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Your Clemson University

Thesis

Dissertation

Guidelines, Tips & Tools

“e ETD Guidebook”

2019–2020 Edition

Click (?) for how to do a quick search.

he Graduate School is pleased to host Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation:

Guidelines, Tips & Tools, a guidebook assembled in Spring 2018, edited and curated

by the Graduate School’s communications and manuscript review sta with input from

University administrators, faculty, and graduate students. Wethank the Oce of Enrolled

Student Services, Clemson Libraries, and Clemson Computing and Information Technology

(CCIT) for providing information on record-keeping, archiving, and technology training.

is guidebook organizes and expands upon the thesis and dissertation information from

www.clemson.edu/graduate/students/theses-and-dissertations/index.html. Creating one

convenient le allowed us to streamline those web pages. e PDF le is searchable and inter-

active, with a linked table of contents and working links throughout the text.

ere were no substantive changes in manuscript guidelines as we moved them from web-

only to PDF. Material about the importance of deadlines has been added.

e instructions, recommendations and procedures outlined here draw from years of

tradition — several centuries of scholarly publishing norms as well as decades of Clemson

University Graduate School formatting standards — but they also reect the changing

technology that brought us from print publishing into digital publishing and archiving and the

global electronic dissemination of research scholarship.

By detailing the six essential steps of the formatting and submission process and collecting

supporting information in two appendices, Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation:

Guidelines, Tips & Tools aims to provide all the resources and links you’ll need to complete

your thesis or dissertation, and to help you present a work that you, your advisory committee,

your department, and Clemson University will be proud to share.

Manuscript Review Ofﬁce

E-106 Martin Hall

Clemson SC 29634

manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu

864.656.5338

iii

Overview ...........................................................1

0.1 Preliminaries ...................................................................1

0.2 Steps in the electronic manuscript submission process ............................2

PhD candidates: We encourage you to complete the Survey of EarnedDoctorates

....2

0.3 About deadlines ................................................................3

Step 1: Format ......................................................4

1.1 Formatting FAQs ..............................................................4

1.2 General formatting guidelines — your manuscript asawhole .....................6

Document page size

.............................................................6

Margins

........................................................................6

Pagination and page numbering

..................................................6

Main text

......................................................................7

Indentation and headings

........................................................7

1.3 Detailed formatting guidelines — your manuscript section by section .............7

Front matter

....................................................................8

Title page (required)

............................................................8

Abstract (required)

.............................................................8

Dedication (optional)

...........................................................9

Acknowledgments (optional)

....................................................9

Table of contents (required)

.....................................................9

Lists of tables, gures, maps, etc. (required if your ETD has these elements)

.........10

Body (main text). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Back matter

...................................................................11

Appendix or appendices

........................................................11

Bibliography, literature/works cited, or references

................................11

1.4 Additional formatting information .............................................12

e GS7 form (GS7M or GS7D) — record of your committee’s approval

...........12

Formatting alternatives for LaTeX users, programs in architecture,

communications, creative writing, visualarts .....................................12

Supplemental les (spreadsheets, databases, video, audio les, etc.)

.................13

Variations from these format guidelines

..........................................13

Contents

Click icon for how to do a quick search.

1.5 Items to remember, summarized ...............................................14

Plagiarism statement

...........................................................14

Final checklist

.................................................................14

Templates available

.............................................................14

Samples available

..............................................................14

1.6 Optional: Check your citations with Turnitin® before your defense ...............14

How do I access and use Turnitin®?

..............................................14

What exactly is Turnitin® and how will it help me?

................................15

1.7 e next step ..................................................................15

Step 2: Defend .....................................................16

2.1 Before your defense ...........................................................16

e defense process

............................................................16

Scheduling and calendar requirements

...........................................16

2.2 Aer your defense .............................................................16

Meeting the deadline

...........................................................16

Submitting your committee-signed GS7 form

....................................17

2.3 e next step ..................................................................17

Step 3: Convert .....................................................18

3.1 Prerequisites for this stage .....................................................18

3.2 Converting your document to PDF .............................................18

Conversion with Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional

.........................19

Conversion with free online services

.............................................19

Conversion by other methods

...................................................20

3.3 Conversion problems ..........................................................20

ProQuest conversion issues

.....................................................20

Other conversion issues

........................................................20

Don’t panic . . . stop by the Manuscript Review oce ..............................20

3.4 e next step ..................................................................20

Step 4: Submit .....................................................21

4.1 Considerations as you get started ...............................................21

Copyrights

....................................................................22

Publication options

............................................................22

Embargoes (delays of publication)

...............................................22

Bound copies

..................................................................23

Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Contents

Royalties ......................................................................25

Italics and special characters in ProQuest metadata

...............................26

4.2 e upload procedure .........................................................26

Waiting for your results

.........................................................27

For PhD candidates only

.......................................................27

4.3 e next step ..................................................................27

Revise if needed, and if not, you’re done!

.........................................27

Step 5: Revise ......................................................28

5.0 Getting feedback from the Reviewer ............................................28

5.1 Common items that call for revision ............................................29

Page setup (page size)

..........................................................29

Page margins

..................................................................29

Capitalization of paper title and title page elements

...............................29

Missing or unevenly spaced title page rules and text

...............................29

Page numbering placement and running heads

....................................29

First visible page number

.......................................................30

Ellipses in table of contents

.....................................................30

“Continued” headings on content pages

.........................................30

Body text page numbering

......................................................30

Wide or oversized tables and illustrations

........................................31

Appendices divider page

........................................................31

Links, email addresses, and URLs

...............................................31

5.2 e manuscript reviewer can help ..............................................31

5.3 e last step ...................................................................31

Step 6: Finished ....................................................32

6.1 Final points about your accepted ETD ..........................................32

6.2 “So what’s next?” About digital publication .....................................33

Notication email from ProQuest

...............................................34

Notication email from TigerPrints

.............................................35

Appendix A: FrequentlyAskedQuestions .............................36

A1 About deadlines and forms .....................................................36

A2 About formatting .............................................................38

A3 About embargoes ..............................................................40

A4 About manuscript review and the Manuscript oce .............................40

A5 About ETD submission andarchiving ..........................................42

Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Contents

A6 About bound (print) copies of my manuscript. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Appendix B: Forms,Links,andTools .................................45

B1 Forms and les ................................................................45

B2 Tools and other resources ......................................................45

B3 Sample manuscripts ...........................................................46

B4 Templates .....................................................................46

B5 Tutorials and training ..........................................................47



0.1 Preliminaries

is handbook provides an outline of the electronic manuscript submission process that you

will follow for your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation prior to graduation. For brevity, we

oen will refer to a manuscript as an ETD (Electronic esis/Dissertation).

Within the text of this guidebook, live links

tointernal bookmarks as well as to web pages

and downloadable les are colored purple.

Simply click onany link to access theresource

or cross-reference.

Before you start on your manuscript, or early in the process,

download this ETD quick links PDF. It’s a single-page list

of working links to the resources you may need most oen as

you prepare your manuscript for submission.

Before you submit your manuscript, refer to the nal

ETD checklist to ensure that your formatting is as compli-

ant with Clemson University’s manuscript format guidelines

as possible.

Also before you submit your manuscript, please read the

Graduate School’s reminder about plagiarism. Plagiarism

includes the accidental or un intentional representation of

another’s words or ideas as your own, as well as intentional

misrepresentation of the origin of work, so take this import-

ant last step to ensure that you have avoided identifying

another person’s work as your own.

Very early in the semester of your planned graduation,

make sure you understand the process of converting your

document to PDF format, and that you’re aware of all rele-

vant graduation deadlines. If you have questions, email the

Manuscript Review oce.

Overview

download



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Overview

0.2 Steps in the electronic manuscript submission process

Ϝ Step : Format. Format your manuscript according to the Graduate School’s

requirements.

Ϝ Step : Defend. Defend your thesis/dissertation, make any revisions required

by your committee, and submit your signed GSM or GSD form.

Ϝ Step : Convert. Convert your manuscript to a PDF le.

Ϝ Step : Submit. Upload to the ProQuest site for review and publication.

Follow the instructions for uploading a PDF of your manuscript for review.

You’ll nd it invaluable to read through the information in the Submit section

prior to uploading your manuscript.

. . . and wait for results. You will receive a results email within

approximately one to two business days. Submissions close to the deadline date

may take a day longer due to the large number of submissions at that time. If

your manuscript is approved, you have nished. . . congrats!

Ϝ Step : Revise. If format revisions are required, the manuscript reviewer

will detail them in an email to you. Aer you make revisions, you’ll convert

your revised document to PDF, upload, and wait for a response again. is

process will be repeated until your manuscript is accepted. Be aware that many

manuscripts require at least one round of revisions. Also, your manuscript will

not be approved until Enrolled Services has received your signed GS form and

updated your status in their database.

Ϝ Step : Finished. Breathe deeply — you did it! You’ll receive a conrma tion

email from the Review Oce approving your ETD and saying congratulations.

PhD candidates: We encourage you to complete the Survey of

EarnedDoctorates

To complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates, go to the SED completion page and follow the

instructions. Participation is voluntary but highly valued. Over 90% of PhDs across the country

participate in this important project.

e Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is an ongoing survey sponsored by the National

Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the

National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration. e survey helps these and many other agencies and

entities assess the availability of highly educated personnel. e survey gathers data from all

research doctoral graduates each year on their educational history, sources of support and

post-graduation plans. e completed survey responses become part of the Doctorate Records

File (DRF), a nearly complete data bank on doctorate recipients from 1920 to the present and



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Overview

the major source of doctoral data at the national level. e proles of doctorate recipients that

emerge from these data assist policymakers at the federal, state, local and university levels.

e information provided on the survey questionnaire remains condential and is safe-

guarded in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. e survey data are reported

only in aggregate form or in a manner that does not identify information about any individual.

To learn more about the SED, visit the SED homepage.

0.3 About deadlines

As you enter your nal semesters in graduate school, you’ll

need to know when deadlines are coming up so you can plan ahead, structure your schedule, and

minimize your stress level as you approach graduation day. Check the Graduation Deadlines

calendar oen.

In graduate school, as in professional life, missing deadlines has consequences. Missing

the GS2 Plan of Study ling deadline incurs late fees. Missing certain deadlines may delay

your graduation or prevent you from participating in graduation ceremonies; the deadlines

for completing your comps, submitting your nal-ocial transcript to Graduate Admissions

(see “What does ‘Ocial Transcript’ mean?” at the Admissions FAQ web page), ling your

committee-signed GS7 form, submitting your nal ETD, and ordering your diploma and grad-

uation attire are examples.

Under certain extenuating circumstances, the initial manuscript submission date for

format review may be ﬂexed by a day or two, but be advised you’ll leave yourself less

time for making revisions if you miss the ﬁrst deadline.

Extenuating circumstances may include personal illness or injury, sudden illness of an immediate

family member or committee member, military deployment, and visa issues. ey do not include

job-related or personal travel, scheduling of your defense too close to — or on the day of , or

aer — the submission deadline (please do not do this!), missing committee signatures on your

GS7, or an unexpected number of content revisions required by your committee following your

defense. If you think you may be late with initial submission of your ETD and have a legitimate

reason, discuss options with your advisor and send an email to Manuscript Review. If you think

you may be late turning in your GS7, email Enrolled Services to see if they’ll accept it late.

The ﬁnal manuscript revision deadline is just that: ﬁnal, not ﬂexible. The week

between the initial and ﬁnal manuscript deadlines is for format changes only. It’s not

intended to buy you extra time to ﬁnish rewriting or to wait for copyright permissions.

If you think you may miss the nal manuscript deadline, which is also the nal GS7 deadline,

you may discuss with your advisor the option of delaying your graduation until the following

semester. If you can complete all of your requirements, including an accepted manuscript, by

the rst day of classes for the coming semester, you will be cleared to graduate at the end of that

semester without having to enroll in credit hours or pay tuition. Check with Enrolled Services

for the exact deadline for each semester, and please notify them that you plan to delay your

graduation.

Bookmark

Graduation Deadlines calendar.



