ETD FAQs / Technical Help

MS Word Questions | Adobe Acrobat Questions | How to submit ETD online | General Questions

List of Editors for Hire:
The List of Editors for Hire is a list of faculty, staff, graduate students at NC State University, as well as several professionals, who have expressed interest in proofreading for a fee. The Graduate School does NOT supervise, manage, recommend, or approve these services; we simply provide this list as a courtesy. All arrangements are made between the student and the hired editor. Please remember that it is your responsibility to abide by the student code of conduct at all times. Be sure to inquire about their rates when you contact them.

MS Word Questions:

How do I create a PDF file using MS Word?
(there are many ways to create a PDF file, we are simply suggesting ONE method)

  1. In the MS Word toolbar, go to File and choose Print
  2. Select the "Adobe PDF" printer in your drop-down printer list (remember, you must have Adobe Acrobat installed for this to work)
  3. Select a file name and location where you want to save your file, then click the save button.

In MS Word, how do I align the page numbers and connecting periods to end in the required straight line if I manually created my Table of Contents?

  1. Delete any current manual connecting periods that are currently in the Table of Contents.
  2. Highlight the entire Table of Contents that you wish to format.
  3. With the Table of Contents highlighted, right click and select "paragraph"
  4. Select "Tabs" in the paragraph box.

Paragraph Tabs

  1. Set the correct "Tab Stop Position"
    Set the "Alignment" to Right
    Select the "2 ......." leader for the required connecting periods.
    Click "Set"
    Click "OK"

    Tabs
  2. Now, your tab key will now right-align your page numbers with the connecting periods.. Remember you may need to reset your tab for use in other parts of your document.

How do I format the page numbers to meet the requirements?
For page numbers at the top of the page- In MS Word go to Page Setup and change your "Margins" and "Layout" to the following (these screenshots assume your page numbers appear at the top of all pages). Also, the 1.6" that appears as the Top Margin is an approximate number - for example, your Top Margin may be 1.5" or 1.7".
* Note: All numbers (margin/header/footer) are approximate and each student may need to modify those numbers based on font size, font type, etc.
margins toplayout top

For page numbers at the bottom - In MS Word go to Page Setup and change your "Margins" and "Layout" to the following (these screenshots assume your page numbers appear at the bottom of all pages). Also, the 1.6" that appears as the Bottom Margin is an approximate number - for example, your Bottom Margin may be 1.5" or 1.7".
* Note: All numbers (margin/header/footer) are approximate and each student may need to modify those numbers based on font size, font type, etc.
margins bottomlayout bottom


Adobe Acrobat Questions:
How do I combine multiple PDF files?
(there are many ways to combine PDF files, we are simply suggesting ONE method)

  1. Open one of your PDF files in Adobe Acrobat (Note - this will not work with Adobe Reader)
  2. In the Adobe Acrobat toolbar, go to Document and choose Insert Pages
  3. Select the file you want to insert, then determine where you want to insert the file
  4. Repeat the steps to insert as many files as needed
  5. Once you have inserted all files, make sure to do a "save as" and name your file either "draft.pdf" (if this is your draft file for review) or "etd.pdf" (if this is your final submission)

How do I rotate pages in Adobe Acrobat?

  1. Open your PDF files in Adobe Acrobat (Note - this will not work with Adobe Reader)
  2. In the Adobe Acrobat toolbar, go to Document and choose Rotate Pages

After I rotate a page in Adobe Acrobat, how do I move the page number?
(Before you go down this path, IF you have the ability to change the location of your page number in your word processor, I would recommend it, then PDF it - that may be the best option.)

  1. You may have to delete the incorrect page number location first. To do this, in Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools, Advanced Editing, TouchUp Text Tool. Select the text you want to delete by highlighting it, then hit your delete key.
  2. Next you want to insert a page number into your PDF. To do this, in Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools, Comment & Markup, Text Box Tool. Place the cursor in the approximate location where you want your page number to appear, click and type.
  3. To touch up the appearance of the page number, right-click (alt-click) on the newly added number and modify the properties.


How to submit an ETD:

  1. From the ETD homepage click on the link in the Helpful Links box titled "ETD Submission (Login to submit new or modify previously uploaded ETD)" and login with your Unity ID and password.

General Questions:

Where can I access a Scanner?
The Library operates a Scanning and Digitization Lab which can be used to access a scanner.

Where can I access Adobe Acrobat?
There are several options. One option is the NCSU Unity Labs. Second, most departments on campus have Adobe Acrobat installed. Another option, the NCSU Bookstore sells Adobe Acrobat if you would like to purchase it.