Submission of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The University of Virginia Library accepts dissertations and masters theses on CD-ROM or DVD. These disks are cataloged, archived, and shelved largely in the same way as print dissertations and theses. They can be checked out and read and printed on Library computers. Electronic theses and dissertations that were submitted between 1997 and 2002 are available online; see Finding Online ETDs in VIRGO for more information.

Students may create electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) with simple text or utilize the flexibility of the Web to include graphics, sound, and other multimedia content. The UVa Library will be able to maintain only the textual and image content as it was when submitted; that is, the Library will not be able to maintain functionality of any programs embedded in the ETD nor links to specific sites or programs.

When a finished work receives departmental approval, the author converts the print document, including a signed title page, to PDF. (Some academic programs actively support the encoding of theses and dissertations in HTML or XHTML; these formats are also accepted.) The PDF or encoded files and, if necessary, software should then be copied to CD-ROM or DVD in duplicate and both copies should be delivered to the Alderman Copy Center on the first floor of Alderman Library. See their instructions for submission (scroll down to "ARE YOU Submitting Your Dissertation or Master's Thesis in Electronic Format?"). If you are submitting two copies on CD-ROM or DVD, you don't need to submit paper copies to the Library.

Other helpful information:

Preparing Theses and Dissertations for Submission to GSAS

Checklist and approval form for GSAS

print copy

signed

For more information on the submission process, please contact the Alderman Copy Center at 924-3785 or uvacopy@virginia.edu; or the Graduate School for Arts & Sciences at 924-6741.