Thesis Publishing (ProQuest Agreement)
This information is for: ETD Submitters
All information regarding ProQuest/University Microfilms International's publishing options, publishing guides and the publishing agreement are available for ETD submitters through the UMI ETD Administrator site.
Below please review the description of The University of Iowa Graduate College's policies and procedures that are in contrast to information provided in UMI's agreement form and accompanying guides. If you have questions concerning Graduate College dissertation and thesis requirements, please contact Heidi Arbisi-Kelm, the Director of Academic Affairs.
In cases where ProQuest/UMI regulations conflict with those of the University of Iowa, the policies and specifications of the University will always take precedence.
Open Access Publishing
Students submitting an electronic thesis (ETD) may choose, through ProQuest, either Open Access or Traditional Publishing. If you elect Open Access Publishing, a one-time fee of $95 will be billed to your account at the time you make final deposit. (Please see the next paragraph.) This is in addition to the fees that are already billed to your account at the time you make first deposit; thesis fee ($145) and publication fee ($10).
It is important to note that when your ETD is released to The University of Iowa Library, it will be published online with no access restrictions. In effect, it will be available on the internet whether or not the student chose "Traditional Publishing" or "Open Access Publishing" through the ProQuest site. It makes little sense, therefore, to pay ProQuest to release your ETD under an "Open Access" option, when that will be accomplished with no fee assessment through the university's library system.
External Doctoral Abstracts
UMI has removed the 350-word limit on all doctoral abstracts. However, UMI's print indices still require limits of 350 words, and they will truncate abstracts that exceed that limit. The University of Iowa requirement is as follows: the external abstract may be no longer than two, double-spaced pages. The two-page maximum includes the abstract text and the approval lines.
Signature Pages
The University of Iowa will continue to require the hard-copy submission of signed (1) external abstracts (PhD and DMA dissertation students) and (2) Certificates of Approval (all thesis/dissertation submitters; see samples in the Thesis Manual, Appendix A) with the final deposit of the thesis/dissertation. The signed abstracts and certificates will be stored in the Graduate College; they will not be released to UMI. For both first and final deposits, all PhD and DMA dissertation submitters will include an unsigned external abtract within their ETD's, and all ETD submitters will include an unsigned Certificate of Approval as part of the electronic document.
Embargoes
A University of Iowa embargo may be placed on the release of a thesis/dissertation. To request an embargo, your thesis supervisor should write a letter to the Graduate College requesting the embargo and outlining the circumstances. This must be done at the time your final deposit is submitted. If the request is approved, the Graduate College will retain the thesis/dissertation until the designated release date. Once the embargo has expired, the thesis/dissertation will be released to ProQuest/UMI and to the UI Libraries.
