School Attn: Graduate Admissions 270 Mossman Building 1202 Spring Garden Street Greensboro, NC 27412 USA [email protected]

Credentials or supporting materials submitted for admission to the Graduate School become the property of the University and are not returned. No copies will be provided to third parties outside the University except when compelled by legal authority. Copies will, however, be provided to appropriate offices at the University in the interest of academic matters or financial awards relative to the applicant. Applications and supporting documents are retained according to the retention policies of the state of North Carolina.

ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS

Your continued enrollment at UNC Greensboro is contingent upon your completion of the following items: 

• One, final official transcript from all colleges and universities where a bachelor’s degree and a graduate degree (if required by the program) was earned in the U.S. This transcript must be issued by the registrar’s office showing the degree awarded, earned credit hours, GPA and no courses in process and must be received before being allowed to register for your second semester.   
• For international degree(s), an official course-by-course evaluation from a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES®) service, showing proof of earned U.S. equivalency bachelor’s degree and/or a graduate degree (if required by the program), credit hours, and GPA.  This evaluation must include degree awarded (verified) equivalency with no courses in process and must be received before being allowed to register for your second semester.

Graduate admission to a degree or certificate program may be deferred for a maximum of one year from the initial term of admission. The student is responsible for contacting the department to determine if admission for subsequent terms is allowed.

To request a deferral of admission, admitted students must submit a completed Deferral of Admission Form, found within the online application , to the admitting department’s Graduate Program Director no later than the first day of classes of the term of initial admission. The deferral request must be for a specific entry term. The entry term must also be for a term the program has listed as an offered admit term.

After considering the request, the department will forward the form to the Graduate School, who will notify the student of the decision. Merit-based financial aid, i.e. teaching/research assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships will not be deferred; the student must compete again for the awards.

Students who have not enrolled and have not requested a deferral of admission will be required to reapply.

Military-affiliated students should contact the Graduate School for individual assistance with extended deferrals.

Admission into a UNCG graduate degree or certificate program is a process shared by the Graduate School and the graduate program. To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must meet the requirements of the Graduate School and of the graduate program.

Faculty in the graduate programs recommend students for admission to the Graduate School after they have assessed each prospective graduate student’s potential. Programs have significant discretion in determining admission standards and class size based on factors such as availability of academic mentors, financial support, laboratory space, and student distribution within interest areas. 

Neither an academic record exceeding minimum requirements, nor satisfactory scores on standardized tests, nor professional expertise alone will assure an applicant’s admission in this competitive environment. Rather, the overall record must indicate the strong likelihood that a prospective student will complete graduate study successfully.

Each application to the Graduate School will result in one admission decision. Offers of admission are not official until approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Official admission decisions are communicated to applicants by email from the Dean of the Graduate School. Prospective students can view the status of the admission application online at the application portal. Click “Manage Your Account” and then “View All Forms.” If the admitted applicant does not register for the term specified in the admission letter, the admission may be subject to cancellation.

In an effort to maintain a safe learning community, we must ask campus safety questions of all applicants. For the purposes of these questions, “crime” or “criminal charge” refers to any crime other than a traffic related misdemeanor or an infraction. You must, however, include any alcohol or drug related offenses whether or not they are traffic related incidents. Answering “yes” to any of the campus safety questions may not necessarily preclude your being admitted.  However, failing to answer these questions, or failing to respond completely, accurately, and truthfully, may be grounds to deny or withdraw your admission or to dismiss you after enrollment.

If you answer “yes” to any of the questions, you will be required to provide an explanation that gives the approximate date of each incident, explains the circumstances, and reflects on what you learned from the experience. The university reserves the right to require an additional statement form an appropriate official corroborating your account, either before acting on your application or before permitting you to enroll. Your failure to provide such a statement upon request may be grounds to deny or withdraw your admission or to dismiss you after enrollment.

You are required to notify the university immediately and in writing of any new or pending criminal charge, any disposition or a criminal charge, or any school, college, or university disciplinary action against you, or any type of military discharge other than an honorable discharge or any non-routine absence from school, that occurs at any time after you submit this application and prior to enrollment.  Your failure to do so may be grounds to deny or withdraw your admission or to dismiss you after enrollment.

