Dissertation Publication Process

This guide will provide you with all of the information needed to successfully publish your dissertation online with ProQuest ETD. Please carefully review each step and note that steps 1 and 3 may require a significant amount of time. It is best to begin working on obtaining necessary permissions as soon as you decide to use a copyrighted item and securing a professional editor at least six months before you defend your dissertation.

Should you desire to purchase a physical (print) copy of your dissertation, you may do so via:

1. ProQuest ETD - you will be given the option to order a print copy during the submission process. This will be mailed to the recipient 8-12 weeks after submission.
2. Thesis on Demand 

Please note that Thrift Library does not require or retain print copies of dissertations. All AU dissertations are stored digitally in the AU Dissertations collection.

Copyright compliance information must be provided for all images, diagrams, audio/video files, instruments, or full-text documents used within the dissertation file. The AU ProQuest ETD Copyright Compliance Form must be completed and submitted with the dissertation file. Proper attribution must also be provided for each copyrighted item within the dissertation file.

The resources listed below provide instructions for how to obtain permission and provide attribution for copyrighted items.

Contact Research and Instruction Librarian Whitney Rice if you need further assistance.

APA Manual, 7th ed.

• Chapter 7: Tables and Figures
• Section 12.14: General Guidelines for Reprinting or Adapting Materials
• Section 12.15: Materials that Require a Copyright Attribution
• Section 12.16: Copyright Status
• Section 12.17: Permission and Fair Use
• Section 12/18: Copyright Attribution Formats

Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. 

• Chapter 3: Illustrations and Tables
• Chapter 4: Rights, Permissions, and Copyright Administration

Turabian's A Manual for Writers, 9th ed.

• Section 26.1.3 Source Lines
• Section 26.2 Tables
• Section 26.3 Figures
• Section A.3.2 Submitting Electronic Files

Copyright and Your Dissertation or Thesis: Ownership, Fair Use, and Your Rights and Responsibilities (ProQuest) - See Sections 2.1-2.7

Using Images and Non-Textual Materials in Presentations, Papers, Theses and Dissertations (University of Southern California Libraries)

Welcome to the Public Domain (Stanford Libraries)

Obtaining Copyright Permissions (University of Michigan Library)

Asking for Permissions (Columbia University Libraries)

Finding and Using Online Images: Citing (Simon Fraser University Library)

The following criteria must be met for publication:

The abstract is correctly formatted (see instructions in the block below).

The table of contents, list of figures, and list of tables are correctly formatted according to the program's style guide; pagination is correct and consistent throughout the manuscript.

As much as possible, tables are not split between pages.

There are no orphaned headings.

All signatures and contact information, including email addresses, phone numbers, and street addresses, have been removed or redacted.

The AU ProQuest ETD Copyright Compliance Form is completed.

Attribution for all copyrighted items is provided and correctly formatted according to the program's style guide.

There are no grammar or spelling errors.

The abstract should consist of one paragraph of no more than 250 words that includes the following:

• Purpose statement
• Research question(s)
• Methodology: Design, sample, data collection and analysis approach
• Results: Brief summary

The abstract should be placed on its own page with "Abstract" in bold title case centered at the top of the page. The paragraph should not be intended. No citations are included.

Following the paragraph, provide keywords on a new line indented 0.5" from the left margin. Begin with the label "Keywords:" (in italics) followed by 4-7 key terms in lowercase (except for proper nouns), separated by commas. 

Sample Abstract

For more information, review the:

• APA Manual: Sections 2.9 and 2.10
• Chicago Manual: Sections 2.29 and 2.31

We strongly recommend that you have your dissertation professionally edited prior to submitting to ProQuest ETD. Note that this process can take 6-8 weeks.

If you have not already done so, please enroll in the Guide to Dissertation Editing Canvas course (estimated completion time: 1 hour). A list of preferred editors will be provided to you after you have completed the course.

Once you have received approval from your program director, you may submit your dissertation file with the AU ProQuest ETD Copyright Compliance form to the Anderson University ProQuest ETD site for publication. 

View this short tutorial for instructions.

Please allow 2 weeks for processing before inquiring about the status of your submission. Note that the publication process can be lengthy if revisions are needed to meet publication guidelines.

Contact Research and Instruction Librarian Whitney Rice for assistance with the ETD submission process.