Converting Your Document to PDF
Your disquisition should be submitted as a single PDF (.pdf). While you may already be familiar with making PDFs from Word, LaTeX, or other platforms, some methods of creating PDFs will leave out required accessibility features, such as bookmarks and structure tags.
On this page, you will find instructions on how to create a PDF from Word or LaTeX with its accessibility features intact. More information on these features and requirements can be found on our digital accessibility page.
Converting from Word to PDF
When you convert your document to a PDF from Word, required features can be lost if you use 3rd party plugins or print your document to PDF. Additionally, certain versions of Word do not convert to PDF correctly.
Export Your Document to PDF
- Navigate to File -> Export -> Create PDF/XPS Document.
- In the Publish as PDF dialog box, click Options.
- Set "publish what" to "document". Do not export your document with markup enabled. Note that "document showing markup" is enabled by default and you may need to set this option whenever your export to PDF.
- Enable both "create bookmarks using headings" and "document structure tags for accessibility". We also recommend enabling "optimize for image quality".
- Click Publish to create your document.
Converting from LaTeX to PDF
The Center for Writers LaTeX disquisition template is fully compliant with the NDSU Graduate School Publication Guidelines, including the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility requirements. If you have received our template from your department, advisor, or colleague, we recommend updating from our repo.
When using our template, use only LuaTeX (a.k.a. LuaLaTeX) to convert your document to PDF. In Overleaf, this can be set from File -> Settings -> Compiler -> LuaLaTeX. For desktop compilers, see the LaTeX Tagging Project for more information on installing LuaTeX and producing an accessible PDF in your preferred platform.
We do not recommend using older LaTeX templates to draft your disquisition, as they are unlikely to be compatible with our guidelines.
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Disquisition Site Map |
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Preparing to Graduate |
Graduate School Policies • Templates & Forms • Pre-submission Requirements • Submit Your Disquisition | |
DQKB |
General Requirements | Accessibility • Section Order • Font • Headings • Page Numbers |
| Prefatory Material | Title Page • Approval Page • Table of Contents • List of Tables, Figures, Etc. • List of Abbreviations/Symbols • List of Appendix Tables, Figures, Etc. | |
| Disquisition Body | Paragraph Text • Equations • Tables, Figures, Etc. • References / Citations • Appendices • Landscape Pages | |