Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) allows documents created through word processing to be made available on the Web. PDF makes it possible for the fonts, format, and pagination to remain consistent when viewed from different platforms such as Windows, Macintosh, and Unix and different Web browsers such as Mozilla and Internet Explorer. Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free, thus providing everyone with access to the document. The Association for Research Libraries (ARL) has set standards for archiving digital materials in PDF, so archiving is better ensured. Finally, PDF is the text-based format accepted by UMI, the ProQuest division responsible for publishing dissertations.
The interface with the ONID network ID system is probably not working. Contact Linda Kathman (541.737.7315) or Michael Boock (541.737.9155) at the University Libraries. They will manually authorize you to submit to the collection.
The text-based portion of the thesis or dissertation should be a PDF file. You may use the following additional permitted file types already approved and supported by ProQuest's UMI division for electronic dissertations: image files as .gif, .jpeg, or .tif; video files as .mov, .mpg, or .avi; and audio files as .aif, .midi, .snd, .wav, or as CD-DA, CD-ROM/XA, or MPEG-2. You may also submit additional file types such as spreadsheets: .xls, as secondary, accompanying files.
No. Only one PDF in an ETD is acceptable. In addition to the one PDF, you may submit other files such as .mpgs, .wavs, MPEG-2s, etc. where appropriate. See the complete list of acceptable file types under the FAQ concerning permitted electronic formats.
No. Many campus and departmental computer labs, including those listed below, have computers equipped with software that converts documents written in Microsoft Word to Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. The software will allow you to convert your word processing document to PDF format as well as create bookmarks. Multimedia Production Services can assist with document preparation if you have any questions. Adobe Acrobat can also be purchased from the OSU Bookstore if so desired.
Many campus and departmental computer labs have computers equipped with software that converts documents written in Microsoft Word to Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. The software will allow you to convert your word processing document to PDF format as well as create bookmarks. Labs that have the software include, but are not limited to, the following:
Bookmarks are links that enable the reader of the ETD to navigate through the document chapter by chapter. They also allow the reader to link to tables, figures, charts, etc. Bookmarks are strongly suggested in the ETD because they enable long documents, such as dissertations and theses, to be easily read. For information on how to create bookmarks, see the University of Cincinnati's Guide to Creating Bookmarks.
No. Students will need to create their original document using a word processor, such as Microsoft Word. You should apply the Thesis Formatting Guidelines. Once you are done working with your document in a word processor, you will then need to convert it to a PDF file, which will retain the original document format (for the purpose of future editing). Conversion into a PDF file is a straightforward process. Questions regarding PDF creation can be directed to the Multimedia Production Services office.
No.
No. Apply the Thesis Formatting Guidelines.
Students who need to incorporate items in their ETD that cannot be digitized should notify Julie Kurtz, thesis editor at the Graduate School (julie.kurtz@oregonstate.edu), explaining what the item is and why it cannot be digitized. Requests to include non-digitized items will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
For assistance creating your ETD, contact Multimedia Production Services.
Faculty will continue to be responsible for upholding the quality of the thesis or dissertation, whether that thesis or dissertation is submitted using electronic formats or through paper.
This should be handled at the thesis/dissertation committee level. Some committees may require that students provide all members of the committee with a paper copy of the ETD before the defense; others may elect to read on-screen or to have committee members take individual responsibility for working from screen or paper they print out themselves.
Printed versions of the textual components of an ETD should always be made available to committee members at their request. If non-text elements of the ETD are part of the defense, the committee should consider the most effective way to ensure that all members of the committee have access to non-text elements during the defense.
After the committee signs off on the electronic thesis or dissertation, the student should submit the ETD to the ScholarsArchive@OSU Electronic Theses and Dissertations collection. The online system will then send the ETD to the thesis editor at the Graduate School for approval. The thesis editor will be responsible for approving the ETD, making sure that the file's formatting is correct, the links work, etc. After the ETD has been approved, it will then be sent to the University Libraries for archiving, cataloging and, in the case of dissertations, sent to ProQuest/UMI.
Yes. This is actually a handling fee charged for processing the thesis or dissertation including microfilming and, for dissertations, cataloging in Dissertation Abstracts for dissertations. The cost to the student producing an ETD is no different from those submitting in the traditional hard-copy format.
