Thesis Preparation, Requirements + Deadlines

The GPS Minimum Thesis Formatting Requirements document (below) establishes the minimum academic criteria for master's and doctoral theses. Also, consult department-specific guidelines and your supervisor. You are encouraged to use the Thesis Title Page Template (below) with drop-down menus with current degree and department names.

These specifications ensure your thesis is compatible with the standards of the University of Alberta Libraries and Library and Archives Canada (National Library).

GPS Minimum Thesis Formatting Requirements

Thesis Title Page Template

• Check with your department to verify your specialization, if applicable. Also check on Bear Tracks, going to Academics > My Academics > Graduation.
• If using a PC, when using the template, you may be asked at the bottom of the page how you want to open it. Click 'Open'. You may have to click 'Enable Editing' before proceeding.
• Complete the thesis title page template and copy and paste it into your document.

Preface Samples

Students are responsible for formatting their theses. Failure to meet the formatting requirements may result in a thesis being rejected. Do not copy the specifications and/or formatting of theses written by other students in your graduate program, as previously submitted theses may not conform to the current technical requirements.

Thesis Submission Checklist

Locate Adobe Acrobat Resources

Copies of your thesis will need to be supplied to all examining committee members at least three weeks (four weeks for doctoral external examiners) before your final examination. This will give committee members adequate time to appraise the thesis.

Complete the student portion of the Thesis Approval/Program Completion form  found in the GPS Forms Cabinet and take it to your final examination if you are a Master's thesis-based or Doctoral student.

If registration should not be removed for the proceeding academic term due to scholarship/awards purposes, please advise your GPS Program Advisor with a note attached to the Thesis Approval/Program Completion form indicating that registration is required for that particular term.

If students or departments submit the Thesis Approval/Program Completion form to GPS after the set deadline, the form is considered submitted in the next submission period and students will require normal registration in proceeding term. Fees will be assessed according to the registration.

"Received at GPS" means the form has been date stamped by the GPS Office.

The Approval/Program Completion form deadline is not the thesis submission deadline.

Information on the conduct of exams and the final completion of this form, is found in the Graduate Program Manual or the University Calendar .

After your final examination, you will make any required revisions as directed by your examining committee.

After your supervisor has approved your revisions and signed the Thesis Approval/Program Completion form, the form is given to the Graduate Coordinator/Department Chair to complete the program completion section and will send it to GPS. GPS must receive this form by the listed deadlines to avoid future registration and fees.

Graduate students must apply to graduate in Bear Tracks  before submitting their thesis.

Once in Bear Tracks, go to Academics > My Academics > Graduation and follow the directions.

Students who fail to apply will not be eligible for convocation.

If you are submitting your thesis for May or October, there is a blackout period between convocations in Bear Tracks. Submit your thesis in Thesis Deposit and apply for graduation after your thesis has been accepted and approved by GPS. Students can apply for the next available Convocation after the blackout period is lifted.

The thesis must be submitted within six months of the date of the final oral examination.

There are thesis submission deadlines for each convocation period and registration requirements when submitting your thesis. We recommend you submit your thesis a minimum of 3-5 working days before any deadline, as corrections may be required. Please review the various deadlines below for more details.

Your thesis must be in a software application that can be converted to PDF/A (Archive), e.g., Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, etc. You will need to convert your thesis to a single PDF/A file and submit it to Thesis Deposit. Once in Thesis Deposit, GPS will review your thesis for acceptance. 

Follow these steps

5.1 Confirm Thesis is Formatted Correctly

Before converting your thesis to PDF/A, confirm that it complies with the GPS Minimum Thesis Formatting Requirements and department-specific guidelines. Refer to Step 1: Format Your Thesis.

5.2 Convert Thesis to PDF/A (Archive) and save with the appropriate naming convention

Your thesis needs to be converted to a single PDF/A file, even if it was originally saved in one or more files.

