When the oral defense is passed, students undergo manuscript preparation, formerly copyediting. To initiate the process, the Department Manager or academic department representative must submit the Manuscript Preparation Tracking Form through Maxient. Before transitioning to the manuscript preparation phase, students and the department must ensure the manuscript fulfills all committee required components and revisions. Once the tracking form is received, a student is notified via The Chicago School email within 24-48 hours by the Manuscript Preparation Office through Maxient to submit their document to ProQuest.
Departments do not submit the thesis/dissertation for students.
Within 48 hours following initial submission of a manuscript to ProQuest, the NCTL Manuscript Preparation Office assigns each student a copy editor, who will contact the student within 24-48 hours via email to request a Word version of the manuscript. Copy Editors review manuscripts for APA style, formatting, and grammar issues, and prepare them for publication via ProQuest; they do not review for content. The entire manuscript preparation process, including revisions, takes approximately 60 days after students upload to ProQuest.
The final manuscript must be neat and clean, free of typing, grammatical, and format errors. Students are responsible for editing and proofreading the final thesis or dissertation before and during the manuscript preparation process. When a Chicago School copy editor reviews the final draft and highlights required changes, students are responsible for the accurate transcription of the document presented and for uniformity of alignment, grammar, citations/references, and all other mechanics of typing.
Any errors may delay final approval of the manuscript.
Before final submission, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure the manuscript is ready for publishing and adheres to the The Chicago School Style and Format Manual. Students must remain continuously enrolled in their degree program to complete manuscript preparation. The Manuscript Preparation Institutional policy can be found in the policy section of the student handbook. Additional resources and guides for preparing the manuscript:
Formatting Resources
Word Track Changes Resources
The Manuscript Preparation Process
Students must upload the document in full text on the
ProQuest website. Dissertations and theses are also viewable through the ProQuest website.
Manuscript Preparation Submission Process:
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STEP 1-Department Sends Tracking Form to Manuscript Preparation Office.
After a successful oral defense (if oral defense is required), the Department Manager, student representative, or academic department representative submits the Manuscript Processing Tracking Form to Maxient signaling a student's readiness to enter Manuscript Preparation.
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STEP 2-Student Receives Submission Instructions and Uploads Manuscript. Once the tracking form is received, a student is notified via The Chicago School email within 24-48 hours by the Manuscript Preparation Office through Maxient to submit their document to ProQuest for review.
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STEP 3-Student is Assigned A Copyeditor. Within 48 hours following initial submission of a manuscript to ProQuest, the NCTL Manuscript Preparation Office assigns each student a copy editor, who will contact the student within 24-48 hours via email to request a Word version of the manuscript.
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STEP 4-Student Begins Review and Revision Process. The copy editor confirms receipt of the Word version of the manuscript within 24 hours via email. They review each submission of revisions, which are returned to the student via school email, indicating areas of APA writing and formatting via Word track changes. The process takes approximately 60 days and goes through 3 phases: 4 weeks for the initial phase, 2 weeks for the second phase, and 1-2 weeks for the final phase.
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STEP 5-Student Enters Final Review Phase and Prepares for Submission. After the final review of the manuscript, copyeditors return it in a Word document via school email for the student to convert the manuscript to PDF format. The copy editor will provide the student instructions for final submission to ProQuest.
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STEP 6-ProQuest Submission, Department and Registrar Notified.
Student uploads final PDF of manuscript to
ProQuest. The copy editor approves the manuscript in ProQuest and notifies the
NCTL Manuscript Preparation Office. The NCTL Manuscript Preparation Office
emails the completion notification and Maxient tracking form through ProQuest
to student, Department Chair and/or designee (Department Manager, Student
Support Counselor), and the Office of the Registrar signaling student’s
completion of manuscript requirements.
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STEP 7-Dissertation is Published, Student Enters Degree Conferral Phase.
The Manuscript Preparation Office delivers the manuscripts to ProQuest for binding and publishing. Students enter the conferral phase. All questions regarding degree conferral go to the Registrar at The Chicago School [email protected]. Any inquiries regarding publishing and binding can be directed to ProQuest Author Relations at 1-800-521-0600.
Ready to upload your manuscript to ProQuest? Click on the Library Pass logo below to get started:
Hiring External Copy Editors
Please note The Chicago School does provide free copy editing services as part of the final dissertation/thesis process. It is not recommended you pay for external copy editing services. If you need writing assistance before oral defense, we suggest you take advantage of writing services through the Office of Student Writing and Learning. By using Chicago School resources, you will ensure formatting aligns with institutional requirements.
Recordings
Manuscript Preparation Expectations for Students by Ericka Sanders which includes tips and insight on how to prepare the dissertation or thesis for publishing.
Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Checklist and ProQuest Submission Walkthrough Webinar by Ericka Sanders and Robin Scholz, which provides insight on how to use the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Checklist during the manuscript writing process and before entering copyediting and an in-depth look at the ProQuest manuscript submission steps and process.
Publishing Options
As a condition of submitting the dissertation or thesis, all students must select a publication agreement with ProQuest. Students may choose Traditional Publishing or Open Access Publishing. Traditional Publishing allows the dissertation or thesis to be available to the public for purchase, and students receive royalties from the profits. Open Access Publishing allows the work to be fully viewed and accessible through PQDT Open, ProQuest's subscription database, and major search engines, if applicable. However, if you choose Open Access, there is a fee.
The Chicago School has no publishing preference, and each work submitted is housed in The Chicago School Library Catalog with a link to the student's work in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
If there are any questions regarding the publishing process, please contact [email protected] or
Ericka Sanders at 312-410-8953.
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If you choose Traditional Publishing |
If you choose Open Access Publishing |
| Your dissertation will not be freely available in PQDT Open. |
Your dissertation will be freely available in PQDT Open.
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| You will not be charged a fee. |
You will be charged $95.00.
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| You will be eligible to receive royalties. |
You will not be eligible to receive royalties.
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| Your dissertation will be available for purchase through ProQuest. |
Your dissertation will be available for purchase through ProQuest.
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| Your dissertation will appear in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, a subscription database. |
Your dissertation will appear in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, a subscription database, and in PQDT Open. |
| A record for your dissertation (may include citation, abstract, preview, etc.) will appear in other ProQuest resources, in library catalogs and in indexes. |
A record for your dissertation (may include citation, abstract, preview, etc.) will appear in other ProQuest resources, in library catalogs and in indexes. |
For more information, please contact:
Ericka Sanders, MA
Manager, Manuscript Preparation Office
The National Center for Teaching and Learning
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 312-410-8953