Doctoral Dissertation Submission

 

Quick Links:

Dissertation Writing Support
Templates and Page Numbering Instructions
Common Formatting Mistakes to Avoid
Submit your dissertation
Dissertation Hold Request
Graduation Instructions for PhD and EdD Degrees
UMNSED Survey

 

Please contact Stacia Madsen, Doctoral Clearance Coordinator, at gsdoc@umn.edu for questions regarding formatting or dissertation submission.


Electronic Dissertation Submission

Before beginning the submission process, the student must ensure that:

__ The dissertation is in its final version. Once submitted, revisions cannot
      be made unless the student is instructed by GSSP to do so.
__ The full text of the dissertation is in one file.
__ The full text of the dissertation is in Adobe PDF format. If the text is not
      already in PDF format, a converter is available on ProQuest’s submission site.
__ If the PDF converter is used, check the document for accuracy before
     uploading.
     Note: it may take 1 or more days to receive the converted PDF. Please plan
     accordingly.
__ The complete file size of the document is less than 250MB.
__ A copy of the signature page is not included in the electronic submission.
__ Create a user account at, http://www.etdadmin.com/umn (this is NOT your UMN username and password).

Submit your dissertation at http://www.etdadmin.com/umn
 

Materials Submitted to GSSP

In addition to submitting the dissertation online, students must submit the following documents – in hard copy format -- to the Graduate Student Services and Progress Students are also required to submit/complete the following graduation materials:

Item Submitted

Format Required for Submission

Where to Submit

Notes

Signature page

Hard copy

316 Johnston Hall

1 copy

Title page

Hard copy

316 Johnston Hall

1 copy

Deposit Agreement*

Hard copy

316 Johnston Hall

Deposit Agreement

 

University of Minnesota Survey of Earned Doctorates

Electronic

Online at: http://apps.grad.umn.edu/UMNSED/

• Login with X.500 ID to complete
• See below for more information regarding the survey

 

 

*Students who elect not to submit their dissertation to the University Digital Conservancy will have a copy of their dissertation made available through ProQuest only. The University of Minnesota Library will not have it available through MNCAT.


Corrections and Revisions

The dissertation must be a well-written manuscript that is free from error and ready in its final version before submission to the Graduate School. Any revisions required after the final defense by the examination committee must be made and approved by the adviser (as confirmed by the adviser’s signature on the signature page) prior to submission to the Graduate School. Changes cannot be made to the dissertation once accepted by the Graduate School.



Dissertation Hold Request

Students may need to delay the release of the dissertation. Considerations that are likely to be deemed reasonable for granting permission to restrict dissemination include:

  • Patentable rights in the work or other issues in which disclosure may be detrimental to the rights or interests of the author.
  • The ethical need to prevent disclosure of sensitive or classified information about persons, institutions, technologies, etc.
  • The interest of an academic or commercial press in acquiring the rights to publish your dissertation or thesis as a book.
  • Content that is likely to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

ProQuest has assembled information that may assist in deciding if a hold is needed. The information can be found at, http://www.etdadmin.com/UMI_EmbargoesRestrictionsGuide.pdf.

In accordance with University of Minnesota Regent’s policy regarding withholding of research results, a six month, one-year, or two-year embargo on the release of the student’s dissertation to the public may be requested. During this period, the Graduate School will not release the dissertation to the public. The hold period begins immediately after the official degree conferral date (last working day of graduation month). Students wishing to embargo the dissertation must do so directly through the Graduate School by following the procedure outlined below.

Students are required to request embargoes directly through the Graduate School. A hold may be requested by completing a Thesis/Dissertation Hold Request form obtained in 316 Johnston Hall, or downloading the pdf file.  The form must be signed by the student’s adviser(s) and submitted to GSSP on or before the last working day of the intended month of graduation.

After the requested embargo time expires, the dissertation will be released to Proquest and the University Libraries, including the University Digital Conservancy for circulation. Students will not be contacted once the embargo has expired and are solely responsible for renewing the embargo request before the expiration date. Students who wish to renew the embargo, or have the embargo lifted prior to the expiration date, must contact the Graduate School at gsdoc@umn.edu.


Dissertation Writing Support

The Graduate School Writer’s Nexus (http://www.grad.umn.edu/gradwriting/) is a valuable one-stop connection to a multitude of resources and support for graduate students’ thesis and dissertation writing. Through the Writer’s Nexus, students can quickly link to resources to use the libraries, handle statistics, and write their thesis or dissertation. The Writer’s Nexus also links students to support groups and other useful information to help them stay on track during the writing stage. A section devoted to unique issues for international students is also included.


Dissertation Templates

For the convenience of our dissertation writers, the Graduate School is pleased to provide dissertation "templates" for doctoral candidates working in either Microsoft Word or LaTex. Students using the templates remain responsible for ensuring that their dissertations meet the Graduate School formatting guidelines as well as the requirements of their graduate programs and field-specific guidelines.

Prior to submission of their dissertations, students are encouraged to contact the Graduate Student Services and Progress Office (GSSP) in 316 Johnston Hall, Stacia Madsen, Doctoral Clearance Coordinator, at gsdoc@umn.edu for questions regarding formatting or dissertation submission.

For MS Word

Template Instructions
Template with page number in header
Template with page number in footer

For La Tex

Template Instructions
La Tex Zip Files

Signature Pages

Template Instructions
Single Advisor Template
Two Advisors Template
 

Page Numbering Instructions
 

Page Numbering Using Microsoft Word (PC)
The following instructions are compatible with Office suites 2003 or earlier.

