Prior to submitting your dissertation:
- You must successfully defend your dissertation.
- You’ll need to decide if you want to register your copyright. Copyright registration is optional, and the fee is $75 through ProQuest. You should pay the fee directly to ProQuest electronically.
- You'll need to decide what type of publishing you want through ProQuest**. You can select either Traditional Publishing or Open Access Publishing through ProQuest. This decision cannot be changed after the submission is complete. There is no fee for Traditional Publishing. The fee for Open Access Publishing is $95. Please visit the ProQuest LLC website for more information. If you opt for Open Access, you will pay the fee directly to ProQuest. **You may make your dissertation available via open access for free through IU Libraries’ IUScholarWorks site. Submission to IUScholarWorks should be made only after the University Graduate School confirms your dissertation within ProQuest has been accepted for publication.
- You'll need to decide if you want to place an embargo (also known as a delayed release) on your dissertation. Students who place an embargo are required to submit a bound copy of their dissertation to the GSB. Please see below for more details on that process.***
How to Submit
Learn more about formatting requirements »
You must submit your dissertation online through ProQuest. Make sure you read all submission instructions before attempting to submit through ProQuest.
Once at the site, select “Submit my dissertation/thesis,” and follow the instructions. When creating your account, enter the email address you use most. Once you’ve completed the final step, you will receive an email confirming your submission. Your dissertation will be reviewed and you will learn by email whether your dissertation requires any formatting changes. Please note your dissertation will be reviewed within a week of the submission deadline for the month in which your degree will be awarded.
For more information contact the Graduate Recorder Shelly Oberdier at gerbers@iu.edu.
You must also submit the Defense Signatures edoc, located on the Graduate School Bloomington (GSB) One.IU task page:
- The Defense Signatures edoc takes the place of the signed acceptance page and abstract page that were previously submitted in hardcopy to the GSB.
- Properly formatted but unsigned versions of the acceptance page and abstract are still included in the dissertation. See Formatting requirements for information on how to format these pages.
***Students who opt to place an embargo (also known as a delayed release) on their dissertation are required to submit a full-sized bound, hardcover copy of their dissertation to be included in the university library. If you wish to use ProQuest to order the bound copy, please see the important information below. Dissertations sent to the university library are restricted from circulation but may be requested and viewed in the Wells library. By the final deadline for the month in which you wish your degree to be conferred, you must submit an invoice to the Graduate School showing the binding has been ordered and paid for with the book to be delivered directly to the GSB office. The invoice should list the GSB address as the shipping address if the student wishes the degree to be awarded before the bound copy has been printed and delivered. The shipping address to use is:
Attn: Graduate Recorder
Wells Library, Room E546
1320 E. 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
Dissertation embargoes can be requested for up to two years, initially. If necessary students can request an extension to their embargo near the end of their initial two year period. An extension request should be submitted to the Graduate Recorder and must be approved by the Associate Dean of the IU Graduate School. Such a request should be submitted, in writing, to the Graduate Recorder in the IU Graduate School. All requests for embargo extensions are considered on a case-by-case basis. The need for a longer embargo needs to be well-justified and the written request should include a detailed rationale for the longer embargo.
Bindery Options for Bound Copies:
ProQuest:
Students may order a bound copy through ProQuest however the order must be completed within the student's ProQuest account prior to finalizing the ProQuestion submission the very first time. If students do not place the order prior to initially submitting the dissertation the first time, an order within ProQuest cannot be made until after the dissertation has been delivered to ProQuest for publication. Since the policy related to embargoes states that a receipt showing the bound copy has been paid for and ordered to be shipped directly to the Graduate School Bloomington (GSB) must be received before the degree can be awarded, students who place an embargo on their dissertation but do not order through ProQuest prior to submitting their dissertation will need to use another bindery to order the bound copy for the GSB. Students in this situation can use any other bindery but should not send the dissertation to the other bindery until the final version is approved within ProQuest. Please note that the ProQuest system will require your name be left in the top address field for the bound copy order. This will not cause a problem, simply enter the address listed above in the remaining fields.
One other bindery option, is Thesis on Demand, which is an online option for IU graduate students. Cost is based on the number of pages and other factors.
Thesis On Demand:
(800) 334-3628