Jump to a topic

Ϝ . Formatting FAQs

Ϝ . General formatting guidelines — your manuscript as a whole

Ϝ . Detailed formatting guidelines — your manuscript section by section

Ϝ . Additional formatting information

Ϝ . Items to remember, summarized

Ϝ . Optional: Check your citations with Turnitin® before your defense

Ϝ . e next step

1.1 Formatting FAQs

Q: What specications does the Graduate School have regarding formatting

theses and dissertations, and where can I nd them?

A: In addition to this detailed guidebook, the Graduate School summarizes all of its require-

ments on the nal ETD checklist (ETD= Electronic esis/Dissertation), which can be

found in Appendix B: Forms, Links, and Tools. e checklist can help you keep your format-

ting for each section of your paper consistent and on track.

Q: Does everyone have to use the same writer’s style guide?

A: No — the Graduate School does NOT

require that you use one particular style hand-

book for your thesis or dissertation. Your

department may recommend any recognized

style manual for writers of academic papers, such

as the MLA or APA style manuals. If you are

unsure about what style is generally accepted in

your eld, and your department does not specify

a style guide, consult your advisor and, together,

choose a style that is suitable for your discipline.

Q: Where do I nd content-related requirements?

A: You and your committee are responsible for your document’s quality and content. Your

graduate program handbook may contain basic information about thesis or dissertation

requirements. When you have questions concerning the content of your work, you should ask

Step 1: Format

Quick tip

While Word supplies built-in templates for MLA-

and APA-style papers, please note that if you use

these, you must change the page margins in either

template from 1" to 1.25". Running heads as shown

in the APA template are not desirable in your ETD

unless your advisor requests them. The templates

do supply useful info and appropriate text style

menus if you’re following APA or MLA style.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

your committee chair or another committee member who is familiar with your work and the

practices of your eld.

e sta of the Manuscript Review oce can help you interpret our formatting require-

ments, but your committee is the best source of advice for writing and organizing your work.

While the Manuscript Review sta may point out noticeable inconsistencies in grammar,

spelling, or usage for you to revise, or may catch a typo in a major heading or prominent text

element, we do not check your manuscript word-for-word.

Q: Will the Manuscript Review sta proofread my paper?

A: No. As noted above, the reviewer may call your attention to

typographical, spelling, or grammar errors in highly visible por-

tions of your manuscript. Note, for instance, that the default set-

ting for Word’s spellcheck tools overlooks words in all caps, which

can sometimes lead to typos in headings, and we’ll point those out

if we see them. But we don’t read word-for-word or critique either

the mechanics or content of your writing.

Q: Are there dierent requirements for electronic vs.

printed manuscripts?

A: In the print publishing realm, yes. However, the Graduate School does not supply guide-

lines for printed manuscripts. e guidelines listed here are intended for electronic documents,

and if you submit a thesis or dissertation formatted according to these guidelines, your end

product will be a fully functional, quality electronic manuscript. If you plan to purchase bound

copies for yourself or your department from a vendor besides ProQuest, if required (see this list

of departments requiring copies), and you use only these minimal e-publishing guidelines,

your manuscript may not meet traditional print publishing standards. For example, the rst

page of each main section will not start on a right-hand page, and the binding margin will not

be any wider than the outside margin — potentially causing text and/or images to be very close

to, or hidden in, the binding. You may take the liberty to adhere to more conventional format-

ting guidelines for printed manuscripts if you so choose, but the Manuscript Review sta will

be unable to assist in such endeavors. You should consult your advisors for additional guidance

if you plan eventually to publish your manuscript as a bound book following academic book

design norms.

Q: What tools are available to help me format my manuscript?

A: If you are using Microso Word, a formatting template is available for your convenience.

To edit and use it, you’ll need to:

 Save the template to your hard drive and from there, open it in Word;

 If you’re working in Windows, under the “Review” tab, click “Restrict

Editing” and uncheck the boxes under “1.Formatting restrictions”

and “2.Editing restrictions”

 If you’re working in MacOS, click “Review” > “Unprotect

Document”

Bookmark

Download the

Graduate School

Word template

for ETDs.

Quick tip

By default, Word’s spellchecker

overlooks words typed in

ALL CAPS. You may want to

re-check your ETD title and all-

caps headings visually before

you submit your manuscript!



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

e le protection is on initially to enable you to use the elds and drop-down menus on the

title page.

In addition to the formatting template, the Manuscript Review oce provides PDF examples

of each standard element of an academic paper, and a sample manuscript. You will nd all of

these documents listed and linked in Appendix B: Forms, Links, and Tools.

1.2 General formatting guidelines — your manuscript

asawhole

All thesis and dissertation manuscripts should be formatted according to the instructions in

the following sections, except for content that has been previously published (for instance, in

a journal, with elements required by that journal that don’t appear in other chapters), or unless

your department has requested and received an exemption based on discipline-specic practices

(see . Additional Formatting Information below). Content not covered by these specic

guidelines may be formatted in any accepted discipline-appropriate style.

Document page size

For electronic publication, your document trim size must

be 8.5" x 11" — standard U.S. Letter size. If your research

includes material that will not t onto standard letter-sized

pages; you may include such material as supplemental les.

See section on supplemental les (spreadsheets, databases,

movies, sound les, etc.).

Margins

 All page margins must be 1.25 inches. As noted below, page numbers may (and should)

sit below the bottom text margin, in the page footer.

 All content (including text, gures, tables, etc.) must t within the margins, although

pages may be rotated to landscape orientation to accommodate wide gures, tables, etc.

Pagination and page numbering

 All pages except the title page should have a visible page number.

 Because your electronically published manuscript, unlike a printed book, will not have

le and right facing pages, position your page numbering at the bottom center of each

page for symmetry, below the 1.25" margin but at least .5"–.625" from bottom edge of

the page.

 Front matter (dened in . Detailed Formatting Guidelines below) page numbers

must be lowercase Roman numerals (“i,” “ii,” “iii,” etc.).

 Your title page is Roman-numbered page “i,” but should not have a visible page number

on it. e rst page of your abstract — with the rst visible page number — is Roman-

numbered page ii. e rst page of the body of your paper — introduction or rst

chapter/section — must be Arabic-numbered page 1.

Quick tip

If you’re using a version of Microsoft

Word from a source outside the U.S.,

or you’ve recently formatted for an

international journal, your default page

size may be set to A4 rather than U.S.

Letter Standard. Check before you get

deep into formatting.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

 All page numbers in your body text and back matter (dened below) must be Arabic

numerals (“1,” “2,” etc.) continued from the previous chapter of your paper. Please do not

start each new chapter with page 1. Do not start back matter (references, appendices) with

a new page numbering scheme; continue from the last page of the last chapter.

Main text

 Body text should be double-spaced (unless otherwise noted in this document). Spacing

around subheadings, block quotes and other text elements may vary, but should be

sucient to make these elements readily identiable and dierent than body text.

 Basic text should be between 10–12-point size in a commonly used text font such as

Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Garamond, Verdana, etc. Do not use script,

informal typefaces, or display fonts for basic text elements.

 It’s up to you and your committee whether to set your main text justied (with even le/

right margins) or ush-le/ragged-right (aligned le with uneven right margin), and

whether or not to allow end-of-line hyphenation of words.

Note: e double-space requirement is for the main text specically. Some other text elements

will look and t better single-spaced, or with spacing less than two full lines. Subheadings, block

quotes, captions, tables, and equations are good examples. Some elements in your front and

back matter — the title page, table of contents, lists of

gures/tables, and references, for example — look best

single-spaced with a line space or so between elements.

Indentation and headings

 e rst line of each paragraph should have a le

indent, or you should insert an extra line space

(double space) between paragraphs.

 First-level headings (title, abstract, table of

contents, chapter titles, etc) must be formatted to stand out more than any other level

of headings. We suggest you use ALL CAPS for your rst-level headings, unless those

headings contain lots of acronyms, scientic names, or chemical formulas that require

both upper- and lower-case letters for clarity.

Note: If your manuscript consists of multiple journal articles — or journal styles — slight dif-

ferences in formatting from article to article are acceptable, but your main text must be single-

column with 1.25" margins and use consistent fonts throughout. It is not acceptable to simply

insert the PDF of a previously published journal article, formatted specically for that article,

into your ETD.

1.3 Detailed formatting guidelines — your manuscript

section by section

Templates and examples of standard manuscript elements are available in Appendix B: Forms,

Links, and Tools.

Quick tip

CONSISTENCY isthe key to good ETD for-

matting! Your main chapter headings,

subheadings, basic text styles, captions,

element alignment, and other formatting

choices should be CONSISTENT through-

out your manuscript.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

Front matter

e front matter of your manuscript includes all major sections from the title page to the

rst body-text chapter. A PDF sample le for front matter is available linked in Appendix B:

Forms, Links, and Tools.

Title page (required)

e title page is the rst ocial page of your manuscript (page “i”). If you use the title page

template provided by the Graduate School, you may not need the title page information below.

If you choose not to use the Times New Roman font family for your manuscript, be sure to

change the font of the title page template to the font you use in your manuscript. e title page

should be formatted as follows:

 Page margins must be set to 1.25 inches.

 A page number should not be visible on this page.

 Text should be centered horizontally between the

margins.

 Each section of text should be single-spaced with a

double space between sections.

 Horizontal divider rules of equal width and line weight

should separate each block of text, and the spacing above

and below each divider line should be consistent.

 Your paper’s title should be in ALL CAPS. Italicize any

scientic nomenclature (i.e., genus and/or species names)

or titles of other works that appear in your title, and

follow standard scientic nomenclature rules regarding

capitalization where all-caps is confusing or inappropriate.

 If your title consists of more than one line of text, break the lines in a logical and

attractive way, so that the lines are approximately the same length.

 e layout and wording style of your title page must match the sample title page,

including line breaks within text sections.

e title page Word template is also linked in Appendix B: Forms, Links, and Tools.

Abstract (required)

e abstract is a succinct statement of the signicant contents of your manuscript and the value

and relevance of your research. Generally, brevity is good — an abstract should be no longer

than 350 words; however, it may be longer if absolutely necessary. Your abstract page should be

Roman-numbered page ii. Include a general abstract as page ii even if your ETD consists of

journal articles with individual abstracts.

download



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

Dedication (optional)

If you include one, your dedication pays special tribute to people who have given you extra-

ordinary support or encouragement in your academic career. Extravagant praise, insincere

thanks, and references to animals or inanimate objects are considered unprofessional; please

avoid these. e dedication should be brief — one page or shorter.

Acknowledgments (optional)

If you choose to include acknowledgments, these remarks thank those who have helped you

obtain your graduate degree, including those who have given grants and special funding for

research. Acknowledgments may also include permission you’ve obtained to quote copyrighted

material. Extravagant praise, insincere thanks, and references to animals or inanimate objects are

unacceptable.

Table of contents (required)

e table of contents aids the reader in navigating the manuscript and should be arranged

according to the structure, or order of matter, of the document. In an electronic manuscript,

each content entry may be linked to its opening page in your text. e table of contents must

meet the following formatting requirements, whether you use Word’s automated table of con-

tents tools or build your table manually:

 Headings must be identical in wording to those in the body of the document.

 Every entry must have a corresponding page number.

 Major sections (rst-level headings like chapter and unit titles) must be included.

Also include major subheadings within each chapter. Lower-level subheadings may be

included, but they are not required.

 Single-spacing of table of contents

entries with an extra line space

between chapters or sections is

acceptable, and desirable if your table

of contents runs long.

Quick tip

Can’t get those dots in the table of contents to line

up? Many writers ﬁnd a manually created table of con-

tents is the most complex (and annoying) portion of a

manuscript to format correctly. Please check out the

ellipses instruction “cheat sheet” for tips on

formatting your table of contents — this instructional

PDF includes how to create evenly spaced leader dots,

good line spacing, and indents.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

 Alignment, indentation, and spacing of entries must be consistent.

 e page number for each entry must be right-justied at the right margin.

