Thesis submission process

Spectrum

Your final submission is through Spectrum,Concordia University’s Research Repository in accordance with the Thesis Non-Exclusive Licence. While all thesis deposits are reviewed by the Thesis Office, it is your responsibility to follow the final submission guidelines. Before submitting, carefully review the final submission details checklist.

Final submission details

Your thesis will be reviewed by the Thesis Office and may be returned if it does not match the formatting requirements outlined in Step 1. If your submission is returned to you through Spectrum’s email notification system, you must correct your submission with the guided modifications and resubmit as soon as possible.

Checklist:

• File name
  Master’s: LastName_MA_S2024 (for Spring) or LastName_MA_F2024 (for Fall)
  Doctoral: LastName_PhD_S2024 (for Spring) or LastName_PhD_F2024 (for Fall)
• File type
  PDF/A format
• Page numbering
  Small roman numerals starting with the Abstract (page iii) until the text of the thesis (Introduction) starts at page 1. The title and signature pages have no page numbers.
• Signature page
  Prepared document with no signatures
• Abstract
  Include specific information based on your degree type 
  
• Table of Contents
  Include pages that come after Table of Contents, such as List(s), if applicable,  and/or Appendix,  if present; and exclude pages that come before Table of Contents, such as Title Page, Signature Page, Abstract, Dedication, and Contribution of Authors.

You will only be processed for graduation when all corrections are completed, and your thesis is successfully deposited. You will receive an email notification from Spectrum to confirm your submission was accepted. After your final submission is approved, your Spectrum status will remain as “Under Review” and your thesis will be released once the graduation list is approved by convocation.

ORCID: Your research ID

ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) gives you a unique identifier to ensure your research—like publications and grants—is correctly attributed to you.

It’s free, open-source, and perfect for graduate students building a research career. Concordia University strongly supports using ORCID.

Embargo

An approved embargo may be placed on the publication of the thesis in Spectrum. The deferment may be approved for up to two years. If an extension of more than two years is required, it may be renewed under exceptional circumstances, and with written justification to the Thesis Office. Check our Thesis Preparation Guide for more information.

Upon final submission of your thesis, you shall be deemed to have granted the University a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, archive, preserve, conserve, communicate to the public by telecommunication or on the internet, loan, and distribute the thesis worldwide for non-commercial purposes, in any format. Please refer to the University’s Policy on Intellectual Property.

Graduation

You must apply to graduate in order to obtain your Degree, Certificate or Diploma.

Before receiving your diploma, you may request a letter of completion through the Birks Student Center. To receive this letter, you must:

• Submit your final thesis to Spectrum, and have it approved by the Thesis Office
• Have your grades reported to the Office of the Registrar
• Have your department send the committee report to the Thesis Office
• Have no outstanding fees or holds on your student account