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Dissertations and Theses: Getting your thesis bound

• Music Dissertations and Theses
• Access/Order a Thesis or Dissertation
• Getting your thesis bound

Personal Thesis On-Demand Orders

University of Iowa graduates may have their theses/dissertations printed and bound through an online service provided by the HF Group by going to http://www.thesisondemand.com/ and following the instructions found there. Typically an “on-demand” thesis costs between $30-$45, depending on number of pages, color prints, pockets, and foldouts.

You may enter your credit card payment as well as appropriate shipping/billing addresses and HF Group will mail the finished product to you, directly

For Frequently Asked Questions, see  http://www.thesisondemand.com/faq/

• Iowa Regents Thesis On Demand Where to go to have your thesis bound.
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Announcements

Due to the pandemic, thesis binding is not currently available. We will update this page when have further information.

Thesis Binding

Masters and doctoral students and academic departments that would like to have theses or dissertations bound may use the Thesis On Demand service provided by Acme Bookbinding in Charlestown, MA.

Thesis On Demand offers a range of cover and printing options for use in your thesis and also offers an online calculator so that you can get an estimate of your costs before placing your order.

Please note the Thesis On Demand service requires a pdf of your document; they will print and bind.

Masters and doctoral students and academic departments that would like to have theses or dissertations bound may deliver printed 8.5" x 11" copies (acid-free paper recommended) to the Rockefeller Library circulation desk.

All theses and dissertations must be accompanied by a completed Binding Request Form .

Binding Style

Theses and dissertations are bound in black library cloth with gold lettering . The spine of the binding includes the title of the thesis/dissertation, the student's last name, and year of completion. Special characters, such as Greek letters or mathematical symbols, may not be available for spine printing. There is a maximum of 75 characters for author, year, title — including spaces.

The charge for thesis binding is $25 per copy. Prepayment by debit or credit card must be made at time of drop-off. The Library does not accept cash or checks. If a department is paying for the binding, a Bat Key must be included on the Binding Request Form.

Processing Time

Materials are shipped to our commercial binding vendor every other Tuesday. Depending on the drop-off date, the turnaround time may be 2-4 weeks. We will notify you via email or local phone call when the bound items are ready for pick-up at the circulation desk. The Library will not ship completed theses. Students must make arrangements for pick-up if they will not be on campus.

Any questions regarding this process may be answered by contacting [email protected] or calling Stephen at 401-863-2593.

Special Requests

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Electronic Theses & Dissertations (ETDs)

• Submission Checklist
• Formatting Requirements
• Submission Deadlines

An Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) is a requirement for graduation from Doctoral programs and available to graduates from Masters programs.

What is an ETD?

An electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD) is a digital version of a thesis or dissertation that will be deposited in the JScholarship repository managed by the Sheridan Libraries and be available online to the public.

Universities and colleges in the United States and abroad have been moving toward this type of publication for the past decade. Johns Hopkins started its own ETD program beginning in the fall semester of 2013.

Who does this apply to?

• Required for all PhD Students
• Optional for Masters students with a required thesis; contact your graduate office for information
• Other graduate degrees: Consult with your graduate office

How and when do I submit my ETD?

• Submit after you have defended your thesis or dissertation and made all edits required by your committee
• Follow the formatting requirements
• Login with your JHED ID to the JHU ETD submission system , fill in the required metadata, and upload a PDF/A file of your thesis or dissertation
• The required PDF/A file format is different from a standard PDF. Please see the formatting requirements for further instructions

Fee Payment

The ETD submission fee is $60 and may be paid by credit card or by funds transfer from your department. The fee is due at the time of submission; payment verification is required for approval.

Pay by Credit Card – $60

IMPORTANT: If the card you are using is not your own (e.g., spouse or parent’s card), proceed with the payment at the site, but then email your name, your JHED ID, and the name of the credit card owner to [email protected] so we can link your submission with the payment.

Pay by Department Funds Transfer

NOTE: This option is available at departmental discretion. Request that the department administrator fill out the PDF form and submit it to [email protected] .

Learn More about ETDs

Video tutorials.

