How to convert a Microsoft Word
Thesis/Dissertation into a
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD)
These instructions will guide you through the process of converting a Thesis/Dissertation
written in Microsoft Word into a pdf (Portable Document
Format) formatted file. These pdf formatted files will be
used to display your Thesis/Dissertation electronically. Converting your
thesis or dissertation into a pdf document requires time and patience.
There are several steps that must be performed between formatting the thesis
and submitting the final pdf formatted version to the Graduate School.
The amount of time necessary to complete this process will depend upon
the complexity of your thesis. A general overview of what must be
done is outlined below:
Step I: Preparation
-
Gather and organize all files.
-
Place all files into a common directory on the hard drive.
-
Verify that each file is uncorrupted and complete.
Step II: How to Create Postscript File(s)
-
Open Microsoft Word and Select a Postscript Printer.
-
Review and Modify the Format of your File(s).
-
Create your Postscript File(s).
Step III: How to Create pdf Documents File(s)
-
Use Acrobat Distiller to create Portable Document Format (pdf) documents
(files).
Step IV: How to Combine and Place Links into your pdf Document
-
How to Combine pdf Documents (Files)
-
How to Link Entries in your Tables and Lists
-
How to Link Files to the pdf Thesis/Dissertation
-
How to Insert Movie and Sound Annotations
Step V: Submit files for Review
Step I: Preparation
Gather and organize all materials that were used to create your thesis/dissertation.
These files will be used to create your Electronic Thesis
and Dissertation (ETD). From this point on, we will refer to the
electronic form of your thesis/dissertation as an ETD.
-
Move all files that will be used to create your ETD to one directory on
the hard drive. You do not want to reference files on diskette. The hard
drive will provide more work space and will speed up the conversion process.
-
Include all associated files such as sound, movie, etc., which will be
used. (If you are using the CIRCA labs, we recommend using the existing
directory, c:\user. On the Macintosh computers, create
a folder on the hard drive called user then move all of your
files to this directory.)
-
If your thesis or dissertation is made up of several files, verify that
the files are complete and uncorrupted before beginning.
Step II: How to Create Postscript File(s)
The following instructions show how to convert your Word thesis/dissertation
files into postscript file(s). These postscript file(s) will be used to
create the pdf file(s) used in your ETD. There are three steps required
to create an accurate postscript file.
The instructions for each of steps are described in each section below.
Step II-A: Open Microsoft Word and Select a Postscript Printer
Your computer must have a postscript printer driver to create a postscript
file. If you using the CIRCA Labs, a postscript printer driver is available.
If you are using your computer at home, you may not find a postscript printer
driver listed. You will need to add this driver to your computer. See Appendix
A for these instructions. To select a postscript driver in Microsoft
Word follow these steps:
-
Open your thesis/dissertation files with Microsoft Word. (If not already
opened.)
-
Select the File menu and the Print option.
-
The selected printer appears at the top of the Print window. Depending
on the version of Microsoft Word, press the down-arrow beside the
printer's name or press the Printer button to display the printers
available.
If you are using the CIRCA labs, select a postscript printer (or double-click
on a postscript printer in the Printer Setup window). The
driver should be listed as Distiller Assistant. If Distiller
Assistant is not available, use the HP Laser jet 5P/5MP postscript
printer driver. Should you not see these drivers listed, then pick the
postscript printer driver available. The letter(s) "P" or "PS" or the word
"Postscript" usually designates a postscript printer.
-
Once you select the driver, the Cancel button will change to a Close
button. Press the Close button. (In older versions of Word,
select the Close button in the Printer Setup window, then
press the Close button. Microsoft Word will automatically reformat
your document using the new printer driver settings.
For Macintosh users:
-
Before opening your thesis/dissertation with Microsoft
Word, select the Apple menu and the option, Chooser.
-
In the Chooser window, select the Laser Writer 8 icon
in the left-hand window. If a printer icon is not present on the desktop
window, select a printer from the right side window.
-
Close the Chooser window.
-
Important: The first time you open a Microsoft Word file,
you must select the File menu and the option, Page Setup.
When the Page Setup window appears, press the OK button.