Formatting page numbers within margins

1. Go to “File”.
2. Choose “Page Setup”.
3. Click on the “Layout” tab.
4. If page numbers are placed at the top of the page, change the “Header” field to at least 1 inch (2.6cm). If page numbers are placed at the bottom of the page, change the “Footer” field to at least 1 inch (2.6cm).

Formatting using both Roman and Arabic Numerals

1. Keep both the introductory material and the body in one document.
2. Click on the first page of the document and go to: Insert>Page Numbers>Format. Change number format to "i, ii, iii...”. This will number your entire dissertation with lower case Roman numerals.
3. Click on the first page of the body of the dissertation, before the first letter on that page and go to: Insert>Break>Section Break Types. Click on "Continuous" and “Okay”.
4. Keeping your cursor on the same page, go back to Insert>Page Numbers>Format. Change number format to "1, 2, 3..." and click on "Start at 1". This will keep the preliminary pages numbered with lower case Roman numerals and the rest of the dissertation numbered with Arabic numerals.

Page Numbering Using a Mac

Formatting page numbers within margins

1. Go to “File”.
2. Choose “Page Setup”.
3. In the “Page Settings” list select Microsoft Word.
4. Then click on “Margins”.
5. If page numbers are placed at the top of the page, change the “Header” field to at least 1 inch (2.6cm). If the page numbers are placed at the bottom of the page, change the “Footer” field to at least 1 inch (2.6cm).

Formatting using both Roman and Arabic numerals

1. Keep both the introductory materials and body in one document.
2. Click on the first page of the document and go to: Insert>Page Numbers>Format. Change number format to "i, ii, iii...”. This will number your entire dissertation with lower case Roman numerals.
3. Click on the first page of the body of the dissertation, before the first letter on that page and go to: Insert>Break>Section Break (continuous).
4. Keeping your cursor on the same page, go back to Insert > Page Numbers > Format. Change number format to “1, 2, 3…” and click on “Start at 1”. This will keep the preliminary pages numbered with lower case Roman numerals and the rest of the dissertation numbered with Arabic numerals.

The Graduate School cannot provide technical support. Should technical questions arise, please contact the University’s technology helpline at 612-301-4357 (1-HELP) and select option 1 or 2.



Common Formatting Mistakes to Avoid

Please read all of this information carefully. Students submitting electronically are expected to review the Preparing the Doctoral Dissertation as well, for information about formatting and submission requirements.

  • The full text of the dissertation (“full text” refers to all introductory pages except the signature page, the body of the manuscript, bibliography, and appendices) must be in Adobe PDF format and must be one file. If the text is not already in PDF format, a converter is available on the submission website.
  • Margins: Every page of the dissertation, including all appendices, notes, and the bibliography, must have a LEFT margin of at least 1.5 inches (3.9cm) and, TOP, RIGHT, and BOTTOM margins of at least 1 inch (2.6cm).
    • Nothing can appear in the margins, which means that no page numbers, text, tables, graphs, charts, parts of illustrations, etc., can appear in the margin area.
  • Pagination: Students are responsible for correctly numbering and organizing sections in their dissertation. Page numbers cannot be placed on the left hand side of the dissertation.
    • The title page and copyright page must not be numbered or counted. Page numbering for the rest of the introductory material is required, and expressed in lower case Roman numerals, beginning with page “i”.
    • The main text, illustrations, bibliography, and appendices are considered the body of the manuscript.
    • Every page in the body of the text, through the bibliography and appendices, must be numbered in Arabic numerals starting with page 1.
  • Color photographs and images are allowed. ProQuest/UMI distributes electronic PDFs of dissertations by request; color images are preserved in these versions of the dissertation. However, students should be aware that requested paper copies of the dissertation will be reproduced in black and white only; thus the reproduced black and white images of color originals may not be clearly visible or may not convey information adequately.
  • Tables, charts, and graphs: Color may be used in tables, charts or graphs, however, references to color may not be made as reproductions will be in black and white. Identification of lines and figures on graphs and charts must be made clear by the use of line symbols rather than variation in color. Captions may be single-spaced.
  • List of figures/list of tables pages: A list of figures page is required if you include figures and a list of tables is required if tables are included in the dissertation. Each list must contain the page number of where each figure or table can be found in the dissertation. The list of figure/list of tables must be represented in the table of contents.
  • Bibliography: The bibliography may be single-spaced and should appear before the appendix (if applicable). It is not acceptable to include separate references after each chapter in lieu of a single cumulative bibliography at the end of the dissertation. The bibliography must be represented in the table of contents.
  • Formatting: Students are required to adhere to all formatting guidelines set by the Graduate School. Please do not use dissertations found in your department or in the Library to format your dissertation. They may not meet current formatting guidelines.
     

The University of Minnesota Survey of Earned Doctorates (UMNSED)

The University of Minnesota is committed to maintaining both high quality graduate programs and a high quality student experience. Your responses to this survey will be used to assess and improve the graduate education experience at the University of Minnesota and beyond.

  • The UMSED is a reporting tool used by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and the University of Minnesota to improve graduate education.
  • Responses to the survey will be kept confidential.
  • To access the survey, please go to the following link: http://apps.grad.umn.edu/UMNSED/.
  • The survey requires the X.500 ID and password.
  • Technical questions can be forwarded to bostr007@umn.edu. All other questions may go to gsdoc@umn.edu.