Thesis and Dissertation Information Page

WHAT TO SUBMIT BY THE DEADLINE:

• One PRINTED copy of thesis or dissertation on regular paper, single sided (it will be marked during the review)
• All signature pages signed by your committee (on paper used for binding)
• A copy of the binding fee form marked paid by the Bursary or a copy of receipt (not the original)
• DPA and EDD students must also submit Final Dissertation Approval Forms (found in their program handbooks)
• When dropping off your thesis or dissertation at the Graduate School include name, student ID number, email address, mailing address, and phone numbers where you can be reached.

Make sure you use 1.5" left margins throughout the document.  All other margins - 1" except the first page of each chapter - 2" top margin.

• Click here for additional component details and formatting information
• Click here for sample title, copyright, signature, fair use, abstract, and other pages!
•  Pages should be placed according to the following order:

Title Page 
Copyright Page
Signature Page
Fair Use and Duplication Release Form
Abstract (begin page numbering with this page with Roman numeral i )
Table of Contents
*List of Figures or Illustrations (use if you have 3 or more figures) 
*List of Tables (use if you have 3 or more tables) 
*Preface 
*Acknowledgments
*Dedication
Body of Text and Nontext Elements (begin numbering with page number 1 - bottom center) 
Endnotes/Footnotes/Text References
Bibliography/Reference List 
*Appendix/Appendices
*Autobiographical Statement
Items with asterisks (*) are optional.

• Note: Even if you use APA, MLA, or Chicago style the above components are necessary for the more formal document such as a thesis or dissertation. Some Graduate School requirements may supersede program styles.

• Have you successfully defended your thesis or dissertation? If so, your committee chair will need to notify the Graduate School of this information in writing (send a memo or e-mail to the Graduate School).

• Using human or animal subjects in your research? Not sure if your are in need of IRB or IACUC oversight? Complete the Graduate Research IRB Oversight Determination Form or visit the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Administration web site for more information.

• IRB or IACUC approval or exemption for your research: include a copy of your approval or exemption form in the appendices and mention the approval or exemption and reference the appendix in the methodology chapter. If no review was needed, include statement in thesis or dissertation that none was needed.

• Appendices: be sure to mention them in your chapters (see Appendix A, B, C, etc.)!

• Signature pages: be sure to bring all signed pages when you submit your final draft to the Graduate School. [To avoid having to "redo" sig pages, Teresa would be happy to review your signature page before thesis or dissertation defense - just send as an attachment to twilliam@valdosta.edu.]

• Interim Graduate School Dean Information: Please use the following information for the interim graduate dean's signature block:

James T. LaPlant, Ph.D.

Professor of Political Science

• DOCTOR OF EDUCATION (EDD) STUDENTS: Please use the following information for the INTERIM COLLEGE OF EDUCATION dean's signature block:

Brian L. Gerber, Ph.D.

Professor of Secondary Education

• DOCTOR OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (DPA) STUDENTS:  Please use the following information for the College of Arts & Sciences dean's signature block:

Connie L. Richards, Ph.D.

Professor of English

• Be sure to pay your binding fee at the Bursary.  (The binding fee form can be printed from the link below.) Give a copy of the form marked paid when dropping off hard copy of dissertation by the deadline to Teresa.

• For those that report results of research findings, there should be a space before and after each = , <, or > sign used in chapters and tables. When mentioning t tests: do not hyphenate if used as a noun (a sample t test was used to determine...); use a hyphen if used as an adjective (t-test analysis; or t-test results revealed...).

• After the Graduate School reviews students' theses or dissertations, and changes (if any) are satisfactorily made, students are responsible for making enough copies to be bound and picking up signature pages.  Insert sig pages behind copyright pages.  Include the binding fee form (marked paid by the Bursary)  with copies to be bound and deliver to the Acquisitions Office in Odum Library (fourth floor).  AND deliver a CD or Zip drive with a WORD copy of the thesis or dissertation to the Archives in Odum Library, also on the fourth floor, with a signed copy of the V-Text form found below. Again, these last steps are the responsibility of the student. 

• Library Binding Fee Form (PDF format) Must by marked paid by VSU's Bursary when paying binding fees and submitted with all copies to be bound after final review and signature pages are released to the student.

• Vtext Form - Purpose: This form is intended for Valdosta State University Graduate students who have completed their thesis or dissertation and want to place an electronic version in Vtext, an open access digital repository maintained by the Odum Library to collect, preserve, and distribute Valdosta State University's intellectual capital in ways not currently supported by traditional library and publication print models. Student's may access the form at V-Text Form (submit in Word when dropping off hard copies of theses and dissertations to be bound).

If you have any questions or concerns about your submission or encounter errors in the submission process, please contact the Vtext Management Committee at vtext-help@valdosta.edu .  You may also call us at 229 333-7150.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCHOLARLY CONDUCT

VSU expects all students to meet high standards of academic conduct, and this is particularly true of graduate students.  Graduate students have been through the experience of completing undergraduate degree programs, and they should be familiar with the expected standards of conduct within academe.  Some of the key principles relating to these standards are found in the Thesis and Dissertation Informations Pages at above links.  Students may also consult individual program standards.