Resources for Dissertation Writers & Advisors

Following the submission of your manuscript to the Dissertation Committee, the next phases comprise the defense of your dissertation, its revision, and the formatting of the manuscripts in accordance with the University's manuscript clearance rules. This webpage provides resources and strategies for preparing for defense, whether in-person or virtually, formatting the manuscript, and disseminating the dissertation. 

Source: Graustein, J. S. (2012). How to Write an Exceptional Thesis or Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Guide from Proposal to Successful Defense.

Other helpful sources:

• How to Defend Your Dissertation, Virtually 
  From the University of Illinois, College of Education 
   
• Best Practices & Zoom Etiquette for Conducting a Remote Dissertation or Thesis Defense
  From the University of Iowa, The Graduate School
   
• PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design
  From Carnegie Mellon University for Engineering PhD Students

Check the deadlines for your manuscript at the Manuscript Clearance Portal. 
 

Note: This is the recording from FSU Libraries' 2021 Dissertation Bootcamp. 
For the latest manuscript clearance workshop schedule, visit here. 

Organizing and Formatting Your Thesis and Dissertation 
From Colorado State University. Provides detailed information and guidance on manuscript formatting. 
Use this source as a general guide, and check the FSU's specific guidelines for manuscript formatting and clearance. 

• Inserting footnotes/endnotes 
• Adjusting paragraph text and spacing
• Inserting a Table of Contents using Styles
• and more

• About ETD at FSU 
   
• Checking out a few ETDs produced in your academic department will give you an idea of how to format your dissertation. 
  • Browse or search  the FSU Digital Repository (includes ETD manuscripts from 2003 to present)
  • Browse or search Proquest’s Dissertations and Theses Full Text database (requires log in for off-campus access).