PDF/A is the more suitable format for long term preservation than a basic PDF. It ensures that PDF format conforms to certain specifications which make it more likely to open and be viewable in the long term. It is best for static content that will not change in the future.
In this document when we talk about PDF/A we are referring specifically to version PDF/A-1 (either a or b), as this is the most preservation-worthy version and does not allow for some complex elements (see PDF do's and don'ts) that could corrupt or prevent the file from being viewable in the future.
It is still best to submit your original file(s) alongside the PDF/A as a supplemental file(s). This will allow for an even greater chance that your work will be accessible in the long term in the manner that you originally intended.
Below is guidance for creating PDF/A-1 documents in common tools.
Note: before you get started, you should consider adding some basic embedded metadata (things like author, title, etc.) to your thesis via your original authoring tool. See the appendix for information on how to do this in Microsoft Word 2019. It is easier to add this prior to PDF/A creation as the format is read only, so you would need to reconvert it if you add metadata later.
Adobe Acrobat Pro is available to MIT students/faculty/staff through Adobe Creative Cloud. It can transform a number of document types into PDFs, especially those created in another Adobe software such as InDesign.
To create a PDF/A using Adobe Acrobat Pro follow these steps:
There is unlikely to be support for creating PDF/A documents on cloud word processing software such as Google Docs. In order to create one, you should first download your document from the cloud service in a format that produces a document similar to the one you've been editing, such as OpenDocument format or Microsoft Word.
Once you have your files available locally, you can convert them to PDF/A using Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, or Adobe Acrobat Pro.
You can save a file directly to PDF/A-1 from Microsoft Word on Windows if you have Adobe Acrobat installed.
Note: With recent updates, Word on Mac no longer converts to PDF/A. We are currently testing work arounds, but for now, we recommend Mac users work in LibreOffice instead of Word. Alternately, if you have access to a PC, you can follow the below instructions to convert from Word to PDF/A
If you are using a Windows PC, follow these steps:
LibreOffice Writer is a free, open-source word processing software that works on a number of operating systems. If you are unable to install or use Adobe Acrobat either standalone or through Word, you can download LibreOffice and you will be able to convert to PDF/A from standard word processing document files.
Open your document in LibreOffice
Official MIT Thesis templates are available in LaTeX and in Overleaf which meet the MIT Libraries thesis specifications. The templates currently do not produce PDF/A but there are guides available online that can help you produce a valid document such as this guide here.
To generate a PDF from InDesign, you need to start with an accessible source file. The "source file" is your INDD document). Follow the steps outline in the linked page to add mapping tags, alt text, etc to your INDD file.
In addition to those steps, you should also add the document title and description to the InDesign File Information dialog.
Export as PDF with settings optimized for accessibility. Use the InDesign PDF export options (print or interactive), the tagging, organizing, and bookmarking established in the layout become the tagging structure, order, and navigation scheme of the resulting PDF document.
Now that you have a PDF, you can use Adobe Acrobat to convert from PDF to PDF/A-1. See instructions for converting from PDF to PDF/A-1 in Acrobat Pro.
You should at least do a visual inspection of the created PDF document to ensure it looks the way you want it to with correct layout and images. If something looks wrong you can try the conversion process again.
If you want to ensure that your document is a valid PDF/A you can validate it using Adobe Acrobat Pro. Follow these steps:
Have questions?
Contact us at mit-theses@mit.edu