The following guidelines presented by the Academic Policy and Curriculum Committee establish a university-wide standard of quality and legibility for the preparation of a dissertation/thesis.
a. Style Requirements
The dissertation/thesis must adhere to the format requirements in effect at the time of submission. The style for footnotes, bibliographies, tables, chapter headings, etc. is determined by individual departments. Students will need to consult with their advisors regarding departmental formatting requirements and review procedures. It is the dissertation/thesis advisor's responsibility to see that the manuscripts are edited for spelling, grammar, organization, stylistic consistency, correct sequence of pages, and agreement between the table of contents and the contents of the manuscript. Students may also reference guides here, and if there are Chinese, Japanese, and/or Korean sources, this citation guide (look at the top tab to switch between Chicago and APA style) from Yale is a good resource.
b. Required Format Check
The final dissertation/thesis must be shown to the library for formatting check before submission. Send three PDF files to library@uwest.edu: (1) the finalized dissertation/thesis file, including the merged template pages (2) the completed Chicago or APA formatting check list, and (3) the completed Internet distribution consent form.
Allot at least 2 weeks time for formatting check. While waiting for the review, it is recommended that students create the electronic submission account and review the publication options at ProQuest (see Part c. below).
c. Required Electronic Submission
Upon the submission of the dissertation/thesis to the library, students acknowledge that their work will be made available electronically (pending any embargo periods) through the library catalog, the institutional repository, and the ProQuest database platform.
The dissertation/thesis is submitted through ProQuest's online submission website. ProQuest enables people to find and obtain access to dissertations and theses published through their platform by placing abstracts and citations in major online indices. Students will be enriching the subject of their work by participating in this program--other researchers can search and purchase/download their work through ProQuest. It is also where the submission will be processed to be posted to the institutional repository.
First, please read the following publishing guidelines to understand the details of the submission process:
- Preparing your manuscript for submission (including supplemental files)
- Subject categories
- Embargoes & restrictions (to select an embargo of more than 2 years, please fill out the extended embargo form and obtain the approval of the committee chair and department chair. Email the extended embargo form to the library and specify that you have turned in the form in the Note to administrator field under the Access options (e.g., delaying the release of your work) section of the ProQuest submission site).
- All guides and and additional FAQs are all available here: Resources & Guides.
ProQuest has different publishing options available on its platform; details are available in the online submission website below. We require that students minimally submit their work with the 'Traditional' publishing option--there are no charges associated with this option. Students may request to publish with optional features for a fee, including the option to publish in 'Open Access*,' to order extra copies, or to register for copyright protection. Where ProQuest guidelines differ from the library guidelines, please contact us to confirm the difference. Deviations may delay the publication process.
To begin, students will need to create an account at the following website. The various publication options can selected ahead of time, before uploading the final PDF.
Submissions will be reviewed by the library before they are sent to ProQuest and the UWest Institutional Repository. Students may be notified via email to revise certain areas.
Pending any embargo requests, submissions will be available online in 6-8 weeks after the diploma has been issued.
*The two major differences between choosing ProQuest 'Open Access' and/or publishing in Open Access in the UWest Institutional Repository is (1) the access points to the dissertation/thesis and (2) the hosting cost:
ProQuest academic databases are frequently used by students and researchers as sources of scholarly literature. By publishing in Open Access in the ProQuest ecosystem, it may be easier for others to find and directly download the dissertation/thesis among other academic resources. However, both ProQuest Open Access theses/dissertations and repository works will be discoverable by major search engines such as Google and Yahoo. In addition, with the repository, the dissertation/thesis with be indexed and showcased along with the works of other UWest graduates.
The hosting cost for in ProQuest is $95 (subject to change). The repository does not charge for hosting.
d. Copyright Registration
Students who wish to officially register their copyright may do so by contacting the U.S. Copyright Office for forms and procedures. The address is Library of Congress, Copyright Office, Washington, D.C., 20599.
ProQuest can also act as an agent in helping to register for copyright. It is an option available in the online submission process. The fee for this service is $75 (effective 3/1/2020, subject to change), which covers the cost of the copyright registration and the submission of two microfilm copies to the Library of Congress.
Students should include a copyright legend © in the copyright page even if they do not officially register their copyright.
e. Official Name Used in the Dissertation/Thesis
Degree candidates must present their full name in the dissertation/thesis as it is officially recorded at the Registrar's Office. Contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@uwest.edu (contact form for logged in users) to verify and/or change. A dharma or clergy name may be added and parenthesized () after their full name.