A video tutorial of the entire ETD process can be viewed on YouTube

Frequently Asked Questions

No. If your department does not coordinate printing and binding, you might consider Thesis on Demand or PhD Bookbinding . You can upload your PDF, and they will print it, bind it, and ship it to you.

Yes. No individual file can be larger than 512 MB, and the total size of all files cannot exceed 4 GB. If your thesis or dissertation is larger than that, please email [email protected] .

Within two months following degree conferral, ETDs are published to  JScholarship , our institutional repository. There are separate sections in JScholarship for masters theses and doctoral dissertations . If you placed an embargo on your ETD, only the metadata (author, title, abstract, etc.) will be available until the embargo period is up.

Your ETD will be published to our institutional repository, JScholarship , within two months following degree conferral. An ETD is considered published when it is deposited in JScholarship, even if it is under embargo.

Once published, changes cannot be made to your ETD. Your ETD will be published within two months following degree conferral. You are responsible for ensuring your ETD has been thoroughly proofread before you submit to the library.

Students submitting Electronic Theses and Dissertations are responsible for determining any copyright or fair use questions. For assistance, please consult the Copyright LibGuide or contact the librarian listed on the guide.

By default, ETDs are published to JScholarship within two months after you graduate. If you wish to temporarily restrict public access to your ETD, during the ETD submission process you can embargo your document for up to four years. Please note that the title and abstract of your document will still be visible during your embargo. You may release your document from embargo early or extend it up to the four-year maximum by emailing [email protected] . Once your document is publicly accessible, however, we cannot make changes to embargoes.

Contact ETD Office

Milton S. Eisenhower Library [email protected]

ETDs on JScholarship

Electronic theses and dissertations from JHU students. Go to ETDs

JScholarship Home

Open access publications from JHU faculty and students. Visit JScholarship

Please start by reviewing the formatting requirements and submission checklist .

If you have additional questions, email [email protected] for the fastest response.

If we are unable to resolve your inquiry via email, you may request an in-person meeting. Due to the volume of ETDs, we cannot meet on deadline days, or the two days before deadlines.

Please note we do not provide formatting reviews by email, only via the submission system .

WPI Theses & Dissertations: For Students

• For Students
• For Faculty
• Find WPI Theses and Dissertations

Information for Students on Submission Process

Submitting your thesis or dissertation this year?

Please review the Five Steps below to prepare to submit your ETD for approval by your advisor and committee.

• Be sure to check submission deadlines: https://www.wpi.edu/academics/calendar
• For information about researching and writing your thesis or dissertation , please see this guide on research and scholarly publishing for graduate students. 

STEP 1: BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR THESIS OR DISSERTATION

​ S TEP 2: PREPARING YOUR FILES

STEP 3: SUBMITTING YOUR FILES

STEP 4:  GETTING APPROVAL

​ STEP 5: GETTING BOUND COPIES

STEP 6: AFTER SUBMITTING YOUR WORK

STEP 1: BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR THESIS OR DISSERTATION:

• Be sure that you are clear on your advisor's expectations.  
• Consult with your advisor or department about scheduling your defense.  
• Check with your department or advisor on how and when you should get copies of your thesis or dissertation to your committee members before your defense.  
• Present or defend your work . 
• Open to all: default option – maximizes access and impact of your work
• Embargoed: access restricted to WPI only for 1 - 3 years (due to intellectual property, grant, or publication plans); or  no access to your thesis or dissertation by anyone for 1-3 years (due to intellectual property, grant, or publication plans; or pending redaction due to classification or disclosure constraints).   
• Make any necessary changes to your document following your presentation/defense.

STEP 2: PREPARING YOUR FILES:

Recommended document and file formats.   At this time, WPI doesn’t have a required thesis template. Please consult with your advisor or department regarding preferred formats. Your primary documents will be submitted as PDF files. For information on  creating PDF files , please see:  https://helpx.adobe.com/reader/using/create-pdf.html

If you are interested in using LaTeX to create your thesis/dissertation documents, WPI now offers an institutional subscription (standard subscription plan) to Overleaf.  Overleaf is a collaborative LaTeX editor used for writing,editing, and publishing scientific documents. Active faculty, staff, and students can request an Overleaf account by emailing [email protected].  For more information, see: https://hub.wpi.edu/software/637/overleaf    An example of a dissertation template (created by former WPI graduate student Saad Islam) is at:  https://www.overleaf.com/read/smrpckjqfpff

