The Old Dominion University Guide for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations Please do not submit your work to ProQuest if it is a capstone project or a master’s or doctoral paper and not an official thesis or dissertation. Send it instead to Karen Vaughan (kvaughan@odu.edu) for inclusion in the ODU Digital Commons. Contact your GPD with questions. The Graduate School Office of the University Registrar University Libraries Last Updated: May 2018 Table of Contents GENERAL INFORMATION Introduction .
1 Presentation of Material . 1 Publication of Research . 2 Use of Material From Other Sources . 2 PROCEDURES Submission of Theses or Dissertations .
4 Human Subjects Research and Research Involving Animals, Hazardous Chemicals, Biohazardous Materials, Radioactive Materials . 5 ETD (Electronic Thesis & Dissertation) Submission to ProQuest . 5 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS Digitized Reproductions . 6 Tables and Figures .
6 MANUSCRIPT DETAILS Font Face . 10 Major Headings and Subheadings . 11 DEAN’S OFFICE CHECKLIST . 12 ETD ProQuest Submission Process .
13 Before You Begin . 13 Creating an Account . 13 ETD Submission Process . 14 What to Expect After You Submit Your Thesis/Dissertation .
17 Making Changes After Your Work is Published by ProQuest . 18 SAMPLE PAGES Title Page . 30 Table of Contents . 40 List of Tables .
44 List of Figures . 46 List of Graphs . 48 List of Plates . 52 GENERAL INFORMATION Introduction Old Dominion University requires a dissertation from all doctoral candidates and a thesis from all thesis option master's candidates.
The thesis/dissertation should be presented in a scholarly, well-‐integrated, properly documented manner, which reports the original work done by the student under the supervision of the advisory committee. This Guide for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations has been authorized by the Graduate Administrators Council of Old Dominion University to assist graduate students and their committee members in the preparation of theses and dissertations. The primary purpose of this manual is to provide uniform standards regarding style and format while allowing enough flexibility to satisfy the acceptable practices of each academic discipline. The word “thesis” will be used in reference to general instructions equally applicable to all theses and dissertations.
“Journal model” will be used in reference to general style instructions. Presentation of Material The finished work must reflect a comprehensive understanding of the pertinent literature and express in clear and legible English the method, significance, and results of the student's research. Full documentation and appropriate tabular and/or graphic presentation are especially important. The completed manuscript should be no longer than is necessary to present all pertinent information.
The length will vary widely according to research topic, academic discipline, and the degree sought. The thesis should be presented as a single unit; continuity from chapter to chapter is important. Several studies or experiments may be presented in separate chapters or major sections. Continuity in the thesis is provided by common Abstract, Introduction, Conclusion, and Reference sections.
Each study or experiment may have subdivisions such as Introduction, Materials and Methods, Discussion, and Summary. The thesis may have only one Abstract and one Reference section; a study or experiment cannot have a separate Abstract or Reference section. Style Each graduate program maintains an approved list of journal styles and/or accepted style manuals. The style specifications for the thesis should be approved during the preparation of the research proposal, and the appropriate instructions should be cited in the graduate student's permanent file.
The journal will be followed for: placement of table titles placement of figure titles reference format 1 Whenever there are differences in format and layout between the specifications of this Guide for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations and the journal model, this guide overrules the journal. Consistency of style and form should be the rule throughout the manuscript. The thesis is not expected to duplicate a published journal in typographic arrangement and display. The more sophisticated publication and layout practices of some journals (such as the use of double columns on a text page, etc.) are not to be followed.
A journal's "Instructions to Contributors" are not to be followed exactly when writing a thesis. These instructions are for the convenience of the editors and printers of a journal and do not necessarily apply to the format of a thesis. Check with the graduate program director in your department for further style instructions. Publication of Research Graduate students may publish material that subsequently will be used as part of the thesis provided that the student's graduate committee is notified at the time the student submits the paper for publication.