Quantifying costs for either traditional theses/dissertations or ETDs is not really possible; however, our best guess is that there is no money to be saved by changing to ETDs. That is, print and electronic theses and dissertations are approximately equivalent in cost. The primary motivation for producing ETDs is wider access of graduate student research and the other benefits noted in FAQ number one.
The vast majority of publishers do not see freely available ETDs as a problem. If you plan to submit a revised version of your thesis/dissertation (or a part of the thesis/dissertation) for publication, you should consult with likely publishers in advance about the availability of your work online. According to survey respondents at Virginia Tech, "last year only 3% of [Virginia Tech] ETD authors were advised by publishers to restrict access. This is down from 6% in 2000. A survey of university presses (publishers of both books and journals) showed little concern about online availability of theses and dissertations in terms of later decisions to publish." See complete article at http://adt.caul.edu.au/etd2005/papers/105McMillan.pdf.
The Academic Journal Policy Database (AJPD) provides information about publishers' policies regarding ETD prepublication.
Because there may be concern in a few fields regarding publishers' perception of ETDs as a prior publication, students will be able to restrict the access to their ETD on a case by case basis.
In August 2005 the University Libraries, the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and the Graduate School began developing a process that would enable students to easily submit pdf files of their dissertations or theses. Early reports from EECS faculty and students encouraged us to invite other departments and programs to join this activity. As of April 2006, approximately 40% of all theses and dissertations are being submitted with one hard copy and one electronic copy. Beginning July 1, 2006 all doctoral dissertations will be required to be submitted electronically. All Master's theses will be required to be submitted electronically beginning Jan. 1, 2007.
No. The author owns copyright to his/her thesis or dissertation, regardless of format. As part of the electronic submission process, authors may choose a Creative Commons license to apply to be applied to their thesis or dissertation that provides a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors.
If the material you are quoting or reproducing does not fall under the general guidelines of "fair use" then you will need to get written permission from the copyright owner.
Since a dissertation or thesis is published for non-profit educational purposes, the author is permitted limited use of copyrighted material under the guidelines of "fair use." The purpose, amount, nature, and effect of the work reproduced determine whether or not one must seek permission from the copyright owner.
Items that you would want to pay special attention to would be materials such as graphs, charts, data, pictures, maps, illustrations, long quotations, questionnaires, journal articles, music, archival material, unpublished works, computer software, and creative works such as poetry, novels, and plays.
There are no exact rules to follow; however, you should be acutely aware that quoting lengthy passages such as 500 words in a single passage, 2000 words throughout a single copyrighted manuscript, more than one and one-half single spaced pages of text, and more than three or four lines of poetry are all examples that will send up red flags. For different types of works such as music, art, photographs, cartoons, etc., it is imperative that their use be closely linked to your research objectives and that the reproduction does not supersede the market for the original.
Plagiarism is a risk faced by all authors. You will continue to have the same legal recourse whether your dissertation is available electronically or in hard copy. ETD files do not require any security settings on the PDF copy (passwords should not be required to open the document). In the Security feature of Adobe Acrobat, checking the box titled "No Content Copying or Extraction, Disable Accessibility" will prevent a user from copying text and graphics from your PDF file; however, it will also disable the accessibility interface.
Author. "Title." Master's Thesis or Dissertation, University, Date. ETD URL
For more information refer to the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition or The Columbia Guide to Online Style.
Dissertations (whether submitted in electronic or hard-copy format) will continue to be archived and maintained in electronic and microfilm format by ProQuest (formerly known as UMI/Bell & Howell). In addition, both theses and dissertations submitted in electronic format will be archived and maintained on a University Libraries server. The University Libraries are committed to regular updating of archived electronic documents to ensure they continue to be accessible to future technologies and use an open architecture for file types and structures so that they can be more easily migrated to future file types.
After submission in ScholarsArchive@OSU the theses and dissertations are quickly made available worldwide through the Library Catalog, other library electronic search mechansims, ScholarsArchive@OSU itself, Open Archives Initiative search engines, and web search engines (e.g. Google).
For more information about ETDs, see the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Web site.
If you have specific questions about ETDs at Oregon State University that were not answered in the Web site, e-mail Julie Kurtz, Graduate School Thesis Editor.
If you are having difficulty with the submission process in ScholarsArchive@OSU, contact Linda Kathman (541.737.7315) or Michael Boock (541.737.9155) at the University Libraries.
