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Thesis Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently asked questions are organized by the following topics:

Copyright FAQs

Who owns the copyright to my thesis?
The copyright to a thesis belongs to the student, according to the University's General Rules. As a condition of being awarded the degree, however, the student grants the University the non-exclusive right "to retain, use and distribute a limited number of copies of the thesis, together with the right to require its publication for archival use."
 
What if I have intellectual property in my thesis that is not covered by copyright (e.g., material that might be covered by patents, trademarks, etc.)?
Please contact the University's Office of Technology Management.
 
How do I register my copyright?
You may register your copyright directly through the United States Copyright Office. Doctoral students may choose to have ProQuest/UMI register their copyright in their name by completing the optional copyright registration form (PDF) and submitting it, along with payment to ProQuest for this optional service, with the rest of the deposit materials.
 
Am I required to register my copyright in order to deposit my thesis?
No. There are, however, certain benefits to registering your copyright. The U.S. Copyright Office provides a thorough explanation of these benefits.
 
Is there a way for me to retain my copyright when I submit an article for publication?
It could be possible for you to negotiate which rights you transfer to a publisher before you sign a publishing agreement. The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) has developed an author addendum (PDF) that students may find useful in negotiating the rights that they transfer.
 
Is my use of previously copyrighted material considered "fair use?"
The Thesis Office does not advise students on what can or cannot be considered "fair use." Students are urged to consult the U.S. Copyright Office's explanation of "fair use."
 
How do I know whether the material I'm using is protected by someone else's copyright?
Did you create the material? If not, you will need to identify the owner of the work's copyright and determine whether the work's copyright protection has expired. You may find the following publication of the U.S. Copyright Office helpful: "How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work." (PDF)
 
What if I created the material? Is it possible that I no longer own the copyright to my own work?
Yes. If your work has been published, you may have transferred the copyright to the publisher. Check your publishing agreement: if the publisher owns the copyright to your work, you will need to request permission to reprint it in your thesis and elsewhere.
 
Do you have a sample permission request letter?
Yes, an example of a letter to request permission to reprint previously copyrighted material can be found here. (PDF) A detailed explanation of the content that should be included in the permission request letter is provided on page 4 of A Student's Guide to Copyrights and Fair Use, a publication of the Office of Technology Management.
 
Will you help me obtain permission to reprint previously copyrighted material in my thesis?
The Thesis Office does not provide such assistance. However, the University's Facilities & Services Printing Department does provide a copyright clearance service to students for a fee. (Please note that it remains the student's responsibility to determine what material requires copyright clearance.) For additional information, the Facilities & Services Printing Department can be contacted at (217)-333-9350.
 

Thesis requirements FAQs

Is an abstract of my thesis required?
Yes, an abstract is now required of all theses and dissertations. The abstract must be written in English and will be submitted in a text field in the electronic submission process, and is also a required section in the thesis or dissertation itself, immediately after the title page. There is no word limit.
 
How do I find a list of the current thesis requirements?
The most up-to-date list of Graduate College thesis requirements is located here.
 

Deposit process FAQs

Can I make changes or revisions after my thesis is accepted?
Upon final deposit, the thesis becomes part of the student’s academic record. No changes may be made to the thesis or dissertation after it has been accepted by the Graduate College Thesis Office. 
 
I’ve heard that graduation periods have changed? When will my degree be conferred?
Beginning in 2010, Illinois students at all degree levels will be able to graduate in the May, August, and December conferral periods. The University has eliminated the October graduation period, which served master’s and doctoral students, and doctoral students are now eligible for August graduation.
 

Thesis release options FAQs

What are the release options for my hard copy thesis?
Hard copy theses and dissertations will become available through the University Library about 10 to 12 months after the date of degree conferral of the graduation period for which the thesis or dissertation is submitted.

Release of the hard copy thesis or dissertation to the University Library will only be withheld due to an approved request for a patent review (see below for further information regarding patent reviews).