Ellipses (rows of leader dots) must be inserted between each entry and its corresponding page

number.

e ellipses should not be created with individually-typed periods. Follow the

ellipses instruction “cheat sheet” to create indents and ellipses for your table of contents.

Be aware that when you make edits — additions, deletions, or size changes — to text or

graphic elements in the body of your paper, you may cause pages to reow; that is, elements may

move from one page to another. If you’ve prepared the table of contents manually, reow may

leave the page numbering of your contents entries inaccurate. It’s always a good idea to re-check

your table of contents page numbers against the actual page each entry appears on for accuracy,

and to update as needed, as a last step once all of your editing and revision is complete.

Lists of tables, gures, maps, etc. (required if

your ETD has these elements)

You should include a list of tables, gures, maps, abbre-

viations, or other similar items when there are three or

more tables, gures, or similar items in your manuscript.

Each type of list should begin on a separate page unless

all of the lists will t on one page. Tables and gures

included in the appendices should also be included in the

content lists. All lists must meet the following formatting

requirements:

 Titles and entries must be identical in wording to their counterparts in the body of the

document.

 Every entry must have a corresponding page number.

 Ellipses (rows of leader dots) must be inserted between each entry and its corresponding

page number.

 Each list should be formatted consistently with

the main table of contents — to whatever degree

ispractical.

Body (main text)

e body of your manuscript includes all of your chapters

or sections. e body may be formatted in any accepted,

discipline-specic style or according to an approved style

guide, but with the following restrictions:

 Text of the body of your paper must begin on page

1 (using Arabic page numbering, beginning with

1,2, 3, etc.).

Quick tip

If you choose to number the tables or

ﬁgures in your body text by chapter (e.g.,

1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, etc.), then to distin-

guish appendix ﬁgures/tables from those

in the body of your paper, use a naming

scheme such as “A.1, A.2, B.1, C.1” etc.

Quick tip

In Word, to restart your page numbering

with page1 (and switch from Roman to

Arabic numbering), make sure you insert

a section break (from the Layout tab or

the Insert main menu) after the last line

on your last page of front matter. Then

scroll your document to your Introduction/

Ch. 1 opener. Go to the Insert tab; select

Page Number

> Format Page Numbers

from the dropdown menu, then at the bot-

tom of the popup window you may enter

the new start page as 1.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

 First-level headings (chapter and/or section titles) must be consistent in style — font,

weight, size, case, placement relative to text — with the rst-level headings in the front

matter.

 Each individual level of heading/subheading should have a separate and distinct — but

consistent — format that demonstrates relative importance (for example, rst-level

headings should appear more prominent than second-level headings, and so on).

 Spacing around headings, tables, gures and other elements should be consistent

throughout the manuscript.

Note: if chapters or sections of your ETD have been previously published as journal articles,

and those journals require or prefer that you maintain their formatting, then variations in style

between chapters is acceptable.

A PDF sample le for body text is available here, and is also linked in Appendix B: Forms,

Links, and Tools.

Back matter

e back matter of your manuscript includes the appendix or appendices, endnotes (if needed),

and reference section(s). If you choose not to place gures and/or tables within each chapter,

those can be grouped in back matter sections. Notes may be combined with references, or set as

footnotes or end-of-chapter notes, depending upon which annotation style is appropriate for

your eld of research. It’s OK to have references at the end of one or more chapters and a general

reference section at the end. Order your back matter sections by your advisor’s preference.

Asample back matter PDF le is available in the Forms, Links, and Tools appendix.

Appendix or appendices

An appendix presents information that is too detailed for the body text or is supplemental or

indirectly related to the text, such as tables, gures, research authorization forms, and computer

programs/code. If you have several categories of supplementary material, you may include more

than one appendix, grouped together as the “appendices.” Each appendix in the appendices

section should have a descriptive title.

When your manuscript contains more than one appendix, you should name each, begin

each on a new page, and separate them from the body of your manuscript with a divider page.

e divider page goes only between the body and the rst appendix, not between appendices.

It should contain only the word APPENDICES — centered horizontally and vertically on the

page, in the same style (typeface, case, and size) as your rst-level headings — and the page num-

ber, in the same position as other page numbering. e rst appendix will start on the next page.

Bibliography, literature/works cited, or references

e writing style guide preferred in your discipline will dictate whether you use a bibliography,

a literature or works cited section, or a references section. e format you use should be the

same as is required in the major journals in your discipline. Your chosen style guide will help

you determine whether references should be numbered, alphabetized, set with space between

entries, or with a “hanging” indent for continuing lines of long entries. A good style guide will



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

also help you be consistent in using such elements as full names or initials, abbreviations, dates

and page numbers, punctuation, and italics or quotation marks for titles and publications. If you

are not sure about which format to use, consult your advisor. You must adhere to the following

standard requirements when formatting your bibliography, literature/works cited, or references

section:

 Single-line spacing is ne in your references, as long as you use numbering, indents, or

space between each reference entry to set them apart.

 URLs (web and email addresses) should not be blue or underlined. You can edit the

default hyperlink style in Word’s styles menu by right-clicking on that style and choosing

Modify > Font, then changing color to black and unchecking underline,

 Ideally, individual reference entries should not be split across pages. If an entire entry does

not t at the bottom of one page, move the entire entry to the top of the next page.

 Your reference section(s) may be included either at the end of the manuscript (following

the appendix) or at the end of each chapter, but you should be consistent when possible.

1.4 Additional formatting information

Please take note of the following details regarding special formatting requirements, your respon-

sibilities as a student, and copyright law. Additional information about formatting assistance is

also provided below.

e GS7 form (GS7M or GS7D) — record of your committee’s approval

Following Clemson University’s transition from print to electronic thesis and dissertation sub-

mission, a formal approval (or signature) page is no longer required as part of your manuscript.

Your completed and committee-signed GSM or GSD form will serve this purpose. You can

download and print the GS7M or GS7D from the Forms page at the Graduate School website,

or pick up a hard copy from Enrolled Student Services in 104-D Sikes Hall. Be sure to select the

correct form for your degree level: GS7M for master’s candidates, or GS7D for doctoral candi-

dates. Aer completing this form and obtaining the necessary signatures of all of your commit-

tee members, return the form to Enrolled Student Services. is form should not be included as

a page in your manuscript. Check the graduation deadlines for deadlines related to this and

other forms.

Formatting alternatives for LaTeX users, programs

in architecture, communications, creative writing,

visualarts

You may use the open-source document formatting program

LaTeX for your thesis or dissertation, but all pages leading up

to the rst page of the body must be formatted as described

in these instructions. e Graduate School’s LaTeX template

package contains both the style sheet and a complete example

of what your manuscript should look like. We strongly suggest

Bookmark

If you’re a coding enthusiast and

your program recommends LaTeX for

formatting, download the Grad-

uate School’s LaTeX template

package

for a format- compliant

template. For help using or custom-

izing it, consult fellow users in your

department.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

that LaTeX users download this template package. e ProQuest FAQ page recommends this

online user community for LaTeX support.

Many School of Architecture graduate programs have their own preferred formatting for

ETDs, and may require you to use Adobe InDesign for laying out your manuscript. If you are

an architecture student, contact your advisor for information on your program’s specic format

requirements.

Communications, creative writing and visual arts manuscripts should adhere to the basic

guides outlined above regarding margins, fonts, title page, contents, etc., and to the rest of the

formatting requirements to the extent that the subject matter/nature of your ETD allows.

Electronic publishing enables you to submit as supplemental les many types of material that

simply don’t t within the connes of an 8.5" x 11" PDF text page, as the following section

details.

Supplemental les (spreadsheets, databases, video, audio les, etc.)

If you choose to include computer code, a database, a PowerPoint presentation, an audio or

video le, oversized graphic elements, or other digital information that cannot be converted into

PDF, or that will not t into or be compatible with the standard manuscript page size (8.5"x

11"), you may upload these les as supplemental les during your manuscript upload process.

ese les may be in any digital format, just as they would be if you were including a computer

disk in a bound copy of a manuscript. When readers access your thesis/dissertation online, they

will see links to these les. If someone orders a printed/bound copy of your paper, the les will

be burned onto a CD or DVD and included with the printed copy. ProQuest answers questions

related to supplemental les, including le size limits, at ProQuest’s FAQ web page; scroll

down to the topic, “How can I include related les (sound clips, data sets, etc.) that are a critical

part of my dissertation or thesis?”

Variations from these format guidelines

We cannot anticipate every possible format option a student may consider, so there may be a

format or method you would like to use that is not discussed here. If you’re in doubt, contact the

Manuscript Review oce at manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu before investing a great deal

of time in a particular format that you’re not sure will be accepted. While the Graduate School

is the nal authority on formatting and publication issues, in light of evolving technology and

expanding denitions of thesis and dissertation work, we do yield to graduate program directors’

or advisors’ preferences.

Make sure you have permission to reproduce materials to which someone else owns the copy-

right. Obtain a letter of consent or permission from the copyright owner before you use mate-

rials taken from any original publication. is may include getting permission to reproduce

your own content (writing or research) that has been previously published. Materials that may

require a letter of consent include gures (illustrations, diagrams, photographs), maps, tables,

and the text of poems, songs, etc. You can include permission letters (scanned, if necessary) in

the appendices of your manuscript, or you may upload permissions documents as separate les

that will be archived with your ETD.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

1.5 Items to remember, summarized

Plagiarism statement

Before submitting your manuscript, please read this reminder about plagiarism. Plagiarism

includes the accidental or unintentional representation of another’s words or ideas as your own,

as well as intentional misrepresentation of the origin of work, so take this important last step

to ensure that you have avoided identifying another person’s work as your own. e University

Libraries periodically oer workshops and training materials on avoiding plagiarism. Check

their Instruction page. Also, use the Turnitin® tool described below in section 1.6.

Final checklist

Before you submit your manuscript, please refer to the nal ETD checklist to ensure that your

formatting adheres as closely as possible to the requirements. Following the Checklist will help

you avoid many of the formatting pitfalls that necessitate revisions. Also see Appendix A:

FAQs for more information.

Templates available

If you are using Microso Word, a formatting template is available for your convenience.

To edit the template, you will need to save it to your hard drive, open it in Word, then click

“Tools”> “Unprotect Document.” File protection is initially on to enable you to use drop-down

menus on the title page. We also provide a template solely for the title page, and a template

for LaTeX

users. To see all the Graduate School’s available templates, check out Appendix B:

Forms, Links, and Tools.

Samples available

In addition to templates, a sample manuscript with helpful notes is also available as a PDF for

your reference. You’ll nd descriptions and links to several sample les in Appendix B: Forms,

Links, and Tools.

If any you have specic formatting questions that are not addressed within this guide, please

email the Manuscript Review oce at manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu (preferred) or call

(864) 656-5338.

1.6 Optional: Check your citations with Turnitin® before

your defense

e sta of GRAD 360°, the Graduate School’s groundbreaking, comprehensive and inclusive

professional development program, invite you to make use of Turnitin® via Canvas.

Please note that, although implemented through Canvas, this is an invitation, not a required

course. No grades are given, and you won’t get feedback from the Graduate School.

How do I access and use Turnitin®?

e course, GRAD ° Turnitin® for Grad Students, appears in Clemson’s “All Courses” cat-

alog and is set up for self-enrollment. While it is available for anyone with a Clemson University



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 1: Format

while working on a thesis or dissertation. e instructor, a non-faculty GRAD 360° team mem-

ber, is unable to assist non-graduate-student users in navigating the course.

Once you’ve enrolled, check the Information & Instructions page, or download the info as

a PDF from course les. e course now contains ten identical assignments (submission oppor-

tunities); this permits multiple le submissions as well as resubmission by overwriting a previous

upload.

Please note that this opportunity to use Turnitin® is not a sub-

stitute for submitting your electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD)

for format review and publication. at’s an entirely dierent

process, described here in the Submit chapter.

What exactly is Turnitin® and how will it help me?

Turnitin® is a plagiarism-prevention soware app licensed for

use by the University community under Clemson’s institutional

license, and is enabled through Canvas. Many facuty members

use Turnitin® to review student work. For the individual student

researcher, Turnitin® facilitates best practices for using and citing other people’s written work.

