Introduction

This guide describes the regulations governing the preparation of master's theses and doctoral dissertations to be submitted to West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for any doctorate or masters degree conferred by the University, as issued by the Office of Academic Affairs and Research and the University Libraries. It gives the general requirements applicable to all fields of study and provides guidance on the arrangement, format and submission of the student's manuscript.

As of August 15, 1998, WVU requires the electronic submission of all theses and dissertations (ETDs). ETD exemptions will only be granted in rare instances. While this guide focuses on formats generally applicable to both paper and electronic documents, be advised that you must also consult the WVU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Web pages at http://www.wvu.edu/~thesis/ to learn about the new program. Links have been provided, where applicable, to facilitate navigation to topics regarding electronic formats.

You have the responsibility to present to the major professor for final approval a well-written manuscript that is free from error. Copies of the thesis or dissertation submitted to the University Libraries must be of professional quality. The text and any tables, figures and graphics must be sufficiently clear, sharp, and large enough to be easily readable in print and electronic formats, and suitable for microfilming, photo-duplication or other means of reproduction.

The following are some publications of general interest to all graduate students:

Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or Ph.D., by Robert L. Peters, Revised edition, Noonday Press, 1997.
How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation, by David Sternberg, St. Martin's Press, 1981.
The Ultimate Grad School Survival Guide, by Lesli Mitchell, Peterson's, 1996.

The regulations herein described take precedence over previous publications issued by the Office of Academic Affairs and Research and the University Libraries. All program information is currently published and made available on the World Wide Web. Administrators, faculty and staff should make this information known to the student at the commencement of the thesis or dissertation writing.

In addition to the electronic filing of your thesis or dissertation, an ETD Submission Packet must be presented in person or by mail to the University Libraries. See the Submission Forms page for a list of packet items.

Packets are to be delivered to:

The University Libraries Acquisitions Department, Downtown Library Complex, Rm. 2510 Wise Library.

Questions regarding the format of your thesis or dissertation or the submission process not adequately answered in this guide may be directed to the University Libraries; questions regarding the creation of your electronic document not adequately addressed may be directed to the Office of Information Technology, who will be pleased to give assistance.

Revised 18 April 2006