Converting Your Manuscript

Please check your PDF for potential issues before you submit.

Word or RTF Source Files

Current versions of Microsoft Word allow you to save your documents as PDF through the Print menu. If you also have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, you may see an Acrobat tab in your Microsoft Word menu options and the option to “Save as Adobe PDF” in your print menu.

If you are working in Word and you choose the File > Save As > PDF workflow, you may want to choose “best for printing” before you click Save. The “best for electronic distribution and accessibility” option will not embed all the fonts in your PDF file, so some of your content may not display properly on all devices. However, if you want to keep working links in your PDF, choose “best for electronic distribution and accessibility.” The Manuscript Reviewer can embed fonts in your PDF, but cannot restore non-functioning hyperlinks.

Word or RTF Source Files

If your manuscript was formatted in LaTeX and you have access to Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional, simply generate a .PRN file of your LaTeX file and use Acrobat to convert it to PDF. If you do not have access to Adobe Acrobat, there are several online resources that will help you to convert your file to PDF using the dvips - Ppdf driver included in many distributions of LaTeX. Dr. Patrick Jöckel at the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry in Germany has created a very helpful page on converting LaTeX to PDF. Another conversion resource you may investigate is Ghostscript, by Artifex Software, Inc.

If your manuscript was created using a program other than Microsoft Word; is not a DOC, DOCX or RTF file; or you find the Word PDF tool unhelpful, there are several options for converting your manuscript.

• You can use Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional; these products can convert many file types to PDF. The Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free of charge and is pre-installed on many computers, cannot create PDF files; it can only read them. If you do not have Acrobat Standard or Professional installed on your computer, as an enrolled student you may download under Clemson University’s institutional license by visiting the CCIT software download site.
• Alternatively, Adobe offers a subscription service at a modest monthly fee for online PDF conversion.
• You can also download a free 30-day trial version of Adobe Acrobat Professional; after the 30-day trial period, you may purchase the program on the Adobe website or from your preferred reseller.
• While many departmental computer labs have Acrobat installed on their devices, the CCIT labs do not.
• Use an online search to find free or economical tools to convert various types of files to PDF format.

If you have conversion issues, seriously, don’t panic. You will not fail to graduate due to PDF conversion issues if you ask us for help before the deadline. The Manuscript Review staff have experience in creating and trouble shooting PDF files and can help.