STEP ONE: CREATE AN ACCOUNT

• Begin your application
• Select the  Create Account  link and provide the requested information.

The email address you provide for your profile will be used as the primary mode of communication from the Graduate School.

The web-based application allows you to save your progress and return to enter information at a later time. Please log out after each session. Only the recommendations section can be updated once an application is submitted.

STEP TWO: PROVIDE APPLICATION INFORMATION

• Personal Background
• Degree Program
• Credential Evaluation required for non-U.S. transcripts
• Additional Information (e.g. emergency contacts, residency, birth country, etc.
• Test Scores (if applicable)
• Recommendations
• Supplemental Documents
• Campus Safety

STEP THREE: SUBMIT APPLICATION AND APPLICATION FEE Once the application is submitted, pay the application fee by credit card. At that time, an email message will be sent notifying the applicant of the receipt of payment.

STEP FOUR: RECEIVE VERIFICATION Following submission, you will receive an email verifying receipt of the application and an introductory email from an Admissions Specialist. These and all future correspondence will be sent to the email address provided in your application.

STEP FIVE: CHECK APPLICATION STATUS To check the status of your submitted application, please log back into your account. As the application materials are received, the ‘Application Checklist’ section on your account will be updated. Please note: once you have submitted your application, edits can only be made to the recommendations page. Click “Recommendations Page” at the bottom of the page to make your edits.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications are first submitted to the Graduate School. Once the Graduate School has processed your application, it will be reviewed by a Graduate School Admissions Specialist and forwarded to the Graduate Program Director in the appropriate department or program.

Departments and programs then review the application and make recommendations for admission to the Dean of the Graduate School. Because departments and programs determine their own processes and timelines for reviewing completed applications, the Graduate School cannot provide a general time frame to expect between submission of the application and a final decision.

CHANGING YOUR APPLICATION

Once the application is submitted, you cannot alter or change the application online except for the recommendations page. Changes related to contact information, application term, program, degree, or concentration must be submitted by completing the  Request to Change Information on a Submitted Application Form  which is available within your application status portal.

Verification of changes will be sent to you by email. Once an admissions decision has been made, changes to the application are not allowed.

A COMPLETED APPLICATION

The Graduate School considers an application complete when test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the payment of the application fee are linked to the application. An Admissions Specialist will review applications with care and notify applicants when additional information is needed.

Completed applications are forwarded to the department or program for review. Processing an application can take several days even in optimal circumstances and may take slightly longer during peak periods. The Graduate School makes every effort to process applications in a timely manner. By utilizing the full functionality of the online application, you can facilitate this process. Waiting for outstanding transcripts can extend processing times.

ETD Submission | Graduate School | SIU

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ETD Submission

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Main Content

How to submit your etd.

• Connect to the Internet
• Login to ProQuest Submission URL
• Fill out the form according to the instructions provided
• Preview and make certain all information is correct
• Browse and submit your ETD and associated multimedia files
• Select "Submit" to submit to the Graduate School
• You will see a web page indicating that your ETD arrived and awaits review

Steps in the ETD Submission Process

• Step 1 : Read the Graduate School Guidelines for Preparation of Theses / Dissertations
• Step 2 : Write your thesis or dissertation. Follow your departmental style guide.
• Step 3 : Submit the Graduation Application Form to the Graduate School by week 4 of the semester you are planning to graduate

The ETD Cycle

When you pass your defense...

