PREPARATION OF THE FINAL COPY

Some schools prefer that students not prepare the final copy until after the student's final oral examination. Copies of the thesis or dissertation supplied to examination committees, however, must be neat and legible. Consult your school or advisor concerning their preferences. Students may have professionals produce the final copies. Since these individuals cannot be expected to be completely familiar with the stylistic requirements of all disciplines, copies supplied to a professional typing service should adhere closely to the expected final versions.

Because theses and dissertations represent the highest level of research and scholarship produced by students of a university, scholars throughout the country and the world may refer to these documents. Thus, it is important that the style, format, and mechanics are handled in a highly professional manner as outlined in other sections of these guidelines. The final copy should be error free.

Production of a high-quality dissertation or thesis document is the responsibility of the degree candidate. Careful attention to details such as punctuation, vocabulary, and coordination of headings with tables is necessary if the document is to reflect well upon the candidate and the committee. Asking several trusted acquaintances to review the final written work can be helpful in identifying errors and inconsistencies. An alternative is to employ a professional editor who is familiar with the style standards identified for the discipline and the format requirements described in these guidelines.

Submission

Many graduate programs require students to submit a culminating research project in the form of a thesis or dissertation.  Both are required to be submitted electronically through University Libraries.  An Electronic Thesis or Dissertation is an electronic version of a thesis or dissertation. In its simplest form, it is a file that reproduces the format of a printed document on a computer screen and can be used to produce a printed copy of the document. A more advanced type of ETD may consist of or include other types of digital media such as audio or video clips, hypertext documents, etc.

Kent State participates in an international ETD initiative through the OhioLINK ETD Center. This is a link to another web site which processes, stores, and disseminates theses and dissertations from Ohio schools. OhioLINK is in turn a member of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), an international consortium that seeks to improve graduate education by developing accessible digital libraries of theses and dissertations.

In order to be officially cleared for graduation, a student must submit the document electronically according to guidelines available on the University Libraries ETD website. The deadline date for each term for filing final copies is published in the University Academic Calendar. The deadline can be expected to fall approximately four weeks prior to the date of the graduation ceremony.

Certification that a thesis or dissertation is correct with regard to mechanical style and format is made by the student, the thesis or dissertation committee chair, and the school director.

Once electronically submitted your document will be reviewed for any formatting issues. You will then be notified via email if the document is acceptable or if there are corrections needed. If corrections are necessary, your ETD submission will be returned to you. It is the student responsibility to resubmit your corrected document in the proper format with the Accessibility Report. Please follow the instructions carefully.

If you wish to provide hardbound copies to anyone they can be ordered through ProQuest using the Author Discount Offer which can be found on their forms page: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10991. Please note that fees for bound copies are the responsibility of the student

Guidelines for Preparation

These are the steps to take for preparing a thesis or dissertation (ETD) for submission. Each college has unique requirements. Check with your advisor and departmental staff for details of their specific requirements. Each college has an ETD gatekeeper who can refer you to resources. Access the list of ETD contacts.

These guidelines address the process for ETD submission and do not address required formatting for specific departments. Check with your adviser, departmental staff, or gatekeeper regarding format guidelines. To prepare for the actual submission you may want to read the OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center Submitter User Manual.

  1. After successfully defending your dissertation or thesis, make any required final corrections. Make certain the approval signature page includes the names as well as the titles of the people who will be signing the page. Place each name just below or next to the line that person will sign.
  2. If you wish to request a delay in publication (embargo) of your dissertation or thesis because of a publisher agreement or patent application, download the form and take it to your advisor.
  3. Print two copies of the approval signature page and obtain all needed signatures.
  4. Convert the final corrected copy to PDF format (See the Accessible PDF Instructions). Avoid free software or web services that may insert advertisements into your document or are not full featured. Do not password the file or add other forms of security to it. Make sure all fonts are embedded (when saving as PDF with Microsoft Word select PDF/A in Options). 
  5. Go to the OhioLINK ETD Center and follow the prompts to create your account and provide information about your ETD. Additional submission information from OhioLINK is available in the OhioLINK ETD Center Submitter User Manual. Soon after making your submission you should receive an email confirming it.
  6. Get in touch with your College or School. Each college has an ETD gatekeeper who is a valuable resource. Access the list of ETD contacts. Confirm receipt of your submission, submit the signed signature pages, and submit any additional paperwork required. 
  7. Be prepared to resolve any outstanding issues with the format of your electronic dissertation after your College or School reviews the online submission.
  8. You should receive another email when your submission has been approved.

Electronic Thesis Checklist

  1. Approved Thesis Topic form must be accompanied by a description of the topic and methodology before final term. Is signed in black ink by advisors, graduate program coordinator, and school director, to be signed by dean. 
  2. Standard typeface or font and point size between 10 and 12
  3. Text, tables, and graphs should be in black except where color improves the electronic document
  4. No running heads
  5. Margins: 1.0 inch from top, bottom, left and right edges. This includes all figures, tables, appendices, references, and signature pages.
  6. Format of tables, figures, footnotes, and references within the text should follow guidelines in the recommended style guide and conform to the margins as listed above
  7. Page numbers placed 0.5 inch from top and right edges - flexibility based on specific software parameters is acceptable
  8. All front matter in correct format (see p. 6 for information about front matter)
  9. Document submitted electronically by deadline according to guidelines. Access General Guidelines for ETD Preparation. 
  10. Submit to the College of the Arts Dean’s Office by deadline:
    1. Two signature pages, printed on approved paper (see p. 4 for information about paper), signed in black ink by advisors and school director, to be signed by dean.
    2. b. Report of Thesis Final Examination signed in black ink by advisors, graduate program coordinator, and school director, to be signed by dean. Access Thesis and Dissertation Forms

Electronic Dissertation Checklist

  1. Must be accompanied by a description of the topic and methodology before final term. Is signed in black ink by advisors, graduate program coordinator, and school director, to be signed by dean. 
  2. Standard typeface or font and point size between 10 and 12
  3. Text, tables, and graphs should be in black except where color improves the electronic document
  4. No running heads
  5. Margins: 1.0 inch from top, bottom, left and right edges. This includes all figures, tables, appendices, references, and signature pages
  6. Format of tables, figures, footnotes, and references within the text should follow guidelines in the recommended style guide and conform to the margins as listed above
  7. Page numbers placed 0.5 inch from top and right edges - flexibility based on specific software parameters is acceptable
  8. All front matter in correct format (see p. 6 for information about front matter
  9. Document submitted electronically according to guidelines by deadline. Access General Guidelines for ETD Preparation. 
  10. Submit to the College of the Arts Dean’s Office by deadline:
    1. Two signature pages, printed on approved paper (see p. 4 for information about paper), signed in black ink by committee members and school director, to be signed by dean.
  11. Report of Dissertation Final Examination signed in black ink by advisors, graduate program coordinator, and school director, to be signed by dean. Access Thesis and Dissertation Forms
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