On this page are several resources that you may find helpful while preparing your electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD) for format review. The resources are arranged by topic, and clicking on the link in the topic guide below will take you directly to the information on that topic.
Topic Guide (in alphabetical order):
Binding Services
Copyright
ETD Examples
Fair Use
Format Review Process
Landscape Page Formatting
ORCID iD
Style Guides
Supplemental Files
If there is a format review or ETD topic you would like more information about, please email us at etdinfo@pdx.edu.
If you want a hard-copy book of your thesis or dissertation, you can order bound copies via the ProQuest ETD Administrator at the same time you are submitting your document for format review, or you can use any other service that does book binding. If you use a service other than ProQuest, you will need to wait until you complete format review to order your hard-copy so that you have the final version approved by the Graduate School.
The following companies offer binding services specifically geared toward academic publishing, but note that PSU cannot endorse, recommend, or be responsible for the service or quality of these vendors.
Thesis on Demand
Library Binding Council
(Information on certified library binders. From the main page, scroll down to "Find a Manufacturer" and click the "View Member Directory" button.)
The Graduate School recommends that you include a Copyright Notice page in your ETD even if you are not filing for copyright. We cannot advise you on whether you should file for copyright, so we encourage you to do your own research and to consult with your committee. Visit the following links for more information on copyrighting your ETD.
PSU's Copyright Guide
PSU Library Copyright & Fair Use information
ProQuest's copyright information
U.S. Copyright Office
Stanford Libraries Copyright (and Fair Use) Overview
Is it worth $75? Copyright and copyright registration for theses and dissertations by Iowa State University
- PDXScholar is the PSU Library’s online repository for open-access content created by PSU students, staff, and faculty. It’s an excellent resource for research, and you can also find open-access ETDs from graduate programs at PSU that require theses and dissertations. Search for ETDs in your field of study or just browse the Dissertations & Theses collection.
A reminder, though: published ETDs should not be used as a formatting guide because the formatting requirements change over time. However, you may find it helpful to see how other students in your field have arranged their monograph and multi-paper format ETDs.
- Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland formatted according to PSU's requirements
Created by one of our former format editors, Karina Agbisit, this example ETD of a public domain classic will help you get a better understanding of the formatting requirements in a visual format.
Are you using someone else’s image or other type of copyright material in your thesis and dissertation? If so, you’ll want to be familiar with the concept of fair use, and these resources can help with that.
If you conduct a fair use evaluation of an image or other copyrighted material, we recommend that you keep on file all documentation used for your review.
Can I Use That? Copyright and Fair Use
University of Minnesota Fair Use Evaluator
Columbia University Copyright Advisory Services Fair Use Checklist
Are you wondering how the format review process works? Below is a brief overview that will demystify the process. Note that during busy times, a Graduate Studies Specialist may also conduct format review, so always carefully review the emails you receive so you know who your contact is, or email us at etdinfo@pdx.edu if you're not sure.
- The student submits the ETD by the posted deadline using the submission instructions. (Note that the deadline applies only to the initial submission; format revisions can be made after that deadline.)
- The format editor will access the ETD and review it for formatting. Once the review is complete, the student will be notified at the email address they entered in their ETD Administrator profile. This email address (and its spam folder) should be checked regularly until format review is complete.
- The student makes the required format revisions and resubmits the ETD using the instructions that will be provided in the email.
- The format editor will review the revised ETD; if all revisions were made satisfactorily, the student will be notified by email that the ETD is approved. Otherwise, the student will receive another email with the remaining revisions.
- This process repeats until the ETD is approved by the format editor.
A landscape page is a page that is oriented horizontally instead of the traditional portrait (vertical) orientation.
For details on landscape page orientation and links to examples and tutorials, visit Landscape Page Formatting.
When you officially submit your ETD to the Graduate School via ProQuest’s ETD Administrator, you will have the option to enter your ORCID iD. If you plan to continue researching, the PSU Library recommends that you obtain an ORCID iD as it will facilitate the building of your scholarly presence and will move with you throughout your research career. If you create an ORCID iD and add it to your submission when you submit your ETD, it will automatically be added to your ORCID profile when the PSU Library creates a DOI for the ETD.
Visit the following links for more information:
ORCiD – register and create your unique ORCID iD
Growing ORCHIDs at Portland State
A style guide is a set of guidelines that outline the house style and requirements for a particular entity, such as a university, academic field, academic journal, or publisher.
For example, the Graduate School formatting requirements are a form of style guide specific to PSU. Some well-known style guides are:
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)
- Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)
- The Chicago Manual of Style
- LaTeX
Academic journals can also be considered a form of style guide since they have specific formatting and publication requirements.
The Graduate School does not require the use of a style guide other than our own formatting requirements; however, students often find a style guide helpful for organizing and formatting content such as in-text citations, references, and tables/figures. Some advisers or graduate programs may require you to use a specific style guide, so you should check with your adviser or program regarding their requirements before you begin setting up your document.
Although you may follow whatever style guide is standard in your discipline, if there are discrepancies between Graduate School requirements and the guidelines you are using, you must defer to the Graduate School requirements.
Supplemental files are files that, due to their size and/or format, cannot be located on a page of the ETD. If your ETD contains materials such as audio files, video files and/or spreadsheets, these should be submitted as supplemental files. Visit Supplemental Files for all the information you need about including supplemental files with your thesis/dissertation.