File Formats and Templates

Below are the format requirements and templates to use when making your submission to OhioLINK.  Each PDF may include audio, video, pictures, tables, and other information.  OhioLINK has an option to submit supplemental files separate from the PDF if you choose.   

Required formats include:

  • For formatted documents: Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). PDF files should have all fonts embedded and may not disable printing or text access. PDF files being uploaded to Proquest/UMI must be unlocked (no security options selected).
  • For video: Adobe recommends any multimedia that is H.264 compliant (MPEG-4).  This is a video compression standard, which provides high-quality video at relatively smaller file sizes. AVI, MP4, or MOV files are all H.264 compliant. 
  • For high-resolution images: TIFF, or JPEG and for lower-resolution images, PNG.
  • For spreadsheets or data files: Comma-separated values (.CSV) or other delimited text is best for viewing but .xlsx is accepted.

OhioLINK strongly discourages the use of HTML unless authors take considerable care in ensuring that their markup conforms to published standards and that their use of links and online images can stand alone in the ETD Center.

OhioLINK will not accept executable binary files if alternatives are available.

Templates

Using the templates below allow the required pagination to be retained when it's time to convert your document to PDF format for uploading to the OhioLINK ETD database.  Save these templates to your desktop.  Then type your information into the documents and remember to save often.  After all of the final edits are made to your document and your committee has signed off on your document, proceed to converting your document to PDF.

Master's Thesis Title Page (Word Doc)

Doctoral Dissertation Title Page (Word Doc)

Preliminary pages with Table of Contents (Word Doc)

Templates for students using LaTeX

If your thesis or dissertation contains mathematical or scientific formulas and your department wants you to use LaTeX,  you need to use this template.  Here is the link:  https://github.com/clzirbel/BGSU-LaTeX-Templates  It is important to read the ReadMe file. Click on the green button and Download Zip.     

Videos

Videos are available to help you format your document and complete the Acrobat Professional requirements.  Please email etd@bgsu.edu with any questions.  Please keep in mind that the Formatting video was recorded when we had three templates to combine instead of two templates to combine.  However, the process is the same.

How to use the title page template

How to use the templates and format your thesis or dissertation

Making your document accessible and other Acrobat Pro requirements

How to submit to OhioLINK

Information about using the LaTeX template

APA Running head examples below.  Please note that the Running head does not start until page 1 of the document.  Please do not include this on your preliminary pages.

Example of APA Running head
APA page 2 of a Running head example

Updated: 05/11/2022 08:54AM