When you access the program and upload all or part of your thesis or dissertation, the Turn-

itin® tool compares your le’s text to an extensive scholarly database and student paper archive

of published material to determine if text in your paper matches text in any of the Turnitin®

databases. Matching or very similar text highlighted by the tool indicates that you’ll need to cite

your original source(s) if you have not already done so. e tool generates a “similarity score”

that shows what percentage of your document is similar in text content to other existing works.

Don’t be dismayed by a similarity score that seems high to you,

and please don’t commit yourself to an endless, stressful cycle of

rewriting, resubmitting and rechecking to try to get that score as

close as possible to 0% — especially if this causes you to miss key

deadlines. For the individual (non-classroom) user, Turnitin® is

primarily a useful tool for identifying and double-checking your citations. Good research in any

eld interprets, builds and expands upon previous research, so “0%” similarity is not necessarily

a realistic goal. If your paper includes a literature review or holds an analysis of existing litera-

ture, that chapter or section naturally will generate a higher similarity score than chapters that

comprise pure research methods or ndings.

Manuscript Review does not use Turnitin® to evaluate your ETD as part of the format review.

Avoiding plagiarism is up to you and your committee.

1.7 e next step

Aer you’ve compiled and formatted your thesis or dissertation manuscript, you’ll proceed to

Step : Defend your work before your graduate committee.

Bookmark

Canvas “course” GRAD 360°

Turnitin for Grad Students.

To locate in Canvas, go to

Courses > All Courses >

Browse More Courses to view

the University’s public course

catalog.



2.1 Before your defense

e defense process

Each graduate program has its own protocol for scheduling and conducting the defense of theses

and dissertations. Ensure that you know your department’s procedures and that you follow

them. Even if defense information is supplied in your Graduate Program Handbook, it’s always a

good idea to consult your advisor for details.

Scheduling and calendar requirements

In all cases, you MUST notify Enrolled Services of the date, time, location and other details of

your defense at least 10 days prior to your defense. To do that, complete the online form that

will add your defense to the defense calendar. Submitting that form will generate an email to

Enrolled Services, and that email will serve as

your ocial written notication.

If you have any issues accessing the defense

calendar, or need to modify your scheduled

defense details, please email the Graduate School

at gradweb@clemson.edu and let them know

the issue.

2.2 Aer your defense

Meeting the deadline

Your defense must be conducted by the nal

ling deadline for the GSM (master’s candi-

dates) or GSD (doctoral candidates) form. Be

sure to check the graduation deadlines chart

for more information. Be aware that scheduling

your defense on or very near the deadline will

leave you little or no time to make committee-

required revisions to your manuscript and will

likely result in delaying your graduation. Sched-

ule your defense as early as you can, but at least

several days before the nal deadline.

Step 2: Defend

Bookmark

Defense calendar: https://www.clemson.edu/

graduate/calendar/index.html

Quick tip

If you have any issues accessing the defense

calendar, or need to modify your scheduled defense

details, please email the Graduate School at grad-

web@clemson.edu and let them know the issue.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 2: Defend

Submitting your committee-signed GS7 form

Aer you have successfully defended, your committee will do one of three things:

1. Sign your GSM or GSD form;

2. Require you to make revisions to your manuscript, then sign the GSM or GSD; or

3. Require you to make some committee-required revisions to your manuscript and

complete the manuscript review by the Graduate School, then sign your GSM

orGSD.

Any of these options is ne as long as the manuscript review process is completed and your

GSM or GSD is submitted before the nal ETD deadline.

If your committee requires you to make major revisions and you feel you won’t be able to

meet the ETD submission and revision deadlines, you may discuss with your advisor the possi-

bility of delaying your graduation for one term. If you can complete your manuscript revisions

for committee approval, get a format review and acceptance, and turn in your GS7, all by the

last day of registration for classes for the coming semester, you will be cleared to graduate at the

end of that semester without having to enroll in any credit hours or pay tuition. Check with

Enrolled Student Services for the exact deadline for each semester.

2.3 e next step

Aer you have made any committee-required revisions and have compared your manuscript to

the nal ETD checklist, you’ll proceed to Step : Convert to create your PDF for publication.



3.1 Prerequisites for this stage

Your manuscript rst must be properly formatted and ready for submission. If you need to make

changes aer you convert your manuscript to PDF, you should make them to your original text

le (Word DOC or DOCX le, LaTeX le, RTF le, InDesign le, etc.) and then convert that

le to a new PDF.

3.2 Converting your document to PDF

e method and application you choose to use for PDF le creation will depend in part upon

the word-processing or page-layout application you’ve used, and in part on your work platform

(MacOS, Windows, Linux).

Word or RTF source les

Current versions of Word allow you to save your documents as PDF through the Print

menu. If you also have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, you may see an Acrobat tab in

your word menu options, and the option to “Save as Adobe PDF” in your print menu.

ProQuest’s Options

ProQuest’s ETD submission interface no longer oers a built-in PDF conversion tool,

though you may upload your Word le and let ProQuest convert it for you. Note that if

you have ProQuest do your PDF conversion, you may not have as much control over how

the nal le looks as if you convert your manuscript le(s) yourself. ProQuest’s Resources

& Guidelines web page and PDF FAQs contain links to conversion resources that will

walk you through the conversion process and address questions you may have about PDF

les. If your manuscript is a single Word DOC, DOCX, or RTF le, and you’d prefer that

ProQuest’s technical sta do the PDF conversion for you, you can skip to the submission

process by going to Step : Submit in this guidebook.

LaTeX source les

If your manuscript was built in LaTeX and you have access to Adobe Acrobat Standard or

Professional, simply generate a .prn le of your LaTeX le and use Acrobat to convert it to

PDF. If you do not have access to Adobe Acrobat, there are several online resources that will

help you to convert your le to PDF using the dvips - Ppdf driver included in many distribu-

tions of LaTeX. Dr. Patrick Jöckel at the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry in Germany has

created a very helpful page here on converting LaTeX to PDF. Another conversion resource

you may investigate is Ghostscript.

Step 3: Convert



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 3: Convert

Other source le types

If your manuscript was created using a program other than Word and is not an RTF le, you

may need to search online for options for converting your manuscript into PDF.

Conversion with Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional

Perhaps the best-known PDF applications are Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional; these

products can convert many le types to PDF. e Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free

and is pre-installed on most desktop and laptop computers, cannot create PDF les; it can only

read them. If you do not have Acrobat Standard or Professional installed on your computer,

there are several ways to access the soware:

Download under Clemson University license

As of April 2014, Clemson University holds an institutional license for Adobe Creative

Cloud soware, which means that students, faculty, and sta may download and use Adobe

Acrobat Pro as long as they hold a current CU username and password. Please visit CCIT’s

University-licensed soware page for access and how-tos.

Adobe PDF online subscription

Adobe oers a subscription service at a modest monthly fee for online PDF conversion.

Free trial

You can download a free -day trial version of Adobe Acrobat Professional; aer the

30-day trial period, you may purchase the program on the Adobe website or from your

preferred reseller.

Campus computer labs

Many departmental computer labs have Adobe Acrobat installed; CCIT labs do not.

Conversion with free online services

You can access free online services and apps to

convert various types of les to PDF format. ree

are linked below; an online search will yield many

options, but screen carefully for vendors’ privacy

policies.

Icecream PDF converter

One top-rated newer PDF conversion app is from

Icecream Apps. e website oers free download,

a tutorial video, and a list of convertible le types.

It can batch convert: combine many documents of

diering le types into one PDF in just one step.

PDFCreator

Developer pdorge GmBH provides a download-

able PDFCreator for Windows operating systems.

Quick tip

About EMBEDDING FONTS in your PDF: the

Graduate School, the University Libraries, and

ProQuest require that you adjust your PDF output

settings to EMBED all the fonts used in your

manuscript. Adobe Acrobat also permits you

to SUBSET (to embed only the characters used

in your document, rather than the entire font),

which will reduce your ﬁnal ﬁle size.

Your future readers will view your ETD on

a wide array of devices, and embedded fonts

ensure that everyone will see your text just as you

intended, with consistent characters and without

odd typeface substitutions, across all platforms

and devices.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 3: Convert

PDF Online

PDF Online can convert from the following applications/formats to PDF: Word, Excel,

PowerPoint, TXT, various image formats (JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, GIF)

Conversion by other methods

If you are unable to convert your manuscript to PDF using any of the methods above, you can

always use a digital/document sender. ere are several such machines on campus. In addition,

most departments have advanced copying machines capable of converting a document to a PDF.

Contact your department for more information.

3.3 Conversion problems

ProQuest conversion issues

If you have issues with ProQuest’s PDF conversion process, start by visiting the ProQuest FAQ

page (click on “PDF Questions.” If you don’t nd the resources you need there, email their

support sta or send a message or query through their training and support page.

Other conversion issues

If you are still having issues with your conversion

aer trying the tips detailed above, please email

manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu. Include

specics such as the le format you are work-

ing with, your operating platform (Windows,

MacOS, Linux), what method and program you

are attempting to use for the conversion, and

the results and/or errors you’re getting. Attach

samples of your original les and/or output les

if relevant. Some common PDF conversion issues involve font and image embedding or image

quality problems; Manuscript Review sta should be able to help you solve these.

Don’t panic . . . stop by the Manuscript Review oce

Seriously, don’t panic. You will not fail to graduate due to PDF conversion issues if you ask

us for help before the deadline. e Manuscript Review sta have experience in creating and

trouble shooting PDF les and can help.

3.4 e next step

Once you have successfully converted your document to a PDF, proceed to Step : Submit to

learn how to begin the Upload process.

Bookmark

Manuscript Review Ofﬁce:

• E-106 Martin Hall, 8:00–4:30 weekdays

• email manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu

or egraben@clemson.edu

• (864) 656-5338



4.1 Considerations as you get started

Prior to uploading your manuscript, read the information that follows. Doing so will save you

time, money and potential confusion once you begin your submission. In particular, we encour-

age you to discuss with your advisor or committee chair and research sponsors whether a pub-

lication embargo (delay) may be prudent, or even required by a research sponsor. e time to

have these conversations is well before your defense date so that you can investigate the policies

in your eld and, if necessary, talk to others about the situation. Prior discussion will ensure that

you make crucial publication decisions before the time pressures of graduation start to weigh on

you and your committee.

ere are no required fees for uploading, digitally publishing and permanently archiving

your manuscript. e only fees that apply are for the following:

1. Any hard copies you order (for yourself or your department, etc.);

2. Open-access publishing through ProQuest (e Graduate School does not recommend

you choose this, because the University Libraries provide open-access at no charge)

3. Copyright ling by ProQuest (with the U.S. Oce of Copyright).

Step 4: Submit

Quick tips

■ No Fees Required, but . . . There are no longer any fees required to upload, publish, and archive your thesis or

dissertation. Fees apply only to ordering printed, bound copies and some special publishing options.

■ It’s ALL DONE ONLINE. The entire process is completed online, through the web portal of the Graduate School’s

electronic publishing partner, ProQuest (formerly known as Proquest/UMI). While the Graduate School’s Manuscript

Review staff can do an informal review of your manuscript draft and offer feedback before you formally submit it, or

prior to your defense if you wish, but please don’t send your Word or PDF manuscript directly to the Review ofﬁce. You

can submit a draft of your paper via ProQuest; this gives you a head start on both your ﬁnal formatting, in setting

up your account with ProQuest, AND you can leave a note that your ﬁrst submission is a draft.

Once you’ve uploaded your PDF ﬁle following the steps in this section, and have clicked submit, the Manuscript

Review staff receives an automated email that tells us your ETD is ready for review. We review through the same

online portal, and will notify you via email of your ETD’s ofﬁcial acceptance, or of any revisions that may be required.

■ Bound Copy Orders. The procedure for ordering bound print copies of your ETD from Proquest— either before

your submission has been accepted for publication or after it has been accepted and published online — is outlined

in this section.

