Dissertation+Manual


 * INTRODUCTION**

**COPYRIGHT** According to the copyright law of the United States, the writer controls all copyright to their dissertation as soon as he or she writes it. If the writer wishes to claim his or her copyright, he or she should place a notice of copyright on the page immediately following the Title Page with the word copyright, the year the dissertation is bound, the writer’s full name, and the phrase. “All Rights Reserved.”
 * Copyright Page**

Example: Copyright 2010 by W. F. Godot All Rights Reserved

If the writer wishes to place his or her dissertation into the public domain, he /she may place a notice of public domain on the page immediately following the Title Page. This does not allow other writers to claim this dissertation as their own, but does allow other people to reproduce, sell, or give away copies of the dissertation without the author’s permission.

More information on the author’s rights may be found on the webpage of the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress at [] or through the dissertation Copyright Guide available from ProQuest available at [].
 * For Dissertations**

The writer is expected to know and follow all U.S. Copyright Law in his / her dissertation. For materials including poetry, photographs, graphs, and any other copyrighted materials whose copyright is not held by the author, including material written by the author and published in another sources, and does not fall under the legal standards for Fair Use, the writer must obtain written permission from the copyright owner and include a copy of that permission in an appendix of the dissertation. All copyright infringements and issues are solely the responsibly of the writer and not St. Thomas University, its programs, or libraries. This form is included in Appendix A of this manual and must be signed by the writer, witnessed, and included in the dissertation.

A sample Copyright Permission Letter is available from ProQuest at [|http://www.proquest.com/assets/downloads/products /UMI_CopyrightGuide.pdf] if the writer wishes to use copyrighted material beyond the scope of Fair Use in their dissertation. This form would need to included as an Appendix to the published dissertation.

The Main Library at St. Thomas University does request, but does not require, that all students include a Library Release Page in his or her dissertation that gives the library permission to provide electronic copies of the dissertation through the Library’s catalog, migrate the dissertation into other mediums as technology changes, and make copies of the dissertation for individuals for scholarly purposes. This Release Page does not allow the Library to sell or publish the dissertation. See the model Library Release page in Appendix B of this manual.
 * Library Release Page**

**STYLE** The dissertation is a formal document therefore all words used in the dissertation should reflect their standard dictionary meaning. Except for within quotations, the dissertation should not contain any contractions, slurs, slang, or jargon. The dissertation must follow the rules for grammar and spelling as described in the style manual adopted by the academic program for which the dissertation is being written. It should reflect standard American English grammar, spelling, usage, mechanics, and punctuation. The dissertation must use inclusive language, and not demonstrate any bias towards individuals based upon race, ethnicity, religion, gender, ability, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation. The majority of the dissertation should be written in the present verb tense. Writers should be very careful about shifting verb tenses especially between chapters. Unless given written approval from the dissertation committee, the entire dissertation should be written in a third person voice.  **PREPARATION** Because UMI will truncate any abstract over 350 words for their print publications, all abstracts must be under this limit. The dissertation may include a page of acknowledgments to recognize the people who have helped the writer with his or her dissertation. This page should be placed between the abstract and the table of contents. The dissertation may include addenda for supplementary materials including audio files, spreadsheets, video files, etc…Please consult the “Supplementary Digital Material Guide” from UMI, [|http://www.proquest.com/assets/downloads/products/UMI SupplementaryMaterialsGuide.pdf], for additional regulations. These materials should be clearly labeled with the dissertation’s title, contain directions for their use, and a description of their contents. The addenda should be listed on the dissertation’s Table of Contents without page numbers. No supplementary material will be included with the dissertation without proper copyright permission. The dissertation may include appendices of supporting documents including letters to subjects, directions, samples of instruments, copyright permissions releases, etc… Each Appendix should be included in the dissertation’s Table of Contents and have page numbers. The dissertation may include charts, graphs, and illustrations, but all of these materials must fit within the margins of the dissertations. In consultation with the committee these materials may be in color, but it is strongly recommended that they be reproducible in gray scale. The labeling of charts, graphs, and illustrations must conform to the style manual adopted by the academic program. The dissertation should use a UMI recommended TrueType font and point size including Arial 10 pt, Georgia 11 pt, Tahoma 10 pt, Times New Roman 12 pt, or Verdana 10 pt. Headings should be between 14-20 pt in the same font. This guideline applies to all text in the dissertation including page numbers, charts, graphs, addenda, and appendices. The dissertation must be written in English unless the writer receives written permission from his or her Program Direction that is included in the dissertation as an appendix.
 * Diction**
 * Grammar and Spelling**
 * Inclusive Language**
 * Verb Tense**
 * Voice / Person**
 * Abstract**
 * Acknowledgments**
 * Addenda**
 * Appendices**
 * Charts, Graphs, and Illustrations**
 * Font**
 * Foreign Language**

