Dissertation and Thesis Submission

Preparation Instructions:

• Preparing Dissertations for Electronic Submission
• Preparing Engineer Theses for Electronic Submission
• Preparing Dissertations for Paper Submission
• Preparing Engineer Theses for Paper Submission

These guidelines are minimum standards for professional presentation of your doctoral work. The Office of the University Registrar, which is responsible for administering dissertation and thesis submission, encourages students to ask  questions about format before final preparation of the manuscript. A non-conforming submission may have to be redesigned and  resubmitted, with a possible delay in degree conferral. Previously approved dissertations are not a reliable guide for preparation of a manuscript as guidelines may have changed. Stanford is committed to the preservation and dissemination of the scholarly contributions of its students. The Faculty Senate’s Committee on Graduate Studies believes that this practice is of value to library patrons, researchers, and the learned community at large, as well as to the author whose work receives wide and accessible dissemination.

Submission Deadlines for Conferral

Electronic Dissertation and Thesis Submission

The Registrar's Office in conjunction with the Stanford University Library offer students the option to submit their dissertation/thesis in electronic format. This electronic submission process is free of charge to students and allows them the ability to log into Axess and check their pre-submission requirements in the eDissertation/eThesis Center under the academics tab. Once these requirements have been met the "Proceed to Dissertation/Thesis Submission page" button will open up in the student eDissertation/eThesis center and this will allow the student proceed and upload a soft copy of their dissertation/thesis.

This means that Ph.D., J.S.D., D.M.A., and Engineer degree students now have the option to submit their dissertation/thesis either online in electronic pdf format OR continue to submit the hard copies via an appointment with the Registrar’s Office. The electronic submission process is not yet available for master's theses or undergraduate honors theses.

Additional Resources:

• eDissertation/eThesis FAQs

• How to Use the eDissertation/eThesis Center

• Dissertation and Thesis Help - Wiki.
  • The information on this wiki is intended to supplement the above guidelines.
  • The information on this wiki is not official University documentation. So, it stands to reason: use it at your own risk.

Electronic Dissertation/Thesis Sessions

The Registrar's Office and Stanford University Libraries will hold informational sessions to provide assistance to students who have additional electronic submission questions.  

• Tuesday, September 25, 2:00pm-2:30pm

• Thursday, October 18, 9:30am-10am

• Wednesday, November 14, 10:30am:11am

• Thursday, November 29, 10:30am-11am

• Tuesday, December 4, 1:30pm-2pm

If you have further questions about electronic formatting, the submission process, or just general issues with submission, come to one of these sessions for assistance. Bring your laptop computer with you to these sessions.

There will be representatives from both the Stanford University Registrar's Office and the Library present to assist you. All sessions are located at Green Library IC (Information Center) classroom, room 166.

We advise you to read through the eDissertation/eThesis FAQs page before attending a session.

If you are unable to attend one of these edissertation/ethesis sessions and you have additional questions, send email to edissertations@lists.stanford.edu for assistance.

If you are not submitting electronically, you may schedule a paper dissertation format, or paper submission appointment with the Registrar's Office.

Students with last names ending, A-L Students with last names ending, M-Z

Copyright Considerations for Authors of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Take a few minutes to review the Copyright and Publication Considerations before you submit your eDissertation/eThesis. The above slide presentation, produced by Stanford University Libraries in consultation with the Office of the General Counsel, is designed to inform students about copyright issues, in particular the choices and decisions a student faces in the process of submitting a dissertation or thesis electronically. 

General Questions:

For further information on preparing and submitting doctoral dissertations, Engineer degree theses, and D.M.A. final projects, contact the Student Services Center, second floor, Tresidder Memorial Union, or submit a Student Service Center Help Ticket.