UVA Printing & Copying Services handles the final processing of UVA theses & dissertations and forwarding of dissertations to UMI. To be sure your theses/dissertation meets all processing requirements please click here to obtain the "Graduate Office Theses/Dissertation Check List". This completed form must accompany your theses/dissertation when being submitted to the Alderman Copy Center for final processing.

Authors may submit digital documents for their dissertation or thesis on 3.5", Zip disk or CD.

Guidelines for Dissertations in Digital Format

The document must appear in Adobe PDF format. No compression or password protection should be used. UVA Copy Centers can make no changes to the document. Therefore, the burden of how the document looks when it is accessed or printed is entirely the responsibility of the author. UVA Copy Centers recommend that the author assume responsibility for reformatting the document into Adobe PDF, checking the reformatted document for accuracy, and submitting the PDF document to the Alderman Copy Center (1st floor of Alderman Library) for processing.

All fonts used should be embedded in the document. External or internal links to multi-media files are acceptable. If multi-media elements are used in the document, file formats should be identified in the dissertation/thesis abstract.

Acceptable file formats include the following:

Images: GIF (.gif) JPEG (.jpeg) PDF (.pdf) use Type 1 PostScript fonts TIFF (.tif) Video: Apple Quick Time (.mov) Microsoft Audio Video Interleaved (.avi) MPEG (.mpg)

Audio: AIF(.aif) CD-DA CD-ROM/XA MIDI (.midi) MPEG-2 SND (.snd) WAV (.wav)

Supporting Documents

Supporting documents should remain on paper and be submitted in an 8.5 X 11 envelope. Those documents should include:
*Title Page
*Abstract
*Completed Agreement Form
Completed Author Discount Order Form
Money Order/Check
Reprint Permission Letters
Third party software licenses, if required

* Are mandatory, others are as needed

Print and Electronic Access to Dissertations in Electronic Format

Dissertations received in digital format will be processed in a manner identical to paper documents. Bibliographic citations and abstracts for these documents will be published in Dissertation Abstracts International in print, on-line, CD-ROM and microform. Bibliographic information concerning these documents will also be made available through the UMI Dissertation Abstracts Database and to a worldwide network of online information providers including OCLC and Dialog ®. The print output of the document will be microfilmed and stored with the electronic segment of the document in UMI's vaults. The PDF format of the document will be loaded into ProQuest Digital Dissertations, a digital archive of dissertations and theses. UMI Dissertations Publishing will check for document integrity and copyright compliance. If the document appears to be incomplete or if there are questions about the reproduction of previously copyrighted materials, the publication will be delayed until those concerns are resolved.

Dissertations and Master's Theses as Compound Documents

A compound document contains both text on paper and other information only available in and accessible through a specific electronic format. For example:

Geography: an analysis of the topography of a region is accompanied by a computer simulated "flight" through that area on CD.

Biology: presentation of a complete gene mapping database is only possible in electronic format.

Performing Arts: a written analysis of a musical score or screenplay can be accompanied by a CD containing full motion video with sound of a performance of the work.

Supporting Documents for Compound Documents

Supporting documents should remain on paper and be forwarded with the CD-ROM in an 8.5 X 11 envelope. Those documents should include:
*Title Page
*Abstract
*Completed Agreement Form
Completed Author Discount Order Form
Money Order/Check
Reprint Permission Letters
Specifications of hardware and software versions required to run the electronic component
Other applications: Any third party application used to calculate a problem, present a video clip or sound recording or a combination
of sound and video, a graph, picture, animation or representation, must be licensed for commercial distribution. Without written permission, the document will not be distributed.

*Are mandatory, others as needed

Disk Specifications

CD-ROM: ISO 96-60 for disk creation. Player or reader must be free ware or licensed third party software. A copy of the application used to display, play or read the document must be available on the CD and be fully licensed to be copied and installed on a reader's machine.

Formats for Author Created Programming: Anything that can be copied by machine at an operating system prompt.

Print and Electronic Access to and Distribution of Compound Documents

Compound documents will be processed in a manner similar to paper documents. Bibliographic citations and abstracts for these documents will be published in the DAI/MAI complex in print, on-line, CD-ROM and microform. The citation will indicate the nature and components of the document. The paper segment of the document will be microfilmed and stored with the electronic segment of the document in UMI's vaults.

Compound documents will be distributed as hardbound publications only. Library bindings allow the secure placement of a CD-ROM disk sleeve on the inside of the binding and proper packaging of electronic segments.

Dissertations and Master's Theses on CD-ROM

UMI will accept dissertations and Masters' theses on CD-ROM under the following conditions:

1. Software to display, play or read the document is either ubiquitous free ware such as Netscape or Adobe Acrobat or is fully licensed third party software.
2. A copy of the application used to display, play or read the document is available on the CD and is fully licensed to be copied and installed on a reader's machine.

Supporting Documents for CD-ROM

Supporting documents should remain on paper and be forwarded with the CD in an 8.5 X 11 envelope. Those documents should include:
*Title Page
*Abstract
*Completed Agreement Form
Completed Author Discount Order Form
Money Order/Check
Reprint Permission Letters to reproduce previously copyrighted materials within the body of the work
A description of software or other applications used to create the CD-ROM disk, including a list of files and file sizes on the CD-ROM disk
Copies of licenses for third party software necessary to access, display, run or print the dissertation.
Written permission to reproduce copyrighted images, video, graphics, animation, data and images of individuals.

*Are mandatory, others as needed

Print and Electronic Access to and Distribution of CD's

Dissertations on CD will be processed in a manner similar to paper documents. Bibliographic citations and abstracts for these documents will be published in the DAI/MAI complex in print, on-line, CD-ROM and microform. The citation will indicate the nature of the document and that it is only available in CD-ROM format. The master disk will be stored in UMI's vault. Dissertations on CD-ROM will be distributed in CD-ROM format only.

Should you have questions or require assistance, please contact the Alderman Copy Center at 924-3785/ uvacopy@virginia.edu.