Help Page

Common Login Questions

Introduction to ETD

Using ETD

Frequently Asked Quesitons

Getting Additional Help

IT Support:

You can contact IT Help Center by calling 1400 from on campus.

Common Login Questions:

Students and Faculty: You can log into the ETD system at any time by visiting https://www.metalab.csun.edu/etd using your CSUN credentials. You do not need to wait for a confirmation email to login to the ETD system.

Off-campus Committee Members: You will receive an email with login instructions.

What is ETD

ETD stands for Electronic Thesis and Dissertation System. ETD is a web application designed to replace the thesis paperwork students must file with Graduate Studies. ETD also eliminates the need for students to print and bind copies of their theses. Using ETD, student theses are submitted to the Oviatt Library's online repository, ScholarWorks. Once submitted to ScholarWorks, the theses will be available and searchable online.

ETD does NOT replace department-specific thesis requirements or workflow. It is essential that students using ETD consult with their department's graduate coordinator about department specific graduation requirements and thesis requirements.

ETD also does NOT replace any of the direct communication between faculty committee members and students. In this way, it does not change any established thesis advisement channels and processes.

ETD and the Thesis Workflow

The electronic forms that students submit through ETD are just a small part of the thesis workflow. To view a diagram of how ETD fits into the overall workflow for completing a thesis, select one of the links below.

Student Workflow (PDF) | Text-Only Instructions (PDF)

Faculty and Committee Member Workflow (PDF) | Text-Only Instructions (PDF)

Graduate Coordinator Workflow (PDF) | Text-Only Instructions (PDF)

Benefits of ETD

California State University Northridge’s implementation of the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) system includes many advantages for students and faculty as they work through the thesis process. These advantages include not only convenience and cost benefits, but campus-wide research and environmental benefits as well.

ETD saves students time and money as it allows them to work from home and avoid unnecessary trips to campus for thesis paperwork and appointments. Likewise, it allows students to avoid the costs of bindery fees, expensive stationery, and printing-related costs. For faculty, ETD provides the flexibility to sign thesis paperwork at their convenience, and the ability to closely track a student’s workload and progress throughout each step of the student’s thesis process.

In addition to saving time and money, the ability to publish student work electronically provides the university with several benefits. Through the online publication of student work, ETD makes student research more rapidly available to a broader, global audience. Likewise, as online publication increases the speed and breadth of the distribution of student research, it gives students who are just beginning the research process easier access to other student theses.

Online publication not only increases the visibility of student work. It also allows for a much richer expression of student knowledge and research. With ETD, students are no longer limited to text as the primary medium for their work. Students can publish their thesis with multiple media types, ranging from audio and video files to large data sets and computer applications.

Finally, CSUN’s pioneering effort in this field allows the campus to reduce its carbon footprint, as the electronic process reduces unnecessary paper and publishing materials that are costly and taxing on the environment.

Cautionary Note about Predatory Publishers

Open access means that anyone can view your work, including researchers, scholars, fellow students, and anyone with an internet connection. Occasionally students (as well as faculty) are solicited by publishers interested in publishing their theses or dissertations. Many are legitimate organizations. However, some are considered predatory publishers. What this means is that they take your work, transfer copyright to themselves, and, under the guise of “editing,” publish it in print or e-book formats. The problem is that no editorial work is being done: the work is reprinted verbatim (including obvious typos), royalties are frequently not awarded, and copyright is no longer yours. It is recommended to consider solicitations for publishing your thesis or dissertation with caution. One reason for this caution is that your thesis is already published by CSUN through the ScholarWorks Open Access Repository. Legitimate publishers will almost always heavily edit and rework a thesis/dissertation for a book or article publication. They will also go through a peer review process, something not offered by predatory publishers. For more information on predatory publishing access this link here: http://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/

When in doubt, check the list. Caveat scriptor!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this issue, Andrew Weiss, Digital Services Librarian at the Oviatt Library, can also provide consultation on suspicious solicitations.

Tutorials

For step-by-step instructions on how to use ETD, click on one of the tutorial links below.

Student Tutorial | Student Tutorial PDF

Faculty and Committee Member Tutorial | Faculty and Committee Member Tutorial (PDF)

Creating PDF

ETD requiress that you submit certain files in PDF format. For help creating PDFs, download one of the files below.

Creating PDFs

Creating PDFs using a Plugin for PC (MS Word 2003) (PDF) | Creating PDFs in MS Word 2007 for PC (PDF)

Creating PDFs in MS Word 2010 for PC (PDF) | Creating PDFs automatically for Mac (PDF)

Creating PDFs in MS Word 2008 or 2011 for Mac (PDF) | Creating PDFs in OpenOffice for Mac (PDF)

Creating PDFs in OpenOffice for PC (PDF)

For answers to frequently asked questions, click on one of the links below.

Student FAQs (PDF) | Committee Member and Faculty FAQs (PDF) | Gaduate Coordinator FAQs (PDF)

What is an Embargo

An embargo is an option that allows students to delay the publication of their thesis in the library repository. Embargoes will be granted for limited reasons, including plans for future external publication, sponsored research, and pending patents. ETD allows for an embargo up to 2 years. At the expiration of your embargo, your thesis will automatically be published unless you file a manual request for an embargo extension through the Asst. Vice President of Graduate Studies (UH 275 or (818) 677-2138). When requesting an embargo, you must provide a reason for doing so, and the embargo must be approved by your committee as part of the final approval form.

IT Support

You can contact IT Help Center by calling 1400 from on campus.

Department Reqirements

For questions about specific department requirements, including requirements for your thesis proposal, deadlines for submitting your draft to your chair, and graduation requirements, contact your department’s graduate coordinator.

Your graduate coordinator’s contact information can be found on your department’s website.

Click here for a complete list of CSUN departments.

General Questions about ETD

If you have general questions about using ETD, or about forms you submitted through ETD, contact your Graduate Evaluator at the office of Research and Graduate Studies (RGS).

Graduate Evaluators Contact Information