Dissertation Submission Standards

A Ph.D. dissertation or D.Min. thesis represents the successful completion of a program of advanced graduate study, and a significant contribution to a field of academic and practical scholarship.

The JKM Library collects and stores completed Ph.D. dissertations and D.Min. theses produced by students at McCormick Theological Seminary and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. For more information, see our page on accessing doctoral theses and dissertations.

Because of our bindery, we have a few specific formatting requirements, listed below. However, JKM is not responsible for most other content, style, or formatting questions. Please consult your advisor and program director for all other details relevant to your specific project and program of studies.

Generally, the dissertation or thesis should conform to the scholarly conventions set forth in either:

• Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, 9th ed. (University of Chicago Press, 2018), or
• The SBL Handbook of Style for Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies, 2nd ed. (Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2014).

See JKM's e-resources page for access to electronic versions of these style guides. Questions that go beyond the limits of Turabian can be answered by reference to the Chicago Manual of Style.

Note: In some cases, the 2005 Luther Seminary "The Shortcut" has been recommended as an abbreviated style guide. If you are using this, please be sure to also check CMS and SBL in their current versions. There is a Turabian Citation Quick Guide, but it does not include document formatting suggestions.

LSTC Ph.D.  |  McCormick, ACTS, Interschool D.Min.

Ph.D. Dissertations (LSTC)

First of all, congratulations on making it this far! The finish line is in sight. Don't give up now—make sure your finished dissertation is preserved and made available to scholarship, so it can start to have an impact and you can start to get credit for it!

The LSTC Advanced Studies Office requires you to submit your completed Ph.D. dissertation manuscript, in PDF form, incorporating:

• a scan of your signed signature page, representing the approval of your defended thesis;
• all editorial and formatting suggestions made by the dissertation editor; and
• all corrections required by your committee as a condition of their approval.

Formatting Requirements

Please make sure, before you set the page numbers in your index, that you have formatted your document with:

• US Letter page size (not A4)
• 1" margins all around
• page numbers centered in footer

This will ensure that our double-sided print of your dissertation will be properly readable when bound.

Export your finished document in PDF/A format to ensure that all fonts used are properly embedded, so that it renders correctly for the printer and your readers.

It is your responsibility to see that your submitted dissertation PDF is complete and in correct order. We can help you, but we will not generally know the details of your particular project. You are submitting the form in which your project will be available to scholarship; make sure it is the best version of your project.

Submission Processes

Submission of your dissertation manuscript to ProQuest ETD and the JKM Library is important and beneficial for you.

If you do not submit your dissertation through ProQuest ETD, it will not be accessible to scholarship. If you do not submit your dissertation to JKM for printing and binding, it will not be held in our collections. These are the first forms in which there will be an accessible record of your achievement.

The LSTC Advanced Studies Office requires this as part of their process, and JKM will be happy to help you!

LSTC Submission Process

As you prepare to submit your dissertation, please consult LSTC's most recent ThM and PhD Program Manual, particularly "Section 8: PhD Dissertation Policies and Procedures."

The deadlines for submission each year are set by the LSTC Advanced Studies Office. You are responsible for completing the doctoral process to their satisfaction, and will have to work with the Advanced Studies Office regarding adjustments to any dates.

The Advanced Studies Office requires you to complete their Form K: Submission of the PhD Dissertation to JKM Library in order for your process to be complete, and for you to graduate. This form appears toward the end of the ThM and PhD Program Manual.

To complete the Form K, you will need signature or email confirmation for:

• your own confirmation that the submitted version incorporates everything required for its approval;
• your advisor's confirmation that the submitted version incorporates everything required for its approval;
• the dissertation editor's confirmation that the submitted version incorporates everything required for its approval; and
• the confirmation of the Director of the JKM Library that you have completed your submission of the dissertation.

To get confirmation from the Director of the JKM Library, you must submit a compliant PDF copy of your dissertation to both ProQuest ETD and the JKM Library. These processes are documented below.

ProQuest ETD Submission Process

ProQuest ETD provides the industry-strandard comprehensive service for publishing, archiving, and disseminating graduate research, not to mention allowing you to receive royalties for your published work.

