ETD (Theses & Dissertations) Guide

Welcome!

Writing a thesis or dissertation is an important and meaningful step in your academic program. It is the beginning of a transition between being a student in your field and being and being a fully trained professional. As such, a thesis or dissertation also requires a higher level of academic responsibility compared to other assignments in your classes.

What is an "ETD"?

We will often refer to your thesis or dissertation manuscript as an "ETD." This acronym stands for "Electronic Theses and Dissertations" and refers to the digital format of your thesis or dissertation. We will use the acronym interchangeably with the words thesis or dissertation.

Key Roles

1. ETD Committee
   • Your ETD committee chair, aka your ETD advisor, will guide and advise you as your complete your manuscript.
   • Additionally, at least two more professors or professionals will make up your ETD committee, complementing your chair/advisor in guiding you while you prepare your ETD and in reviewing the final ETD using the norms of your discipline.
2. Office of Research Integrity
   • Each student must obtain an IRB Approval letter from the Office of Research Integrity that documents institutional review board (IRB) approval, or, states that no approval is needed.
   • All students must receive this letter before beginning research on their ETD project, regardless of their topic or plan. The letter must be included as Appendix A of your finished ETD document. 
   • If a student conducts research without obtaining an IRB Letter, they may to have to redo all or part of their ETD work.
3. ETD Librarian
   • Once you "defend" your ETD and your committee has signed the approval page, you will submit a final, copy-edited, publication-ready version to the university for publication.
   • It will then enter ETD Review, a policy check phase looking for copyright compliance and adherence to graduate studies formatting requirements. This is performed by the ETD librarian, and all manuscripts must pass review before being accepted for publication.
   • An ETD must pass ETD Review before a student can graduate.