What is an ETD?
Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) are theses or dissertations prepared as text-based PDF files.
Background
The Frederick Honors College (FHC) was the first undergraduate school at the University of Pittsburgh to require thesis submissions in electronic rather than paper-based format. Students graduating in 2007 were part of a transition phase during which both ETDs and hard copy manuscripts were accepted. Beginning with students graduating in April 2008, all BPhil degree recipients are required to submit their thesis document as an ETD.
Rationale
The rationale for having BPhil theses submitted as ETDs includes the following:
- Broader exposure of undergraduate student research through greater accessibility
- Opportunities to use new forms of creative scholarship through use of interactive elements, multimedia, hyperlinks, etc.
- Ability to have a hyperlink to the thesis on homepages and electronic CVs
- Professional development experience for students as they learn the basic skills of scholarly publishing in an electronic format
Instructions
Complete instructions for completing an ETD are available at the ETD website.
The information on this website includes step-by-step instructions, templates to use, required forms, and opportunities for training and support in the creation of the ETD.
Specific Instructions for Electronic Submission of BPhil Theses
You must submit the following to David Hornyak no later than NOON on the LAST WEEKDAY OF CLASSES of the TERM IN WHICH YOU WILL GRADUATE:
- ETD Approval Form completed in its entirety, with all required signatures on pages 1 and 2 (see ETD website); if required, please submit all copyright permissions with the form; if you have questions about the type of access you should choose, please contact David Hornyak. Remember to include one copy of your Title Page and TWO copies of your Abstract (BOTH copies of the Abstract initialed by your thesis advisor in the upper right corner); this is outlined on Page Four of the ETD Approval Form.
- Uploaded ETD file to the D-Scholarship@Pitt website, formatted correctly with all appropriate bookmarks and hyperlinks (IMPORTANT: When uploading, choose "Frederick Honors College" in the "Schools and Programs" section, not the major within your primary academic center); email David Hornyak after your upload is complete.
- Do not pay the processing fee required of graduate theses and dissertations (the Frederick Honors College pays the processing fee on your behalf).
If you have any questions about the ETD procedures, please contact David Hornyak (or 412-624-6884).