The ProQuest ETD Administrator website allows Ph.D. candidates to upload their approved dissertations to ProQuest electronically. Participating in the program:

• significantly reduces publication turnaround time, and
• eliminates the basic publishing fee for authors.

If you do not participate in the program, it will be much harder for your work to reach any readers; the ability to find your work in the ProQuest repository enables people to learn about and build on your work, and credit you. This includes those who follow after you here at LSTC and McCormick!

As you submit your dissertation, the ProQuest ETD Administrator website will guide you through a step-by-step process to completion:

1. You submit your PDF manuscript to ProQuest ETD; this involves:
   
   1. Go to https://www.etdadmin.com
   2. Search for "Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago" to go to LSTC's page
   3. Create an account for yourself
   4. Accept the agreement
   5. Upload your dissertation manuscript and all requested supplementary materials
2. ASO and JKM evaluate the manuscript submitted to ProQuest ETD;
3. ASO and JKM approve and release your submitted manuscript;
4. ProQuest ETD processes your manuscript for inclusion in their database; and
5. ProQuest ETD publishes your manuscript in their database.

Anytime during the initial submission process, you can save your work and exit. This may be necessary if they request materials from you that you have not yet prepared. The account you create will allow you to log back in and continue the process.

For a detailed guide to this process and what you will need to complete it, see their Resources and Guidelines page.

You will, in particular, need to:

• Write an abstract for inclusion in the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database; and
• Decide whether you wish to order personal copies of your dissertation from ProQuest.

You will also have the choice to have ProQuest file a copyright application for you with the Library of Congress. You are the holder of copyright for your work, regardless, but this is a useful service for having that officially recognized, especially when it is published in a globally-accessible database.

If you have any questions for which you cannot find the answer, you can contact ProQuest support using an online form or by calling them on the phone. Make sure you specify that this is about "Dissertations and Theses."

ProQuest also has a "Frequently Asked Questions" page and a separate submission process documentation page.

You can also contact JKM Library staff, who may be able to assist you with some questions.

Once you have completed your initial submission, you should contact the Director of the JKM Library, who will review your submission and advance the process.

JKM Library Submission Process

As part of its collection development policy and to advance scholarship, the JKM Library collects one copy of the dissertation written by each Ph.D. degree candidate at LSTC. The JKM Library will cover the cost of having one copy of your dissertation printed, bound, cataloged, and added to JKM's print collection.

You do not have to print this yourself, and JKM no longer has to print it, either! JKM Library uses Wallaceburg Bookbinding to bind dissertations. We send them your PDF, and they print and bind a copy for our collections. 

Wallaceburg prints dissertations double-sided, which changes some traditional guidelines. Make sure your manuscript follows our formatting instructions as included above.

Buying an Official Printed Copy of Your Dissertation

If you want a personal, professionally printed and bound copy of your dissertation, there are two ways you can get one:

• You may purchase bound copies of your dissertation through ProQuest, or
• You may ask the JKM Library to have two printed copies of your dissertation produced, one for JKM and one for yourself.

If you choose to have JKM print and bind your personal copy, you will need to pay us for the cost of its printing, binding, and shipping. Please contact the Director of the JKM Library to determine the current cost and receive payment instructions.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Director of the JKM Library.

D.Min. Theses (McCormick, ACTS, Interschool, LSTC)

Historically, the Doctor of Ministry programs have not incorporated the JKM Library as a mandatory step in completion of your program of studies. There are, as such, no rules demanding the submission of your D.Min. thesis to JKM as a condition of your graduation.

However, equally historically, the JKM Library has been pleased to receive and store print copies of D.Min. project theses as part of our service to the seminaries and the larger academic and church community. Today, we do this electronically.

Since there is no equivalent to the ProQuest ETD service for D.Min. project theses, since 2005 the JKM Library has developed and maintained its own digital repository: Learn@JKM

In cooperation with your advisor and program administrator, please submit a PDF copy of your completed D.Min. thesis, preferably with signature documentation of its successful defense and approval, and we will host a copy in our thesis repository.

Please contact the Director of the JKM Library to arrange your submission, and to ensure that all relevant data about the submitted thesis is available to us for cataloging.