MASTERS THESIS/PHD DISSERTATION

FORMAT PROCEDURES SHEET

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY PRIOR TO SUBMITTING MASTERS THESIS/PHD DISSERTATION

I. FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

The body of the thesis must be formatted to fit these specific requirements:

Paper must be of good quality and size 8.5”x11” or 21.5cmx28cm (for paper copies)

Print must be of high quality with legible font (for paper copies)

Text must be double spaced on single sided pages

Left margin must measure 1.5” or 3.8cm

Right, top and bottom margins must measure 1” or 2.5cm

Page numbers, headers and footers must be within the margin measurements

Ensure charts do not exceed page margin measurements

Electronic version should be in a single PDF file.

The title page must include the following information:

Title of thesis

Name of author

Degree to be awarded

The words “Saint Mary’s University”

The words “Copyright [author’s name, year]” or “© [author’s name, year]”

Date of submission (title page date and signature page date must be the same)

Names of Examining Committee members (do not include signatures)

The abstract must:

Not exceed 150 words (300 words for PHD dissertations)

Be single spaced

Include the word “Abstract”

Include author’s name

Include thesis title

Include date of submission (title page date and signature page date must be the same)

Have print of good quality

Examples of title pages and abstracts may be viewed on the University Archives website (smu.ca/archives)

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II. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL – What to consider when creating/submitting your thesis

According to Library and Archives Canada “Students should ensure that the use of copyrighted material from other sources in their theses meets the requirements of the Copyright Act. Some written permissions from copyright holder(s) may be required”. Educational exceptions (such as fair dealing) may apply if certain

conditions are met.

Using a greater amount than what is considered an ‘insubstantial amount’ of a work requires a written letter of permission from the copyright holder. This letter must be addressed to you and submitted with your

thesis.

Full attribution must always be given to the original creator of the work, regardless of how much you are including in your theses.

The Copyright Guide for Students (libguides.smu.ca/studentcopyright) on the library website goes into more detail on copyright procedures.

If you are unsure about the copyright guidelines of the work you are using you can contact the library’s copyright office at copyright@smu.ca

III. LICENCE TO REPRODUCE

University regulations require all Masters theses/PHD dissertations be submitted to the National Library of Canada. Students completing a Masters/PHD degree are required to complete a “Non-Exclusive Licence to

Reproduce Thesis” form. This form grants permission to the National Library of Canada to reproduce and sell the thesis/dissertation. This form and the accompanying “UMI” form must be submitted with the paper copies of the thesis.

IV. RESEARCH ETHICS BOARD

If you used human participants as part of your research (for example, conducted interviews or surveys), you will have obtained a “Certificate of Ethical Acceptability for Research Involving Humans” from the

University’s Research Ethics Board. A copy of the certificate should be submitted with your project. This is in

accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2), article 2.1.

V. RESTRICTIONS If your thesis contains confidential or sensitive material, you may wish to have your thesis restricted. This

request must be submitted in writing in a letter addressed to the University Librarian, and the letter should be included

with your theses submission. The request should specify the length of the restriction (up to a maximum of five years). Restricted theses will not be published for the length of the restriction.

VI. SIGNATURES OF EXAMINING COMMITTEE

It is required that the student submit one page with the names of the examining committee and their original signatures (not photocopied). This page must include all the elements that are on the title page (see section one above),

as well as the signatures. This page will not be bound with the rest of your manuscript, and due to Canadian privacy law the title page that is bound with your manuscript cannot have signatures on it. See the University Archives web site

(smu.ca/archives) for

Some departments have a “certification page”, which is separate from the title page and contains the names and positions of the examining committee. This is fine, as long as the certification page that is bound with your manuscript

does not include signatures and you do include a separate, signed certification page.

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VII. COPYING PROCEDURES

When the thesis has been approved and signed by your advisor and you have complied with the formatting requirements:

1. Make paper copy

submit one paper copy of the thesis/dissertation (for the Archives collection)

submit a PDF version of your thesis/dissertation to fgsr@smu.ca

2. Fill out the Master’s Thesis/PHD Dissertation Information Sheet indicating where you can be reached in

case of problems. Current and forwarding addresses are required. Be sure to review and sign the Thesis/Dissertation Checklist.

3. At the Graduate Studies Office (Atrium 210), submit:

One paper copy (one PDF version of your thesis/dissertation is submitted online: see step one).

the completed Master’s Thesis/PHD Dissertation Information Sheet, the completed Non-Exclusive

Licence to Reproduce, and the UMI form

Copyright letters, Research Ethics Certificates or Restriction Letters if applicable.

Graduate Studies forwards the thesis manuscripts to the Patrick Power Library which in turn processes and

authorizes the manuscripts.

VIII. DISTRIBUTION OF THESES/DISSERTATIONS

one copy is catalogued and added to the University Archives Collection (this will not be available immediately)

Digital copies will be added to the Institutional Repository and to the National Library theses program

QUESTIONS? If you have any questions about the thesis process, drop in or telephone the staff of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and

Research at 420-5089 or University Archives at 496-8750.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Why do I need copyright permission if I’ve referenced the material in my thesis and bibliography?

If you have taken material directly from an existing source you are required by University Senate regulation to obtain permission from the copyright holder in order to reproduce the material in your thesis. Referencing the

material is not sufficient. If the material is public domain or open source, proof of this must be included. Only short quotations of another person’s work do not require copyright permission.

2. When will my thesis be available on online or in the library? You will be notified when the online copy is available. The Library copy of your thesis will be given a call number by the Cataloguing Department in the order

in which it is received. This may take several months due to the schedule of the bindery and volume of items to be catalogued.

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Once you have read and understood the Format Procedures, fill out and submit the Master’s Thesis/PHD Dissertation Information Sheet with your

manuscripts. Be sure to review and sign the Thesis Checklist!

If you have any questions about the formatting of your thesis/dissertation or the submission process, please contact the University Archives 496-8750 or visit the website at http://www.smu.ca/academics/archives.html Further assistance in writing your thesis, including an in-depth thesis workshop, is available at the Writing Centre (writing@smu.ca, 491-6202).

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