Dissertation Submission

Submitting the Doctoral Dissertation

Notification of Readers (NOR)

  • Set up by you or your department prior to dissertation submission, depending on departmental practice. If your program allows students to create the NOR you will see a Notification of Readers tile in the Dissertation Progress Reporting and Submission (DPRS) site. Contact your department registrar for questions and assistance.
  • Notify department of your intent to submit by February 15 (spring) or September 1 (fall).
  • Three readers are required with a maximum of five permitted. Two must be ladder or ladder-track Yale faculty. All readers must hold a PhD degree and a faculty position or be considered otherwise qualified to evaluate the dissertation by the DGS and the Graduate School.
  • NOR Submission Instructional video.

Submission Information

   Dissertation submission deadlines

  • March 15, 5:00 p.m. degree conferral in May
  • October 1, 5:00 p.m. degree conferral in December
  • A PDF of your dissertation may be submitted using the degree petition page in the Dissertation Progress Reporting and Submission (DPRS) site at any time within the academic year. Dissertations submitted after the above semester submission deadlines will be processed for the following degree date.
  • Upon submission of your dissertation and approval of your readers by the DGS, a PDF of your dissertation will be automatically sent to all readers.
  • Final changes to the dissertation must be uploaded in DPRS two weeks after all reader reports have been submitted. To make changes to your dissertation after it has been submitted, email dissertationreaders@yale.edu.
  • Upon request from a reader, students are required to and responsible for mailing a soft-bound copy of the dissertation to the reader.

IMPORTANT: Students who submit their dissertation before the end of the add/drop course enrollment period (see the academic calendar) are NOT eligible to register as students for the remainder of that term. Students who wish to remain registered until the end of a given semester must submit their dissertation AFTER add/drop closes in order to remain registered for that semester.

   Submitting Degree Petition and Dissertation in DPRS

The Degree Petition page in DPRS consists of the degree petition, links to required surveys, and the option to upload a PDF of your dissertation. No paper submission is required.

  • ​The dissertation title is populated from your most recent Dissertation Progress Report (DPR). You can change the final title on the petition page by selecting the “No” radio button and modifying the title. Select the “Save” button at the bottom of the page to save the title before submitting the dissertation.
  • Survey of Earned Doctorates – submission confirmation page.
  • GSAS Exit Survey – links to Career Strategy website.  Go to your initials on the left side of the page and click on “Surveys” in the drop-down menu.  Click on “Yale Graduate School: Exit Survey”. Download a PDF version of the completed survey to submit to the DPRS page.  
  • ProQuest ETD Publication Agreement – upload “ETD Details” page to DPRS.
  • Upload a PDF of your dissertation.

  • Degree Petition and Dissertation Submission Instructional Video

   Formatting the Doctoral Dissertation - Carefully read and adhere to the formatting instructions in this formatting guide.

FAQs

What are the deadlines for submitting the dissertation?

May Degree Deadlines

  • March 15, 5:00 pm Upload Dissertation in DPRS. Do not wait until the last minute. If you have technical difficulties and cannot submit, you will not be eligible for the May degree.
  • April 15 – deadline for readers reports
  • April 17 - deadline to withdraw your dissertation
  • April 29, 5:00 pm - deadline for any changes to the dissertation to be uploaded. Changes require approval in the form of an email from your DGS or Adviser to Barbara.withington@yale.edu. Once received, Barbara will unlock your dissertation so you can upload your revised dissertation.
December Degree Deadlines
  • October 1, 5:00 pm Upload Dissertation in DPRS. Do not wait until the last minute. If you have technical difficulties and cannot submit, you will not be eligible for the December degree.
  • October 31 – deadline for readers to submit their review
  • Nov. 8 - deadline to withdraw your dissertation
  • Nov. 14, 5:00 pm - deadline for any changes to the dissertation to be uploaded. Changes require approval in the form of an email from your DGS or Adviser to Barbara.withington@yale.edu. Once received, Barbara will unlock your dissertation so you can upload your revised dissertation.
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Can the surveys on the Degree Petition and Dissertation Submission page be filled out before uploading our dissertation?

