The University of Chicago Library sets the standards for the materials that you must use in preparing the final copies of the dissertation. The Library evaluates methods and materials as they are developed. Because papers and adhesives may be reformulated or go off the market, it is the responsibility of each student to contact this office in the quarter in which they graduate to ensure that they are using materials which are approved at that time.
Because your dissertation will be bound and become a permanent part of the University Library collection, it must be printed on archival quality paper, size 8 1/2 x 11 inches. If you have large maps or figures that would be better printed on larger paper, you may order oversized Permalife Bond from one of the mail-order companies listed below.
The following two archival quality papers are permitted as of this printing:
University of Chicago Bond paper is currently available at the University Bookstore. They will ship paper outside Chicago. Permalife Bond is available from the University Copy Center and the University Bookstore and from several mail-order companies, some of which are listed in the next section.
Students living outside the United States may wish to order Permalife Bond from one of the mail-order companies named below. Most of these companies will deliver paper within 24 or 48 hours in the continental United States or Canada. However, due to the fact that a rush order can be costly, we suggest you place your order six weeks before you will need the paper. Phone orders must be paid by credit card.
Please also see VII.4, Using Technology.
Generally speaking, only line drawings and other illustrations that have no shades of gray and no color may be photocopied into the final copy.
A laser copy of any photograph is permitted if permanent paper is used, and if the quality is acceptable to the department or school. See Section V.3.2.9 on the use of color in dissertations.
Scanning photographs or drawings into digital form is permitted, and in many cases, is the best choice. In most cases, general purpose grayscale scanners will provide acceptable images. These scanners are available at various computing sites across campus, including USITE in Wieboldt 310 (west end of Harper Library) or in the USITE Crerar Cluster. For specialized scanning needs that are beyond the capability of most publicly available laboratories, or for answers to specific questions regarding scanning techniques, contact the Digital Media Laboratory at (773)702-9944 or send email to digitalmedia@uchicago.edu. Please allow at least five working days for a reply.
When photographs, plates, or illustrations have not been scanned and may not be photocopied, they must be inserted using only the following methods, to ensure that they do not fall out or deteriorate over time.
You may print all photographs on a sheet of photographic paper cut to 8 1/2 x 11". It is best to use a single-weight or a light-weight paper. The photographs should be processed to optimal archival standards, although this is not required. A page number must appear on each photograph in a way that will be permanent. If necessary, you may use a permanent, waterproof, black pen to write the page number.
There are only two acceptable adhesives for photograph mounting:
For binding purposes, no volume may have more than 300 sheets of paper. If your dissertation comprises 301 or more sheets of paper, it must be in two or more volumes. The point of division is entirely up to you. Pagination of multiple volumes must be continuous and is covered in detail in Section V.2.1.
If your dissertation must be bound in more than one volume, please pay particular attention to the special requirements for formatting the title page and table of contents (see Sections V.3.1.1 and V.3.1.3, as well as the title page sample and the table of contents sample).
In general, handwritten characters must be avoided whenever possible, but, if necessary, must be in permanent black ink. Full size photographs may be numbered by hand in permanent, waterproof, black ink, or with a typewriter.