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Thesis/Dissertation Submission Procedures

Ultimately it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all manuscripts are submitted on time and conform to the style manual requirements for each department.

Style Manual:

A copy of this manual can be accessed from the web site below: http://www.odu.edu/ao/gradstudies/publications/thesis.pdf

If you have questions regarding the thesis/dissertation procedure after reviewing the guide, contact your advisor or graduate program director for clarification.

Thesis/Dissertation Routing:

1. Oral defense
2. Signature approval of thesis / dissertation committee and graduate program director
3. Submit a copy of your manuscript to the Dean's Office for proofing and corrections 3 weeks before the last day of classes. This is a free service for thesis and dissertation writers however, if the document is submitted after the deadline it will not be accepted. The student will then need to find their own editor and submit their edited document with the changes to the Dean's Office for final approval before the last day of classes.
4. Dean's Office for final approval for reproduction
5. Original and four copies on 100% cotton, acid-free paper to Office of the Registrar by the last day of classes.

Deadlines:

Manuscripts must be submitted to the Dean's Office (102 Kaufman Hall) THREE WEEKS PRIOR to the last day of classes. Final versions, on cotton paper, are due to the Registrar's Office by 5pm on the last day of classes.

Students should submit a complete draft to their Graduate Program Director well in advance of all deadlines to check for common errors including margins, spacing and references BEFORE submitting the copy to the Dean's Office.

Editing:

Once your document is received in the Dean's Office, it will be forwarded to an editor for review and returned to you two weeks after your submission. Do not wait until the last minute to turn in your document and expect an immediate turnaround. You will receive your document TWO WEEKS after submission, no exceptions. If there are not two weeks between the time you submit your manuscript and the last day of classes, your document will be processed the following semester. This could delay your graduation, so please prepare in advance.

If a significant number of errors are found in the manuscript, it will be returned immediately to the student to find an additional editor to proofread the manuscript before the Dean's Office review is competed. Once it is proofread, the editing process will start over. Please be aware of the time it takes to complete the editing process and plan accordingly.

Once the edited document has been returned to the student, all corrections must be made and a clean copy of the entire manuscript must be brought into the Dean's Office along with Form #6 for signature. After reviewing the edited version against the clean copy, the Associate Dean will sign off on Form #6 and the student will need to take the forms to their department before the cotton copies are made and delivered to the Registrar's Office.

Off Campus Submission:

If you are completing your thesis/dissertation from an off-campus location you must:

-Designate a person to pick up and deliver the copies of your manuscript to and from the Dean's Office during the editing process.

-Mail all manuscripts to the Dean's Office and be prepared to cover all fees associated with the mailing.

-Designate a person to pick up the final copy, pay the fees, make copies and deliver the documents to the Registrar's Office.

-Provide detailed contact information to the Dean's Office prior to leaving campus.

Important Contact Information

The Writing Center:

757-683-4112

http://studentaffairs.odu.edu/writingcenter/

The English Language Center:

757-683-4419

http://www.odu.edu/ao/oip/elc/

The Registrar's Office:

757-683-4425

http://www.odu.edu/ao/registrar/

The BCET Dean's Office:

757-683-3489

http://eng.odu.edu/eng/about/contact_us.shtml

OWL - An excellent resource for composition or ESL students, this site offers printer friendly handouts and exercises for ESL grammar issues and academic writing. The site is sponsored by the Purdue University writing lab.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu