Information for Students Regarding Theses and Dissertations

This page answers questions frequently asked by graduate students about what happens to their thesis or dissertation after it has been turned into the Graduate Editorial Office and the Preservation Department.  If you have questions about what happens after you make your final submission, and they are not answered here, please contact the Preservation Department Binding Unit.  

Questions concerning style, format, and content should be addressed to the Graduate Editorial Office, located in 163 Grinter Hall.

Why do I need to turn in so many copies of my thesis/dissertation?
Where do I turn in the second copy of my thesis/dissertation?
What if I am not in town and need to turn in a copy of my thesis/dissertation to the Preservation Department?
What if I want extra copies of my thesis/dissertation bound for myself, my family, my professors?
What will my thesis/dissertation look like after it's bound?
When will my thesis/dissertation be available in the library?
Why do I have to pay the Library Processing Fee?
Is my thesis/dissertation covered by copyright?
Why is my dissertation/nursing thesis going to be microfilmed?

Why do I need to turn in so many copies of my thesis/dissertation?
A minimum of two copies are needed for the University Libraries.  The copy you submit to the Graduate Editorial Office will become a reference-use only copy, to be shelved in the University Archives in the Special Collections Department of the George A. Smathers Libraries.  The copy you turn into the Preservation Department (or your college/department, see below for more information) will be bound and shelved in the library collection that your thesis/dissertation is about.  For example, most Education theses/dissertations are shelved in the Education Library, while a Chemistry thesis would be found in Marston Science Library.  Some departments/colleges require students to turn in more copies for a departmental collection or for committee members.  Check with your department for additional requirements.

Where do I turn in the second copy of my thesis/dissertation?
Most departments/colleges require their graduate students to turn in the second copy directly to the Preservation Department.  Contact the Graduate Editorial Office, for a list of departments/colleges that collect the second copy from the students and then deliver them to the Preservation Department later.

The Preservation Department accepts theses/dissertations from 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday.  We are not open nights or weekends, and do not have any kind of drop box.  Your thesis/dissertation must be complete (including signature pages), printed on 100% cotton bond paper, and correctly collated.  The Preservation Department does not take responsibility for any theses/dissertations that are collated incorrectly, missing pages, etc.  They are bound or microfilmed as received.

What if I am not in town and need to turn in a copy of my thesis/dissertation to the Preservation Department?
You may ship your thesis/dissertation to the Preservation Department at the address below via FedEx, UPS or the U.S. Postal Service.  Please make sure it is printed on the correct type of paper, and is complete and collated correctly.  Your thesis/dissertation should be in a letter-sized (not legal) expandable envelope labeled with your last name, first name; degree and department; semester and year of graduation; daytime phone number including area code; and email address; just as is required for the Graduate School.  The Preservation Department does not any responsibility for damage that occurs during shipment.  Please take care when packing your thesis/dissertation, as to minimize the possibility of damage during shipment.  You will be notified by email when your dissertation is received by the Preservation Department.

Send your thesis/dissertation to:
Binding Unit/Preservation Dept.
University of Florida
P.O. Box 117007
7 Smathers Library
Gainesville, FL 32611-7007

What if I want extra copies bound for myself, my family, my professors?
The Preservation Department only binds the two copies required for graduation.  If you would like personal copies (any above the required two) bound, you must contact binders on your own, and negotiate prices, shipping and handling issues and style of binding.   While the Preservation Department cannot make recommendations or endorsements, we do keep a list of binderies that have submitted prosposals within the past five years as part of the Request for Proposal process. You may wish to use this list as a starting point for contacting binderies.

What will my thesis/dissertation look like after it's bound?
All theses/dissertations that are shelved in University Archives or any other library except the Health Science Center Library, are bound in navy blue buckram with white lettering.  The author's last name and first initial, plus the year of graduation are printed vertically on the spine.  Health Science Center Library copies are bound in navy blue buckram with gold lettering.  The author's last name and initials, year of graduation, and U.F. are printed on the spine.  Contact the Binding Unit directly for more specific binding style information.

When will my thesis/dissertation be available in the library?
Because each thesis/dissertation must be signed by the Dean of the Graduate School, compiled and transferred to the Preservation Department, and then catalogued, added to the library catalog, and prepared for binding and/or microfilming, it can take up to a year for both copies of your thesis/dissertation to be available from the libraries on campus.  

• Master's theses
  Both copies are usually available within four months of commencement, not the date you were cleared to graduate by the Graduate School or the day you turned in your thesis.  This time may be longer for Health Science Center titles.

• Doctoral dissertations and Nursing theses
  The copy turned into the Preservation Department (or your college/department) is usually available within five months of commencement, not the date you were cleared for graduation by the Graduate School, or the day you turned in your dissertation/nursing thesis.  The copy turned into the Graduate Editorial Office must be microfilmed by University Microfilms Incorporated, then bound, and can take up to one year to be available in the libraries.

Why do I have to pay the Library Processing Fee?
The Library Processing fee covers the costs of cataloguing of your thesis or dissertation, and processing by the library.  If you submitted a traditional thesis or dissertation in paper, it also covers materials costs and the binding fee.  If you submitted an electronic thesis or dissertation, it is used to off-set the cost of mounting your files on the library's server, making it available via LUIS and WebLUIS, and technology costs.

Is my thesis/dissertation covered by copyright?
Generally speaking, yes.  For more information on copyright as it pertains to your thesis/dissertation please refer to the George A. Smathers Libraries UF Thesis Copyright webpage.  More information on copyright in general can be found at the George A. Smathers Libraries Copyright webpage.

Why is my dissertation going to be microfilmed?
University Microfilms Incorporated, located in Ann Arbor Michigan, has been microfilming dissertations and nursing theses written at the University of Florida since 1976.  This procedure allows for and fosters the sharing of ideas and information by making dissertations and nursing theses available for purchase in paper, microformat and electronically on the internet.  Please refer to the UMI Agreement Form, available from the Graduate Editorial Office, for more information.

If your question has not been answered here, please contact the Binding Unit.