Submission Guidelines for Children's Book Writing and Illustrating (MFA) Theses

What do I need to do before submitting my thesis?

Submit your project only AFTER your final essay has been approved by both your Directing Professor and Program Director.

To submit your thesis digitally, you will need to create an account on the Hollins Digital Commons site. (To create an account, click the "My account" link on the main page of the HDC. Then click "Sign up" and enter your information.

Then you will need to make sure that:

1.) I have all documents, including my final essay and any supporting files (images, spreadsheets, audio, etc.), that I plan to upload ready.

2.) I have the title of my document exactly as it appears on the title page.

3.) I have selected key words (no more than 10) for my document, that represent the subject matter of the essay.

4.) I have my abstract (up to 250 words) available to be inserted into the submission form.

5.) I have decided whether to make my essay openly available immediately, embargo it for two years before making it openly available, or restrict access to only Hollins users. (More information is available about these choices on the Submission Instructions and Agreement page which you must read and agree to before submitting your research. You may also obtain this information from the Graduate Studies department.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit file types other than PDFs?

Yes. If you are submitting a text document, we would prefer an Adobe Acrobat (PDF), but we can also convert other text documents (such as Word files) into (PDF). If you are submitting other types of materials (e.g., images, video, audio), the Digital Commons can accept a wide variety of those file types. You can submit additional files by checking the box for “additional files” at the bottom of the submission page. Should you try to submit a file type that is not accepted by the system, please contact the library for assistance.

Do I still maintain copyright on my final essay?

Yes, your copyright status does not change. You remain the owner of the material you created; you are just granting us a non-exclusive right (meaning others can also have this right) to distribute your work over the Internet and make it part of the Hollins Digital Commons.

Will my file be as secure in the Hollins Digital Commons as it would be stored in the library’s archive?

Yes, we are just as committed to preserving digital theses for the life of the university as we are printed and bound theses. BePress, the company with which we have contracted for the Digital Commons, backs up our repository every four hours and stores our data offsite with Iron Mountain, a data storage facility. Should we ever end our contractual relationship with BePress, they are obligated to return all our data and files to us.

Do I need to include the title page with my directing professor’s signature in in my Digital Commons submission?

No. You do need to include a title page, but it only needs to include your directing professor’s name, not his/her signature. (Note that you will still turn in a signed titled page to the Graduate Studies office to show the approval of your thesis.)