Note: Doctoral dissertations are also released to ProQuest’s UMI Dissertation Publishing soon after the date of degree conferral of the graduation period for which they are submitted. The availability of the dissertation through ProQuest depends on the release option selected by the student on the ProQuest publishing agreement that is submitted at the time of deposit.
 
What are the release options for my electronic thesis?
Besides offering you a more convenient option for the Graduate College thesis review and deposit, submitting a thesis electronically gives you more release options than you would have with a hard copy submission. More release options mean you have more control over both the timing of the release of your thesis and the audience to whom your thesis is released.
 
During the creation of your ETD submission profile, you will have the opportunity to select one of three options for the release of your work:
 

  • Option 1—Open Access: The thesis or dissertation will be publicly available through IDEALS soon after the date of degree conferral of the graduation period for which the thesis or dissertation is submitted.
     
  • Option 2—U of I Only: Access to the thesis or dissertation through IDEALS will be restricted to members of the University of Illinois community for a period of 2 years from the date of degree conferral of the graduation period for which the thesis or dissertation is submitted. The thesis or dissertation will also be available through the University Library’s Interlibrary Loan service during this period of time, after which the thesis or dissertation will become publicly available through IDEALS.
     
  • Option 3—Closed Access: Access to the thesis or dissertation will be restricted such that it will not be available to anyone for a period of 2 years from the date of degree conferral of the graduation period for which the thesis or dissertation is submitted. Only author name and title information will be available during this period of time, after which the thesis or dissertation will become publicly available through IDEALS.

Note: Doctoral dissertations are also released to ProQuest’s UMI Dissertation Publishing soon after the date of degree conferral of the graduation period for which they are submitted. The availability of the dissertation through ProQuest depends on the release option selected by the student on the ProQuest publishing agreement that is submitted at the time of deposit.

Can I extend the period of time during which access to my electronic thesis is restricted?
Yes. Options for restricting the release of your ETD (Option 2—U of I only; Option 3—Closed access) are renewable in 2-year increments.
 
How do I change or renew the option I chose for the release of my ETD?
After the date of degree conferral of the graduation period for which your ETD is submitted, you may contact IDEALS directly to change or renew your ETD release option.
 
How do I request that my thesis or dissertation be withheld for patent review?
A student may request to have a thesis or dissertation withheld from public release while patentability is assessed by completing a Thesis Withholding Request Form and submitting it to the Office of Technology Management (OTM) prior to deposit.
 
OTM will review the student’s request and notify the Graduate College Thesis Office that a thesis is to be withheld. Withholding a thesis for a patent review does not affect graduation or thesis deposit; all students are required to complete their thesis deposit by the deposit deadline.
 
How does a request for a patent review affect my options for the release of my ETD?
After submitting the Thesis Withholding Request Form to OTM, you may create your ETD submission profile and select from one of the three release options offered. Your thesis will be withheld from release into the IDEALS repository until the release is approved by OTM. After the thesis is released into IDEALS, it will become available according to the release option you chose during the ETD submission process.

Why am I asked to agree to the IDEALS deposit agreement during the ETD submission process?
All students depositing an ETD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are asked to read and agree to the IDEALS deposit agreement. Basically, your agreement to this non-exclusive license allows IDEALS to make your ETD available according to the release option you choose during ETD submission and to make backup copies of your ETD or to migrate it to future file formats as necessary for preservation purposes. Students retain the copyright to their own work.
 
If my dissertation will be published electronically through IDEALS, why am I required to sign the ProQuest/UMI publishing agreement? (doctoral students only)
ProQuest provides several useful services for the University, including producing the microfilm copy of your dissertation that will be archived in the University Library.
 

Electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) FAQs

What is an ETD?
An ETD is an Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Instead of the traditional submission process, in which a student submits paper copies to be bound, catalogued, and disseminated in hard copy through the University Library, ETDs allow for the creation, submission, and dissemination of graduate research in digital form. The components and structure of an ETD are essentially the same as a traditional paper thesis.

