Submission Process and Requirements - Dissertation

Requirements for electronic submission of the doctoral dissertation or D.M.A. document are outlined below. Please also consult Section VII of the Graduate School Handbook or the Guidelines for Preparing Theses, Dissertations, or D.M.A. Documents publication for additional information.

1. To help the electronic submission process go smoothly, the Graduate School must review the formatting of each graduate student's paper document.
   
   Graduate students should bring a paper copy of the dissertation or D.M.A. document along with their completed Doctoral Draft Approval Form to Graduation Services in the Graduate School, 247 University Hall, at least two weeks prior to the date of their Final Oral Examination. The paper copy will be reviewed for correct formatting and returned while the graduate student waits. This format check cannot be accomplished electronically.
   

2. Create the PDF document from the approved paper draft.
   

3. Submit the PDF document to OhioLINK and following the user-friendly set of menus. OhioLINK assigns each submitter a personal number to use when accessing, reviewing, and changing the document until it is ready for submission. Once the document is submitted, OhioLINK will notify the Graduate School that the document is ready for review. The Graduate School will contact graduate students by email if any changes are needed or if the document has been accepted as meeting graduation requirements.
   
   Once a graduate student has been notified by the Graduate School that his or her document has been accepted, the document will be viewable online through OhioLINK, usually within two weeks. The document will be sent to UMI-ProQuest for archiving purposes and will be cataloged in The Ohio State University Libraries.
   
   
4. After the Graduate School accepts the PDF document, graduate students must submit the following items to the Graduate School:
   
   • Final Approval Form, signed by all dissertation committee members
     
   • Delay of Electronic Dissemination Form, if applicable
     
   • completed Survey of Earned Doctorates, do on-line, confirmation page not required
     
   • Payment of all related graduation fees
     
   • Commencement Absence Form (if the graduate student does not plan to attend commencement)
     
     Note: The items listed above do not constitute an exhaustive summary of all doctoral graduation requirements. These are detailed in Section VII.16 of the Graduate School Handbook. For all quarterly graduation deadline dates, please consult the online Graduation Deadlines calendar or pick up a copy in 247 University Hall. Documents submitted electronically and all related forms and fees must be submitted by the published deadlines to be eligible for graduation during any given quarter.