In addition, students should be aware of the agreement that is signed when a journal accepts an article for publication. At that time, the student assigns rights to the journal as publisher and the student may no longer possess rights. See Copyright section for more information. Use of Material From Other Sources Copyright protection extends for a statutory period on creative, original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium.
Since a thesis is legally classified as a literary work, care must be taken not to violate copyright laws. If the manuscript contains any material (figures, tables, text, etc.) taken from other sources, the student has the responsibility to determine if a license or a letter of permission from the copyright holder is needed. This is true even if the student is an author of the other source -‐ -‐ a letter of permission from the publisher may still be needed should the publisher own the copyright. Note: A work need not bear the copyright symbol in order to be protected under copyright law.
If a letter is needed, it must be included in a separate appendix. In addition, an extra copy of the letter must be provided to the Office of the University Registrar. Copyright Your thesis, being an original, written work, is automatically protected by copyright law even without a copyright notice or registration with the U. Your document, once written, is automatically protected.
Including the copyright notice and/or registering with the U. Copyright Office does add additional protections, however. Students who desire an additional layer of protection may register their work through ProQuest. If you wish ProQuest to act as your agent in securing additional copyright protection, you must indicate this when completing the ETD process and pay the copyright registration fee directly to ProQuest.
Registration offers certain advantages to the copyright holder in the event of infringement. The copyright notice, if included, must be placed on a separate page immediately after the Abstract page. Refer to the sample pages in this manual for specific directions. A copyright notice should 2 also appear on all other material included in the thesis (e., audio, video/film, other digital content).
A thorough explanation of how copyright law applies to theses and dissertations is available in “Copyright and Your Dissertation or Thesis: Ownership, Fair Use, and Your Rights and Responsibilities,” available from ProQuest at http://media2.com/documents/copyright_dissthesis_ownership. 3 PROCEDURES Submission of Theses or Dissertations INITIAL CREATION/REVISIONS The student and committee ensure quality of content and correctness of form of the thesis. The student may be given ongoing evaluations by the committee, but final approval may be given only on the completed document. The student must apply for graduation prior to the semester of graduation and be enrolled in the University.
SUBMISSION TO THESIS/DISSERTATION COMMITTEE The finalized document must be submitted to the thesis or dissertation director a minimum of two weeks prior to the oral defense. If the director, committee, and graduate program director agree that the document is in acceptable form for presentation at an oral defense, announcements will be published and distributed. THESIS/DISSERTATION DEFENSE Theses/dissertations must be defended in front of designated examining committees. The decision as to whether a student has passed or failed the examination rests with the committee, but it shall take into account the opinions of other participating faculty members.
A majority of the committee, including a majority of those from the student's major department, must approve the thesis or dissertation. A unanimous decision is not necessary. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Immediately following the examination, the chair of the committee shall communicate the results to the student. In some cases, further revision of the document may be required.
The Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance form and the thesis or dissertation should be transmitted to the graduate program director for review and approval. BEGIN PROQUEST ETD PROCESS The student is advised to begin the ProQuest ETD process but should not upload the pdf version of the thesis/dissertation. The student may create the ProQuest account and familiarize her/himself with ProQuest publishing options and complete contact information and graduate work details sections. REVIEW BY DEAN'S OFFICE The Dean's Office shall review the thesis/dissertation for compliance with this guide and return it for correction if necessary.
The manuscript must be corrected and resubmitted as a new document, and the Dean’s Office review process begins anew. All original submission deadlines must be met during the re-‐submission process in order to graduate that semester. The student should not submit the thesis/dissertation to ProQuest until it has been approved by the Dean's Office. Note: Graduation will be postponed if corrections are not made on time.
FINALIZE ETD SUBMISSION TO PROQUEST The student must submit a final, error free pdf version of the document to Proquest. Do not submit the pdf until all previous steps have been completed. DEPARTMENT SUBMITS FORMS The student’s department must email Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance and Processing form (M3 or D5) and Result of the Master’s/Doctoral Examination (M2 or D3) form to the ETD Manager (etd@odu. Forms emailed by students will not be accepted.