■ Note: If you have requested an embargo (delay of publication), no bound copies will be produced or delivered until

after your embargo expires.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 4: Submit

Copyrights

Once your ETD is published, you own the copyright to your work whether it is registered by

ProQuest or not, but there may be circumstances under which registering your work with the

U.S. Copyright Oce is desirable, even essential. If you’re in doubt, consult with your advisor

and committee members. Note that requesting that ProQuest le for copyright on your behalf

does incur a fee. e ProQuest resources & guidelines web page, under the section Intellec-

tual Property & Publishing Agreements, Guides & Policies, provides tips and references to

help you decide whether or not to have ProQuest le for copyright, including a useful overview

PDF, Copyright and Your Dissertation or esis: Ownership, Fair Use, and Your Rights

and Responsibilities.

In addition to the information that the Graduate School provides below, you may nd useful

tools and links for this step in your thesis/dissertation submission process,plus answers to com-

mon questions, on ProQuest’s resources & guidelines page.

Publication options

You will be given the two following options when you submit your manuscript to ProQuest:

Traditional

is option will suit the needs of almost every student. Choosing this option prevents you

from incurring an additional publication fee and allows you to receive royalties on copies of

your work sold by ProQuest (as noted below). Clemson University Libraries will automati-

cally provide open access to your document.

Open Access

Since open access to your manuscript will be provided automatically, for free, by the

Clemson University Libraries, paying ProQuest for open access is unnecessary and will cost

an additional $95.00 USD (as of this publication). We permit this, but do not recommend

it unless you feel the ProQuest archive will give your future readership more access than will

our libraries.

Embargoes (delays of publication)

Aer selecting a publication option, you will be given an opportunity to select publishing

restrictions (embargoes). Some conditions for requesting a delay of publication may include the

following:

 You are pursuing a patent (or plan to pursue one);

 You’ve signed an agreement with a research sponsor that requires an embargo for a

specied period of time;

 You have contracted with another publisher who requires you to delay publishing your

manuscript. is may include, in some disciplines, peer-reviewed journals that will print

only previously unpublished material.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 4: Submit

e Graduate School permits proprietary issue-based embargoes on student manuscripts of

up to one year in length, renewable for up to an additional year; however, your embargo must be

approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Please note that an embargo:

1. Requires written (email) request from your advisor to the Dean of the Graduate School,

per Graduate School policy;

2. Should be placed when you submit your ETD, not aerward, so please discuss with your

advisor beforehand; and

3. Cannot be placed aer your ETD has been published by the Clemson Libraries and/or

ProQuest.

On the following page, you’ll nd a text box outlining What You Need to Know About ETD

Embargoes.

 Contact the Manuscript Review oce at manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu if you have

additional embargo-related questions.

 e ProQuest site provides a PDF describing delayed release and other publishing

options.

 Please note that if you have requested an embargo, any bound copies that you order from

ProQuest for yourself or for your department will not be produced or delivered until aer

your embargo expires.

You may also choose whether or not ProQuest will make your published manuscript acces-

sible via internet search engines. e page search engines and your dissertation at the Pro-

Quest website details this option. Note that the University Library system does not limit

search-engine access; through TigerPrints, your electronically published ETD will be searchable

in the catalog and in global databases.

Bound copies

With the advent of digital publishing and archiving, the Graduate School no longer requires that

you purchase any bound copies of your manuscript; however, your department may require that

you do so. Check the list of departments to see if you are required to order a bound copy. Also

note that a few programs specify a printer other than ProQuest.

If you did not place a hard-copy order when you rst submitted your ETD, you will need to

wait until ProQuest has published your manuscript to place your order.

ere are three ways to order printed, bound copies through ProQuest aer your manuscript

has been published.

1. Once you have received a conrmation email from ProQuest that publication of your

work is complete (this may be a couple of months aer your graduation), you may order

copies directly through your ProQuest upload account. To order online via ProQuest

and receive an author discount, refer to the “Order Copies” button on your submission

details page. is button is active before you submit, becomes view-only once your

ETD is accepted, and becomes active once again AFTER your paper has been digitally

published. You may also get to an order page where you may use your PQ login or order



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 4: Submit

What You Need to Know About ETD Embargoes

At this time, embargo administration is handled by the Graduate School, not by The Clemson Library staff

or by ProQuest. Please do not contact Library staff or ProQuest customer service about your embargo, as

they have no knowledge of your embargoed ETD until the embargo has been released and the manuscript

reviewer has delivered your ETD pr publication and archiving.

Here’s how to request an EMBARGO (delay of publication)

When you create your ProQuest submission account, you’ll ﬁnd ﬁelds for entering your embargo period

and reason when you reach the ProQuest publishing options step — this ensures that we don’t release

your dissertation prematurely. Marking your request in your ProQuest publishing options is step one, but

per Graduate School embargo policy, the request must be ﬁled by your advisor with the Dean of the

Graduate School.

Please have your advisor/committee chair send an email to Jill Bunch, Graduate School Director of

Communications, indicating the reason for the requested embargo as well as the length (a maximum of

one year from the date of your graduation, which is renewable for a maximum of one additional year). The

embargo request will be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School for ofﬁcial approval and you will be

notiﬁed of the results.

Also, you are encouraged to request (by emailing the Manuscript Ofﬁce) that your embargo be

lifted before its expiration if it’s no longer needed.

Q: Can I request an embargo after I’ve submitted, after my ETD is accepted, or

after my graduation?

A: Since a semester’s ETDs are released to ProQuest and the Clemson Libraries for publishing/archiving

following graduation, rather than at the time you get your acceptance email from Manuscript Review,

your advisor may request an embargo on your behalf between the time you are accepted and the day of

graduation. Your advisor will need to email Jill Bunch to proceed, and if your embargo is approved, the

Manuscript Reviewer will enter it into your ProQuest publishing options.

If you need to place an embargo immediately after graduation, your advisor will need to contact the

Dean of the Graduate School with the request. This must happen within two weeks of your graduation

date.

Q: Can I request an embargo after my ETD has been published?

A: No. An embargo is a delay of publication, not a retraction from publication, and cannot be placed

after your ETD has been published by the Clemson Libraries or by ProQuest.

Once your work is published and archived, if you ﬁnd you need to remove your ETD from full-access

status, your advisor will need to contact the Dean of the Graduate School with reasoning behind your

request. If the request is approved, the Grad School will contact the University Libraries and ProQuest to

have the content of your ETD removed from access by viewing and downloading. Your metadata — title,

author, committee, graduation date, and abstract — will not be removed from view or from the data-

bases. Once your work has been published electronically, we have no control over search engines’ records

of it.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 4: Submit

as a guest here: htt p://ord er.

proquest.com/OA_HTML/

pqdtibeCAcdLogin.jsp?

2. You can order copies without

logging in to your submission

account by following this

link: https://www.proquest.

com/products-services/

dissertations/order-

dissertation.html.

3. Visit ProQuest’s customer

service contact page at ht tp://

www.etdadmin.com/cgi-

bin/main/support — log in

using the same username and

password you used to upload

your manuscript. ere, you

may enter your name, etc. and

from the dropdown menu “I need help with*” select “ordering copies.” en enter a brief

message that you’d like to order a bound copy or copies, but that you didn’t do so when

you submitted your paper. A customer service

person should soon get back to you via email.

Appearance of bound copies

ProQuest oers several book sizes and binding

options. You can read about them here. If you

want a bound copy that looks like the traditional

bound copies in the Clemson Library, choose the

Milestone Edition. Unless your department requires bound copies, you can order copies

when you upload, at any time aer your ETD is accepted and published, or by mail aer

your graduation for the same price.

Other options for printed, bound copies

Because you own the copyright to your thesis or dissertation, you are free to have your

work printed by any print-on-demand vendor of your own choosing. e Graduate School

does not oer recommendations or endorsements of third-party printing companies, but

you may nd reputable printers with an online search, or by consulting a published faculty

member in your department.

Royalties

When you submit a manuscript through ProQuest, and select Traditional Publishing, you

giveProQuest non-exclusive rights to oer copies of that work for sale. Students selecting the

traditional publishing option whose manuscripts are sold throughProQuest receive royalty

Bookmarks

• Bound copy ordering page

• Milestone Editions for Authors page

• ProQuest Customer Service portal

Before you submit: option to order After you submit: no order option



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 4: Submit

payments of 10% on all sales. e Traditional Pub-

lishing Agreement appears as part of the upload

process.

Italics and special characters in ProQuest

metadata

As you enter the title and abstract for your ETD

into the appropriate elds on the Dissertation/e-

sis details page, you may want to add HTML codes

for italics, superscripts, subscripts, or some special

characters. If you’re not familiar with HTML, no

worries — Manuscript Review will code for you. If

you’d like to try it yourself, for italics, insert “<i>”

in front of the word to be italicized and “</i>”

aer the word. On screen it will look like this: “e

title of my manuscript has an <i>italic</i> word

in it.” e actual displayed text will look like this:

“e title of my manuscript has an italic word in

it.”

4.2 e upload procedure

ank you for reading the above information

thoroughly. If you are generally comfortable with

setting up secure personal accounts and associ-

ated online transactions, you may start the upload

process. e Graduate School requests that you

complete our brief pre-submission survey (you’ll

only see this survey the rst time you log on) and

clicking “Submit” to go to the ProQuest Upload

Site. To go directly to the ProQuest portal, the link

is https://www.etdadmin.com/cgi-bin/home.

On that page, click on the orange Sign up and get

started today! button, or — if you’ve logged into

ProQuest in the past — the Create or continue

submission button Directions for each step are

provided as you progress through the screens.

Once you click the “Submit” button on the nal

screen, ProQuest generates an automatic email to

the Manuscript Reviewer to alert us that your ETD

is ready for format review.

Quick tip

For an in-depth tutorial guide to the online sub-

mission process — with screenshots — please

download the informational PDF, ETD Submis-

sion via ProQuest— Step-by-Step.

Bookmark

Direct link to the ProQuest ETD portal:

http://www.etdadmin.com/cgi-bin/home



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 4: Submit

Waiting for your results

You will receive a results email from the Manuscript Review sta within approximately one to

two business days, though it may take longer during peak submission times (i.e., close to the

submission deadline for the semester of your graduation). Your email will contain information

about one of the following:

 Accepted manuscripts: If your manuscript is approved without needing revision, you

have nished. CONGRATULATIONS!

 Manuscript needing revisions: If revisions are required, you will need to make those

revisions to your original manuscript le, convert the edited le to PDF, upload, the

new le to the same account as your original, and wait for a review response again. is

process will be repeated until your manuscript is accepted.

Be aware that many manuscripts require one round of minor revisions, and occasionally more

than one, but your reviewer will send you details about how to make specic revisions. If you get

stuck, you may drop by the Manuscript Review oce in E-106 Martin Hall for hands-on help.

Your ocial clearance for graduation will come via email as soon as:

 Your ETD manuscript is accepted and,

 Enrolled Services has received your signed GS7 and updated your status in the database.

For PhD candidates only

Please complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates. e SED is also described in the Overview

of this guidebook.

4.3 e next step

Revise if needed, and if not, you’re done!

e Step : Revise section of this guidebook provides a list of some of the most common

formatting revision requests and tips for how to make them. If you don't get an email from the

Manuscript Review oce telling you your manuscript has been accepted or needs minor revi-

sions, call or email us. On rare occasions, email from the ProQuest domain may get sent to your

junk-mail folder.

Once your manuscript is accepted, you’ll receive an email similar to what’s described on the

Step : Finished page, and you have completed the process.



Once you’ve uploaded your manuscript PDF and clicked the Submit Dissertation/esis

button, the Manuscript Review sta receives an automated message through ProQuest that your

paper is ready for review. Usually within 1–2 business days aer you submit, we’ll send you an

email requesting formatting revisions to your digital manuscript, or indicating that your ETD is

approved and needs no revision. e review process may take a little longer as the graduation

deadlines approach and we have many manuscripts to review.

Many Graduate School ETD manuscripts will require a minor revision or two — the appear-

ance of your published, archived paper should be as polished and professional as your research.

