This booklet describes in detail the University-wide minimum requirements for publishing and formatting Ph.D. dissertations and offers advice on how to meet those requirements efficiently. The University is committed to preserving and disseminating the scholarly contributions of its students. In order to fulfill its commitment, the University has established minimum standards for the presentation of the doctoral dissertation and requires all students to publish the dissertation through ProQuest Information and Learning/UMI. A dissertation that fails to meet minimum University-wide requirements may have to be resubmitted, possibly delaying the conferral of the degree.
This booklet also outlines the procedures followed by the Dissertation Office, which is charged with administering the University-wide requirements. The Dissertation Office distributes UMI's handbook, "Publishing Your Dissertation: How to Prepare Your Manuscript for Publication," to students and departments. UMI's handbook includes and explains the publication agreement that you will execute with ProQuest Information and Learning/UMI.
After having read this booklet, if you are still unsure about how to handle a specific element of your dissertation in order to meet the requirements, the likely reason is that no requirement applies to that element. Nonetheless, do not hesitate to call the Dissertation Office to ask questions. Our staff is willing to look at representative sections or entire manuscripts up to two weeks before the deadline. This service is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it is in your interest to allow sufficient time for review and correction of problems. You must allow time for us to meet with you and find a solution, and time for yourself to carry it out by the deadline. Note that your department or school may have formatting or publishing requirements in addition to those described in this booklet. You are responsible for knowledge of and fulfillment of departmental requirements.
How to use this booklet
This booklet is organized so that you will be able to locate the information you need. The "Requirements for Graduation" section describes what you must submit to this office, how you must submit it, and when, in order to graduate. Subsequent sections describe what you must do to reach this goal and offer advice on how to get there. Also included are a collection of sample pages and a checklist, which may be used as a quick reference to identify the minimum University-wide requirements. Cross references in the checklist and a detailed table of contents will enable you to locate quickly the topics that are covered.
This booklet both states requirements and gives advice. After describing a requirement that you must meet, we may refer to a convention, mention some point of information, or recommend that you should handle some element in a particular fashion. These remarks are advisory only; you are not required to follow these conventions or use the information.
How to reach us
Our telephone number is (773) 702-7404; our fax number is (773) 702-6623; our e-mail address is phd@lib.uchicago.edu. Our address is The Dissertation Office, The University of Chicago Library, 1100 E. 57th Street, JRL 100-B, Chicago IL 60637. Our web page is located at http://phd.lib.uchicago.edu/, where we post specific deadlines, PDF and HTML copies of this booklet, and required forms.
How we will contact you
Unless you have made other arrangements with this office, we will contact you by e-mail if we notice any problems with your dissertation that you must correct by convocation.