The Graduate School
Create a PDF Copy of Your Dissertation
NOTE: the end product of the processes outlined below should consist of one PDF file*. DO NOT turn in a separate PDF file for each chapter, or for each item in the dissertation (abstract, etc.). The only extra files permitted are multi-media files, such as audio or visual files. If you have such files, create a folder in which you will place these files and the dissertation text PDF file.
NOTE: if you use a UT-purchased template for Microsoft Word, it might have you create two separate Word files (one for pre-text and one for the dissertation text). If you have trouble combining these (e.g., with pagination), they can be converted separately into two PDF files, and then combined using Adobe Acrobat. This procedure will insure that the pagination of the separate files remains after the conversion to PDF.
WARNING: a few students have brought in PDF files in which there were errors that had occurred during the conversion from Word. The solution was to do the conversion again. Please make sure that you check over the final PDF document before you submit it. Do not assume that if the final Word document was fine, the PDF will be fine. In particular, look at charts, graphs, and any graphics files you imported into your document, and look for correct conversions of unusual fonts and diacritical marks such as accents.
PDF Converter Services
You can skip the steps below by submitting your materials
to a company or service which will convert your word processing files
into Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
Computer labs on campus where Adobe Acrobat is
available
Adobe Acrobat is the name of the software package used
to convert word processing files into PDF format.
How and where to purchase Adobe Acrobat
Other help available on campus
- ITS Help Desk (475-9400) http://www.utexas.edu/its/help/index.php
Instructions on converting word processing files to PDF format
- Special Conversion Topics:
- Another Approach: Creating PDF from Postscript files
- Handling Images, Tables, Graphs in PDF files
- Creating one PDF file from many (and other tips)(from Adobe)
- Additional Sources of Information (including how to handle unusual fonts):
- Acrobat Q & A (from Adobe)
- Customer Support for Acrobat (from Adobe)
- PDFZone's tips etc.
- Adobe User Forums (from Adobe)
* You can create multiple PDF files and then combine them in Adobe Acrobat. The final end product should be one file. You might want to do this, for example, to insert a landscape graph.