Any quotations written in a foreign language used within the dissertation must have an English translation provided.
 * Headings**


 * __Level of heading Format__**
 * 1 ****Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading**
 * 2 ****Flush Left, Boldface, Upper and Lowercase Heading**
 * 3 ** **Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period**
 * // 4 //** **//Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period//**
 * // 5 //**Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

There is no limit on the length of a dissertation, and the writer must rely upon feedback and direction from his or her committee. If the dissertation is longer than 400 pages, it must be bound in multi-volumes with the pages evenly divided among the volumes. The page numbers in such a dissertation must run consecutively, and each volume must have its own Title Page with the designation “Volume One of Two” and “Volume Two of Two.” Since the final copy of the dissertation will be bound, the margins must be larger to allow for easier reading. The margins should be 1 inch on the top, bottom, and right hand side, and 1 ½ inches on the left hand side. All materials including graphs, tables, and footnotes must fit within these margins.
 * Length of Dissertations**
 * Margins**
 * Numbers**

The use of numbers must conform to the usage outlined in the style manual adopted by the academic program.

Page Page Number Title Page not numbered Copyright Page Roman Numeral ii Copyright Acknowledgment Page Roman Numeral iii Library Release Page Roman Numeral iv Abstract Next Consecutive Roman Numeral Acknowledgments Next Consecutive Roman Numeral Table of Contents Next Consecutive Roman Numeral List of Illustrations Next Consecutive Roman Numeral List of Charts or Graphs Next Consecutive Roman Numeral Chapter One through Chapter xx Arabic Numerals Endnotes Next Consecutive Arabic Numeral Appendices Next Consecutive Arabic Numeral Bibliography or References Next Consecutive Arabic Numeral Addenda Not Numbered
 * Order of the Contents**

Except for the Title Page of the dissertation, every page should have a page number. All pages before the first page of Chapter One should contain a lower case Roman numeral beginning with “ii” on the copyright page. Beginning on the first page of Chapter One and running until that last page of the last appendix, each page should contain an Arabic number, 1, 2, 3, etc… in the lower or upper right hand corner, which runs consecutively from 1 to the end of the document.
 * Pagination**

The paper used for the final copy of the dissertation that is bound must meet all of the following requirements:
 * Paper**


 * 1) 8 ½ by 11 inches printed in the portrait position
 * 2) Plain white without any pattern or texture
 * 3) Marked as “acid free”
 * 4) At least 20 lbs weight
 * 5) Contain at least 25% rag or cotton fiber
 * 6) Must not be folded, been stapled, bent, torn, or have any holes punched in it

It is the writer’s responsibility to check the quality of all printed and bound copies of the dissertation before giving it to UMI and the St. Thomas University Library. Dissertations with mistakes or that do not follow the rules of the style manual and of this guide will be returned to the author, and the author must have new corrected copies bound at his or her own expense. All material cited in the text of the dissertation must appear on the bibliography or reference page of the dissertation. A missing reference will lead to the dissertation being returned to its author for correction and rebinding. References The entire dissertation should be double spaced including endnotes, bibliographies, the abstract, and all quotations. All dissertations are required to follow the rules of the style manual adopted by their academic program. When that style manual and this manual disagree, this manual’s rule must be followed. The writer will be required to follow the edition of the style manual that was the most recent edition published when he or she was accepted into his or her academic program. Any changes or modification of the required style manual would required signed approval from the program director that would be included in the dissertation as an Appendix.
 * Printing**
 * References**
 * Spacing**
 * Style Manual**

The dissertation must include a Table of Contents, which must provide page numbers for all elements of the dissertation. The Table of Contents should include the name of each chapter and appendix rather than just Chapter One, Chapter Two, etc… The heading of each element in the Table of Contents should be the same in all locations. See the Table of Contents of this publication manual for an example.
 * Table of Contents**

A model Title Page is available at the end of this manual. All elements that are included in the model must appear that way in the dissertation Title Page.
 * Title Page**

The writer’s full name should appear on the Title Page as it appears on the writer’s academic records at St. Thomas University. If the name is hyphenated, contains an initial, or has additional elements such as Jr. or III, the name must be consistent with the student’s academic records.
 * Name**

The order of the name should follow the common pattern in the United States of first (given) name and family name unless permission is recieved for a different name order because of ethnic or linguistic heritage. On the Title Page, the name is followed by the initials for highest previously earned academic degree without any mention of majors or specialties. No titles such as Rev., Fr., or Sr. should be listed in front of the writer’s name.

