The Thesis Process in General

Note. Some points in this process vary from department-to-department, so please check--well in advance--with your grad assistant to be sure you're on the right track.

1. When you're doing your research and writing/editing your thesis, format your thesis with the template
   (see Headings 1 to 5 down the page; and the links under Resources and Help & Documentation at www.lib.sfu.ca/theses ).
    
2. If for some reason you think you ought to Postpone Publication of your thesis, you should be considering this now and discussing the possibility with your supervisor (for more info/details on postponements and a link to the form, refer to http://www.lib.sfu.ca/theses under Regulations & Forms)
   ♦ Apply for Postponement of Publication through the DGS' office well before submitting your thesis (i.e., 1 to 1.5 months).
   ♦ Bring approved application with you when you submit your thesis. 
    
3. In the semester in which you are graduating, apply for Graduation early- to mid-semester.
    
4. Step 1 in the 3-Steps to Submission--in the last stages of editing--that is the final two edits--double-check your thesis to be sure that you haven't inadvertently changed something--that everything that needs to be correct is, in fact, correct.
   NB. See also Heading 5 below.
   NB. Take Great Care Proofreading, Reviewing, Editing your thesis
   ♦ Changes cannot be made to your thesis after your supervisor "signs-off" on your thesis/revisions—unless you supervisor signs-off on them again.
   ♦ After you have submitted your thesis to the Library, the only changes that can be made are those requested by the Thesis Office. 
   ♦ After you have submitted your thesis to the library, if you wish to make other changes, you must get approval, see instructions.
    
5. (a) In the case of a non-defended thesis, when you give your thesis to your second reader, start getting your thesis ready for submission as follows; or,
   (b) In the case of a defended thesis, once your supervisor has said your thesis is ready for defence, copies of your thesis need to be distributed to your committee and, as part of the preparation for your defence, do the following:
   
   ♦ Step 2 in the 3-Steps to Submission.
      Register yourself on the Thesis Registration System either shortly before or shortly after your defence
      NB. Before you register, be sure the title and abstract are not going to change--check with your supervisor on this.
      You do not need to upload the PDF of your thesis at this time,
      but you must upload your PDF before you bring your Thesis Package to the Library.
   
   ♦ Start getting your Thesis Package ready for the library as per the 3-Steps to Submission
      Step 3 in the 3-Steps to Submission.
      Get your 3 folders setup with everything but the 2 copies of your thesis--go step-by-step through Step 3
      - DOCs folder: fill-in your forms and get your documentation ready for your theses
        (see column 3 on the website, www.lib.sfu.ca/theses )
      - ARCH folder (the Archive copy of your thesis)
         - contains dated and signed Approval and PCL pages at the front
         - no sigs. or email addresses allowed elsewhere in thesis
      - CIRC folder (the copy that goes on the shelves in Library
         - contains dated Approval page--no sigs. or email addresses allowed anywhere in thesis
   If your defence is close to a submission deadline date, completing the 3-Steps to Submission in advance of your defence will make the world of difference on whether you will be able to get your submission into the Library on time--or not.
    
6. After the approval of a non-defended thesis or a defended thesis and any revisions that have been required, your super will complete a revision memo/form saying that the thesis was passed satisfactorily with or without revisions.  This signed and dated document must accompany your thesis to the Library.
   NB. see also Heading 6 below.

Get Help Early—Plan Ahead
 

1. Attend a Workshop on formatting your thesis

Most people are visual learners, so we highly recommend attending a "Thesis Template & Submissions" workshop before you begin writing your thesis or, at the least, early in your process. 

• Students have said that attending a Thesis Template & Submission workshop (a video of this workshop is now online) was more time efficient for them and saved their energy for writing and editing.  
• After having attended a workshop, many students have said that the visual on how to format their theses, the information they obtained on what to watch out for, and the Word functions they learnd was, not only helpful, but gave them the confidence to be able to continue on their own. 
• Attending this workshop enables students to have a good end result—that is, a thesis without errors. 
   