Prepare your complete thesis or dissertation, with  unsigned  title page, converted to PDF. You will upload this file via the ETD Submission Website ( eProjects 2.0) .   Your primary thesis/dissertation document must be submitted as a single PDF file. Please do not break up your document into multiple files. ​

Your title page will contain the following information:  Title of dissertation or thesis; full name of author; degree; department/program; date; advisor's name; co-advisor's name - if applicable; names of committee members - if applicable; name of the head of department/program  - if applicable.  This information will also be used in the submission process through eProjects 2.0. 

Prepare a separate, digitally signed approval form, or a digital copy of your signed signature/title page.  You will submit this online through eProjects 2.0  at the time you submit your thesis or dissertation.    You can download a digital approval form here, instructions for its use, and examples of cover pages:

​​​ Blank Approval Form for Digital Signatures 

Use this form to create a digital Approval Form and collect digital signatures from committee members.

Guide to Approval Form with Digital Signatures 

10 step process for filling out the Digital Approval Form and obtaining digital signatures from your committee members.

Title_Cover_Page_examples_Dissertation 

Title_Cover_page_examples_Thesis 

Supplementary files: You are welcome to attach supplementary files to your ETD when you submit it online.  Your files may be in any file format, but please consider using file formats with a higher probability for long-term preservation .    If you do include supplementary files, such as a computer program simulation, data set, image, or video, be sure your thesis adequately describes it.  For example, for a program or simulation, you might also include any source code with your PDF so that someone could recreate the work later.

Note:  Current file size limit for submission through eProjects is .5GB. If your file is larger, Digital WPI can accept files up to 1GB, please work with [email protected] to submit your file. 

STEP 3: SUBMITTING YOUR FILES:

• Review the process : You will submit your revised thesis or dissertation via the online ETD submission system .   
• Submit your ETD online by going to  (login required) :   https://eprojects.wpi.edu/  
• Required: Enter identifying information about your work, including your name, department, the category of the work (e.g. thesis or dissertation), the title and abstract, and list your advisors. 
• Recommended: Add keywords that describe the topic, methods, or other important ideas reflected in your work.
• Optional: Choose United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) supported by your work. The  17 SDGs are goals defined by the United Nations , used globally to identify information, projects, research, and other activities that address global sustainable development challenges.
• Optional: Specify a  Creative Commons  or other license to specify how your work can be used by others.
• Optional: Specify an embargo period of 1-3 years as described in Step 1, for reasons of intellectual property, grant, or publication plans; or pending redaction due to classification or disclosure constraints.

If you need to modify or manage your ETD submission online before submitting (login required):

• Go to:    https://eprojects.wpi.edu/
• You can modify and manage your thesis files until you submit them for approval .

STEP 4:  GETTING APPROVAL:

• Only submit a revised final draft. Once your ETD is approved you will not be able to make further changes .
• Once submitted, the file goes to your advisor for approval.    
• Email:  [email protected]
• Office:  Daniels Hall

When the Registrar has approved your ETD, you and your advisor will be notified via e-mail.

STEP 5: GETTING BOUND COPIES:

Check with your department to see if they require a bound copy of your thesis or dissertation.  You may wish to retain a bound paper copy of your thesis or dissertation for yourself as well.

To get a bound copy of your thesis or dissertation, contact HF Group Binding Services . Using HF Group's Thesis On Demand service, you can order thesis and dissertation printing directly, online. Thesis On Demand offers a range of cover and printing options. and you can use their online calculator to get an estimate of your costs before placing your order. You can do as many or as few copies as you want.

Once your ETD appears in Digital WPI, you will be able to view, retrieve, download, and share it. Correction and revision   Once a submitted ETD has been accepted, it is considered an academic record and cannot be edited. Any corrections to submitted works should be submitted in the form of a correcting addendum, to be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. 

Changing names or other descriptions of submitted works (metadata) The WPI Library routinely corrects, amends, adds, or otherwise revises metadata describing works in Digital WPI, including student works, to enhance accuracy and improve retrievability of the works.  All users of Digital WPI including authors are welcome to suggest such changes by contacting Digital WPI at [email protected]. 