This will format the file using the new printer settings.
Step II-B: Review and Modify the Format of your File(s).
This may be the most time consuming and important step in creating
an ETD. When changing from one printer driver to another, it is possible
for the font, paragraph, table, and graphic formatting to change. These
changes may or may not be significant. Before creating the postscript file(s),
you will need to review the Word document.
Scan through the Word document and make any adjustments to bring the
document back in-line with the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation
standards. It is important to stress that the review of your document
must be thorough. An overlooked mistake at this point may result
in the lost of several hours and the repeating several steps. We recommend
reviewing the document in the following manner:
-
Make changes starting from the front of the document to the back. (Remember
any change in the forward pages may alter the placement of text in succeeding
pages.
-
Scan the document from the Title page to the Biographical Sketch
looking for these formatting errors:
-
Look for unintended font changes. (This is unlikely but can happen.)
-
Look for incorrect paragraph separations. Verify that widows
and orphans were not created. (One line of a paragraph left at the
beginning or end of a page is called a widow or orphan line, respectively.)
Make sure that page breaks do not separate sub-level headings from
the paragraphs following them.
-
Check the placement of tables and figures. Verify your tables and/or
figures are not incorrectly split by a page breaks. Make sure that the
captions are not separated from tables or figures.
-
If you plan to add a movie or sound annotation to your ETD, plan the
placement of the annotation prior to creating the postscript file. Add
space in your text to accommodate the window size of your annotations.
Adding space (lines) to your document may affect text on subsequent pages
and may cause a need to renumber Table of Contents, List of Tables,
List of Figures, and List of Objects. Plan your
changes carefully.
-
If you plan to access other documents from your ETD, plan which text
references will be used as links prior to creating the postscript file.
All of these links should be in blue, and must contain a parenthetical
notation about the file type and size. (Examples follow.)
Figure 2-16: A picture of the Solar system.
Filename: solar.jpg, Size: 65KB
Object 5-2: The sound of a Mockingbird. Filename:
mock.wav, Size: 6.5KB
-
If you plan to have several multi-media objects in your ETD, you will
need to add a List of Objects page to the forward section of your ETD.
It should be placed after the List of Figures. Add and number the List
of Objects entry to the Table of Contents. Minor re-numbering of your Table
of Contents will be required.
-
Compare the page numbering in the Table of Contents, List of
Tables, List of Figures, and List of Objects to the rest
of the document. If a page number is wrong correct it.
-
If your thesis or document is composed of more than one file, make sure
that the page numbering between documents is sequential and continuous.
Step II-C: Create your Postscript File(s)
Once the review of your thesis or dissertation is complete, your document
can be saved as a postscript file. To create a postscript file, follow
these steps:
For Windows user
-
Start Microsoft Word and open your thesis or dissertation. (If not already
opened.)
-
Select the File menu and the Print option.
-
Verify that the Postscript printer driver is selected.
-
Check the Print to file box.
-
Set the Page Range to: All.
-
Set the Print What field to: Document.
-
Press the OK button.
-
In the Print to file window, select the directory that holds
your files. If you are in the CIRCA labs, use the c:\user
directory.
-
In the Print to file window, type the name of the file into
the File name field: (i.e. master, part1, part2, ...)
Click here for a simulation of these steps =>
( Filename: post.avi, Size: 875KB )
For Macintosh users
-
Start Microsoft Word and open your thesis or dissertation. (If not already
opened.)
-
Select the File menu and the Print option.
-
Set the Destination to: File.
-
Set the General field to: Save as File.
-
Set the Format to: Postscript Job
-
Set the Postscript Level to: Level 2.
-
Set the Data Format to: ASCII
-
Set the Font Inclusion to: All
-
Set the Print What field to: Document.
-
Press the OK button.
-
In the Print to file window, select the directory for the
placement of your file. If you are in the CIRCA labs, use the c:\user
directory.
-
In the Print to file window, type the name of the file into
the File name field: (i.e. master, part1, part2, ...)
Microsoft Word will create the postscript file and save the file into the
directory you choose. Postscript files will be saved using the extensions:
.prn .ps .eps (A printing of this file will not appear on
the printer or printer queue in the CIRCA labs.)
