Submitting your thesis or dissertation this year?
Please review the Five Steps below to prepare to submit your ETD for approval by your advisor and committee.
STEP 1: BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR THESIS OR DISSERTATION:
STEP 2: PREPARING YOUR FILES:
Recommended document and file formats. At this time, WPI doesn’t have a required thesis template. Please consult with your advisor or department regarding preferred formats. Your primary documents will be submitted as PDF files. For information on creating PDF files, please see: https://web.wpi.edu/Academics/ATC/Collaboratory/HowTo/AcrobatX
Prepare your complete thesis or dissertation, with unsigned title page, converted to PDF. You will upload this file via the ETD Submission Website (eProjects 2.0). Your primary thesis/dissertation document must be submitted as a single PDF file. Please do not break up your document into multiple files.
Your title page will contain the following information: Title of dissertation or thesis; full name of author; degree; department/program; date; advisor's name; co-advisor's name - if applicable; names of committee members - if applicable; name of the head of department/program - if applicable. This information will also be used in the submission process through eProjects 2.0.
Prepare a separate, digitally signed approval form, or a digital copy of your signed signature/title page. You will submit this online through eProjects 2.0 at the time you submit your thesis or dissertation. You can download a digital approval form here, instructions for its use, and examples of cover pages:
Guide to Approval Form with Digital Signatures
10 step process for filling out the Digital Approval Form and obtaining digital signatures from your committee members.
Supplementary files: You are welcome to attach supplementary files to your ETD when you submit it online. Your files may be in any file format, but please consider using file formats with a higher probability for long-term preservation. If you do include supplementary files, such as a computer program simulation, data set, image, or video, be sure your thesis adequately describes it. For example, for a program or simulation, you might also include any source code with your PDF so that someone could recreate the work later.
STEP 3: SUBMITTING YOUR FILES:
If you need to modify or manage your ETD submission online before submitting (login required):
STEP 4: GETTING APPROVAL:
When the Registrar has approved your ETD, you and your advisor will be notified via e-mail.
STEP 5: GETTING BOUND COPIES:
Check with your department to see if they require a bound copy of your thesis or dissertation. You may wish to retain a bound paper copy of your thesis or dissertation for yourself as well.
To get a bound copy of your thesis or dissertation, contact Acme Bookbinding Company. Acme's on-demand thesis printing and binding service offers students a reasonably priced, beautiful hard cover binding service that is easy and fast. Send Acme a PDF of your thesis or dissertation, and they will print and bind it with many options for shipping and other requirements that you may have. You can do as many or as few copies as you want.