Guidelines for the Preparation of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

These are the steps to take for submitting an electronic dissertation. Check with your advisor and departmental staff for details of their specific requirements. Some requirements for printed dissertations do not apply to electronic dissertations and are highlighted here.

1. If you wish, sign up for a seminar on preparing and submitting ETDs (see the Calendar). The best time is the semester before you plan to graduate.
2. Fee exemptions: the usual $65 binding and publication fee for dissertations and the $10 binding fee for Masters theses do not apply for electronic submission.
3. File an application for graduation with your college office by the end of the first week of classes of the semester you expect to graduate. 
4. If you wish to request a delay in publication of your dissertation or thesis because of a publisher agreement or patent application, download the form and take it to your advisor.
5. 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.
6. Convert the final corrected copy to PDF format (see the PDF How-To). Avoid free software or web services that may insert advertisements into your document.
7. Print two copies of the approval signature page mentioned in step 5, take them to your advisor with the final copy of the document, and obtain all needed signatures. There is no need to print copies of the abstract since you will be submitting it online.
8. Go to the OhioLINK ETD Center (http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd ) and select "Submission form for your complete, finalized ETD." You should be able to complete the submission in one sitting but can interrupt it and return to it later the same day as noted in (3) below. The process is largely self-explanatory, but here are some key points to watch:
   1. Read the What you agree to page carefully and at the bottom leave the default selection "My paper's bibliographic information, abstract, and full text." Mark the check box to enable the "Continue" button.
   2. On the Select Your School page, make sure Kent State University is selected.
   3. On the Information About You page, provide as much contact information as you can in case we need to contact you about your submission. This is especially true if you are not living in Kent or will be moving away soon. Please enter your name as it appears in your thesis or dissertation, but avoid using all caps or all lower case letters. The format you use here determines how your name will appear in the OhioLINK ETD Center. If you have any questions about formatting or special characters on this page or the next, contact us before (or immediately after) making your submission.
   4. At the bottom of this and subsequent pages there is a URL that looks like this:
      http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/submit2/main.cgi?kent1170188209
      It's a good idea to make a note of it or print the page in case you can't finish your submission immediately or you lose your web browser session due to a computer crash, etc. For a limited time (until 4:00 a.m.) it will get you back to your submission and allow you to finish it.
   5. Type or paste your title and abstract into the Information About Your Paper page. Here, too, avoid using all caps or all lower case letters. For best results, the abstract should be in plain language without symbols or special formatting.
   6. On the Information About Your Degree page enter the name of your advisor or co-advisors. Again, avoid using all caps or all lower case letters. It's not necessary to include your committee members.
   7. The Permissions and UMI Publication page has separate options for OhioLINK and Proquest/UMI because separate copies will be deposited in both places.
      OhioLINK: Be sure to familiarize yourself with the Creative Commons licenses if your are considering one. Do not request a publication delay unless you have filled out the Request for Delay of Posting form and gotten it approved.
      Proquest/UMI--Masters theses: The normal UMI Publication option for Masters theses is the first, "Do not upload my paper to UMI." Anything else requires special arrangement with your College or School office and will entail an extra fee.
      Proquest/UMI--Doctoral dissertations: Choose one of the "Upload" options. The traditional option is recommended. The open access option will entail an extra fee that buys you essentially the same conditions that already apply to your OhioLINK copy. If you do choose the open access option, please make arrangements for payment beforehand with your College or School.
      Note on Publication Delay: As above, do not request a publication delay unless you have filled out the Request for Delay of Posting form and gotten it approved.
      Copyright Registration: This is optional and entails a payment of $65 dollars, payable via your College or School office.
   8.  For dissertations only, use the Full Text Upload page to submit a copy of your PDF.
   9. On the Review and Complete Submission page, use the "Please view your PDF file..." link to verify that the uploaded copy of your PDF is correct. Then review the other information on that page, using the NO - Return to Editing button if corrections are needed. When you are satisfied with your submission, use the YES - Submit My ETD Now button. 
   10. If you are unable to finish the process at that point, you can bookmark the page and return to it a little later. It will be automatically purged overnight (at 4:00 a.m.) and after that you'll have to make a new submission.
   11. Soon after making your submission you should receive an email confirming it. If you do not receive it within 24 hours, please contact us.
9. Get in touch with your College or School. Confirm receipt of your submission, submit the signed signature pages, and submit any additional paperwork required. Doctoral graduates should download all or part of the ProQuest/UMI packet on our forms page when one or more of the following apply:
   - you are requesting copyright registration (extra $65 charge mentioned above)
   - you are ordering copies from UMI at the author discount rate
   - you included previously published material in your dissertation or thesis
   In the first two cases you will need to provide a money order made out to UMI to cover the charges.
   In the third case you will need to include a copy of the reprint permission letters.
10. Be prepared to resolve any outstanding issues with the format of your electronic dissertation after your College or School reviews the online submission.