2. Writing Assistance

The Student Learning Commons (SLC) offers assistance to graduate students as well as undergraduate students.  Consult the SLC about a variety of writing concerns (genre familiarity, planning, organizing, improving coherence, forming peer-writing groups, style, self-help editing) and/or learning strategies (reading, exam preparation, time management).

See also  books on writing theses.
 

3. Research Assistance

Consult your department's or program's specialized Liaison Librarian for help with the research process.  

Cite and Reference everything as you go.

• HelpDoc: Citing and Referencing
• Avoid plagiarism
• Research Guides: Writing & Style Guides / Manuals.
• Workshop: APA (6th ed.): Essentials for Academic Writing; the handout is also available online.

Reference Management Software

These programs do not always convert to your publication style accurately--after using, you must check the order of elements and punctuation in each reference.

• RefWorks software, free for current students.
• Compare EndNote, Citation Manager and RefWorks.
• EndNote Guided Tour for windows and Macintosh. A comprehensive guide for students using EndNote software.
   

4. Seek Copyright Permissions early

       for using other authors' Figures, Images, Photos, Tables, etc.

Understand Copyright 

Like books and journal articles, your extended essays/project/thesis/dissertation is also a publication.  So, if you wish to use images, photos, maps and other graphics created by another author, you will need proof of permission to re-publish their work.

Locating the correct person to contact may prove difficult, so don't leave the task until the end. Review the Thesis Requirements Copyright webpage and the links within it before using images created by others for re-publishing in your thesis/project/essays.

Selecting Images or finding alternate ones, that require the least work to obtain permission.

If you are considering an image, always record the pertinent information: the reference from which it came, the copyright holder, date of copyright, and contact information and, when used, submit with your thesis. On websites where you find images (including "Wikipedia" and "Google Maps"), visit the "user info" or "copyright information" link, usually at the bottom of the page, and print this for your records. Seek out images in the "public domain" or having other forms of general "advance permission" to publish.

You may be able to find alternate images or maps to the ones you initially selected.  Print these permissions for your records. Check out ARTstor, an image database.  You can access these images and publish them, with only the usual citation.
 

5. Thesis Details and Formatting Info

Rather than referring to recent theses for details (such as content on Title Page, Approval Page, Table of Contents, etc.) and layout-related issues (such as where to put tables, figures, lists of tables and figures, references/bibliography, appendices, etc.) determine whether your thesis has a problem (do this well in advance of end of term) by:

1. Referring to the order and individual page-links under Submission Requirements "Requirements & Organization" on the Thesis Assistance web page ( http://www.lib.sfu.ca/theses )
2. Seeing Step 1 (and the links within Step 1) in the 3-Steps to Submission.
3. If after doing so you find a problem, please see the Help & Documentation column at http://www.lib.sfu.ca/theses for how to fix the problem. 
4. If after doing so you find you cannot solve the problem, follow the directions on the Help and Support Services webpage.
   
    

6.  Submit Your PDF Online & Your Thesis Package

1. Go through the 3-Steps to Submission again to be sure everything is in order and submit your Thesis Package to the library.
2. Upload your final PDF to the Thesis Registration System.
3. Submit your Thesis Package to the Library within 3 weeks of the supervisor signing the Supervision/Revision Memo/Letter/Form--so be sure the date is right before you come.  If the date on the document is more than 3 weeks old or there is no date, you will be sent back to your Department for authorization--which could mean you missing the deadline. If the date is incorrect, your grad assistant can likely confirm that the super approved within the last 3 weeks by dating and signing the document, printing name, position, and department--by doing this GAs are only confirming receipt of the senior's authorization.

Notes on Copies and Binding

1. Before defence (4-8 weeks):  # copies (usually unbound--you will need copies for all your committee members)--check with your department on details--the pre-defence deadline varies for master's and doctoral theses and departments as well.
2. After defence, any revisions, and supervisor signing-off on revisions: 2 copies for the Library (unbound):
3. After the Library has completed the Intake on your thesis: You will receive an automated message from the thesis registration system, stating whether any changes need to me made to your document.  Make these changes, upload your PDF, and then you and your department can have their copies bound from that PDF.  
Note on Printing.