We recognize that personal names used in Digital WPI descriptive information may not reflect preferred, lived, or corrected names. We welcome requests for changes in displayed names in the descriptions of works, from all authors, advisors, or contributors to materials in Digital WPI.  No justification is required for a requestor’s name change to be implemented. The change does not need to reflect the requestor’s past or current legal name(s). 

To request that your name be changed in the description of materials in Digital WPI, email the Digital WPI administrators at [email protected] ) with the following information:

1.    Name(s) currently listed on your works in Digital WPI, and role (ie author, advisor, contributor) 2.    Complete list of materials with the previously used name on them, with a link to each item 3.    The new name that you would like to be used in describing the materials 4.    Whether you want us to retain the previous name in addition to the new name

Once we receive a request, we will change the name as requested on the item record(s). This can usually be done quickly (within a few days or weeks at the most). 

It is also possible for us to add a preferred, new, or lived name but also to retain a previously used name in the metadata for your work.

You are responsible for contacting your coauthors, advisors, or others, if you want them to know about the change(s) you’ve requested. 

Digital WPI administrators will keep a private record of the change(s) made, as part of our archival responsibility, but we will not share this information with others without permission from the requestor.

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Doctoral Dissertation Guide

• Present a proposal or prospectus of your dissertation to your faculty advisor and at least two other faculty members
• Review the Office of Graduate Studies’ Dissertation and Thesis Template, you must consult it for answers to all your formatting questions
• Consult with your faculty, and schedule your defense
• Complete your defense, then submit your dissertation to the Office of Graduate Studies electronically
• you may order copies from Thesis on Demand
• we encourage you to submit your thesis to the Washington University Digital Research Materials Repository (DRMR). For more information, or to submit your datasets, visit  http://libguides.wustl.edu/drmr

Minimal Requirements for Dissertations

The following “Statement by Graduate Council on Minimal Requirements for PhD Dissertations” was adopted at the Graduate Council meeting on April 19, 2012.

A dissertation is the product of extensive research and presents an original contribution to knowledge in a given field. It documents the candidate’s ability 1) to make substantive contributions to answering a major intellectual question and 2) to communicate research results with professional competence.

In all cases, the dissertation must constitute an integrated, coherent work, whose parts are logically connected. It must have a written introductory chapter that sets forth the general theme and core questions of the dissertation research and that explains the relationship among the constituent chapters or parts. The introduction will typically include, as is appropriate to the discipline, a review of the literature relevant to the dissertation, an explanation of theories, methods, and/or procedures utilized by the author, and a summary discussion of the contribution of the dissertation project to knowledge in the field. In its final deposited form, the dissertation must constitute an achievable product, which meets the standards prescribed by the university.

The dissertation may consist (in whole or part) of co-authored chapters and articles, but the candidate must be a major contributor to the research and writing of any such papers and must describe her/his ideas, individual efforts, and contributions to the larger work. To comply with the university’s policy on plagiarism and academic integrity, 1  a dissertation that incorporates co-authored work must also include in its introduction an explanation of the role of the candidate in the research and the writing of the co-authored work.

If a dissertation includes previously published materials (authored or co-authored), the candidate must provide a full referencing of when and where individual papers have been published. Because prior publication and multiple authorship have implications concerning copyright, PhD candidates should discuss copyright with advisers and obtain copyright clearance from any coauthors well in advance of defending the dissertation. Written permission must be obtained to include articles copyrighted by others within the dissertation.

It is the responsibility of the student and the student’s dissertation committee to ensure that the dissertation meets all requirements regarding authorship, academic integrity, and copyright, as here outlined.

1  Plagiarism is the willful or unintentional act of using, without proper acknowledgment, another person’s or persons’ words, ideas, results, methods, opinions, or concepts. . . . The act of claiming as one’s own work any intellectual material created by another or others is wrong and will be treated by the Office of Graduate Studies as a serious violation of academic integrity.

Preliminary Paperwork

Title, scope, and procedure.

You may file your Title, Scope, and Procedure Form as soon as your Research Advisory Committee has signed it.

You must file your Title, Scope, and Procedure Form before starting your fifth year of graduate study.