Step III: How to Create pdf Documents File(s)
Once the file is in a postscript format, use Acrobat Distiller
to convert the document to a Portable Document Format
(pdf) file. To convert the document to the pdf format, follow these instructions:
-
Open Acrobat Distiller. Acrobat Distiller will
be found on the Windows 95 Start menu located under Programs
and Adobe Acrobat.
-
In the Acrobat Distiller window, select the File menu and
the Open option.
-
In the Acrobat Distiller-Open Postscript File window, press the
down–arrow beside the Files of Type field and select the
option, All files (*.*).
-
Open the user folder and highlight the postscript file you created
and press the Open button.
-
In the Acrobat Distiller-Specify pdf File name window, type the
name of the pdf file into the File name field (i.e. master,
thesis, ...) and press the Save button.
-
In the Acrobat Distiller window, a monitor will display the progress
of the conversion process and a message window will display the results
of the conversion. End of Job means the conversion process is complete
and your pdf file is created.
-
Close the Acrobat Distiller program after all files have been converted..
For MacIntosh user
-
Open Acrobat Distiller. In the CIRCA labs, Acrobat
Distiller will be found on the Panther.mac, Seacow.mac,
or Whale.mac file server. It will be located in he Adobe
Acrobat 3.0.1 folder within the Applications folder. (You
will be asked to copy Acrobat Distiller to the hard drive before starting
the program.)
-
In the Acrobat Distiller window, select the File menu and
the Open option.
-
In the Save window, open the user folder and highlight the
postscript file you created and press the Open button.
-
In the Save window, type the name of the pdf file into the File
name field (i.e. master, thesis, ...) and press the Save
button.
-
In the Acrobat Distiller window, a monitor will display the progress
of the conversion process and a message window will display the results
of the conversion. End of Job means the conversion process is complete
and your pdf file is created.
-
Close the Acrobat Distiller program after all files have been converted.
The conversion from postscript to pdf format should have a page to page
correlation and the file should be much smaller in size. We do not expect
formatting differences between the two documents. Take time to check. Should
you find any, please come to the UF Computing Help Desk for assistance.
Ask for the thesis consultant.
Step IV: How to Combine and Place Links into your pdf Document
Once your Thesis/Dissertation is saved as a pdf formatted file, you will
need to insert bookmarks (links) into the document. These links will be
used to connect various references in the thesis or dissertation to other
parts of the document or to other documents that are associated with the
thesis or dissertation. The following bookmarks (links) must be placed
into the thesis:
-
Each Title entry in the Table of Contents must be linked
to the page on which it appears.
-
Each First-Level Subheading entry in the Table of Contents
must be linked to the page on which it appears.
-
Each entry in the List of Tables must be linked to the page
on which it appears.
-
Each entry in the List of Figures must be linked to the page
on which it appears.
-
Each entry in the List of Objects must be linked to the page
on which it appears.
-
Bookmark text citations to the Reference List.
-
If you reference any Web documents, link and include the URL. (This should
be done sparingly.)
-
For certain figures, maps, tables, and so on you may want to link to a
separate file outside of the pdf formatted thesis or dissertation. For
example, you may want to display a figure in a larger size or higher resolution.
If you do so, you still must have a version of the figure or table
incorporated in your text, as with the paper copy of the thesis. The figure
legend below the figure or a note below the table should then link to the
separate file. With multimedia objects that cannot be represented graphically
in the pdf, include a complete title/description that links to/open the
file.
Adobe provides a program called Acrobat Exchange that can be used
to modify pdf documents such as your thesis/dissertation. It can be used
to embed Bookmarks (or links) into a document. The program is easy to use.
The next two sub-sections explain how to use the program to embed links
into your document.
How to Combine pdf Documents (Files)
If your thesis/dissertation is composed of several pdf files, then you
will need to combine these files to make one continuous pdf document.
The program Acrobat Exchange can be used to modify pdf documents.
Follow these instructions to combine the pdf files:
-
Start Acrobat Exchange.
-
In the Acrobat Exchange window, select the File menu and
Open option.
