Submitting Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Graduate students are generally encouraged, but not required, to submit an electronic copy of the final version of their successfully defended thesis, dissertation, or scholarly project, referred to as an ETD, to the Jerry Falwell Library. These works will be published in Scholars Crossing, Liberty University’s institutional repository. Students also have the option to publish their work in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Guidelines

1. Students are generally encouraged to submit an electronic copy of the final version of their successfully defended dissertation, thesis, or scholarly project, referred to as an ETD, to the library using the Graduate ETD Submission Form. (Physical copies are not accepted.)
   • Before submitting their work, students should review this checklist or this submission video tutorial to ensure that their work is ready for publication.
   • The library does not edit or proofread students’ ETDs. Students should review their work for any final edits prior to submission. Changes to content require approval from the student’s committee chair before resubmitting to the library.
2. Students should consult their department’s handbook for formatting guidelines and requirements.
3. In order to provide identity protection, it is recommended students remove or block out all signatures and personal contact information (e.g., addresses, phone numbers, and emails).
4. Students will submit a separate file with either a scanned copy of the signed signature page or other documentation of committee approval such as an email. This file will be saved with the student’s work but will not be published.
5. Students are responsible for complying with copyright law and avoiding plagiarism. Documentation of copyright compliance must be provided for images, audio, video, testing instruments, diagrams, and full-text documents that are included in their ETD or submitted as supplementary files. For questions regarding permissions and copyright, students should contact scholarlycommunications@liberty.edu. Documentation must demonstrate one of the following:
   • The student has secured permission from the copyright holder to publish the material as part of their ETD. (Please note that permission to use is not the same as permission to publish.)
   • The material is in the public domain or otherwise free of copyright restrictions.
   • The student owns the copyright for the material.
6. Students will receive an initial email confirming that the library received the submission. Next, the library will review the submission to ensure that it is complete and send a second email to the student with either approval or required revisions within 10 business days of the initial submission.
   • The Jerry Falwell Library has the authority to deny the publication of submitted materials that do not meet institutional standards.
   • If revisions are required, the library review will take up to an additional 10 business days to respond with either acceptance or a requirement for additional revisions
   • When students receive the email notifying them that their work has been accepted, they should forward it to their committee chair.
7. While Scholars Crossing endeavors to publish submissions in a timely fashion, students should allow at least 30 days after acceptance for their work to be published in Scholars Crossing.
8. Exceptions to Liberty’s Theses and Dissertation Policy and the Jerry Falwell Library’s Scholars Crossing Policy are granted on a case-by-case basis by the presiding department or provost.

Bound Copies

If students would like a personal bound copy of their work or if their academic program requires one, they can submit a PDF version of their final, accepted work to the bindery.

• It is important that students do not submit their work to the bindery until after receiving a confirmation of acceptance from the library.
• Students should not send bound copies to the library.

Optional Submission to ProQuest

After receiving the acceptance email, the student has the option to submit his or her work to the ProQuest ETD Submission Site by creating an account on that page.

• This is not required for graduation but is offered as an option if the student would like his or her work published within ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
• The library does not recommend that students pay ProQuest to register for U.S. copyright or order bound copies through ProQuest.

Please contact scholarlycommunications@liberty.edu with any questions about the submission process.