What is IDEALS?
IDEALS (Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship) is the digital repository for research and scholarship produced at the University of Illinois. IDEALS collects, disseminates, and provides persistent and reliable access to the research and scholarship of faculty, staff, and students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Further information about IDEALS is available at http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/. 
 
Why should I submit my thesis electronically?
ETD offers many benefits. ETD is a more convenient submission option that allows students to complete the Graduate College review and deposit from any place where they have Internet service. ETD also provides students with a wider range of thesis release options. Additionally, ETD helps the student save on the cost of paper and printing. ETD provides Illinois graduate students with an electronic publishing experience, helping them develop the technical skills needed for digital publishing. Finally, ETD publication helps to make the significant research of Illinois students more broadly available.

Who can submit their theses electronically?
Beginning October 5, 2009, ETD is available to all master’s and doctoral students submitting theses and dissertations at the University of Illinois.

How do I format my electronic thesis or dissertation?
All Illinois theses and dissertations must adhere to the Graduate College thesis requirements.

Additional requirements for ETDs include:

  • The document must be submitted as a single Portable Document File (PDF).
  • The PDF file must be named Lastname_Firstname.pdf, where “Lastname” and “Firstname” are that of the student.
  • Security settings should not be applied to the PDF file.
  • The PDF file should not contain embedded multimedia.

How do I convert my document into PDF format?
MS Word 2007 and Adobe Acrobat are two options for converting files to PDF. Installing Acrobat onto a computer allows the user to generate a PDF file by selecting “Adobe PDF” as the printer from within the word processing program. Computers containing both programs are available in computer labs on campus (for locations, see www.cites.illinois.edu/ics/labs.html) and on the 2nd floor of the Main Library near the circulation desk. Both programs are also available at a discount to students through the University’s WebStore.
 
Before beginning the PDF conversion process, however, you are strongly encouraged to embed the fonts you have used in your thesis into the file to be converted. Embedding fonts will help to ensure that the material in your thesis will display correctly when viewed or printed from the PDF file. (To further ensure that material displays correctly in the PDF file, use of either a Type 1 or TrueType font is recommended. Times New Roman, Arial, and Calibri are among the numerous TrueType fonts that are available in popular word processing programs.) For example:

  • In MS Word 2003, fonts are embedded by selecting “Options . . .” from the “Tools” drop-down menu and then clicking on the “Save” tab. Place a check in the checkbox next to “Embed TrueType fonts” and remove any checks from the two checkboxes located immediately beneath. You will need to re-save your file.
  • In MS Word 2007, fonts are embedded by clicking on the Office button located in the upper left corner and then clicking on the “Word Options” button. Select “Save” from the list on the left, place a check in the checkbox next to “Embed fonts in this file”, and remove any checks from the two checkboxes located immediately beneath. You will need to re-save your file.

 
When converting LaTeX files to PDF, students may find the following resources useful:

 
PDF conversion services may also be found online. Some of these online services are free and others are not.
Students are responsible for checking the PDF file of their thesis after the conversion process to verify that all material displays correctly.

My thesis file(s) are large (>512MB) in size. Will I still be able to submit them easily?
If any of your files are larger than 512MB in size, we recommend submitting them from a “wired” on-campus connection (e.g. any public computer lab on campus). It may also be possible to submit these files from off-campus if you are using a private, high-speed internet connection. However, it is not recommended to submit larger files from wireless internet available in coffee houses or bookstores, as these businesses sometimes limit the size of files you may transmit.

If you have any difficulties in uploading your thesis files, please contact the Graduate College Thesis Office at Thesis@illinois.edu or (217) 333-6278.

When do I electronically submit my thesis or dissertation?
You should only submit your thesis for review (either electronic or hard copy) in the Graduate College Thesis Office AFTER

  • your defense has occurred (if relevant),
  • your advisor and/or committee has approved the final version of your thesis, and
  • you have made all corrections requested by your departmental thesis reviewer.

Documents submitted prior to departmental approval will be rejected.