Your project's "scope" defines its limits—what you intend to cover and what you intend not to cover. Your "procedure" describes the manner in which you intend to conduct your research. By defining the scope and procedure of your dissertation, you provide an initial outline or model for yourself as you research your topic.

The form also serves as a contract between you and your Research Advisory Committee.

Research Advisory Committees normally consist of three tenured or tenure-track Washington University faculty members from within your degree program.

Your dissertation's title, scope, and procedure may change in the course of your research. You are not required to file an amended form with the Office of Graduate Studies, although getting your committee’s written approval of the changes may be advisable.

Title, Scope, and Procedure Form

Intent to Graduate

You must file an Intent to Graduate form for the semester in which you intend to graduate. Deadlines for filing the Intent to Graduate form for each semester are listed on the Office of Graduate Studies’s online calendar.

Complete this form by logging onto WebSTAC and clicking on “Intent to Graduate” from the menu . Take note of the diploma pick-up and mailing dates that are included in the form because your diploma will be mailed to the address entered. If your graduation semester changes, you must file a new form.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCIP)

We strongly encourage you to establish an Open Researcher and Contributor ID and begin to populate your profile. ORCiD is a free, persistent personal digital identifier which several funders, publishers, scholarly associations, databases, and universities are beginning to adopt or require. Many scholars will want to establish their ORCiD profile and maintain it throughout their careers. You are also encouraged to include your ORCiD in your dissertation submission in ProQuest.

For more information, visit  http://libguides.wustl.edu/orcid

Create an ORCID Profile

Dissertation Defense

Dissertation Defense Committee Form (pdf)

How to Arrange a Dissertation Defense

Consult your committee chair about the membership of your dissertation defense committee, which should conform to the following Graduate Council policy. Address questions regarding dissertation defense committee membership to Andy Wiegert , director of graduate student affairs, currently the Office of Graduate Studies designee for approving such committees.

• Four of the five must be tenured or tenure-track Washington University faculty; one of these four may be a member of the Emeritus faculty. The fifth member must have a doctoral degree and an active research program, whether at Washington University, at another university, in government, or in industry.
• Three of the five must come from the student's degree program; at least one of the five must not. All committees must be approved by the vice dean of the Office of Graduate Studies or by his or her designee, regardless of whether they meet the normal criteria.” *
• This form must be signed by your department’s Director of Graduate Studies and sent to Andy Wiegert , director of graduate student affairs. Your DGS or a department staff member should send it (not you). Dean Wilson will email her approval to the DGS. Only after this step has been completed should the defense be scheduled.
• After the committee has been approved and at least 15 days before the defense, your department (not you) should send an email to the Office of Graduate Studies stating the time, date, and place of the defense. The email should have a copy of your CV attached if you are an Arts & Sciences student on the Danforth Campus. Do not put your Social Security Number, birth date, or birthplace on your CV.
• You are responsible for giving copies of the dissertation to your committee. According to the Office of Graduate Studies, committee members may request rescheduling of the defense if the dissertation is not made available at least 1 week in advance. However, most departments require dissertations to be available to committee members 2-4 weeks before the defense.
• “Attendance by a minimum of four members of the dissertation defense committee, including the committee chair and an outside member, is required for the defense to take place. This provision is designed to permit your defense to proceed in case of a situation that unexpectedly prevents one of the five members from attending. Do not plan in advance to have only four members in attendance; if one of those four cannot attend, your defense must be rescheduled. Note that the absence of all outside members or of the committee chair would necessitate rescheduling the defense.” *
• “Members of the dissertation defense committee normally attend in person, but one of the five (or, in case of an emergency, one of the four) members may attend virtually instead.” *

*Policies passed by the Graduate Council in November 2013.

Forms and Permissions Needed Prior to Electronic Submission

Your dissertation must be submitted and also accepted by the deadlines indicated in the academic calendar. You are encouraged to submit your dissertation before the deadline, in case you need to make changes. Also, you should submit your Examination Approval Form and Survey of Earned Doctorates before the deadline.

Academic Calendar

Copyright Permissions

Before you submit your dissertation electronically, you must have obtained permissions for any copyrighted work included in it for which you do not hold the sole copyright. This may include your own previously published work, whether or not you are its sole author.