• Step 4 : Have your committee sign the Approval forms (One Approval Form and One Oral Defense form.)
• Step 5 : Submit Thesis / Dissertation Approval form, Oral Defense form, and fees to the Graduate School
• Step 6: Student submits documentation to ProQuest server
• Create an account at ETD UMI Admissions site
• Enter the requested info
• Upload PDF - Must be ONE pdf file
• Review and submit pdf to the Graduate School
• Click "Submit" button and file is sent to the server. Graduate School receives notice of submission
• Student uploads pdf to the ProQuest server for a format check
• Step 7: Student submits documentation to ProQuest server
• Accept as complete
• Request Revisions
• Reject The student will revise the electronic document until it has been approved
• Step 8: Graduate School submits document to ProQuest after graduation

ProQuest submission steps

• Student goes to the ProQuest Graduate School website
• Student chooses "Submit Your Dissertation/Thesis"
• Student reads submission guidelines
• Student reads PQIL release
• Student enters contact information
• Student enters thesis metadata (e.g. title, advisor, abstract, etc.)
• Student uploads full text
• Student chooses whether ProQuest/UMI will file copyright and enters additional data
• Student chooses whether to order additional copies of thesis or dissertation (optional)
• Student reviews order and enters data. This will show any copyright or publication fees charged
• Student reviews uploaded data and may revise if desired

Requirements for Submitting the ETD

• The document should appear in PDF format
• No compression or password protection should be used
• All fonts must be embedded in the document
• External / Internal links to multimedia files should be identified in the Abstract
• Use only acceptable file formats for multimedia files
• Traditional (preferred)
• Open Access (additional $95 cost in ProQuest) - Students may arrange for their work to be Open Access without a charge through OpenSIUC. (See below.)

Required Paper Documents for ETD

Submit the following documents to the Graduate School:

• One Approval form
• One Oral Defense form
• Survey of Earned Doctorate (for Doctoral students only)
• Human Subjects Committee Approval form (if required)

Cost: Payable by credit card at the time of submission

• $25.00 + tax (Library copy)
• $75.00 for Copyright (Optional)

Submit your ETD in pdf to the Graduate School by the deadline.

For Technical Assistance, you may contact ProQuest.

• ProQuest phone: 1-800-521-0600
• e-mail: [email protected]
• ETDSupport phone: 618- 453-4514

Bound Copies

To order bound copies of your thesis / dissertation, please contact the SIUC University Bookstore at 618-536-3321. For this service, you would print your approved document and take the printed pages to the University Bookstore to arrange for binding. Allow about one month.

To order bound copies from ProQuest, place the order when you make your first ETD submission. For this service, ProQuest will print your approved ETD after it receives all submissions (4-8 weeks after graduation). After ProQuest receives submission, allow another 4 weeks.

After graduation, your ETD will be forwarded to OpenSIUC and will be available for on-campus viewing. If you would like to make your ETD globally available/Open Access (with no charge to you), reply to the OpenSIUC email that you will receive 4-6 weeks after graduation. For more information, visit https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ .

Questions/Concerns

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

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Dissertations and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the student is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar. 

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation, and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.  

Document Preparation

PhD and master’s students are responsible for meeting all requirements for preparing theses and dissertations. They are expected to confer with their advisors about disciplinary and program expectations and to follow Graduate School procedure requirements.

The Graduate School’s format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master’s theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense. 

Access and Distribution

Ohio State has agreements with two organizations— OhioLINK   and   ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing —that store and provide access to Ohio State theses and dissertations.  

Examinations

Graduate degree examinations are a major milestone in all graduate students’ pursuit of their graduate degree. Much hinges on the successful completion of these examinations, including the ability to continue in a graduate program. 

The rules and processes set by the Graduate School ensure the integrity of these examinations for graduate students, the graduate faculty, and for Ohio State. 

Final Semester

During your final semester as a graduate student there are many activities that lead up to commencement and receiving your degree. Complete the final semester checklist and learn more about commencement activities.

Graduation Calendar

Select your expected graduation term below to see specific dates concerning when to apply for graduation, complete your examinations and reports, submit approved thesis and dissertation, commencement, and the end-of semester deadline.

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : January 26, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : April 12, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : April 19, 2024

Commencement 4  : May 5, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : May 6, 2024

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : May 24, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : July 12, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : July 19, 2024

Commencement 4  : August 4, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : August 19, 2024

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : September 6, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : November 22, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : November 27, 2024

Commencement 4  : December 15, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : January 3, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : January 24, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : April 11, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : April 18, 2025

Commencement 4  : May 4, 2025

End of Semester Deadline 5  : May 5, 2025

1  Applications to graduate include current semester or End-of-Semester deadline. Applications must be received by close of business.