How to Save as PDF/A (Archive)

Your final PDF/A must be named as follows:

• lastname_firstname_ middleinitial(s)_submissionyearmonth_degree.pdf
• (Example: Smith_Jill_M_201404_PhD.pdf)
• To convert your thesis to PDF/A, you may need to use Adobe Acrobat (not the freely available Acrobat Reader).
• For information on where to access Adobe Acrobat and other resources, go to the Adobe Acrobat Resources page.

5.3 Prepare and Submit Supporting Documents

Complete and send the following documents to GPS (2-29 Triffo Hall), or scan and email the document to your GPS Program Services advisor. Find the GPS Program Services advisor  assigned to your department.

These documents must be received before electronic submission of your thesis.

1. University of Alberta Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License

• Print and complete one form (print, fill out and sign this form by hand).
• This form grants permission to University of Alberta Libraries to include your thesis in its collection.
• The student, as author, still retains the copyright.
• Grants the National Library permission to publish and disseminate your thesis either by interlibrary loan or sale.

2. Copyright Permission Letters

If you have copyright permission letters allowing the inclusion of another person's work in your thesis, the letters must be included. Copyright Office Resources

3. Thesis Approval/Program Completion form

This form (signed after the final examination and completed by the Graduate Coordinator), must have been sent to GPS. Confirm with your department that this form has been completed and sent to the GPS.

Restricting Access to a Thesis: Students who want to restrict access to their theses for an embargo period must complete and submit the Request to Restrict Access to a Thesis form  (found in the GPS Forms Cabinet) to GPS. The request must be made before submitting the Thesis to the GPS. See the Graduate Program Manual or the University Calendar .

5.4 Register with Thesis Deposit and Submit Thesis

Before submitting your thesis to Thesis Deposit, you must register with Thesis Deposit (see procedure below). You must use a computer with:

• internet access using either a broadband or dial-up connection
• Windows, Macintosh or UNIX/Linus operating systems
• Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 8.x or later, Safari or other modern browser

Go to Thesis Deposit , using the procedure Submitting Your Thesis Electronically in Thesis Deposit

5.5 Thesis Submission Review by GPS

Staff in GPS review your electronic thesis in Thesis Deposit to make sure it meets the minimum required specifications.

If not approved:

• an email from GPS will be sent to the email address used when registering with Thesis Deposit, notifying you that your electronic thesis has been rejected. You will be required to make any modifications instructed by GPS, log back into Thesis Deposit and re-submit.
• you must continue to check your email after each submission in case there are any corrections required. Your submission is not complete and you will not meet the deadline until your thesis is approved by GPS. (It may be necessary to check your spam/junk folder.)

Once approved:

An email will be sent to the email address used when registering with Thesis Deposit, confirming that your thesis has been successfully submitted and approved and outlining the final required steps.

Under the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research's policy on public access to theses, academic and research achievements of graduate students should be shared with the greater community for scholarly and scientific purposes, and access should be made freely available after convocation.

For this reason, thesis submitted from University of Alberta graduate students are included in:

• The University of Alberta Libraries theses collection and the NEOS Library Consortium, to which University of Alberta Libraries belongs
• Library and Archives Canada's electronic Theses Canada Portal, Library and Archives Canada's microfilmed collection.

When you submit your thesis electronically it will not be immediately released. Theses will be released on embargo dates of June 15 for Spring Convocation and November 15 for Fall Convocation.

They will be accessible in the University of Alberta's institutional repository: Education and Research Archive (ERA) . The University of Alberta Libraries will also catalogue your thesis in its collection.

Although your thesis will be shared publicly, keep in mind that you as author retain both copyright ownership of your thesis and the moral rights (the rights you retain over the integrity of the work and the right to be named as its author even after sale or transfer of the copyright).

If you need a Letter of Completion at the end of your program, please use this form to do so instead of emailing GPS. Please read the instructions in the form carefully before submitting.