For many graduate students, writing a thesis or dissertation is the rst occasion that calls for for-

matting a table of contents, multiple chapters, an appendix, and other complex elements. Don’t

be discouraged if you’re asked for minor revisions to align with Clemson University’s Graduate

School online publishing standards. If you’ve read through the Step: Format section, made

use of the samples and templates you’ll nd linked in Appendix B: Forms, Links, and Tools,

and followed the nal ETD checklist, you’ve probably avoided most of these common causes

for revision requests (outlined below in the order in which they usually occur in a manuscript):

5.0 Getting feedback from the Reviewer

You will hear from the Manuscript Review oce via email once your review is complete. is

email will be generated through ProQuest from the “etdadministrator@proquest.com” email

address.

If your ETD needs any minor formatting revisions, the reviewer will email you through the

ProQuest portal and will include specic instructions for each revision. e most common

items that call for revision requests are covered in the next section. If you receive a request for

revision, the email will include the link for uploading your revised PDF. Your status will be

“Waiting for Revisions (Minor).”

1. If your ETD formatting is approved, but Enrolled Services has not yet received your

committee-signed Form GS7 or has not yet entered it into the database, your feedback

email will inform you of this, and your status until your GS7 is led will be “Waiting for

Revisions (Minor)” — only because there is no “waiting for GS7” ocial status available

in ProQuest’s menu options.

2. Once all your formatting meets Graduate School standards, you’ll get a

“congratulations” email, and your ETD status will appear as “Ready for Delivery.”

Step 5: Revise



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 5: Revise

5.1 Common items that call for revision

Page setup (page size)

Your ETD document size must be U.S. Letter Standard (8.5" x 11"). is is the standard

nished size of printed and bound manuscripts available from ProQuest. If you have used

word-processing soware or a LaTeX template provided by a non-U.S. source, or you’ve prepared

a paper for an international journal, your default page size may be set to A4 (8.27" x 11.69"), and

if so, you’ll need to select U.S. Letter from the layout menu. It’s OK to rotate a page or pages

to landscape orientation to t wide tables or gures. Oversized pages must be submitted as

supplemental les. When you revise your page size, the content of your manuscript may reow

(move from page to page), so you’ll need to check and update all entries in your table of con-

tents and lists of tables and gures aer you do.

Page margins

Please set your page margins throughout your document to 1.25". It’s optimal to set your page

numbers below the bottom text margin (in the footer area); just make sure they are at least .25"

from the bottom. Margin changes may cause text and graphic elements to reow (move from

page to page), so please re-check and update all page numbering in your table of contents and

lists of tables and gures aer you have made all other format revisions. Note that it’s OK to

allow wide tables and gures to extend into the 1.25" margins, but please maintain at least 1/2"

of space to the edges of the page.

Capitalization of paper title and title page elements

On your title page, please set your manuscript title in all-capital letters. It’s OK to break the title

to multiple lines of roughly equal length. Use of capitalization and wording in title page text

should match what’s in the sample title page. An exception is if your title contains italicized

scientic nomenclature and your discipline prefers an initial cap for the genus name but all

lower case for the species name.

It’s also essential that content, wording, line breaks, and capitalization follow what’s shown

on the Graduate School’s sample title page.

Missing or unevenly spaced title page rules and text

e four horizontal rules that divide the ve sections of your title page text should be of equal

length and weight, center-aligned on the page, and with equal space above and below each. All

ve sections of title page information (following the wording and capitalization style shown in

the sample title page) must be included, and may be single-spaced to t the page.

Page numbering placement and running heads

For online publication, since your paper will not have le- and right-hand facing pages as it

would in a print-only work, please center your page numbers at the bottom of each page. Also

for online publishing, please do not include running heads— titles set in small type at the top or

bottom of every page — or ornaments added to page numbers. Commonly used in journals and



textbooks, these are not desirable per Clemson’s ETD

style preferences, so include them only if your advisor

and committee require them.

First visible page number

On your title page, please delete or hide the visible

page number (i). First visible page number should be ii

on your Abstract page. It’s OK to paste a blank, white

text box over the visible (i) so your pages don’t auto-

matically renumber, if you nd that easier than creating

a new section start on page ii.

Your front matter (abstract, dedication, acknowledg-

ments, and content lists) should use lower-case Roman

numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.). ese page numbers should

also be lower-case in your table of contents, even if your

entry titles are in all caps.

Ellipses in table of contents

In tables of contents that you create manually (i.e., if you don’t use Word’s table of contents

tools), if you make your leader dots or (ellipses) between the entries and page numbers by typing

a row of periods to the page number, it’s nearly impossible to get your page numbers to align

neatly on the right. Word will let you create easy, evenly spaced leader dots/ellipses and perfectly

aligned page numbers using tabs. is is such a common format issue that the Graduate School

created a PDF “cheat-sheet” for it — this Ellipses Instructions guide also oers tips on creating

indents for various levels of subheadings in your content list pages.

“Continued” headings on content pages

On continued page(s) of your table of contents and lists of tables/gures, please add the

appropriate heading, “Table of Contents (Continued)” etc., at the top le, and continue

the “Page” column head over the page numbers at top right of all content pages. is is the

one exception to the no-running-heads recommendation. Note: is format element is recom-

mended, but not required: if this is the only missing element in your ETD, the reviewer gener-

ally won’t ask you to revise it. e Graduate School’s LaTeX template does not include code for

these “continued” headings, so LaTeX users will not be asked to add them.

Body text page numbering

Your manuscript’s body text should begin with Arabic-numbered page 1, rather than continu-

ing from the Roman-numbered front matter numbering. In Word, you’ll need to add a section

break just before the page where you want to change numbering. en scroll your document to

your Introduction/Chapter 1 opener page, and go to the Insert tab; select Page Number, then

Format Page Numbers . . . from the dropdown menu. At the bottom of the resulting popup

window, you may enter the new section start page as 1. Back matter elements like appendixes

Quick tip

The Graduate School's formatting template

may have a “bug” in some versions of Word:

when you try to remove the page number

on the title page, it removes or changes

the page number on the ﬁrst page of your

body text, OR the page number reappears

no matter how many white boxes you try to

hide it with. If you experience this issue, it’s

OK to leave the “i” on your title page and

the manuscript reviewer will remove it for

you in your PDF.

Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 5: Revise



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 5: Revise

and references should continue the body text page numbering. Please remember you’ll need to

update your table of contents and lists of gures, tables, etc., if you’ve renumbered pages.

Wide or oversized tables and illustrations

While it’s OK for wide tables or gures to extend slightly into your page margins, be advised that

if such elements extend too close to the edges of the page, they may be cut o or hidden in the

center binding of a printed copy of your paper. It’s preferable to either rotate the oversized ele-

ment 90 degrees counterclockwise on the page (so that the top of the table or gure is at le and

the bottom is at right), or to rotate the actual page  degrees to “landscape” orientation. If

you do the latter in Word, make sure your page number stays at the bottom center of the rotated

page, and that the following page number is still correct. Page rotation requires inserting section

breaks before and aer the pages you want to rotate, and may re-start page numbering. if you see

that your page numbers are o aer a landscape page, go to Insert > Page Number > Format Page

Numbers and choose Continue om previous section.

Appendices divider page

If your paper has multiple appendices, you must add a numbered divider page with

APPENDICES centered on it (styled like a chapter title) plus a regular page number, and begin

Appendix A on the following page. Be sure to add the “Appendices” divider page to your table of

contents, and update the individual appendix-opener page numbers in your table of contents.

Links, email addresses, and URLs

In your appendices and/or references, please change web and email addresses (URLs) — other

than those that are embedded in graphics — to normal, black text without underline. You can

do this manually or by modifying the Hyperlink text style in your Word styles menu.

5.2 e manuscript reviewer can help

If you receive revision instructions that are unclear, or if you have problems making requested

revisions and can’t nd help within your department, please contact the manuscript reviewer via

email at manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu, by phone at (684) 656-5338, or stop by the oce

in E-106 Martin Hall. It’s perfectly legit to get hands-on help.

5.3 e last step

Once all revisions are approved, you will receive an acceptance email that reads as shown in

Step: Finished, and your work is done. Congratulations!



Your manuscript submission process is complete — and you’re ocially cleared for gradua-

tion — when you’ve received an email from the sender, “Administrator of Clemson Univer-

sity,” that reads as follows:

Step 6: Finished

6.1 Final points about your accepted ETD

When you receive your congratulations email, you’re all done and cleared for graduation. If

you need to make changes aer that, please note:

 While you will always be able to revisit your ProQuest account to view your ETD,

metadata, and other account info using the My Dissertations/eses List link in your

acceptance message, Final manuscript approval (acceptance) locks your ability to

upload PDF les, so if you need to make any revisions aer your ETD has been accepted

(for instance, if you nd a typo or omission in your accepted manuscript and want to

submit a replacement le, or you discover a typo in your account metadata, or you nd

you need to upload permissions docs or supplemental les), please call the Manuscript

Oce at 864-656-5338, or email Ellen at egraben@clemson.edu. An administrator can

upload your replacement PDF for you, or — if your manuscript was accepted before the



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 6: Finished

initial submission deadline — can unlock your account temporarily so you may make

changes.

 Any changes to content, research or data that you make aer your defense and GS7

submission must be approved and initiated by your advisor before you replace your

accepted ETD submission le. Graduate School admins are not authorized to approve

substantive changes to your content without your advisor’s OK. You may not make

content changes to an approved ETD aer the nal submission deadline.

 If you nd mistakes, typos or omissions in your ETD aer it has been digitally published,

ProQuest will replace your PDF le for you, but they charge a fee (currently $40 USD),

and require written permission from the Clemson University Graduate School to do so.

6.2 “So what’s next?” About digital publication

Publication of your ETD is not instantaneous following your graduation ceremony. e Grad-

uate School holds all the semester’s accepted ETDs until approximately 2–3 weeks into the

next term. We recheck your metadata and the publishing options you selected, and verify your

graduation through Enrolled Services.

We then release your ETD to ProQuest only if you have not requested an embargo. Embar-

goed ETDs are held by the Graduate School until the embargo period expires, so there is no

risk of your work being published earlier than you wish. e only drawback to this hold is that,

if you have ordered bound copies from ProQuest, they will not be produced and shipped until

aer your embargo ends. However, you are free to have a bound copy or copies produced before

that time by any print-on-demand service you choose. An online search for thesis printing or

dissertation printing may help you nd such a service; your advisor or another published faculty

member in your department may also give you guidance.

In addition to e-publishing with ProQuest, your ETD is also published and archived by

the Clemson University Libraries in the TigerPrints repository, an open-access database

with global reach. TigerPrints is “. . . a digital repository and publishing platform that provides

open access to scholarly works created by the faculty, students, and sta of Clemson University

and their global collaborators. It ensures that the intellectual output of Clemson University is

disseminated broadly, rapidly, and openly while making it easily discoverable around the world.”

Clemson’s digital librarians access your approved PDF le and metadata from ProQuest’s

FTP site, so your ETD will be cataloged in TigerPrints at the roughly the same time as with

ProQuest.

e screen shots that follow are samples of the email messages you’ll receive from ProQuest

ETDadmin and TigerPrints. ese screen shots are from Outlook; your emails may have a dif-

ferent look depending on your email host, but content will be similar.

If you requested an embargo (publication delay), your ETD will be held by the manuscript

oce and NOT delivered to ProQuest or TigerPrints until that embargo period ends. erefore,

Clemson’s digital librarians and ProQuest’s customer service sta will not have any knowledge

about, or access to, your embargoed ETD. Please direct questions about your embargoed ETD

to manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 6: Finished

Per Item (1) with the highlighted text in the ProQuest email screen shot that follows:

Because your embargoed ETD hasn’t been delivered, your abstract will NOT be available in the

ProQuest repository until the embargo ends.

