In this section we will help you decide what file format you should use for your thesis and any supplemental materials that accompany it.
Some file types are unacceptable because they will not work with our systems. Other formats we especially recommend because they are more suitable for the long-term preservation of your thesis. We have suggestions for how you can convert your files into a recommended file format, but if you are having any difficulty, please contact IT services for help.
- Recommended File Formats
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Text Documents (listed in order of preference)
- PDF (.pdf)
- Open Document format (.odt)
- Microsoft word (.docx)
- Text (.txt)
Tabular Data (listed in order of preference)
- Comma separated values (.csv)
- Open Table (.ods)
- Excel (.xlsx)
Compression Archive: Please note the below listed are the only acceptable compression archives. To convert any other types, simply 'unzip'/extract the files and then compress them using any Windows PC, or use Zendto to send the not-compressed folder
- 7zip (.7z)
- RAR (.rar)
- Tarball (.tar)
- WinZip (.zip)
Image files (Note: You can use any type of image file in a document, this is only for images you are sending as separate files)
- JPEG (.jpeg, .JPG -- other JPEG file extensions not accepted)
- PNG (.png)
- TIFF (.tiff, .tif)
Other
- Audio (.mp4)
- Geo-spatial data (.ref)
- Postscript (.ps)
- Slides (.odp preferred or .pptx)
- Video (.mkv)
- Webpages (.htm, .html)
- Other Acceptable File formats
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These file types are accepted by our systems, but they are not the best for long term preservation and access. Consider converting these to a recommended file type or saving as a recommended file type.
Documents: These can all be converted to .docx, .odt, or .pdf using current versions of Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer
- Older/Alternative Word Documents (.doc, .docm):
- Wordperfect (.wpd)
- Rich Text Format (.rtf)
- Hangul Word Processor (.hwp)
- XML Paper Specification (.xps)
Tabular Data: These can be converted using Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc
- Older/Alternative Excel files (.xls, .xlsm)
- Microsoft Access (.mdb)
- SPSS Output (.spv)
Images: These can be converted to a .jpg, .JPEG or .png using GIMP or similar image software
- Bitmap (.bmp)
- Graphics Interchange Format (.gif): for a moving .gif convert to .mp4 or .mkv
- Vector Drawing (.draw)
Other
- Older/alternative PowerPoint formats (.ppt, .pptm): convert using PowerPoint or LibreOffice Impress)
- Microsoft Publisher (.pub): Save in Publisher as a .docx or .tif
- Audio (.mp3): save as a .WAV instead if possible
- Video (.mov or .WMV accepted but .mkv is preferred)
- Unacceptable Formats
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These formats can not be read by our systems and can not be used. Any file type not mentioned above is unacceptable but below you will find the most commonly used unacceptable formats. Please contact IT Services if you need help converting these files or creating files in a different format.
Documents
- Text (.asc, .sts)
- LateX (.ltx, .latex)
- TeX (.tex, .dvi)
Tabular Data
- Tab-separated Values (.tsv, .tab)
- SPSS (.sps, .por, .sav, .gsav, .zsav, .spo)
Images
- JPEG 2000(.jpxml, .jp3d, .jpf, .jpm, .jpx, .jp2)
- Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)
- Photoshop (.psd, .pdd)
Audio/Video
- AIFF (.aiff, .aif, .aifc)
- Audio (.au, .snd)
- Flash Video (.f4b, .f4a, .f4p, .f4v, .flv)
- Video Quicktime (.qtm, .mov, .qt)
- Motion JPEG2000 (.mjp2, .mj2)