PDF/A format for final thesis

Why do I have to convert my thesis document into a PDF/A?

PDF/A is a format specialised for accessibility, digital preservation and archiving of electronic documents, such as theses, dissertations, and research papers. PDF/A applies the necessary transformations to existing PDFs, such as embedding fonts, setting colour spaces, and a user interface for reading embedded annotations.

PDF/A comes in several different versions, such as PDF/A-1a and PDF/A-1b. Understanding the differences between PDF/A-1a and PDF/A-1b can help you make an informed choice. Both formats are acceptable, but PDF/A-1a has stricter compliance conditions and is more challenging to convert from a PDF. As a general guideline, if given the option, save to PDF/A-1a from a non-PDF document (such as a Word document). If you are converting from PDF to PDF/A, use the PDF/A-1b format.

How can I create a PDF/A version of my thesis file?

University of Warwick theses must be saved in PDF/A format before being uploaded to the submission form. This guide will explain how to ensure your file is properly saved in PDF/A format from a range of starting formats:

Saving to PDF/A in Word

By default, Word saves documents in regular PDF format. You can, however, force Word to save in PDF/A format:

Press F12 to display the Save As dialog box.
Click on the down arrow next to the Save As Type dropdown menu and choose PDF as your file type.
Click on the Options button.
- In the Options dialog box, make sure the ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A) check box is selected.
- Click OK to close the Options dialog box.
Enter a name for the PDF/A file in the File Name field.
Click Save.

Saving to PDF/A in Word for Mac

Unfortunately, Word for Mac does not include a feature to save as a PDF/A. However, there is a workaround using Adobe Acrobat (if you have it):

Click File / Print.
Click and hold the PDF button on the bottom left of the window until a menu appears.
Select Save as Adobe PDF. A Save as Adobe PDF dialog box will appear.
From the Adobe PDF Settings dropdown menu, choose PDF/A.
Click Continue.
Save the document.

Note: simply clicking PDF in the Print Menu or choosing Save as PDF will create a PDF file, not PDF/A.

Saving to PDF/A in Kofax Power PDF Advanced (available from Software Centre)

Open a PDF file with Kofax Power PDF Advanced that you wish to convert to PDF/A
Click File / Export / PDF format
Select PDF/A. A Save as dialog box will appear
Save the document

Saving to PDF/A in Acrobat X

Open a PDF file with Acrobat X that you wish to convert to PDF/A.
Click File / Save As / More Options / PDF/A.
The Save As Window appears. Name your file and click Settings (not Save).
‘Convert to PDF/A’ window will appear.

- Because you are saving from PDF to PDF/A, select PDF/A-1b.
- Click the Create According to PDF/A Conversion Profile check box.
- Check the Apply Corrections check box.
- Click OK.

Click OK again to save the file to PDF/A-1b.

Saving to PDF/A in Acrobat Pro

Open a PDF file that you wish to convert to PDF/A.
Click File / Save As.
The Save As Window appears.

In the Save as Type dropdown menu at the bottom of the window, select PDF/A.
Click the Settings button.
‘Convert to PDF/A’ window appears.
- Choose PDF/A-1b.C
- Check the Create PDF/A-1b profile check box
- Check "Apply Corrections" towards the bottom of the window
- Click OK.
Click OK again to save to PDF/A-1b.

Saving to PDF/A in Overleaf / LaTeX

The current LaTeX development sites (such as Kile, MacTex, etc.) only provide tools to convert to PDF. Therefore, you will need to create a PDF document using the tool ‘pdf latex’, which is generally included with the development suite and then use Kofax Power PDF Advanced / Adobe Acrobat X / Adobe Acrobat Pro to convert it to PDF/A.

Saving to PDF/A in LibreOffice 4.0

LibreOffice will convert the following OpenDocument file types:

.odt
.ods
.odp

Used widely throughout the world, OpenDocument format is supported by a variety of programs, including the free LibreOffice:

Open the file you want to save to PDF/A.
Select File / Export to PDF.
In the dialog box under General, select the PDF/A-1a check box.
Click Export.

How can I check that my file has converted successfully?

Inspecting and validating your PDF

After converting, you should visually inspect the created PDF document to ensure it looks the way you want it to with the correct layout and images. If something looks wrong, you can try the conversion process again.

Going the extra mile: validating your PDF/A with Adobe Acrobat Pro.

If you want to ensure that your document is a valid PDF/A you can validate it using Adobe Acrobat Pro. Follow these steps:

Open Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Under the Tools tab, go to the PDF Standards tool and click ‘Open’.
On the new screen, click the ‘Select a File’ button, locate your thesis PDF file, and click ‘Open.’
On the right side of the screen, click the ‘Preflight’ button.
In the box that pops up, make sure "PDF Standards" is selected in the dropdown box at the top.
In the Profiles tab, go to the PDF/A section and click on the ‘Convert to PDF/A…’ line for the version you converted to (PDF/A-1a for documents created through Microsoft Word, PDF/A-1b for all other methods described above).
Click the ‘Analyse’ button at the bottom of the box.
The results will be displayed on the screen.
If your file is invalid, you may try reconverting from the original document or clicking the ‘Analyse and fix’ button instead in step 7 of this section.