Notication email from ProQuest

ProQuest assigns your ETD a 5-digit manuscript number (labeled #2 in the screenshot below).

ey also provide an ordering link (#3) that you may use if you didn’t order bound copies when

you rst created your ProQuest account.

e highlighted text (#1) in this auto-generated message does not apply. Clemson University

holds your embargoed ETD and does not deliver it via FTP to ProQuest or to TigerPrints until

the embargo expires; thus, neither ProQuest not the Clemson Libraries will have any access to

your title and abstract or your content while your work is under embargo.

ProQuest indicates that any bound copies you ordered from them as part of your submission

process should be delivered 6–9 weeks aer digital publication. Refer to the bound copies sec-

tion of this guidebook for additional info and alternative ways to order copies.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Step 6: Finished

Notication email from TigerPrints

TigerPrints assigns your ETD a 4-digit manuscript number (labeled #1 below) that will appear

in the subject line and message text, plus a unique 4-digit catalog number (#2) that will appear

in the link. e manuscript reviewer is copied in the email.

e TigerPrints database catalogs master’s-level theses and doctoral-level dissertations sepa-

rately, so the text of your email will refer to either thesis or dissertation.



Jump to topic

Ϝ A About deadlines and forms

Ϝ A About formatting

Ϝ A About embargoes

Ϝ A About manuscript review and the Manuscript Review oce

Ϝ A About ETD submission and archiving

Ϝ A About copies of my manuscript

A1 About deadlines and forms

Q: What deadlines must I meet to graduate?

A: ere are several deadlines students must meet to graduate. To make sure that you stay on

track, review the graduation deadlines chart provided by the Graduate School. ese are in

addition to any departmental deadlines that may apply; your advisor can tell you about depart-

mental requirements.

Q: What happens if I miss a deadline?

A: We try to help you make sure that missing thesis/dissertation deadlines won’t delay your

graduation. Depending on which deadline you miss or how late you are, though, you may have

to pay nes or delay your graduation. Refer back to section . About deadlines for details.

Plan ahead so that if problems crop up, you’ll have time to x them. Be sure to stay in frequent

contact with your committee as your defense approaches and immediately aerward so you

will know about any travel plans or other circumstances that might make getting a member’s

signature on your GSM or GSD form (see next question) and other paperwork dicult. Ask

your advisor to contact Jill Bunch, the Graduate School’s Director of Communications, if you

know you are going to miss a manuscript-related deadline. If you are going to miss another type

of deadline (for defending your paper, ling the GS2 or GS7, etc.), contact Enrolled Student

Services at 656-5339.

Appendix A: FrequentlyAskedQuestions



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I’m having trouble with my GS2—Plan of Study and/or committee

selection. What should I do?

A: Please email gradweb@clemson.edu to be directed to the

person who can best help with your specic issue. e Manu-

script Review Oce does not have access to your GS2.

Q: What is the GS7 form?

A: e GS7 is the form on which your advisor and commit-

tee verify with their signatures that you have successfully com-

pleted your nal comprehensive exam, and have successfully defended and properly formatted

your thesis or dissertation (if you’re in a program that requires a thesis or dissertation). You can

review the graduation deadlines chart to determine the last date for ling the GS7. ere are

separate versions of the form for master’s and doctoral candidates.

Q: What should I do if my advisor or one of my committee members is

unavailable to sign my GS7?

A: We cannot overstate the importance of planning ahead. You can foresee and avoid most sit-

uations in which a committee member is unavailable shortly before the submission deadline by

staying in contact with all of your committee members in the days and weeks leading up to your

defense. Emergencies do come up, and in the case of a committee member who is incapacitated

or called away for an urgent matter, the Graduate School and Enrolled Student Services can

work with you and your advisor to keep your graduation on track. Check with Enrolled Ser-

vices beforehand if you think you’ll need to transmit your GS7 form to one or more committee

members via fax or as a scanned email attachment. Communicate with your committee to plan

your defense, allowing enough time between the defense and the nal submission deadline to

make any revisions that your committee requires or recommends. If the plan changes, check in

with the committee to nd out if they will be available to review your manuscript and sign your

GS7 either in person or electronically before the deadline.

Q: What do I do aer I secure my committee members’ signatures on my

GS7 form?

A: If your committee has signed your GS7 and you have no further content revisions to make

to your thesis or dissertation, submit your GS7 to Enrolled Services (104-D Sikes Hall) and

then you can begin the manuscript submission and review process as outlined in this guide, or

by visiting the theses & dissertations index pageof the Graduate School’s website.

Q: Somebody mentioned a GS32 form. Do I need one of those?

A: No — the GS32 is obsolete now that Clemson University’s thesis and dissertation publish-

ing is done electronically.

Bookmark

The Grad School’s ETD info online:

https://www.clemson.edu/

graduate/students/theses-

and-dissertations/index.html



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

A2 About formatting

Q: Why are the Graduate School’s formatting requirements so important?

A: Now more than ever, your thesis or dissertation will be viewed by many other scholars,

since it will be available to an international audience via ProQuest’s website and the Clemson

University libraries’ TigerPrints archive. Proper formatting makes the manuscript easy to read,

presents your valuable work in a professional form, and upholds Clemson University’s reputa-

tion for high standards by ensuring that all of the published theses and dissertations conform to

minimum common formatting requirements.

Q: Where is the esis and Dissertation info on the Graduate School

website?

A: is guidebook is the most comprehensive source for ETD information, but an abridged

version is currently available in the Students section on the Graduate School website. Look for

eses & Dissertations in the menu; the direct link to the ETD index page is https://www.

clemson.edu/graduate/students/theses-and-dissertations/index.html. e formatting

instructions begin with some introductory information

that answers several formatting-

specic questions. e remainder of the ETD info is organized into sub-pages by step, as is this

guidebook.

Q: What date should be on my title page?

A: e date on your title page should be the month and year of your actual graduation cere-

mony (even if you don’t plan to attend) and not the date your paper was submitted or approved,

or the date you completed all your program requirements. Also, it’s just the month — no day

and no comma. So, “May 2020,” rather than “May 7, 2020” or “May, 2020,” or “March 2020,”

for example.

Q: Does the text in my gures or charts have to be the same font or size as my

regular text?

A: No, but to the extent possible, all gures and charts should use the same font(s). At the

very least, all table titles and gure captions must be in a consistent font, even if the data inside

those gures/charts is not in the same font.

Q: What if my manuscript is made up of individual journal articles?

A: Journal style is used when your thesis or dissertation consists of discussions of separate

bodies of research. If your thesis or dissertation is made up (in full or in part) of journal articles

you have written, this is the model you will likely use. When you use journal style, you typically

list works cited at the end of each article. You may want to include a preface (which introduces

the bodies of research to be discussed) at the beginning of the manuscript and a conclusions sec-

tion (that comments on the bodies of research as a whole) at the end of the manuscript. You may

include your co-authors or co-researchers under the chapter title, and have a separate abstract at

the beginning of that article.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

Slight formatting variations between articles are permitted when your articles were previ-

ously formatted for dierent journals. However, you must maintain the basic elements described

in this guidebook: single-column, double-spaced text in the same font as your other chapters;

1.25” page margins; and continuous page numbering. Inserting an existing PDF of a journal

article into your text, formatted for that journal rather than per the Graduate School’s require-

ments, is not acceptable.

Q: What’s happening with the rows of dots in my table of contents? Why

can’t I make them line up?

A: Word does have a set of table of contents tools that work nicely to create and update your

table of contents, but you do need to use the heading styles from Word’s styles menu to make

the automatic table of contents. If you assemble your table of contents by hand, you’ll run into

ellipses, also called leader dots: the series of dots that link entries to their page numbers in

your table of contents (these things: . . . . . .). If you type a series of periods in an attempt to create

ellipses, you will never be able to line them up precisely because the spacing between the periods

is aected by the letters to the le of the ellipses and the numbers to the right. To make uniform

ellipses, use the “tab leader” function of Word or your other word processing program. If you use

one of the Graduate School’s Word templates, the ellipses shouldn’t be a problem. If you acci-

dentally delete the pre-set ellipses leaders, or don’t want to use the templates, we’ve provided a

“cheat sheet” — an ellipses instructions PDF — for creating yourtab and ellipses leaders.

Q: Where can I get help with Microso Word?

A: Your rst resource should be the Help les in Word itself. Depending on what issue you’re

having, they can be extremely useful. Microso’s online Help section on Word is also very help-

ful. If a quick check of the Help documentation doesn’t solve your problem, you can email the

CCIT Help Desk or call 864-656-3494. You will probably get fastest results if you go to one of

the Help Desks in person with the le you’re working on (click here for hours and locations).

e Manuscript Review sta can answer specic document-formatting questions about Word,

and may be able to provide hands-on help in the Manuscript Review oce, but we are limited

in the time and amount of help we can provide each student, particularly near a submission

deadline.

Q: e manuscript reviewer tells me one thing about formatting, but my

advisor tells me another. Who’s right?

A: In many cases, formatting is more an art than a science, so there are rarely right and wrong

answers, with the exception of the Graduate School’s basic requirements for title page and

front-matter format standardization. Whenever possible, we accommodate the requests of

your advisor or committee (except for the non-negotiable items listed in the formatting instruc-

tions). We know that some programs have very dierent standards, or provide their own tem-

plate. If in doubt, email manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu or call 864-656-5338 with specic

formatting questions.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

A3 About embargoes

Q: Why does my advisor need to email the Graduate School to request my

embargo, since I can make the request in my ProQuest account?

A: As outlined in the Grad School’s Policies & Procedures Handbook, thesis and disserta-

tion embargoes must be documented by a Grad School representative of the dean as well as by

you — the author — and your advisor. While you can enter your embargo preferences into your

ProQuest account, only you, the Manuscript Reviewer, and the ProQuest technicians who will

publish your ETD electronically can see what’s in your account. e Graduate School developed

the embargo policy for or best practices and to help ensure that your work is neither released

prematurely nor held unreasonably long aer your embargo ends.

Q: I plan to submit (or have submitted) chapters of my thesis/dissertation to

peer-reviewed journals. Do I need an embargo on my ETD?

A: is depends on the journal editors’ preferences and is a topic you and your advisor

should discuss. Across an array of disciplines, some journals may be highly competitive and

cutting-edge, willing to publish only original research that has never appeared in publication

elsewhere (even in your thesis or dissertation). Embargoing your ETD until aer your journal

article is published may be advisable in this case. If content in your ETD has already been pub-

lished in a journal or another platform, you’ll need to check the journal publisher’s information

for authors (usually on their website or included in a print journal) to determine if you need to

request permission to reproduce your work that the journal holds copyrights to. In any case, you

DO need to cite your own previously published work, just as you’d cite any other source.

Q: When do I request my embargo?

A: Answers to this and most other embargo-related questions are covered in the Embar-

goes topic of Step 4: Submit and in the text box, What You Need to Know About ETD

Embargoes.

A4 About manuscript review and the Manuscript oce

Q: What do I do if I’ve moved away from Clemson, am not on the main

campus, or if it’s dicult for me to get to campus during business hours?

A: e implementation of electronic thesis and dissertation submission is a huge benet to

students who have moved or are otherwise unable to make frequent trips to campus. When you

return to campus for your defense, if your committee approves your manuscript that day, you

can take your GS7 form to Enrolled Student Services and then complete the rest of the review

and submission process from any web-enabled computer. If your manuscript is not yet approved

and you must leave town, arrange for a reliable friend, colleague or committee member to make

sure your GS7 gets to Enrolled Student Services aer your committee signs o on it. You will

not have to return to campus to take care of your manuscript aer your GS7 is submitted. In



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

most cases you now may submit your GS7 electronically, via scanned email attachment or fax.

Contact Enrolled Services to nd out how.

Email is the best way to correspond with the Manuscript Review oce, so the reviewer can

provide detailed help — including screen shots — if you’re stuck at any point in the formatting

or submission process.

Q: Where is the Manuscript Review oce?

A: e Manuscript Review oce is part of the Graduate School administrative oce, and is

in E-106 Martin Hall on the main campus (campus map).

Q: When is the Manuscript Review oce open?

A: e Graduate School oces are open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., excluding weekends

and University holidays.

Q: I went to the Manuscript Review oce earlier today, and no one was

there. Why not?

