Dissertation submission goes digital

Graduate students finishing their dissertations only to be slapped with mounting printing fees have an alternative this year. Electronically submitted files, now in use at IU for the second consecutive semester, are changing the way Ph.D. and master's students turn in their theses. Because electronic copies remove the cost of binding and printing, which can cost students hundreds of dollars in extra fees, this option is growing in popularity.\nThe usual process of submitting hard copies of dissertations is not only grueling but also expensive. Dissertations can range from 75 to 300 pages in length, and they are printed at a bindery when completed. Because dissertations are then stored in library archives, it's important to print them on high-quality cotton paper, which will extend their shelf life.\nThe paper quality alone increases the overall price of printing hard copies. \n"(The dissertation) has to be submitted on a certain type of paper, and that paper is expensive," said Dana Ruddick of University Graduate Studies. \nAnd the cost to bind it runs anywhere from $100 to $400, said Mary Howard-Hamilton, associate dean for graduate studies for the School of Education. Although the price depends on the length and the number of copies, the price list doesn't stop there. \nMany departments often require a copy of the dissertation, which, along with the copy for the library archives, could cost a student anywhere from $200 to $800. Howard-Hamilton said many graduate students spend anywhere from a year and a half to two years of their lives writing their theses. Because so much work goes into the final product, most students also want a personal copy of their dissertation as well -- tacking on another $100 to $400 charge. \nAnd the buck doesn't stop there, either: A microfilming fee is charged to each student, along with a copyright fee. Although students can decline having their work copyrighted, many choose to. \n"It's rare that a person doesn't copyright his or her dissertation," Howard-Hamilton said. "Ninety-nine percent of people copyright (them)."\nThe microfilming charge of $60 places the dissertations on film, creating a final product similar to old newspaper archives so the public can access them. Regardless of whether the graduate student binds the dissertation or chooses to submit it electronically, the microfilming fee and the copyright fee still apply. \nGraduate dissertations can vary from department to department. For the School of Education, a copy of the dissertation is not necessary. \n"We don't archive any graduate dissertations in the Office of Graduate Studies," Howard-Hamilton said. "We just verify they have completed their degree."\nDepartments aren't requiring students to use the electronic method and are still allowing students the choice of printing a hard copy. But more often than not, students will want a hard copy of their work. \nNot only is money saved with the electronic process -- time is, too. Without approved dissertations, graduates are not awarded a degree.\n"The new electronic dissertation process allows us to respond to graduate students needs immediately, which is always a plus," Hamilton-Howard said. "In the past, it would take anywhere from three to eight months to process." \nBefore the option of an electronic submission, students sometimes have to fly back to Bloomington just to turn in their dissertation at Kirkwood Hall. \n"The electronic process allows students to be sitting at home at 3 in the morning in their pajamas and hitting the send button," Howard-Hamilton said. \nHolding space for dissertations recently became an issue at the IU library, which is why the switch to electronic files was proposed, said Kim Bunch of the University Graduate School. \nThis change likely will not affect library employees -- the only aspect of the library system expected to change is the process of archiving the dissertations, said Howard-Hamilton. \nThe new age of technology has extended the boundaries further than imaginable and has reduced headaches and saved time in many ways. New electronic dissertations have the power to save graduate students time and money.\n-- Contact Weekend Features Editor Andrea Opperman at acopperm@indiana.edu.