You may wish to consult your subject librarian or email Olin Library

Copyright and Your Dissertation or Thesis: Ownership, Fair Use, and Your Rights and Responsibilities (pdf)

The Examination Approval Form

The form is signed by members of the dissertation defense committee at your defense and by the chair of your department or program afterward.

• Check with your department as to whether you will be responsible for submitting this form to the Office of Graduate Studies, or whether your department will submit it on your behalf.
• All Examination Approval Forms (including those from Engineering) are submitted to Angie Mahon , Campus Box 1187.

Examination Approval Form (pdf)

Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED)

You are encouraged to complete your Survey of Earned Doctorates prior to the dissertation deadline. Do this as soon as possible so that our office has a record of its arrival in time for graduation requirements to be met. Our office will be notified automatically once you complete the survey. 

Your electronic submission of your dissertation will not be processed or approved until this email arrives. 

Complete the SED

Navigating the ProQuest Electronic Submission Process

After you have successfully defended your dissertation and made any committee requested changes, the Office of Graduate Studies requires that you create an online account at ProQuest ( http://www.etdadmin.com/wustl ) to submit your final text. ProQuest is this country’s most widely used commercial archiving service for dissertations and theses. This guide is to inform and advise you in making selections through the submission process in ProQuest. The tabs below including “Publishing Options”, “PDF”, and “Register U.S. Copyright” require special attention and will be addressed in detail.

Creating your account and getting started

Before you create your account, make sure that you have the following items at hand:

• The full text of your dissertation, formatted as a PDF, with embedded fonts
• Supplementary files and/or supporting documents (optional)
• The body of your abstract, without the heading; note that there is no word limit on your abstract
• A full list of your committee members
• Any copyright permissions obtained; these will need to be submitted as a part of this process.

Detailed Instructions

Review and Approval Process

The Office of Graduate Studies is notified when you submit your dissertation to ProQuest. When we review your submission, we make sure that your Examination Approval Form and Survey of Earned Doctorates have been completed, and we check the submitted PDF to ensure that all formatting requirements have been followed. The amount of time we will need to review your manuscript, and the number and nature of any changes you may be required to make, are generally determined by how carefully you have prepared your work.  Do not wait until the deadline day to submit your dissertation!  Your work must be formatted correctly and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies in order for you to graduate.

Once our review is complete, we will send you an email through ProQuest saying one of the following:

• Your submission has no revisions and is being accepted.
• Your submission has no revisions, but we are missing the required paperwork.
• Your submission has a few revisions that must be made before we can accept it.

If you have revisions you must make, log back into ProQuest, and you will see this screen.

revising.png

submit-revisions.png

How to Acquire Bound Copies

As of February 1, 2016 the Office of Graduate Studies will no longer accept any paper copies for binding. Once your revisions are submitted in ProQuest, and the Office of Graduate Studies has reviewed them, you will receive an email saying your dissertation is approved. Then, and only then, you can order copies of your dissertation to be printed and bound from Thesis on Demand. Any copies must all be identical to your approved ProQuest submission. Therefore, when you upload a PDF of your dissertation for printing and binding, use the same one that was just approved in ProQuest.

• Ask your department’s administrator if your program is one who will pay for a certain number of copies to be bound by Thesis on Demand. In some departments, those will be ordered directly by departmental staff; in other departments, you will order those and request reimbursement for them. Clarify your department’s procedures before starting to order printed and bound copies of your work.
• Go to Thesis on Demand to order copies. Begin by uploading your PDF; when prompted, fill out the rest of the page. If you want copies sent to different shipping addresses, you will need to go through this process separately for each address; all copies ordered together will be shipped together to a single destination. Note that this service will not ship to international addresses.
• As soon as you reach the second page of the order form, “Document Information as Uploaded” will appear on the right-hand side of the page; check to be sure that the total number of pages, the number in color versus black and white, and the information about images is all accurate. Your PDF for ProQuest will already have embedded fonts.
• If your dissertation does not have color pages, choose the “Print Document in Black and White Only” option; if your dissertation does have color pages, choose the “Print Document in Color” option.
• If you have any difficulty, begin by consulting the FAQ section of the bindery’s website:  http://thesisondemand.com/faq/ . You will need to enter the university’s zip code, 63130, in order to access these questions and answers.

