Once their dissertations are revised and approved, a number of students get stuck on the question of what the Graduate School is looking for (a copy of the Graduate School Guidelines can be downloaded here). Having worked as an assistant thesis editor for several years, I can hopefully help to clarify this process. I'm giving a few tips here, but be sure to check your manuscript against the Grad School guidelines.
It's important to remember that the Graduate School is not going to question the content of your manuscript. What you've written about is a matter between you and your dissertation chair. What the editors at the Graduate School are concerned with is the form / style of your dissertation -- things like margins, page numbers, headers and the style of your title page.
The first and most important things to get right are your margins. They must be at least one (1.0) inch on the top, bottom and right side and one and an half (1.5) inches on the left. On a document the size of most dissertations, margin size makes a difference in the number of pages, so make sure you get this right before you do your other finishing work, otherwise the page numbers in the Table of Contents will be incorrect. Your page number should be in either the top or bottom right corner and that location should be the same through out. Remember not to let the page number break the margin!
Follow the sample title page in the Guidelines as closely as you can. Many mistakes involve details on the title page. Make sure you follow the sample and don't add any information other than what is asked. Then check the order of the elements to make sure you have that right.
There's nothing to be fearful about, but it's good to make sure you're as accurate as you can be. If you want me to check over your manuscript, contact me at annemari@usc.edu!