2 Format reviews may occur electronically or in person at the Graduate School during announced business hours.  Both options require submitting a digital version of the dissertation or DMA document draft in a PDF format to  [email protected] .  

3  Approved documents must be submitted via OhioLINK and accepted by the Graduate School by the close of business before the Report on Final Document will be processed.

4  Students not attending commencement must complete the commencement section on the Application to Graduate to indicate how their diploma should be disbursed.

5  A degree applicant who does not meet published graduation deadlines but who does complete all degree requirements by the last business day prior to the first day of classes for the following semester or summer term will graduate the following semester or summer term without registering or paying fees

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

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Submitting your thesis for examination (PhD, EdD, MD, BusD, MLitt, MSc)

Format of the thesis, the thesis must:.

be written in British English, apart from quotations and recognised technical formulae

be in A4 portrait format

use one-and-a-half spaced type

include any photographs or other illustrations scanned into the text

be saved in the electronic format and naming style specified by your Degree Committee

Examiners are not expected to edit work. They will deal with errors of fact and typographical errors that affect the meaning of your work, as well as larger structural issues. The extent to which the text has or has not been properly prepared may influence their recommendation concerning the award of the degree. You are therefore advised to check your thesis thoroughly prior to submission to ensure clear, formal British English has been used throughout and that there are minimal typing and/or spelling mistakes.

How and when to present the thesis for examination

You must submit an electronic copy of your thesis for examination, and any required accompanying documents, to your Degree Committee by your submission deadline (which can be found under 'Thesis Submission details' on the Academic tile in your CamSIS self-service). You are required to submit your thesis for examination by your deadline even if the date falls over a weekend or holiday period.

Your Degree Committee should provide you with guidance for electronic submission; please contact them directly if you require any assistance.

The thesis you submit to your Degree Committee will be the thesis forwarded to the examiners for examination. It is not possible to 'retract submission' or to send a revised copy directly to your examiners. Therefore you should carefully check the file(s) you upload when submitting your thesis.

Postgraduate students must keep a minimum number of terms of research before they can submit (for example, 9 for the full-time PhD or 15 for the part-time PhD or EdD) unless they have been granted an allowance or exemption of terms . If you attempt to submit too early and have not had an allowance or exemption of terms approved, your thesis submission will not be accepted or will be kept on hold and not forwarded to your examiners until the first day of your 9th (full-time) or 15th (part-time) term.

Requirements

You must include the following bound inside your thesis:

Please ensure the pages are in the correct order. This is very important - if these preliminary pages are in a different order in your final hardbound thesis to your thesis submitted for examination, this could cause problems and delay approval for your degree.

1. A title page displaying:

the full title of the thesis

your full legal name (as it appears on your passport, marriage certificate or deed poll)

your college

the date of submission (month and year)

a declaration stating: "This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy/Doctor of Education/Doctor of Business/Doctor of Medicine/Master of Science/Master of Letters (as appropriate)."

2. A declaration in the preface stating:

'This thesis is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any work that has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted, for any degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the preface and specified in the text. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee.'

The declaration does not need to be signed . For more information on the word limits for the respective Degree Committees see Word Limits and Requirements of your Degree Committee )

3. An abstract/summary of your thesis

4. [if applicable] the list of additional materials that were approved for submission alongside the thesis

You must also submit the following documents (not included inside the thesis):

Required: One declaration form

Optional: Research Impact Statement If pandemic, war/conflict, or natural disaster have significantly impacted on your research, you are invited to submit a Research Impact Statement with your thesis using the template provided. The purpose of the statement is for you to describe any restrictions or difficulties experienced in undertaking your research as a result of pandemic, war/conflict, or natural disaster, and to provide details of any alternative arrangements made to complete the work for your thesis. Further details for students and supervisors can be found in the Research Impact Statement guidance  and the Research Impact Statement form can be downloaded here . 

