Skip to Main Content

Educational Innovation: Dissertation Submission Information

This guide gives an introduction to Reese Library and library research for students in the Doctor of Education in Educational Innovation program.

Dissertation Submission Steps

ProQuest ETD administrator_image

The Graduate School at Augusta University requires that all doctoral program students submit your dissertation to ProQuest and the Libraries digital archive,Scholarly Commons. This is completed in one submission process with ProQuest. Before you begin the submission process, you will need the following:

  1. A PDF copy of your dissertation/thesis prepared according to these standards [PDF]. Note: ProQuest indicates 1" margins throughout the document.  The ETD template has added 1.5" to the left margin for a clean binding.
  2. Abstract (copy/paste into the submission form; will need to watch to make sure fonts, special characters like symbols or "smart quotes" carried over properly)
  3. Optional Supplementary files (images, data, etc.) that are an integral part of the dissertation/thesis, but not part of the full text.
  4. Advisor and other Committee Members' Names
  5. 1-3 Subject Categories [PDF] that best describe your thesis/dissertation's subject area

To complete the submission process, visit the ProQuest ETD website and create an account. 

During your submission process to ProQuest, you will be asked several questions regarding type of publishing and copyright. See the box below for helpful information. 

Registering for Copyright (Optional)

ProQuest Dissertation Publishing will act on your behalf as your agent with the United States Copyright Office and apply for copyright registration as part of the publishing process. This costs $55.00. Alternatively, you can also register for copyright directly with the U.S. Copyright Office (fees vary depending on option selected). See here for more information. 

The following chart is from ProQuest for help in choosing an embargo period. Ultimately, you will decide whether to embargo and for how long with your Major Advisor. 

ProQuest_delay release chart

There are four options for publishing your dissertation. You will indicate how you want to publish on both the ETD Permission to Publish Form and when submitting your dissertation to ProQuest. The options are discussed below and a printable "road map" is available through the file link above. 

 

  Traditional ProQuest Publishing with no embargo, open through Scholarly Commons

Traditional ProQuest Publishing: access is available only to those who subscribe to ProQuest's Theses and Dissertation Database. Authors retain their intellectual property but give up their rights to reproduce, distribute, and sell copies of their work
No embargo: work is made available immediately once submitted to ProQuest (to only those who pay the database subscription fee)
Open Access through Scholarly Commons: work is made immediately available to anyone through Augusta University’s institutional repository

   Traditional ProQuest Publishing with an embargo period, then open through Scholarly Commons after embargo period expires

Traditional ProQuest Publishing: access is available only to those who subscribe to ProQuest's Theses and Dissertation Database. Authors retain their intellectual property but give up their rights to reproduce, distribute, and sell copies of their work

Embargo: work is made available in ProQuest after the embargo period expires (to only those who pay the database subscription fee) Options: 6 months, 1 year, 2 years 

Note: If you require a longer embargo period, choose 2 years and contact Jennifer Davis with your request. 
Open Access through Scholarly Commons after embargo: work is made available to anyone through Augusta University’s institutional repository after the embargo period expires 

  Traditional ProQuest Publishing with an embargo period, then restricted to Augusta University through Scholarly Commons after embargo period expires

Traditional ProQuest Publishing: access is available only to those who subscribe to ProQuest's Theses and Dissertation Database. Authors retain their intellectual property but give up their rights to reproduce, distribute, and sell copies of their work

Embargo: work is made available in ProQuest after the embargo period expires (to only those who pay the database subscription fee) Options: 6 months, 1 year, 2 years 

Note: If you require a longer embargo period, choose 2 years and contact Jennifer Davis with your request. 
Restricted to AU through Scholarly Commons after embargo: work is made available only to those who are affiliated with AU through Augusta University’s institutional repository after the embargo period expires; authentication requires use of JagNet ID and Password

   ProQuest Open Access (fee to ProQuest required)

Open Access ProQuest Publishing: access is freely available to anyone; requires an Author Processing Charge (APC) of $95 to subsume the costs of paying subscribers
Open Access through Scholarly Commons: work is made available to anyone through Augusta University’s institutional repository; no fee required

More Information

For more information about dissertations and the submission process, please visit the Libraries' guide at The Graduate School Reference Center