Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Graduate Thesis Submission | University of West Florida
Skip to main content

Graduate Thesis Submission


Contact

Mary Ann Scott
Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator
Building 50, Room 225
850.474.2059
mscott@uwf.edu

Before You Submit Your Thesis

1. Make sure your thesis is in pristine condition and that it follows the format requirements outlined in the UWF Thesis and Dissertation Guide.
2. Be sure that your committee chair has initiated the Completion of Thesis form.
3. Include the Thesis Certification Page as page 2 of your document.
4. Save your thesis as a PDF file.

1. Email the Thesis/Dissertation Coordinator, Mary Ann Scott, at mscott@uwf.edu, and request an iThenticate account. Do not set up the account on your own. That will delay the process and subject you to private account fees. You should receive a confirmation email. Follow the instructions to complete your account.
2. Upload your document to iThenticate.
3. Share your report with the Thesis/Dissertation Coordinator.

You will submit your thesis to the Graduate School through ProQuest on the ProQuest ETD Administrator website. You will receive a verification email and you must click on the link to verify your email before you proceed.

You will need the following:

  • A PDF of your manuscript
  • Your UWF Student ID number
  • Subject categories you would select for your research (You are allowed a maximum of 3 and will choose from a list provided)
  • Keywords that would lead researchers to your manuscript (You are allowed a maximum of 6)

You will also be asked if you want ProQuest to file for copyright on your behalf and whether you want to purchase bound copies of your manuscript. If you do, have a credit card handy.


For more tips on creating your PDF for ProQuest, check out the article Preparing your Manuscript.

The pre-defense option allows you to get a quick read and heads-up on documentation and/or format issues that might prevent the thesis from being approved by the Graduate School and better prepares you to defend your thesis in your department. It is not a guarantee of approval for the designated semester, but it is more likely.

  1. Submit your document for a pre-defense review by or before week 9 of the semester.
  2. If you have not submitted a Declaration of Thesis form yet, make sure you do as soon as
    you have your committee information.
  3. Make sure you have completed the necessary tutorials and quizzes in the Thesis Student
    Guide to Submission course in Canvas. You must earn at least 90% on your documentation
    quiz, and you can take it multiple times. If you have not been added to the course yet, contact
    the Thesis & Dissertation Coordinator.
  4. Request an iThenticate account from the Thesis & Dissertation Coordinator and share
    your similarity report with them.
  5. Your thesis should be in publishable condition (free from plagiarism and major
    documentation and format errors and of reasonable writing quality). Follow the
    guidelines published in the current UWF Thesis & Dissertation Guide.
  6. Save your document as a .PDF.
  7. Submit your thesis via email to the Thesis & Dissertation Coordinator:
    • Type Pre-Defense Review in the subject line.
    • Request a pre-defense review and give the anticipated date of your defense. The defense
      must be at least 3 weeks out from the review request.
    • Provide the documentation style you are using (APA, SHA, MLA, etc.).
  8. The Graduate School will review your thesis for documentation and format issues only. This
    is not a close reading, but it will provide essential information that can expedite your final
    approval. When the Graduate School is satisfied that you are ready to defend, the Thesis &
    Dissertation Coordinator will sign the Declaration of Thesis form and notify the you that you
    are cleared to defend your thesis.
  9. This process allows you more time to submit your final document after your defense. If you
    have been cleared for defense, you will have until week 13 to submit your final thesis
    (through etdadmin.com/ProQuest). *Please note that this does not guarantee your thesis
    will be approved for that semester, but it is more likely.

If you choose to forgo the pre-defense submission, you have until week 10 in the semester to submit your final thesis document to the Graduate School for final approval.

 

  1. Make sure you complete the tutorials in the Thesis Student Guide to Submissions course in
    Canvas.
  2. Request an iThenticate account from the Thesis & Dissertation Coordinator and share your
    similarity report with them.
  3. Save your document as a .PDF. Make sure it is in pristine condition (free from plagiarism
    and major documentation and format errors and of reasonable writing quality). Follow
    the guidelines in the current UWF Thesis and Dissertation Guide.
  4. Submit your document through etdadmin.com (Proquest).
  5. **Creative Writing Students: To preserve copyright and future publication options, choose
    “embargo” for publication to delay the publication of your thesis indefinitely.
  6. The Graduate School will review the thesis and upon completion of the review, will notify
    the student and thesis advisor of either approval or notes for final revisions and
    resubmission. The Graduate School cannot guarantee that a document that requires
    significant revision will be approved for the semester in which it is submitted.

Deadlines for Submission and Publication

Candidates who wish to participate in graduation at the end of the respective semester must upload their polished document to ProQuest and submit their defense verification or Completion of Thesis—Grade Change form by the Graduate School deadline noted below.

Candidates who submit their materials after the deadline will automatically be assigned to the next semester/session for review and the candidate should register for the next semester/session thesis credit hour.

For final publication, candidates must make any final revisions to their manuscript and re-submit the polished copy of their thesis to ProQuest by the Final Submission deadline noted below.

Reminder: Submission of the thesis to the Graduate School is the final step towards completing your degree. Your document should be in pristine condition and formatted according to UWF guidelines when submitted for approval. Documents that are submitted with significant writing errors, insufficient or incorrect documentation, or significant formatting issues may be returned for further revisions before the Graduate School can approve them. If a document is returned for extensive/substantive revisions, it may delay the final approval and subsequent date of degree conferral.

Thesis and Robotics Ph.D. Dissertation Deadlines
Semester Pre-Defense Deadline Traditional Deadline
Spring 2024 March 6, 2024 (final post-defense submission due April 3, 2024) March 13, 2024
Summer 2024 June 19, 2024 (final post-defense submission due July 24, 2024) July 8, 2024
Fall 2024 October 16, 2024 (final post-defense submission due April 3, 2024) October 23, 2024
Spring 2025 March 5, 2025 (final post-defense submission due April 2, 2025) March 12, 2025

Thesis Grading

A grade of "G" (Deferred) will be given for each thesis course taken in which the student is making sufficient progress toward completing their thesis. Once the final thesis has been approved by the Graduate School and submitted to ProQuest, the grade for those thesis courses will be changed to "S" (Satisfactory). A "G" grade may remain indefinitely if for any reason the student does not complete the thesis. A grade of "U" (Unsatisfactory) may be given to one or multiple thesis courses if the student fails to make sufficient progress toward completing the thesis, as determined by the student's Thesis Chairperson.