Submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be within 60 days of the final exam. Students who miss the 60 day submission deadline are ineligible to register in future terms.
The Graduate School uses ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process that results in publication in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database and Cornell’s Library Repository, eCommons. Before initiating the electronic process, students are required to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates (for doctoral students only). A SED Certification of Completion is provided to the student when the survey has been completed. Once the survey is completed, the final ETD can then be submitted to the Graduate School using the ProQuest system. The SED Certification of Completion is required for submission to ProQuest.
ProQuest Submission Steps
In order to complete the submission process, you will need to have the following:
- A single PDF file of your thesis or dissertation
- Your abstract
- Supplemental material
- SED Certification of Completion
Step 1: Begin Submission Process
Master’s students go to Cornell Master’s ProQuest site, doctoral students go to Cornell Doctoral ProQuest site. Click on the “sign up and get started today” button and follow instructions to begin the submission process.
Submission Process: Submission steps are outlined on the left menu. You will see the items checked off as you progress through the submission steps. You must click “Save & Continue” at the bottom of each page, even pages on which you do not enter any information. Using the left menu, you can return to any page and make changes until the point of final submission.
Step 2: Publishing Options
Traditional Publishing: “Traditional Publishing” is automatically selected and is included in the Cornell Thesis and Dissertation filing fees.
Delayed Release: ProQuest provides six months, and one and two year embargoes. The Graduate School recommends you discuss the publishing options with your advisor. If your advisor is unavailable or has no opinion, the conservative approach is to choose a two-year embargo.
Step 3: Read and Agree to ProQuest and University Distribution License
Both ProQuest and Cornell University distribution licenses will be presented for your acceptance.
Step 4: Enter Thesis/Dissertation Information
In addition to the mandatory information, such as title and abstract, you will have the opportunity to select up to three categories (subject areas) and six key words that describe your ETD. This information will make it easier for others to find your work when searching the web.
Step 5: Upload PDF and Supplemental Files
Upload PDF: Whether you use the PDF conversion tool provided by ProQuest or you convert your document to PDF yourself, review your PDF to ensure your formatting remains as you intended after conversion.
Supplementary Materials: If supplementary materials – such as audio, video, and spreadsheets – are an integral part of your ETD, you can submit them as supplementary files during the online submission process.
Step 6: Upload Required Documents
The SED Certification of Completion if you are a Ph.D. candidate is required for submission to ProQuest.
Step 7: Register for Copyright
You can complete this process through ProQuest for a fee, or you complete the process independently through the U.S. Copyright Office.
Step 8: Order Copies
If you would like to purchase additional copies of your thesis/dissertation for yourself, your field, or your committee members, you may order bound copies through ProQuest (Order Copies page). The required bound archival copy for the library is automatically ordered for you and included in the Cornell thesis and dissertation filing fees.
Select the “Decline – do not order” option if you don’t wish to order additional copies.
Bound copies can also be ordered through Cornell Print Services.
Step 9: Review and Submit
Once the thesis editor has reviewed the formatting of your thesis/dissertation, you will receive an email to let you know whether any corrections are required. You will then have five days to make the changes and upload the revised PDF. You will not be certified for graduation until the formatting of your ETD has been fully approved by the Graduate School. You will receive a confirmation email of final acceptance.
Step 10: Submitting Revised PDF (if needed)
You will receive an email describing the formatting changes needed with instructions and a link for resubmission.