The title of the dissertation should be clear and reflect the content of the document. It should be between three to nine words and appear exactly the same in all locations. The title should be written in English and not contain any characters that are not available in standard English word processing fonts. It should also not contain any superscripts or subscripts. Subtitles should appear after the main title and a colon and be written in a smaller font size than the main title. All words in the title, except for short prepositions, “a,” “an,” and “the” must be capitalized.
 * Title**

The date on the Title Page of the dissertation must be the date of the defense. It should include the month, day, and year. For example:
 * Date**

April 7, 2010 **PUBLISHING THE DISSERTATION** St. Thomas University requires that all dissertations be published in the St. Thomas University Library database, two print copies be bound and submitted for the Archives, and all students submit their dissertations to ProQuest for inclusion in Dissertation Abstracts. Instruction for the ProQuest’s Dissertation Abstracts may be found at []. St. Thomas does not allow dissertations to be approved with restrictions or embargos on their publication. All dissertations are to be consider public and published documents available from Dissertation Abstracts and St. Thomas University Library. All students are strongly encouraged to choose the Open Access Publishing from ProQuest for their dissertations.

Students are required to submit two hardcover bound copies of their dissertations to the St. Thomas University Library.
 * Binding Copies**

Students may order this service through ProQuest at a cost of $56.00 per copy or current rate payable by the student. Directions may be found at [].

Or

The St. Thomas University Library will have two hardcover bound copies made at no cost. In this case the student is required to come into the library with two paper copies, which follow all of the requirements in this manual and contain original signed Title Pages. E-mail jroach@stu.edu or glaguardia@stu.edu for more information.

Or

The student may use HFGroup binding at a cost of $55.00 per copy or current rate payable by the student. Directions may be found at [].

St. Thomas University Library asks that an electronic copy of the dissertation be submitted along with the bound copies. Please make that all fonts are embedded in the PDF that is sent to jroach@stu.edu or ltreadwell@stu.edu Also please sign the Open Access Agreement and return it with the digital copy. This allows the library to provide public access to the digital form of the dissertation, but copyright is still retained by the author of the dissertation.
 * Electronic Copies**


 * Quality Control**

All St. Thomas University dissertations are subject to quality control. If a dissertation is found to contain major quality issues in format, style, and/or preparation within six months of submissions, the writer will be required to provide two corrected hardcover copies to the Library.

 **Appendix A** **Copyright Acknowledge Form** **St. Thomas** **University**

I, __the writer’s full name,__ understand that I am solely responsibly for the content of this dissertation and its use of copyrighted materials. All copyright infringements and issues are solely the responsibly of myself as the author of this dissertation and not St. Thomas University, its programs, or libraries.

______________________________ _______________________ Signature of Author Date

______________________________ _______________________ Witness Date  **Appendix B** **St. Thomas** **University** **Library Release Form** Title of Dissertation Author’s Name I understand that US Copyright Law protects this dissertation against unauthorized use. By my signature below, I am giving permission to St. Thomas University Library to place this dissertation in its collections in both print and digital forms for open access to the wider academic community. I am also allowing the Library to photocopy and provide a copy of this dissertation for the purpose of interlibrary loans for scholarly purposes and to migrate it to other forms of media for archival purposes.

________________________ _____________________ Signature of Author Date

________________________ _____________________ Witness Date

 **Appendix C** **Model Title Page** ** Title of the Dissertation ** ** By: Author’s Name ** ** Date of the Defense ** Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for (name of the degree) St. Thomas University Miami Gardens, Florida

Approved: Date:

__________________________ ______________ (name of chair and highest earned degree) Committee Chair

__________________________ ______________ (name of committee member and highest earned degree) Committee Member

__________________________ ______________ (name of committee member and highest earned degree) Committee Member