Visit Thesis on Demand

Questions to Ask Before Submission

It’s a great relief to pass your defense and have very little work left to do before you can put PhD on your CV. It’s a great frustration to convert your dissertation into a PDF and submit it electronically, only to be asked to do it again after making changes to the text.

Here are some things to make sure you have completed before you submit to ProQuest.

• Have you filed your Intent to Graduate for the semester in which you plan to complete your degree?
• Does your title page indicate the correct administrative unit?
• Is your committee alphabetized by last name, after your chair/co-chairs?
• Is Your Title in Upper and Lower Case, as in This Question?
• Does your title page indicate the month and year in which your degree is being conferred?
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TSMC's Secret Weapon In AI

• TSMC's $530.6 million acquisition of Innolux Corp's Tainan plant aims to double CoWoS capacity by 2025, addressing AI chip demand.
• 2024 CapEx of $30-$32 billion, with 70-80% for advanced technologies, underscores its commitment to AI, HPC, and 5G market leadership.
• TSMC's 28% foundry market share (2023) reflects its leadership in advanced technologies, which is expected to increase with continued innovation and capacity expansion.
• 53.2% Q2 2024 gross margin faces pressure from N3 technology ramp-up and rising electricity costs, despite strong revenue growth.
• TSMC's stock, priced at $175, shows strong upward potential with a 2024 price target of $210, supported by bullish technical indicators.

redstallion/iStock via Getty Images

Investment Thesis

Following our May coverage of TSMC ( NYSE: TSM ), the stock quickly climbed close to our initial target price of $185, doing so sooner than expected. Based on TSMC's leading revenue growth and strong positioning in core markets, we are revising our target price upward to $210.

Key growth drivers include TSMC's leadership in advanced technologies such as AI and high-performance computing (HPC). Its ability to make strategic acquisitions also solidified its market leadership and put it in good stead to continue capturing greater demand for advanced chip solutions.

The company strongly emphasizes the latest cutting-edge solutions for the rapidly growing AI and HPC markets, making it one of the largest beneficiaries of global trends in the digital transformation space. Therefore, we reaffirm our buy rating on TSM based on solid market leadership and robust fundamentals.

Fibonacci Levels and Bullish Signals Point to $210+ potential in 2024

TSMC's stock, at its current price of $175, has upward solid potential. The average price target for 2024, set at $210, aligns closely with the 0.786 3-point Fibonacci retracement level, indicating a potentially strong resistance point that could act as a target for medium-term gains. The optimistic price target of $248 matches the 1.236 Fibonacci extension, reflecting the upper bound of potential gains if bullish momentum continues.

Conversely, the pessimistic price target of $168 aligns with the 0.382 Fibonacci level, suggesting a possible support level should bearish conditions prevail. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 60.92 indicates moderate bullish momentum , with the line trend showing a reversal upwards. The presence of bullish divergence reinforces the likelihood of a continued upward trend. The RSI's alignment with a touchdown-long setup around the 50 mark suggests that recent lows may serve as a solid support base for further gains.

The Volume Price Trend (VPT) also exhibits a positive reversal, with the VPT line trending upwards at 140.80 million, surpassing its moving average of 133.49 million. This volume increase supports growing investor confidence , potentially driving prices higher. Based on this trend, the long setup will emerge by a touchdown on the VPT moving average. This further supports the notion of a bullish technical outlook.

Finally, considering the monthly seasonality pattern, with a 56% probability of positive returns in August, the technical indicators suggest a favorable environment for potential gains in the near term.

Yiazou (trendspider.com)

Strategic $530.6M Acquisition of Innolux Plant: A Game-Changer for AI Chip Production

TSMC has acquired Innolux Corp's Tainan flat-panel display plant for $530.6 million . This fundamental value-creating strategic move aligns with TSMC's response to the growing demand for AI chips by scaling its core operations to capture market demand (at maximum). TSMC may overcome supply restrictions in advanced packaging by repurposing the facility to expand its chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) capabilities. This was a bottleneck under the booming demand for AI-related core technologies.