A: e Manuscript Review sta is composed of one full-time reviewer and the Director of

Communications, both of whom have many other responsibilities. We try to make sure that

someone is always available in the oce, but meetings, business trips and other obligations may

mean that the sta members are out of the oce at the same time. If your need is time-sensitive,

it’s best to email questions to manuscriptreview-l@clemson.eduor to email or call ahead (864-

656-5338) to make an appointment with one of the sta members. e sta is sensitive to the

urgency students feel about manuscript issues and endeavor to answer email even when they’re

out of the oce or otherwise physically unavailable.

Q: What if I have trouble converting my manuscript to PDF or uploading my

manuscript?

A: If you’ve reviewed Step : Convert and Step : Submit in this guide and are still having

trouble, contact ProQuest for uploading issues and issues related to the ProQuest PDF con-

version tool. e Training and Support portal is here. Click the “Contact ProQuest Support”

button to nd a form where you may describe your problem and request help.

e Manuscript Review sta also can assist with PDF conversion issues. We have never met

a document that absolutely cannot be converted to PDF using one of the many available meth-

ods, so above all, remain calm and ask for help before you nd yourself in danger of missing a

deadline.

Q: Can I submit my dra manuscript before I defend to get a preliminary

review? And how do I do that?

A: Yes, but please do so at least two weeks before the rst submission deadline. Aer that,

the Manuscript Review sta must devote their time to students who have already defended and

obtained committee signatures.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

If you do choose to submit a dra of your manuscript for format review, you’ll do it by

uploading to ProQuest, as you would your nal submission. is gives you the advantage of

setting up your ProQuest personal account well ahead of the nal submission deadline. You’ll

use that same account for your nal submission. In ProQuest’s Submission Steps menu, there

is a step for “Notes (optional).” is is where you should indicate to the review sta that your

initial submission is a pre-defense dra for a format check. We want to make sure we don’t mark

your dra as “accepted” when you plan additional work on it.

Please do not email your manuscript directly to the Review Oce.

Q: How long does a review take? How will I know you’ve reviewed it?

A: You should allow at least one to two full business days for each review. Please plan ahead.

You’ll receive an email (sent to the addresses you provided when you set up your ProQuest

account) when the review is completed.

Q: Can I submit a paper copy for review instead of uploading a digital le?

A: No; all submission and review is now done online. Part of the review process is making

sure your digital le is complete and correctly formatted for electronic publication. However,

if you are still working on your manuscript and have a question that you think we could better

address if we could actually see your original document, feel free to bring in your laptop or a

CD, DVD, or USB key with your manuscript on it.

A5 About ETD submission andarchiving

Q: Who or what is ProQuest?

A: ProQuest Dissertation Publishing is the world’s oldest and largest publisher of disser-

tations. Virtually all doctoral institutions in the U.S. use ProQuest to archive and disseminate

dissertations.

Q: So ProQuest is a corporation. What happens if they go out of business?

A: ProQuest is the designated digital dissertation archive for the U.S. Library of Congress.

If in the future ProQuest were to cease operation, it is contractually obligated to surrender all

holdings to the Library of Congress, assuring continued access and preservation of its content.

Q: How can I or someone else get access to my thesis or dissertation aer

it’spublished?

A: Anyone with internet access will be able to view and download your thesis or dissertation

in its entirety on theCooper Library’s website by searching the TigerPrints ETD database

(beginning six to nine weeks aer your graduation). In addition, anyone can order a printed

copy from ProQuest, and can access the digital le through ProQuest’s extensive database. If

you select “traditional publishing” through ProQuest, you will be paid royalties for any print

copies sold by ProQuest (except those you order yourself ). If you select “open access publishing”



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

through ProQuest (which we don’t recommend, as it requires a fee from you and the Clemson

Libraries provide open access for free), you do not qualify to receive royalties.

Q: How does the Clemson Library system get my ETD?

A: e university’s digital librarians access your electronic le (the PDF you submit to Pro-

Quest) and your metadata for cataloging (the information you enter in your ProQuest account

that includes your name and degree, graduation date, ETD title, abstract, subject categories,

keywords, committee members) at the same time that ProQuest does — two to three weeks into

the next semester following your graduation, if you haven’t requested a publishing delay. You

don’t have to submit your work directly to the Libraries. You will get an email notication from

TigerPrints when your work is published and available to read and download.

Q: When will my manuscript be available online?

A: You should be able to access your manuscript online about six to nine weeks aer gradua-

tion. TigerPrints generally works faster than ProQuest to get your ETD cataloged.

Q: I’m in a non-thesis master’s program, but I’ve written a paper or

completed a project that I’d like to publish and have archived by the

Clemson Libraries. Do I need to submit it for review?

A: No; format review is not required for non-thesis master’s projects, nor is submission to

ProQuest. You may have your work published online and archived by the University Libraries

by visiting TigerPrints > Author Corner > Author FAQ for information, then clicking Submit

Research in the le-side menu and following the instructions.

A6 About bound (print) copies of my manuscript

Q: Do I have to order bound copies of my manuscript?

A: You may be required to order a single hardbound copy or multiple copies for your depart-

ment; the Graduate School and the Cooper Library no longer require print copies. To see if

your department requires that you purchase a copy for the department, be sure to check the

departmentlist and ask your advisor.

Q: Do I still have to submit copies of my manuscript to the library?

A: Good news — no more bound books required by Cooper Library! Your manuscript will

be archived in digital form in both ProQuest’s dissertation archive and the Clemson University

libraries’ repository.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When can I expect to receive the bound copies I ordered when I

submitted?

A: e Graduate School releases a semester’s ETDs for publication about three weeks into the

following semester, aer carefully reviewing the metadata and publishing options you entered

when you submitted, and making sure you graduated on schedule. If you’ve been notied that

ProQuest has released your ETD online, you my contact ProQuest customer service to inquire

about your print order. ProQuest’s production of your print order begins aer they have pub-

lished your PDF online, and we’ve found the process takes longer than you might expect. It may

be two to three months aer graduation before you get your bound copies.

Q: What if I want to order extra printed and bound copies aer graduation?

A: If you decide to order additional bound copies of your work AFTER your submission

and acceptance process is complete, you will need to do so from ProQuest. To place your order

online via ProQuest and receive an author discount, click the “Order Copies” button on your

submission details page.

Here are additional ways to order printed thesis or dissertation copies:

 ProQuest’s Order a Dissertation page for all users;

 is direct link to an order page where you may use your original ProQuest login or order

as a guest: https://order.proquest.com/OA_HTML/pqdtibeCAcdLogin.jsp?;

 Download this instruction sheet from the Graduate School;

 Order via customer Service. ProQuest’s link to contact their customer service sta

specically for ordering may be found in their online FAQs.

Note that because you own the copyrights to your work, you are free to take your PDF le

to a print-on-demand company of your choosing and have it printed and bound to your

specications.



is is a toolbox of resources you’ll nd useful throughout the formatting and submission

process. ese linked les and pages are intended to serve as references or supplements to the

material provided by the instructions in the main text of this Guidebook.

B1 Forms and les

Ϝ Final ETD checklist

Condensed version of the formatting instructions available for download.

Ϝ ETD Quick Links

Single-page PDF with active links to the most-used ETD references.

Ϝ GSM, GSD

Form on which your advisor and committee indicate that you have successfully completed your

nal comprehensive exam and have successfully defended your thesis or dissertation (when a

thesis or dissertation is required).

Ϝ Survey of Earned Doctorates

e NSF’s Survey of Earned Doctorates is a nationwide statistic-gathering tool (just for PhD

candidates).

Ϝ Ellipses “Cheat Sheet”

PDF instructions for using tabs to make perfect indents and rows of leader dots in your table of

contents and lists of gures/tables.

Ϝ ProQuest submission step-by-step

Complete information with screenshots showing how to go about setting up your account, con-

verting your manuscript to a PDF and uploading it to ProQuest.

Ϝ Ordering bound copies

Refer to these instructions if you want to order print copies of your ETD aer you’ve completed

the submission process or aer your ETD has been published.

B2 Tools and other resources

Ϝ FAQs online / FAQs in this handbook

Answers to commonly asked questions about the formatting and submission process.

Ϝ Graduation deadlines

Table of the relevant deadlines for those who plan to graduate at the end of the current academic

semester.

Appendix B: Forms,Links,andTools



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix B: Forms, Links, and Tools

Ϝ ProQuest website

Link to the web portal where you will upload your manuscript for both review and publication.

Ϝ eses and Dissertations online

Link to the TigerPrints ETD database in the Clemson University Libraries, where your manu-

script will be posted and archived a few weeks aer your graduation.

Ϝ Turnitin® access

Hosted by GRAD 360° and facilitated through Canvas, the Turnitin® anti-plagiarism tool is

available for grad student researchers as an ungraded, self-enrollment course. Instructions and

information are included as course content.

Ϝ Typists

If you are inexperienced in formatting scholarly papers, you may nd that a professional typist

saves you time and anxiety. Typists are not ocially endorsed by the Graduate School, but the

list is maintained as a service to students. Typists’ fees vary and must be arranged directly with

them. eir schedules get full as deadlines near, so investigate this option early. Keep in mind

that typists are not necessarily professional editors; you are still responsible for proofreading

your manuscript and/or having it proofread by others, either professionals or volunteers.

Ϝ University-licensed soware

As a graduate student with a Clemson XID#, username and password, you can get the latest

Microso Oce (including Word) and Adobe (including Acrobat) soware through CCIT.

B3 Sample manuscripts

Ϝ Full sample manuscript

PDF example of a complete ETD for your reference

Ϝ Front matter sample

PDF example of title page, abstract, content pages. Matching title page layout and order of your

front matter sections is important.

Ϝ Body text sample

PDF example of body chapter. Note that text elements such as headings and subheadings don’t

have to match these exactly, as long as yours are consistent throughout your manuscript.

Ϝ Back matter sample

PDF example of appendices and references. Use an appendices divider page if you have more

than one appendix. References can precede or follow appendices — that’s up to you and your

advisor.

B4 Templates

Ϝ Full formatting template (Microso Word for Mac or PC)

ETD template in Word format (Mac/Windows). To edit it, you’ll need to click “Tools” and

“Unprotect Document.” e protection is initially on to enable you to use the drop-down

menus on the title page.



Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation Appendix B: Forms, Links, and Tools

Ϝ Title page template

ETD title page template in Word format (Mac/Windows). To edit it, you’ll need to click

“Tools” and “Unprotect Document.” e protection is initially on to enable you to use the drop-

down menus on the title page.

Ϝ LaTeX formatting package (code-based, open-source)

ETD template in LaTeX format (code-based, open-source) customized for the Graduate

School’s formatting preferences, available in a compressed .zip archive.

B5 Tutorials and training

Ϝ Microso Word: Centering text vertically

Tutorial for both Mac and PC users that shows how to center text vertically for manuscript title

pages in Microso Word.

Ϝ Microso Word: Rotate a page within a document

Microso Help menu page that guides you through the process of rotating a page or pages from

portrait to landscape orientation and maintaining your page numbering.

Ϝ Ellipses “cheat sheet”

PDF instructions for using tabs to make perfect indents and rows of leader dots in your table of

contents and lists of gures/tables.

Ϝ CCIT training calendar

Clemson Computing and Information Technology oers a variety of great, ee training work-

shops in soware, systems, and campus databases for students, faculty and sta every semester.

Ϝ Libraries: Instruction, Workshops, & Tutorials

e Clemson Libraries provide students with an array of help options for research and refer-

ences. Start with this page.

Ϝ ETD Submission via ProQuest — Step-by-Step

is comprehensive PDF instruction sheet—with screenshots from the ProQuest ETDadmin

website—walks you through the entire online submission process.



Have you found a typo, grammatical error, broken link, inconsistent information, or point of

unclarity in Your Clemson University esis & Dissertation: Guidelines, Tips & Tools?

Do you have an idea or suggestion that might improve this resource?

It’s your turn to request revisions!

(We welcome your feedback.)

Email manuscriptreview-l@clemson.edu

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