Dissertations, Doctoral Projects, and Theses

The process of getting your dissertation, doctoral project, or thesis approved and uploaded into ProQuest and DigitalGeorgetown involves several departments at the University and must be done correctly for your degree to be awarded in a timely manner. The information and links below provide information on submission procedures, publishing options, embargoes, and copyright for your work. 

Committee Approval

Before you submit you dissertation, doctoral project, or thesis, your work must be approved by your committee and your department’s Director of Graduate Studies. Once approved, you will submit an ETD Release and your cover sheet (Academic Forms) to the Graduate School’s Academic Affairs staff who oversee the submission process. Details of this process are available from the Graduate School’s Dissertation, Doctoral Project, and Thesis Resources page. The Submission of Thesis and Submission of Dissertation or Doctoral Project pages set out the deadlines for submission and approval of your work for your selected graduation date.

Copyright

As the author of your dissertation, doctoral project, or thesis, you own the copyright in your work and will continue to do so after it is submitted to ProQuest and DigitalGeorgetown. As an academic work, it is highly likely that your dissertation, doctoral project, or thesis includes some material created and copyrighted by others, such as quotations, images, data, tables, or graphs. Before submitting your work, learn more about your rights and responsibilities on our Dissertations, Doctoral Projects, and Theses: Copyright page.

Formatting Guidelines

Before uploading your work, check carefully to be sure that you have followed all of the Graduate School’s Guidelines for Dissertation, Doctoral Project, and Thesis Writers. The care you take to prepare your work according to these guidelines generally determines the number and nature of any changes you may be required to make during the Graduate School review process. After submission, if any issues are found, you will receive an email notification from the Graduate School’s Academic Affairs staff of the edits to be made. 

ProQuest Submission Process

Submission of your thesis, dissertation, or doctoral project is done electronically by uploading your work through ProQuest’s ETD Administrator. 


These ProQuest ETD Administrator: Step-by-Step Submission Instructions will walk you through the submission process and give you information to make informed decisions about your publishing options and other choices you will need to make including:

ProQuest also provides information and support for the submission process on their Resources and Guidelines page.

Availability of Your Work

University policy is that all dissertations, doctoral projects, and theses will be available to the public, so absent an embargo, the full text of your work will be available in ProQuest’s subscription databases and DigitalGeorgetown, the library’s institutional repository, shortly after acceptance by the Graduate School. Read more about how your work will be available to readers on our Where Will My Dissertation, or Doctoral Project, or Thesis Go? page. 

Publishing Your Dissertation

Finding Theses and Dissertations

  • DigitalGeorgetown - electronic copies of Georgetown theses and dissertations, 2007-present
  • WRLC - request print copies of Georgetown theses and dissertations from our off-campus storage center; use HoyaSearch to get a complete citation and call number
  • ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global - database with abstracts of theses and dissertations from North American and European universities, many with full text available (Georgetown NetID and password required)
  • Dissertations and Theses LibGuide - links to additional sources for locating theses and dissertations

Questions