Inclusion of additional materials

Students other than those in the Faculty of Music must seek permission through their  CamSIS Self Service page if they wish to submit additional materials for examination alongside their thesis. Additional materials are integral to the thesis but in a format that cannot be easily included in the main body of the thesis (for example, 3D graphics). You should refer to the ' Policy on the inclusion of additional materials with a thesis ' before making an application to include additional materials. This process should be initiated prior to the thesis submission. If a thesis is submitted with additional materials and without permission to include them, it will be held by the Degree Committee until approval is confirmed.

Please bear in mind that if you are granted permission to submit additional materials, you are required to upload the same materials to the University repository, Apollo , when you submit your approved thesis  post-examination (doctoral candidates only). Therefore, the inclusion of additional material that contains uncleared third-party copyright or sensitive material may affect the access level that is most appropriate for your thesis.

Submitting a revised thesis

If you are resubmitting your thesis following a viva outcome of being allowed to revise and resubmit the thesis for examination for a doctoral degree, you need to follow the same procedure as for the original thesis submission .

What happens following submission of the thesis for examination 

When you submit your thesis for examination the Degree Committee will check the submission, acknowledge receipt, and inform Student Registry you have submitted. The Student Registry will update your CamSIS record.

The Degree Committee will forward your thesis to your examiners. If you have not received confirmation of the date of your viva (oral examination) within six weeks of submitting your thesis, or if you have any questions with regard to your thesis at this stage, you should contact your Degree Committee. 

Your Examiners should not ask you for a printed copy of your thesis or other material in advance of your viva (oral examination). If they do, please seek advice from your Degree Committee.

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The Research Whisperer

Just like the thesis whisperer – but with more money, how to write a successful ethics application.

She has a particular interest in tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, adolescent health, and the health of people in criminal justice settings.

Kat advises colleagues from diverse backgrounds on research ethics, study design, and data analysis.

She tweets from @epi_punk .

The word “ethics” strikes fear into the hearts of most early career researchers.

Some of the reasons are beyond our control, but there’s actually a lot we can do to make our own experiences of the ethics approval process less painful.

I’m writing this from two perspectives: as an early career researcher (I finished my PhD in 2019), and as a committee member (I’ve sat on an ethics advisory group since the start of my PhD in 2014).

The job of ethics committees is to identify the possible risks in a project, and then assess whether the research team:

• are aware of the risks.
• are taking appropriate steps to minimise them.
• have a plan to handle anything that does go wrong.

To do this, ethics committees need information. If you want your ethics application to get through the process as quickly as possible, you need to give the committee enough detail so that they understand your project and how you are managing any risks.

Getting your application as right as possible the first time makes the whole process go more quickly. If you don’t provide enough information, the committee will come back with questions. You may need to resubmit your application to the next meeting, which could be a month or two away.

Spending more time on your application for the first meeting can save you months later on!

Here are the main questions ethics committees will ask themselves when they assess your project:

• Are there any risks to the researchers? (e.g. Injuries in the lab, safety risks  travelling to study sites, exposure to distressing topics during interviews or data analysis.)
• Are there any risks to the study participants? (From the study procedures themselves; risks to their privacy; risks of distress if they are asked about or exposed to upsetting content)
• Are there any risks to third parties? (i.e. people who aren’t directly participating)
• Could anybody’s privacy be invaded by the data collection process?
• Are there other staff in a lab who might be hurt if there were an accident?
• Are the research team aware of these risks, are they taking steps to minimise them, and do they have a plan if things go wrong?

The only way for the ethics committee to assess this is from the information you put into your application. Carefully think through your project and ask yourself those questions. And then put all of the answers into your application.

Here’s an example:

I am planning a project at the moment that involves interviewing health care providers about vulnerable people that they work with.

What are the risks to me? There aren’t any physical safety risks – I’ll be sitting in my office on the phone.

What about psychological risks? Could I be distressed by the content of the interviews? It’s possible. Some of the people I’ll interview are working with clients who have experienced child abuse, and some of their stories about their work might be upsetting.