The Thesis Office will not review your submission until we have received notification of departmental approval. In most cases, format reviews will be performed within five or fewer business days of the latter of either (a) submission of the electronic document or (b) confirmation of departmental approval. You will be notified by email of the outcome of the Graduate College's review, including a list of required changes (if any) and instructions for completing the deposit of your thesis.

I have supplemental materials I’d like to include with my electronic thesis or dissertation. Can I upload these, too?

  • For ETD submissions, students may upload supplemental electronic files as part of their thesis or dissertation. These files are considered appendix items, and an appendix page must be included as part of the thesis and should be numbered accordingly. This page should include brief information about the supplemental file(s), such as “Appendix A: Interview Transcriptions,” and a brief description of the material.
  • The thesis or dissertation itself should be understandable without the supplemental appendix materials.
  • As part of the thesis, it is the responsibility of the director of research and committee to review and approve appendix materials.

 
Can I use the same submission service to send a PDF of my thesis for departmental review?
No. Departmental format review is an independent process, and your department may require either a paper or electronic copy of your thesis for review.

What is the final date that I can submit my thesis electronically for the deposit?
Deposit deadlines are listed on the Graduate College's Academic Calendar. Thesis Office traffic increases prior to deadlines, so it may take Thesis Office staff several days to reply to an electronic submission. Keep in mind that, regardless of the method you use to submit your thesis, revisions may still be required before your deposit will be accepted. ALL supporting materials must be received before deposit is complete.

If I can submit my dissertation electronically, do I need to visit the Thesis Office in person?
After the Thesis Office has completed the format review, there are additional materials that students are required to submit in order to complete thesis deposit.
 
Master’s students must submit:

  • Certificate of Committee Approval (CCA), signed by thesis adviser + department head
  • One copy of permission letter(s) to reprint previously copyrighted material (only if applicable)

Doctoral students must submit:

The Thesis Office must receive the hard-copy CCA with original signatures before the deposit can be completed. Students may bring the CCA to the reception desk on the 2nd floor of Coble Hall between 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.; may arrange for a proxy to do so on their behalf; or may send the CCA to the Thesis Office via USPS or other delivery service.
 
All remaining materials may be faxed to the Thesis Office at 217-333-8019 or emailed to thesis@illinois.edu. Other options for submitting these additional materials include sending them to the Thesis Office mailing address or bringing them to the Graduate College reception desk. (Students wishing to submit these materials to the Thesis Office in person will need to sign in at the reception desk during normal walk-in hours.)

The deposit will not be completed until all required materials have been received by the Graduate College Thesis Office.
 
How will I know my thesis has been accepted?
Your deposit will be confirmed in an email from the Graduate College Thesis Office after a correctly formatted thesis has been accepted and all required additional materials have been received.

Can I still submit a paper copy of my thesis?
All graduate students have the option of submitting their thesis electronically or in hard copy, but they may not do both. Regardless of submission method, the same formatting requirements apply. Students submitting paper copies should familiarize themselves with the requirements for paper deposit.
 
Where will my electronic thesis be located?
Following acceptance, your document will be electronically available via
IDEALS, the Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship. Doctoral dissertations will also be listed in the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. 

Will my department still receive a printed copy from the Library?
No. If you deposit electronically, the library will no longer provide a copy of your thesis to your department, as a printable PDF version of your dissertation will be available through the IDEALS web site. However, your department may still require you to provide it with a print copy.

Can I attend a workshop on electronic thesis deposit?
The Graduate College Thesis Office offers several deposit workshops each year. Currently scheduled workshops are listed under Student Events.

Who do I contact if I have questions about submitting my ETD?
Please contact the Graduate College Thesis Office at Thesis@illinois.edu or (217) 333-6278. Many questions may be answered by consulting the web resources available at www.grad.illinois.edu/thesis/.

The Graduate College at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 801 South Wright Street 204 Coble Hall, MC-322 Champaign, IL 61820-6210 Phone: (217) 333-0035 Fax: (217) 333-8019