Moreover, the investment may double its CoWoS capacity by the end of 2025. The necessity for such expansion is rooted in the demand for AI chips, which has placed unprecedented pressure on TSMC's existing packaging capacities. The expansion of CoWoS capability reflects a focused strategy to capture the market growth presented by AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) markets that require advanced packaging solutions.

Further, the acquisition also reflects TSMC's vertical integration strategy to gain control over more stages of the semiconductor manufacturing process. This move may improve margins (in the long run) by reducing TSMC's reliance on third parties for advanced packaging. TSMC being an AI tech supplier, the investment may derive high business returns, considering that the AI market may grow exponentially.

TSMC 2Q24 Presentation

TSMC's $30B CapEx Strategy: Powering AI, HPC, and 5G Growth in 2024

TSMC's CapEx plans for 2024 focus on achieving long-term growth through strategic investments in advanced tech. The company has narrowed its CapEx range to $30-$32 billion . Within that, 70- 80% of CapEx is allocated for advanced process technologies. Further, 10-20% of CapEx is allocated for specialty technologies, and another 10% is assigned for advanced packaging, testing, and mask making. This configuration reflects a sharp approach to production capacity building.

Additionally, TSMC's CapEx strategy expands production capacity and boosts its specific tech capabilities to capitalize on the growing demand for AI, HPC, and 5G applications. This approach ensures that TSMC can deliver its clients the most advanced semiconductors and packaging solutions.

Moreover, the high correlation between high CapEx and stock value growth can be observed in TSMC's price performance. The company's previous investments in advanced technologies (5N and 3N) have consistently resulted in higher revenues and market share in subsequent years.

For instance, TSMC's CapEx strategy has led to ongoing investment in 3-nanometer (N3) and 5-nanometer (N5) technologies, which are now major revenue contributors ( 15% and 35% ). This pattern may continue as the current investments will generate top-line growth in line with accelerating demand for AI and HPC technologies.

As a result of the CapEx strategy, TSMC's lead semiconductor foundry market may support its growth potential and broad customer base. Under the new Foundry 2.0, the company's market share stood at 28% in 2023 and may increase further in 2024. The Foundry 2.0 definition includes packaging, testing, mask making, and other advanced backend services that will benefit from the acquisition of the plant.

N3 Ramp-Up Fuels Demand, But Margin Pressures Threaten Profitability

TSMC's Q2 2024 performance indicates strong demand for its industry-leading N3 and N5 technologies. However, ramping up these advanced technologies has introduced margin pressure that could block rapid growth. The Q2 gross margin of 53.2% represents a modest sequential increase of 0.1%. However, this improvement is partly offset by the margin dilution from the ramp-up of N3 technology.

The transition to N3 and the associated costs, which include N5 to N3 tool conversion and higher electricity prices in Taiwan, have added to the cost structure. While the gross margin may increase to 54.5% in Q3, the continued margin dilution from the N3 ramp poses a risk to sustaining high profitability.

The margin impact is observable numerically when considering that the advanced technology segment (7-nanometer and below) accounts for 67% of TSMC's wafer revenue. The transition to newer nodes is crucial for maintaining technological leadership, but comes with higher costs.

Notably, the N3 technology alone may introduce significant CapExes, further straining margins. The relationship between CapExes and margins is critical here. Most of TSMC's 2024 capital budget focuses on advanced process technologies like N3. This high level of capital investment could limit short-term profitability with downward pressure on margins.

Furthermore, the high electricity costs in Taiwan add another layer of margin pressure. As TSMC expands its manufacturing footprint in regions with higher operational costs (EU and US), its ability to maintain its margins will be challenged. The rising process complexity, leading-edge technology costs, and regional cost disparities could result in lower-than-expected profitability, even if revenue growth remains strong. This can be observed in the pattern of a drop in gross margin below the long-term average, even if N3 revenues are materializing.

Strategic acquisitions and investments in advanced technologies bolster TSMC's growth potential. However, margin pressures from ramping up advanced technologies like N3 remain challenging to watch closely. Despite this, TSMC's positioning in the rapidly expanding AI and HPC sectors continues to drive a positive outlook.

Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of TSM either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

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