What am I doing about these risks? I’m conducting interviews on the phone, rather than travelling to other people’s workplaces or homes. I won’t ask specifically about any distressing topics (minimising the risk), although they might come up anyway. If I get upset about the content of the interviews, I will probably be okay: I’ve worked in this area for many years, and I have strategies for dealing with it when my work upsets me (taking a break, talking to a colleague on the same project later on to help me process my feelings about it).

All of this goes into my application! I don’t write “I will conduct interviews with providers” and then say there are no risks, or that I have managed the risks. I give the committee all the details about each of the foreseeable risks I’ve identified, and exactly what I’m doing about them.

What about the risks to my participants? They could also find the content of the interviews upsetting. Again, my interview tool doesn’t ask directly about any distressing topics (minimising the risk), but it may come up. What’s my plan if my participants get upset? I’ll offer to change the topic, take a break, or stop the interview entirely. I mention this risk in the consent form, and the form will tell participants that they will have these options if they feel distressed. I will repeat this to them verbally at the start of the interview, and remind them that they don’t need to discuss anything with me that they don’t want to. Again, all these details go into my application.

What about risks to other people? Some health care providers might tell me private or sensitive information about their clients, by giving me specific examples instead of talking in general terms. To avoid this, I will ask them at the start of the interview not to talk about specific individuals, but to rather keep their answers general. If a participant does start to talk about an individual, I’ll remind them that this isn’t appropriate. I’ll also erase that part of the recording later on, so that those information isn’t transcribed. Again, all these details go into my application so that the ethics committee can see that I’m aware of the risk and I have a plan to manage it if it occurs.

As a committee member, I see applications get into trouble for a few common reasons.

The first is a lack of information , giving a very brief description of what will be done, without enough detail for the committee to understand the risks and what is being done about them.

The second is inconsistency , when a researcher says one thing on their application form, and something else in their consent form. Check carefully for consistency across all your documents before you submit.

A third is when a researcher proposes to do something that directly goes against the national ethical standards for research (e.g. collecting data without consent when they could get consent, or storing sensitive data in an insecure manner). Do not do this.

Some general tips:

• Find out the deadlines for your committee now, and start your application well in advance. It’s very hard to do a good job at the last minute, especially if you need details from your supervisor or other people in the project.
• Ask a colleague for a previous successful application for a similar project. Take note of the risks they identified, and how they managed them. Look at their consent forms and other documents, and see what you can adapt and reuse.
• Use grant applications for the project as a source of information on background, aims, methods, and outcomes. The format and level of detail required by the ethics committee is often similar.
• Read your country’s ethical guidance for research projects: this is what the ethics committee is working off. Think about which issues apply to your project, and how you can meet each of the standards. Spell this out for the committee.
• Find out whether your institution has specific requirements regarding wording in consent forms, storage of data, handling chemicals in the lab, etc. In your application, tell the committee that you are aware of these requirements and say how your project will meet them. Make sure that your consent forms and other documents are consistent with your institution’s standards. If your institution offers templates, use them!
• Ethics committees also assess the technical soundness of the research because poor quality research wastes time and resources, and exposes people to risks that aren’t justified by adequate benefits. Most committees include statistician and methods experts specifically for this reason (I’m one of them). Give a detailed explanation of your methods, and make sure they are appropriate to your research question. Get advice from a methods expert or a statistician to check that your project is sound – it’s much better to identify problems at the planning stage, rather than after you’ve gotten approval and collected your data.
• If you are doing an application for the first time, get help from your supervisor or thesis advisor. They shouldn’t make you do the application on your own. The more help you can get before you submit, the more quickly your project will get approved.

