Submitting the Thesis FAQ

Submitting the Thesis FAQ

I created a cIRcle account and emailed Grad Studies with my name and login. I tried to start a new submission, but when I get to the "Submit: Choose Collection" page, there are no options under "Collections".

Your thesis forms must have been received by email at Graduate Studies before we can activate your cIRcle account for you to submit your thesis.

My forms have been sent to Graduate Studies and I have created a cIRcle account. I tried to start a new submission, but when I get to the "Submit: Choose Collection" page, there are no options under "Collections".

Your cIRcle account has not been activated. Please send an email to graduate.thesis@ubc.ca with your full name and email login so that we can activate your account.

I signed up for a cIRcle account, but when I clicked on the URL in the email to complete my registration, I got an "Invalid Token" error message. What should I do?

When you receive the email for cIRcle referring you to a URL to complete the registration process, you must do this immediately. You will get the "Invalid Token" error message if you delay too long. If this happens, please start the registration process again from the beginning.

I have questions about my cIRcle submission. Should I contact people at the Library?

All questions about electronic submission should be directed to Graduate Studies. Please do not contact the Library, as they are not in a position to help you.

I want to submit my thesis, but I don't want it to go online yet. Can I request a delay in publication?

The request must be made before you submit your thesis to cIRcle. Please complete the Request to Delay Publication form available on this website and submit it with the other required documents.

When you submit your thesis to the Library’s online repository, cIRcle, you must type “EMBARGO” in front of the thesis title when you enter the title in cIRcle.

Please see Delaying Publication of your Thesis for details.

I'm planning to use some chapters or parts of my thesis as a basis for papers for journal submission. Can I have the thesis withheld from the Library while I do that?

Planning to submit chapters of your thesis for journal publication may not be grounds for delaying publication of a thesis in the UBC Library. Before a request to delay publication will be considered, you may be required to demonstrate that the journal(s) you are planning to submit to will not consider publishing material that has previously appeared in a thesis.

When my thesis was approved, I received an email with a "handle" link to my thesis. Will this link always lead to my thesis?

Yes. Even if the electronic file is migrated to a different server, the link (handle) will still be the same.

I need to get a letter confirming that I have fulfilled all requirements for my degree. How do I get this letter?

Once your program has been closed, you can download an official Program Completion Letter from the SSC. You must have completed all your program requirements and all grades must be entered before the letter will be available.

I submitted my final thesis before electronic submission was available. Can I now submit an electronic copy as well?

The UBC Library is not able to accept electronic theses from previous graduation seasons at this time. However, all previous UBC theses have been digitized (scanned to PDF) and are available in cIRcle.

What happens after my thesis has been approved and accepted for archiving?

Thesis receipt: G+PS will acknowledge the acceptance of your thesis via the student system with a thesis receipt with the subject line “Thesis Approved: <your name and student number>”. This email is cc’d to the administrator of your graduate program office for their reference.

Program closure: The thesis receipt initiates review of your program accomplishments for closure and graduation approval (if you have applied for graduation). Other than at particularly busy times such as Term end and graduation deadlines you can expect to see that your program has been closed within 5 - 7 business days from the date you received the thesis receipt. The effective date of closure is the date in bold in the receipt, example: “This email is your official thesis receipt. Your program will receive a copy, and provided you have met all other requirements, your program will be closed as of <month and day>, 2024. Please allow 5-7 business days for this to show up on your record. ”

Program Completion Letter: This letter will populate the student system at the moment your program is closed.

Applying for Graduation: If you have not applied to graduate, you should do so as soon as possible.

Resources:

Overview of main points

Graduation site for both UBC campuses

Tuition reimbursement: Contact Enrolment Services to request a refund of any remaining portion of the term's tuition fees (only full months of tuition can be refunded).

Post-graduation work permit

I don't know how to create a PDF. Where can I get help?

The Graduate Learning Commons in the Koerner Library on campus has resources to help you create your PDF and submit it to cIRcle.

I'm using LaTeX to create my PDF, but the page size comes out as 8.26 X 11.69. How do I change it to 8.5 X 11?

Make sure that in BOTH the editing program (e.g. "LED") AND LaTeX compiling program (e.g. "Miktex"), that the paper preference is set to Letter, not A4. As long as that is set properly, you don't have to specify any paper sizes in the actual .tex files.

Do I have to apply for graduation on SSC before I can submit my thesis?

You don't have to, but we recommend you apply for graduation very early, before your thesis submission, as Enrolment Services will not accept late applications for graduation.