1. Dissertation and Thesis Formatting
Fall 2017

2. Before we begin… This is not a formatting workshop
Contact me at for specific questions and problems with formatting
All this information is available on the Graduate School’s formatting page

3. You: I've defended my dissertation. Can I finally graduate?
Graduate School: Your last task is to console these orphans and widows.

4. Overview of today’s presentation
Dates and deadlines
How to submit your manuscript for a format check
The format check process
Common formatting problems
Notes and recommendations for copyediting

5. Deadlines to apply for degree:

6. Deadlines to submit for format check:

7. Key Deadlines
December Conferral
August 1: Last day to file an application for degree conferral
October 1: Deadline for format check submissions
November 1: Deadline for final electronic* copy submissions
May Conferral
December 1: Last day to file an application for degree conferral
March 1: Deadline for format check submissions
April 1: Deadline for final electronic* copy submissions
August Conferral
February 1: Last day to file an application for degree conferral
June 1: Deadline for format check submissions
July 1: Deadline for final electronic* copy submissions
*The Graduate School no longer requires hard copies of theses and dissertations. The final electronic copy is the only final copy you will need to submit.

8. Before submitting for a format check:
Read our manual
Consult the checklist template

9. How to submit your manuscript for a format check
Create an account in Loyola’s ETD Administrator
Upload your manuscript in PDF form to the ETD Administrator
Complete all steps to fully submit your document

10. Start at the Graduate School’s home page:

11. Enter the ETD Administrator

12. The ETD Administrator:

13. The Submission Checklist:
ETD will walk you through each of these steps. They are all required, but most of your selections can be changed later.
Nothing will be published or sent to ProQuest before your actual degree conferral.

14. Questions about ETD: I haven’t defended yet…is that okay? Yes!
Should I make a new account for my final copy..? – no, use the “Log in” and “Revise” options.
Do I need to submit the whole thing? Not necessarily, what’s needed…

15. What is required in your electronic submission
All front matter: Title page, Copyright page, Table of Contents, Preliminary Lists
At least two chapters (or 50% of a thesis)
All back matter
Bibliography/list of references, Vita
Approval Sheet

16. How your format check is conducted

17. Overview of the process
After you submit your manuscript, we get an . You will not receive a confirmation . Do not be alarmed; if ETD tells you that your manuscript has been submitted, then we received your submission.
We review your submission to check the formatting
We send you a list of corrections to make

18. Things We Check (an abridged list)
Spacing
Citations and citation style
Paragraph spacing
Irregularities are red flags
Footnotes/references
Table of Contents
Spacing around headings
Accuracy
Margins
Consistency
Measurable space, not settings
Spacing and indentation
Subheadings
Grammar, accuracy, and style
Follow the Manual or your style guide consistently
Acknowledgments, preface dedication, abstract, vita

19. Margin size is the space around the text, NOT your settings.

20. Heading Hierarchies
Should be consistent within and across all chapters and any appendices with original material.
Should follow a conventional style.
If your style manual does not have a preferred heading hierarchy, check the appendices of the Graduate School’s manual for examples of conventional hierarchies.
Do not make up your own.

21. After the Format Check:
You’ll receive the results of your format check, including a checklist of corrections to be made, at the address you gave in ETD.
You’ll also receive information about:
Copyright issues
The library bindery
Checklist for completing your degree requirements
The Survey of Earned Doctorates (dissertation only)
You will receive credit for the format check if your manuscript includes all the required elements and attempts to follow the Graduate School’s requirements.

22. After the Format Check:
Call or to ask questions, or to set up an in-person meeting.
If I have time, I’m happy to evaluate your revisions. ETD doesn’t always send a notification about revisions, though, so me after you’ve submitted it to make sure I know it’s there.
If you need extra help with proofreading, we recommend visiting the Writing Center, joining a peer editing group, or hiring a copyeditor.

23. Don’t forget to upload these as supplemental files in ETD too:

24. Questions?

25. Common Formatting Problems
Managing default settings, which are terrible and make life difficult
Margins and page numbers
Landscaped pages
Putting chapters together

26. using Microsoft Word *moves an image 1mm to the left*
All text and images shift. 4 new pages appear.
in the distance, sirens.

27. Your defaults hate you and want you to die.

28. General Tips
As much as possible, avoid switching between different computers.
PC vs. MAC: We see fewer technical issues from PC users, particularly with PDF conversion.
Make each chapter a separate document. Then compile together.

29. Tips
Paragraph settings: make sure before/after values are set to 0 pt.
Header/footer from edge: set to 1 inch, but you might need to adjust
You can use templates but you’ll have to edit them to meet the Grad School’s requirements.

30. Templates

31. Top margins and page numbers
Format margins and page numbers together
Do the first page of a chapter before moving on to the second page (see manual for a step-by-step guide)
Remember to break the “links to previous” in both the header and the footer!

33. Landscaped pages The top margin will become your left margin.
The page number must be placed so that when the document is collated, it is positioned as for portrait pages.
Use a text box to place your page number.
1” top margin.
Table title orientation matches the orientation of the table itself.
Remove text box borders after inserting page number.

34. Collating the manuscript
Convert each Word document to PDF
Use Adobe (or a web service) to merge the PDFs into one PDF

35. Questions?

36. Copyediting your own work is really, really difficult.

37. Tools for Self-Editing
Save each chapter separately
Create outlines of each chapter before and after you’ve written them
Use full citations when writing drafts and shorten them later
Use a style sheet:

38. The Style Sheet
Used by copyeditors to keep track of stylistic, typographical, and formatting decisions
Record your decisions while writing and editing each chapter, then use it as a checklist when editing your final product
Keeps all your decisions on one page, so you can be consistent about where you use “Abe Lincoln,” “Abraham Lincoln,” and “Honest Abe.”

39. Using the Style Sheet

40. Beyond the Style Sheet
You should be using a style manual while writing your dissertation
The style manual you use should be appropriate to your field
Consult your advisor and major journals in your field for guidelines if neither our manual nor yours answers your question.

41. Any last questions?

42. Go forth
and format!