-
In the Open window, move to the folder containing your pdf formatted
thesis/dissertation.
-
It will be easier to add the files together based on their page numbering.
Highlight the first pdf file (it should contain your title page) and press
the Open button.
-
Select the Document window and the Insert Pages option.
-
In the Select File to Insert window, move to the folder containing
your files.
-
Highlight the next file (maintain continuous page numbering) and press
the Select button.
-
In the Insert window, set the Location setting to After
and the Page setting to Last.
-
Press the OK button.
-
Repeat steps five (5) through nine (9) until all of your pages are combined.
In addition to Inserting pages, the Document menu also provides
the options: Delete Pages, Extract Pages, and Replace Pages. These
options may prove handy if you find mistakes.
How to Create Thumbnails
Thumbnails can be created to help you and the viewer move through the pdf
document quickly. To create a icon thumbnail for each page within your
thesis/dissertation, open your main pdf document, select the Document
menu, and the Create All Thumbnails option. A list of thumbnails
will appear on the left side of your pdf document. This step should
be repeated if pages are removed or added.
Click here for a simulation of how to set the link =>
( Filename: thumb.mov, Size: 3,617KB )
How to Link Entries in your Tables and Lists
Entries in the Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures,
and List of Objects must be linked to the page on which they appears.
These instructions explain how to link an entry to a specific page within
the document.
-
Start Acrobat Exchange.
-
In the Acrobat Exchange window, select the File menu and
Open option.
-
In the Open window, move to the folder containing your pdf formatted
thesis/dissertation.
-
Highlight the file and press the Open button. Your thesis/dissertation
should load into the program.
-
Move to the page containing your Table of Contents, List of Tables,
or List of Figures. Repeat the following steps until each entry is
linked to the page on which it appears.
How to set the text to Blue
-
Press the TouchUp text tool button on the toolbar. (The button appears
as a "T".) Your cursor will now appear as an I-beam or capitalized "I".
-
Move the cursor to a line containing an entry. Highlight the entire line.
-
Select the Edit menu and the option, Text Attributes.
-
In the Text Attribute window, press the down-arrow beside
the middle text preference that (by default) is associated with
the color, Black.
-
Select the color Blue. This will change the color of the text to
blue.
How to set the link
-
Press the Link tool button on the toolbar. (The button appears as
two interlocking links in a chain.) Your cursor will now appear as a cross
hair rather than a hand or I-Beam.
-
Create a box around each entry by pressing the Control key (Windows)
or Option key (Macintosh) down, then highlight the text by using
the mouse.
-
A Create Link window will open. In the window, verify that the following
settings are chosen:
-
Set Appearance Type to: Invisible Rectangle
-
Set Highlight to: Inverted
-
Set Action Type to: Go to View
-
Set Magnification to:
Inherit Zoom is strongly recommended for the Table of Contents
entries. (Most people will want to stay at their current view when moving
through a document.) The other magnification settings are available for
use with the Lists of Figures, Tables and Objects. Should
you decide to use a different magnification, great care should be taken
when choosing the appropriate view. A magnification should display the
figure, table or object as well as convey meaning.
-
To set the link, move to the page where the entry appears using the scroll
bar (on the right) or pressing the Ctrl key and the 5 key
simultaneously and entering the page number. Since Acrobat Exchange counts
the total number of pages starting with title page, take into account the
forward pages in your calculations.
-
Once the screen is positioned on the correct page, press the Set Link button
to save the setting.
-
Once the setting is made, you will automatically return to the Table or
List. As mentioned above, repeat the instructions within Step 5 for each
entry in the Table of Contents, List of Tables, or List of Figures.
Click here for a simulation of how to set the link =>
( Filename: linktoc.mov, Size: 4,114KB )
After all of the links are made, press the Hand Tool button on the
Tool bar and test the link.
How to Link Files to the pdf Thesis/Dissertation
For certain figures, maps, tables, and other media, you may want to link
to a separate file. These instructions explain how to link each text reference
to a specific document outside of the main pdf formatted thesis or dissertation.
(Do not use these instructions for your Table of Contents, List of Tables,
or List of Figures.)
