A. Yes. While your manuscript may be written following whichever style is recognized and appropriate for your discipline, your final dissertation (which must be submitted to The Graduate School) must minimally adhere to certain formatting guidelines for publication. Please review our Electronic Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Formatting Guidelines. Please pay particular attention to the Title Page, Table of Contents, References, and be sure there are no blank pages. Top of Page
A. Your Title Page must adhere to the format proscribed in the Sample Title Page. Top of Page
A. YES. Electronic submission of your thesis or dissertation in PDF format is mandatory. You may submit supplemental files if necessary in other formats, but the main text of your dissertation should be submitted in a PDF File. Top of Page
A. As you're writing your dissertation, refer to this site for tips on how to format your manuscript so that your later conversion to PDF from MS Word, LaTex, etc. will go smoothly. You can convert your Word document to PDF on the computers in UB's libraries which are all equipped with Adobe Acrobat. Alternatively, during the thesis/dissertation submission process, you will have the opportunity to use a "PDF converter." Top of Page
A. Cybrary in Lockwood Library - 235 Lockwood, North Campus. Top of Page
A. You must submit your dissertation to the Graduate School via the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Submission Site. Top of Page
A. No. In 2005, the University at Buffalo moved from accepting paper-based/bound copies to requiring only electronic theses and dissertations for publishing and archiving in an electronic database. The archiving is handled by ProQuest/UMI, the world's largest recognized repository for dissertations and theses. UB has contracted with UMI to publish, archive and disseminate graduate research. Top of Page
A. You should submit your dissertation only after your defense and after all recommended revisions have been incorporated and approved by your major advisor and committee members. Your dissertation (and other required conferral documents) must be submitted by the deadlines for your anticipated conferral date. No extensions will be granted. Top of Page
A. YES.
A. There is a fee for Copyrighting (an optional service), if you choose this option. If you would like ProQuest/UMI to file for copyright on your behalf, there is an additional $60 fee ($55 ProQuest/UMI fee + $5 UB processing fee) for this optional service. Top of Page
A. You will pay the mandatory fee and the optional copyrighting fee (if selected) to University at Buffalo. Complete the Publishing & Copyright Billing Form and submit it to the Graduate School, 408 Capen Hall, with a personal check payable to University at Buffalo. Alternatively, you may complete and submit the form without payment, which will result in the fees being posted to your UB student account. Top of Page
A. It is up to you. To make an informed decision about whether or not to copyright your work you can read more information about copyrighting issues here. In addition, you should consult with your academic advisor. Please note that it is only mandatory to digitize your thesis/dissertation; copyrighting is optional.
If your manuscript contains previously copyrighted material, you must be sure to obtain written permission from the author(s). Ensure that you receive written copyright permission for any previously published items that you plan to use in your thesis/dissertation. Such proprietary information includes long excerpts, tables, figures, photographs, and charts from previously published books or other print material, as well as "screen shots" or other images from copyrighted websites. Include any copyright permission letters in an appendix of your electronic submission. Top of Page
A. During the electronic submission process, you will have the option of selecting Traditional or Open Access Publishing. To learn about the differences between the two publishing options, please review these guidelines and discuss these options with your advisor. PLEASE NOTE: if you choose "Open Access" publishing, you will pay an additional $95 fee DIRECTLY to UMI/ProQuest during your submission process. (This fee is above and beyond the mandatory fees (see above) you are paying to UB). Top of Page
A. Your abstract and manuscript will be archived and catalogued in perpetuity in the ProQuest/UMI Dissertation & Theses Database (PQDT). Approximately 8-12 weeks after your degree conferral date, your dissertation or thesis will be available via this database to the UB community through the UB Libraries and to most other major research libraries worldwide. Top of Page
A. You will need to complete and submit the Embargo Form to The Graduate School. Please refer to the Embargo Policy on The Graduate School's website. Top of Page