Electronic Dissertations

Documentation for dissertations:

Beginning spring of 2009, all completed Mills College dissertations will be submitted through UMI/Proquest. UMI/Proquest has been the major clearinghouse for theses and dissertations since the 1930s. Benefits for Mills students will include very quick access to their research by the scholarly community, instant access from any computer with an internet connection, and the ability to order bound copies of their work.  It’s a fairly easy process, but there are some requirements and associated costs.

• Please do follow the current Mills College formatting instructions. The formatting is necessary for any requests to UMI/Proquest to have your dissertation bound.  Since the submission will be electronic, please ignore the sections regarding the appropriate types of paper to use and the binding cost.

• Separate from the dissertation, please write an abstract briefly describing your research.

• It is a UMI/Proquest requirement to have all fonts embedded in your document. This allows all computers to be able to display a readable document. Embedding fonts using the most recent PC version of Microsoft Word is done through the ‘Office Button’ located in the upper left hand corner of the Microsoft Word screen. When the menu opens, select ‘Word Options,’ then select the ‘Save’ option and click on ‘Embed Fonts.’ For other systems and software, please check the help files.

• Once you have finished your dissertation (congratulations!) and have a completed Dissertation Completion Form from the School of Education (all signatures must be present (advisor, committee, etc) with the exception of the Provost. The Provost's signature will be collected by the library later), make an appointment to see Michael Beller at the library (mbeller@mills.edu; 510 430-2051). Bring to the appointment a digital version of your dissertation (either on CD, DVD, flash drive, or, alternatively, you can email it) and your credit card. 

Submitting your dissertation can take up to an hour. There are a number of decisions that need to be made and some online forms that need to be filled out.  There are two publishing agreements available with different benefits and different costs. In addition, there are copyright registration options, an opportunity to order print copies and an opportunity to associate keywords with your dissertation.

Publishing Options:

• The Traditional Publishing Agreement currently costs $65. Through that agreement, your dissertation is findable through UMI/Proquest’s Dissertation Express database and Google Scholar and offered for sale for any interested researchers. You can get royalties through this option, but the purchase cost will deter some researchers.

• The Open Access Publishing Agreement currently costs $160. Your dissertation is then findable through through UMI/Proquest’s Dissertation Express database and Google Scholar and made freely and immediately available to all interested researchers.

Copyright:
• For an additional $65, UMI/Proquest will register your work at the United States Copyright Office.

Keywords
• During the dissertation submission process, you will have the opportunity to associate six keywords or phrases with your dissertation to make it more findable.  Use the words and phrases that you would use to find a similar dissertation.

Purchasing copies:
• There are many different options if you would like to purchase bound copies of your dissertation. It’s possible to purchase both hardbound and softbound copies and even copies on microfilm. The base cost for a 8.5” by 11” hardbound copy is $53. Ordering multiple copies at the same time will lower the per copy cost.

 
UMI/Proquest has a helpful page available of more detailed explanations available.

Please feel free to contact Michael Beller at the Mills College library with any question you might have. He can be reached at mbeller@mills.edu or 510 430-2051