-
Start Acrobat Exchange and open the thesis or dissertation file.
(If not already open.)
-
Move to the page containing the text that refers to an outside document.
All of these links should be in blue, and must contain a parenthetical
notation about the file type and size. (Examples follow)
Figure 2-16: A picture of the Solar system.
Filename: solar.jpg size: 65KB
Object 5-2: The sound of a Mockingbird. Filename:
mock.wav size: 6.5KB
How to set the text to Blue
-
Press the TouchUp text tool button on the toolbar. (The button appears
as a "T".) Your cursor will now appear as an I-beam or capitalized "I".
-
Move the cursor to a line containing an entry. Highlight the entire line.
-
Select the Edit menu and the option, Text Attributes.
-
In the Text Attribute window, press the down-arrow beside
the middle text preference that (by default) is associated with
the color, Black.
-
Select the color Blue. This will change the color of the text to
blue.
How to set the link
-
Press the Link tool button on the toolbar. (The button appears as
two interlocking links in a chain.) Your cursor will now appear as a cross
hair rather than a hand or I-Beam.
-
Create a box around each entry by pressing the Control key (Windows)
or Option key (Macintosh) down, then highlight the text by using
the mouse.
-
A Create Link window will open. In the window, verify that the following
settings are chosen:
-
Set Appearance Type to: Invisible Rectangle
-
Set Highlight to: Inverted
-
The Action Type should be chosen based on the type of file being
linked to and how it is to be included in the pdf thesis or dissertation.
The Action Type:
Movie specifies the playing of a QuickTime or AVI movie annotation
that has been placed within the thesis or dissertation. The movie annotation
will be apart of the thesis or dissertation but the QuickTime or AVI file
will be saved in a file separate from the pdf thesis or dissertation. When
the thesis or dissertation is viewed online the QuickTime or AVI file will
download as well as a temporary file.
Sound specifies the playing of a wav of aif file. The sound link
will be apart of the thesis or dissertation but the wav or aif file will
be saved in a file separate from the pdf thesis or dissertation. When the
thesis or dissertation is viewed online the wav or aif file will download
as well as a temporary file.
Open File specifies launching and opening a non-PDF file. With
the exception of QuickTime, avi, wav, and aif files, all other files will
use this Action Type. When the thesis or dissertation is viewed online
these links instruct the browser to launch the appropriate program to display
the object or media.
Read Article specifies the viewing of a specific part of the
thesis. The Article annotation must exist prior to using this link.
World Wide Web Link specifies a web link to a specific location
on the Internet. It is recommended that this link be used sparingly and
for locations that will not change over a great deal of time. The full
World Wide Web reference should be displayed in text.
-
Once the Action type is set, press the Select button and
pick the file that you want the text to be linked to. The file should
be in the same directory as your other files. After the link is made, press
the Hand Tool button on the Tool bar and test the link.
Click here for a simulation of how to set the link using a button icon
rather than selected text => ( Filename:
button.mov, Size: 11, 535KB )
How to Insert Movie and Sound Annotations
Adobe Acrobat has the capability of including Quicktime, AVI, and sound
annotations to a pdf document.
These files exist outside of the thesis however they are downloaded
at the same time the pdf document is viewed.
-
Start Acrobat Exchange.
-
In the Acrobat Exchange window, select the File menu and
Open option.
-
In the Open window, move to the folder containing your pdf formatted
thesis/dissertation.
-
Highlight the file and press the Open button. Your thesis/dissertation
should load into the program.
-
Move to the location in your thesis/dissertation where you want to place
the annotations.
-
Press the Create or edit a Movie Annotation button located on the
Toolbar. (Your pointer will become a cross hair.)
-
Use the cross hair to create a box to contain the annotation. Place your
cross hair pointer where the top-left corner of your annotation should
appear then press down and hold the left mouse button.
-
Drag the pointer in a down and right direction. Release the mouse when
the outline of a window is large enough for display. (You can resize the
window later by clicking on the corner and dragging the edge.)
-
In the Open window, move to the folder where your files are stored
and select the Movie or Sound file you want to annotate. Press the Open
button.
-
The filename will appear in the Title window.
