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Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prepare Your ETD

 

Formatting Your ETD

In order to graduate, your thesis or dissertation must conform to the formatting standards set out by the university before we accept it in the WVU Research Repository. Except for the following specifications, any discipline-specific style manual may be used at the Committee Chair’s discretion.

   1. Title Page

  • The first page of your thesis or dissertation must be a title page. Your title page must include all of the information and formatting structure contained within the title page template. 
    • Suppress the page number on the title page. This is considered page i, but it will not appear on the page.

   2. Abstract Page 

  • The second page of your thesis or dissertation must contain your abstract. Your abstract page must contain all of the information within the abstract page template.
    • Abstract page must have a heading with the word “Abstract”, the document title, and the author’s name. 
    • Suppress the page number on the abstract page. This is considered page ii, but it will not appear on the page.
    • Single space the abstract.

   3. Front Matter 

  • Front matter (preliminary pages like Table of Contents and Acknowledgments) must be numbered in lower case Roman numerals (iii, iv, v...). 
    • Page numbers on the Title Page and Abstract are suppressed, so while they still count as pages i and ii of the preliminary pages, their page numbers will not be displayed. For example, if your first 3 pages are Title, Abstract, and a Dedication, the Dedication will be the first page to have a page number and it will be iii.
    • Page numbers i and ii should not appear anywhere on your ETD. 
    • For help with formatting, we have instructions for formatting your page numbers with Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.

   4. Table of Contents

  • Your document must include a Table of Contents. It should be included with any other front matter and will have a lower case Roman numeral as its page number.

   5. Body 

  • The body of your document (Chapter 1 or Introduction, for example, through end of document) must restart the page numbering at "1" and be numbered as Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4...). 

ETD Forms

ETD submission must include completed and signed copies of the following:

  1.    Committee Signature Form - Required for All Submissions

    • All ETD submissions must include a WVU Libraries committee signature form. The student and all members of the committee who attend the defense in person should sign the Signature Form.  This form is specific to the libraries and is not the same as the oral defense form or shuttle sheet. Electronic signatures are accepted.

      If the student or any members attend the defense remotely, they may either email to the student or committee chair a scanned copy of the Signature Form containing only their own signature (physical or electronic) or email to the chair of the committee an email message expressing their approval. If possible, the forms and messages should be combined into one PDF file.

  2.    Survey of Earned Doctorates - Required for PhD, EdD, and DMA Graduates Only

    • All doctoral students completing a PhD, EdD, or DMA, must take the Survey of Earned Doctorates and upload the Certificate of Completion with your other ETD materials to the Research Repository. During the survey, you are free to skip any questions by simply moving to the next question.

  3.    Embargo Form - Only Required if You are Requesting an Embargo 

    • When a student submits an embargo request form, the embargo restricts the full-text copy of your thesis or dissertation from public view.

      There are two types of embargoes: one year embargoes and permanent embargoes. One year embargoes start at the date of submission, and may be renewed annually by contacting the WVU Libraries. They are typically granted to authors who have a pending publication or patent based on their work.

      Permanent embargoes may only be selected for individuals completing an MFA-Creative Writing program or for projects that contain sensitive Export Controlled information. The full text of the ETD will not be available for download or access without permission from the original author, and the WVU Export Control Office when applicable.