Yes, it is recommended all the required surveys be completed as soon as possible. Failure to complete the surveys will result in the inability to upload the dissertation.

How do I request an Embargo?
An Embargo can be requested through ProQuest ETD Agreement form for 6 months to 2 years. If additional time is needed, select “Other” and enter the number of years or “indefinite.” The title and abstract page will still be available on the ProQuest website.
Note re: Yale Manuscripts and Archives: The ProQuest embargo does not apply to the Yale library system. Yale policy is that all dissertations are posted and made available on Eli Scholar.  To request a temporary embargo from Yale’s collections, when the dissertation is submitted, contact the GSAS Dean’s Office (gsasadministrativedean@yale.edu) to request an exception. Retroactive embargoes are not available.
Can I complete my own Notification of Readers (NOR) form?

You will only have the option of completing the NOR if your department has opted to allow students to create the NOR. You will see the “Notification of Readers” tab if you have access to prepare form in DPRS.

Is there a limit to the size of the dissertation file?

There is no size limit to the dissertation. However, files greater than 100 MB must be compressed prior to uploading. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro, go to “File” > “Save as other” > “Reduced Size PDF”.  Select the compatability level “Acrobat 10.0 and later”, click “OK” to save the reduced file. 

When can I view my reader’s reports? How long will they be available?

Once all reader reports are submitted they are available to view in DPRS under the Reader Reports tab. The reader reports will be available in the DPRS system until the date you graduate. Check the academic calendar for the specific date.

Is there a template/latex to use for formatting the dissertation?

Students have kindly shared “unofficial” templates for formatting the dissertation. Please double-check your dissertation before submitting. https://github.com/crharshaw/yale-dissertation-template https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/yale-sample-thesis- template/wpszqbqhqgnc

Where can I find help writing my dissertation?

The Poorvu Center’s Graduate Writing Lab can provide information and assistance as you write your dissertation. To access their site go to: https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/graduate/writing-through-graduate- school/dissertation-writing

How do I update my dissertation title?

Go to the “Petition for Degree” page in DPRS under the tab “Petition for Degree and Dissertation Submission” tab. The first question on the Petition page will ask if your dissertation title is correct. When you select “no” you can enter the correct title. Once updated it will automatically correct the Notification of Readers form.

What are publishing options?

Choose between “traditional” or “open access” publishing. “Traditional” is free and used by most students. “Open Access” has a fee, paid by the student, and the dissertation will show up in some search engines.

Additional Questions?

If, after reading the FAQs you still have questions, please reach out to our staff. 

Submission Policy

Dissertations for the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Doctor of Philosophy degree must be submitted to the Graduate School by 5:00 pm on March 15 for consideration at the May meeting of the degree committee, and by 5:00 pm on October 1 for consideration at the fall meeting of the degree committee. These deadlines are established to allow sufficient time for readers to make careful evaluations and for departments to review those evaluations and make recommendations to the Graduate School. No extensions of the deadlines will be granted. Dissertations submitted after the deadlines will be considered for degree conferral during the following term.

In accord with the traditional scholarly ideal that the candidate for a doctorate must make a contribution to knowledge, all dissertations that have been accepted by the Graduate School are published electronically through ProQuest and are deposited in the collection of the Sterling Memorial Library.

Students do not need to be registered to be eligible to submit the dissertation.

Students who complete all PhD requirements within four continuous years of full-time study in the PhD program will be registered and charged full tuition only through the term in which the dissertation is submitted. Students who take a leave of absence must complete the four-year full tuition obligation, regardless of when they submit the dissertation.

The Graduate School does not compel departments to evaluate the dissertations of degree candidates who are no longer registered. In practice, however, departments normally agree to evaluate these dissertations.