Theses: Best Practices for Departments

The Library is simplifying and streamlining the thesis submission resources and processes for students and graduate assistants. 

• The Library governs the publishing and formatting of theses (the physical and digital copies) and the collection of the required documentation. Please check with the DGS' office about thesis deadlines for departments and other issues that do not fall under the Library's realm.
• We need original signatures on all forms required with submissions.  A reminder that forms with signatures are official documents (i.e., legal documents). Therefore, signees need to date a document when they sign it.  In cases where a signee neglects to date a document or makes an error, the signee should make the correction and initial it.  If this is not possible, graduate assistants (GAs) should follow the appropriate procedures for authorizing specific documents (e.g., the Supervisor Revision Memo/Form: if GAs have received this from the supervisor, he/she can sign and date the form, print name, position, and department--this confirms that the GA has received the go-ahead from the faculty member.) 
• Departments are responsible for the Approval page and the Supervisor's Revision Memo;
  students are responsible for all other signature documents. 
   

1. Encourage students to read the Best Practices for Grad Students and take a Workshop early.

Around the time they are starting writing. 

If you'd like me to come to your department to give a Graduate Student Orientation presentation (30-minute) or a Thesis Template & Submission workshop (2 to 3 hours), and you have 10 students or more who will attend, we can arrange this for a Mon-Thu, between 9 and 6pm. 

Harbour Centre and Surrey campuses have been helpful by opening Guest Lectures/Demonstrations to graduate students from other disciplines--thank you in advance for this. 

All are demonstration-style presentations, so the only equipment required is one computer with internet access and an LCD projector (for me). 
 

2. Title Pages (follow link for details)

Over 90% of theses have errors in them, so please discourage your students from referring to any previously submitted theses—rather, refer them to the Thesis Assistance webpage (www.lib.sfu.ca/theses and the 3-Steps to Sumission) for all details pertaining to theses, such as Title Pages, Approval Pages, Abstracts, page number issues, etc.      

Thesis Title. The title of the thesis needs to be the same on all documents: the Title Page, signed Approval Page, unsigned Approval page, Partial Copyright Licence, Library & Archives Canada Licence--in other words, all punctuation and spelling the same please.
 

3. Approval Pages  (follow link for details)

Please see specific instructions for issues regarding approval pages, majority of signatures and absentee attendance--all signature lines should have something on them. 
 

4. Ethics 

Students who have animal or human ethics approval must put an Ethics Statement in all copies of their theses AND include a copy of the original ethics approval letter/form from the Office of Research Ethics or Animal Care in the DOCs folder.
 

5. Supervisor Revision Memo 

It appears that many of you are doing this differently and I must have this form when the student submits, so this may be of help.

At the time of signing, faculty should date this form, but sometimes this doesn't happen. After having received the supervisor's go-ahead for submitting a thesis with or without revisions:
♦ if the faculty didn't date the form,
♦ if 3 weeks have passed since the form was dated and signed, or
♦ if the form is a copy
the graduate assistant can confirm the supervisor has passed the thesis by dating, signing, printing name, position, and department on the form.

A student can then bring his/her thesis AND the supervisor revision memo (with original signature) OR a copy of the signed supervisor revision memo that is dated and confirmed with original signature of the graduate assistant (please print name, position, and department if not on form).

On the odd occasion at the submission deadline date the above may not be possible (e.g., when a defence date is very close to submission day or when a student is submitting remotely).  At times like these, a grad assistant can forward the supervisor's confirmation via email (theses@sfu.ca) that says the revisions have been completed, with a PDF of the signed memo attached, then keep the original in the department's student file.  Please do not make this a habit as matching up paperwork with theses after the fact is time-comsuming.
 

6. Thesis Submissions

Please follow only the 3-Steps to Submission--please do not follow the old Last Steps/Checklist as theses are coming into this office incorrectly put together--and missing details on both the Title and Approval pages. There is a link to instructions on how to make your own checklist for Thesis Package folders (Steps 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3)--but do make a new list from time-to-time as these instructions are fine-tuned here and there for clarity from student and grad assistant input. 

Please also encourage your students to submit their Thesis Packages to the Library early and within 3 weeks of the supervisor signing the Supervision/Revision Memo/Letter/Form.  

Also please do not staple or 3-hold punch forms that will be coming to me--some of these need to be bound in the thesis.
 

7. Send out the following info to (1) Incoming and (2) Current graduate students.

1. Incoming Graduate Students: Support for Thesis Writing and Formatting
   
   The Library encourages students to view Best Practices for Graduate Students--the 1-stop page of information and links that will help you throughout the Thesis Process from start to finish--and invites students to explore the Thesis Assistance resources available at http://www.lib.sfu.ca/theses. At the latest, the time to do this would be as you register for your thesis course.  On this page, there is a table organised in the following categories: resources (includes workshop and templates), help and documentation, forms and regulations, and submission requirements. Help is available for a variety of services (including writing, time management, RefWorks, grant writing, finding stats, etc.) through the Student Learning Commons, and there are books on writing theses available in the Library as well. Those looking for guidance on publication styles (citing and referencing) can be in touch with their Department's/discipline's Liaison Librarian—contact this person as well regarding Write-n-Cite and RefWorks issues. Some questions are also addressed via the Library's "Graduate Student FAQs" as well. Theses are due in the library near the end of each semester (see "Deadline Dates").
   
   Before you start writing, you are encouraged to attend a Thesis Template & Submission "Workshop"; along with other workshops, these are held throughout each semester.  When getting ready to submit your thesis to the Library, check the "3-Steps to Submission" link.  After checking the items in Step 1, please see the documentation under the "Help and Documentation" column in the table near the top of the page. Students who have used one of the Library’s thesis templates and are having trouble fixing these issues in their documents, please see the "Help and Support" page for how to get help.  When you are close to being ready to take your thesis to the Library, please refer to the Thesis Office "Submission Hours", re-check Step 1 in the "3-Steps to Submission", and follow Steps 2 and 3 as well.
   
   Note. If you require human or animal ethics approval for the research on which your thesis is based, along with other documentation, you will need to hand in a copy of this document with your thesis to the Library.
    
2. Current Graduate Students: Library Requirements for Thesis Registration and Submission
   
   The Thesis Office resources and requirements have been updated so, rather than refer to previous theses for layout and details, please visit the website http://www.lib.sfu.ca/theses regarding templates, workshops, and requirements early in your process. Rather than following the ‘old’ Last Steps and Reviewing Your Own documents, those ready to submit please see the "3-Steps to Submission" link. After checking the items in Step 1, please see the documentation under the "Help and Documentation" column in the table near the top of the page. Students who have used one of the Library’s thesis templates and find they are unable to fix the issues in their documents, follow the directions on the "Help and Support" webpage for how to get help.  When you are close to being ready to take your thesis to the Library, please refer to the Thesis Office "Submission Hours", re-check Step 1 in the "3-Steps to Submission" again, and follow Steps 2 and 3 as well.  Theses are due in the library near the end of each semester (see "Deadline Dates").
   
   Note. If you required human or animal ethics approval for the research on which your thesis is based, you will need to hand in a copy of this documentation along with your thesis to the Library. 
   

Note to GA's only: In January 2012, DGS is requesting GA's attach the ethics approval to a copy of the DGS' Approval of Examining Committee for a Soctoral Student form and give to Doctoral students for submission with their theses.