-
Border Controls: all borders should be consistent through out the thesis
unless there is an esthetic reason not to use them.
-
Show Controller displays a controller bar at the bottom of the clip
play area.
-
Floating Window creates a floating clip. Choose the dimensions of
the floating window from the Size
pop-up menu. Menu options include scale factors of the movie dimensions.We
recommend selecting a window size that allows the movie to be viewed clearly.
-
The Mode allows you to set the playing sequence of the movie or
sound.
-
The Movie Poster allows you to take a picture from the movie and
display it as the icon (or poster). you can also select not to show an
icon and create a box around an image. In this way, the image will
represent the icon.
Special notes: Consider the following suggestions for adding movie clips
and sound clips to your PDF documents:
-
You can use any graphic image as the link to a movie. Insert a graphic
image into your document authoring program. In the PDF document, draw a
rectangle around the graphic to create a play area, deselect the Display
Poster option, and select the Use Floating Window option.
-
Use a miniature version of the movie poster to create an icon for a movie
that plays in a separate window. You can do this by placing the movie at
less than full size and selecting the Display Poster and the Use Floating
Window options.
-
If you give a clip a controller bar, don’t select the Play Once Then Stop
option in the Movie Properties dialog box. This option causes the clip
to exit when the user clicks the clip or the controller bar.
-
Press the OK button to set and save the settings. After the link
is made, press the Hand Tool button on the Tool bar and test
the link.
Click here for a simulation of how to set the link =>
( Filename: movie.mov, Size: 10,252KB )
How to Link to Internal Multimedia Objects (optional)
Internal multimedia objects are those equations, graphics, images and tables
that are within the pdf document. The instructions to linking to internal
multimedia objects are identical to the instructions given for linking
entries in your tables and lists. These instructions can be found
in the section titled How to Link Entries in your Tables and
Lists. You would normally create a link between a reference in the
document to the equation, graphic, image or table that it refers to.
Click here for a simulation of how to set the link =>
( Filename: intrnlmm.mov, Size: 6,320KB )
Step V. How to Post your pdf Thesis or Dissertation
Once your ETD is finished, you must submit your files to the Graduate School
for review. Using Netscape Communicator 4.0 or Internet Explorer
4.0, visit the URL: https://web.ortge.ufl.edu/cgi-secure/etd-submit.perl
Read the information on the page carefully. You will want to submit
your pdf document and all files pertaining to it.
Appendix A: How to install a postscript Printer Driver
The Adobe Acrobat Distiller is used to convert postscript formatted files
into pdf formatted files. This program requires a postscript driver to
be installer on your computer. Windows 3.1x, Windows95 and Macintosh computers
come with printer drivers on their installation CDs and diskettes. This
information will show you how to install a postscript printer driver if
you do not have one.
-
Place your Windows 95 installation CD into the CDROM drive.
-
Close the program that automatically starts. (May not be available.)
-
Press the Start menu and then the options, Settings and Printers.
-
In the Printers window, double-click the Add Printer shortcut.
-
We recommend these responses to the Printer Installation wizard:
-
Select the option, Local Printer
-
Select the name of the Manufacturer of your printer from the manufacturer’s
list.
-
Select the name of the postscript that is closest to yours.
-
If you do not have a printer, select HP for the manufacturer and
HP Laserjet III Postscript+ as the Printer type.
-
Select LPT1 for your printer’s port unless (you know otherwise.)
-
Select NO to the question, " Do you want your Windows based programs
to use this printer as the default printer?"
-
Do not print out a test page. The printer should only be used to create
postscript files not to use for printing.
-
Restart your computer after the printer driver is added.
Note: When selecting a postscript printer driver, always select a driver
similar to the driver to the one you are using. This will minimize changes
to your document. For example: If you are using a HP Laserjet III printer
driver and want to use a postscript driver, then pick a HP Laserjet III
Postscript+ not a Epson Postscript printer. (Do not select a Postscript
cartridge setting unless your computer’s printer uses one.)
Click here for a simulation of how to install a printer driver =>
( Filename: windriver.avi, Size: 1,517KB )
For Macintosh users:
Information will be added.