Share this:

Also I suggest doing the ethics training offered by your institution, or professional body. Recently I attended ANU’s Human Ethics training session. While I occasionally teach ethics, and have been a Chief Investigator on a project, I still found it useful. https://services.anu.edu.au/training/aries-human-ethics-training-sessions

Another useful resource is The Research Ethics Application Database (TREAD), an online database of successful research ethics applications from around the world, some of which include supporting documents such as consent forms and information sheets. (TREAD is also glad to have new submissions so if you have made a successful application, please consider sharing your paperwork – fully anonymised of course.) Info here https://tread.tghn.org/

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Nomination Form (151/822)

HKU Foundation Publication Award for Research Postgraduate Students

Terms of Reference (181/622)

Application Form (111/822)

Candidate's Progress Report for MPhil/PhD Students Registered (in or after September 1999)

Online Form ( HKU Portal → My Page → Academic Records → RPg Progress Report System)

Form for Candidate's Additional Comment

  Research Postgraduate Student Innovation Award

Operational Guidelines (160/722)

Application Form (161/722)

Thesis Submission / Examination

Notice of Intent to Submit a Thesis (MPhil and PhD students)

Notice of Intent to Submit a Thesis (Joint Programmes)

Thesis Submission Form by Supervisor of MPhil/PhD Thesis (207/1116 amended)  (For submission of thesis for examination)

Thesis Submission E-form: MPhil & PhD  (For submission of the finalized thesis to the Univeristy Libraries)

Endorsement form by primary supervisor

Annual Report Form for HKU-PS awardees (with portal login)

Vacation Leave / Sick Leave / Study Leave / Personal Leave Application Form 

Steps After Submission

Main navigation.

If you recently submitted a dissertation or thesis in Axess, you still have one more required step to complete. Browse this guide to help you stay on track.

Certificate of Final Reading

After you’ve submitted your dissertation or thesis, one member of your Reading Committee, known as the Final Reader, must certify that they have reviewed the final draft of the dissertation, engineer thesis, or final project submitted to the university. The Final Reader must be a member of the Academic Council.  Final Reader certification or approval is one of the last submission steps that must be completed by the submission deadline date .

The certification process occurs in Axess, where the Final Reader will be able to review a copy of the submission, and then approve or reject the submission.

Upon final submission of the dissertation or thesis online, an email is automatically sent to the Final Reader informing them that they have a dissertation or thesis ready for review in Axess. The Final Reader can locate the Approve Dissertation/Thesis link within their Advisor tab in Axess.

The final reading of the dissertation should include a review of the following:

• Content : All suggested changes have been taken into account and incorporated into the manuscript where appropriate. If the manuscript includes joint group research, the student's contribution is clearly explained in an introduction.
• Published Materials : If previously published materials are included in the dissertation, publication sources are indicated, written permission has been obtained for copyrighted materials, and all of the dissertation format requirements have been met.
• Appearance : The dissertation is ready-for-publication in appearance.
• Release Options : The Final Reader will also have the opportunity to review the selected embargo and other release options.

If the Final Reader is unable to approve electronically via Axess, or if the Final Reader does not have access to a computer, the student may submit a paper Certificate of Final Reading , signed by the Final Reader.

Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED)

Stanford University participates in the Survey of Earned Doctorates, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).  Stanford asks that you complete this survey .

Obtaining Bound Copies for Personal Use

The Office of the University Registrar does not provide bound copies of your dissertation or thesis for personal use.

After you officially submit your dissertation or thesis to Stanford, if you want a bound copy of your work for personal use, the university recommends the HF Group .

The HF Group offers a print-on-demand service for Stanford students wanting personal bound copies (with red covers) of their dissertations, engineer thesis, or DMA Final Project. 

• Hack-O-Med 2023

Forms Download For Students

• Application form for Migration download
• Application form for Transcription download
• Application form to appear in University examination for PG courses_with dissertation download
• Application form to appear in University examination download
• Authorization Form download
• Application form for submission of Research Proposal (Synopsis) download
• Application form for submission of Thesis (Dissertation) download
• Undertaking and Self declaration regarding service in remote and /or difficult areas pub 6.11.09 download

Forms Download – Other

• WBUHS Application form for affiliation download

Forms Download - Others

• Work-flow process for issuing Inspection, Affiliation & Enhancement order from WBUHS download
• WBUHS application form to continue course after a period of gap for UG courses download

Registration

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