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Submitting your Thesis or Project to the Library

This guide contains all of the information that you will need to submit your thesis, project, or dissertation to the library.

ADA compliance: What is it and why is it important?

When working on your thesis, project, or dissertation, PLEASE NOTE that it must be made accessible. What does "accessible" mean? It means that assistive technology such as screen readers, braille printers and other assistive computer technologies will be able to interact with all information in your file. This means MORE people can possibly access and reference your paper online. If you still have any questions PLEASE watch this short  video on ADA issues.  *Amy Carpenter provides ADA formatting assistance Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM by email, adyess@csusm.edu, and virtual meetings. 

For instructions on how to make your own files ADA compliant, please visit our Document Accessibility Guide. 

How to Get Help with ADA Compliance

If you are anticipating graduating this semester, you will need to make your thesis or project American Disability Act Compliant before it can be uploaded.  

The ScholarWorks team will make theses and projects ADA compliant for you. In order to handle the volume of students graduating this semester, please send in a draft of your work by the ADA compliance deadline of April 24th. An ADA compliant version of the draft file will be returned to students no later than May 8th.  

Make sure to follow all instructions carefully when submitting your thesis or project to the ScholarWorks team. If you miss a step or forget something, it could delay the processing of your file. 

Gather the materials of your draft thesis or project and review the list below to ensure you have the correct document types. Then submit the draft of your file for ADA compliance by using this [ADA Compliance Webform].  

File drafts are acceptable. Make sure to include your departmental signature page as well as a title page! 

Below is a list of format types and extra files that are sometimes included in theses and projects. If you are planning to include any of the items in the below list, please make sure to send them in the appropriate format. If you aren’t sure if the below materials should be included in your thesis/project, check with your advisor. You and your advisor should determine what content to include in your thesis or project.  

  • Tables: make sure that the tables are editable and are not images 
  • PowerPoint slides: submit the original slides in addition to your thesis/project 
  • Survey or Form: submit the original PDF or Word file in addition to your thesis/project 
  • Companion Website: please include a link to your website 
  • Podcasts, videos, or other multimedia files: please include a link to the files or submit them in addition to your thesis/project 
  • Worksheets: Make sure that the worksheets are editable and a part of the Word document. Do NOT take an image of a worksheet and insert it into your thesis/project. 
  • Official correspondence such as permission letters, approval emails etc.: submit the original Word file or PDF of the correspondence. Do NOT insert an image of the correspondence in your thesis/project.  
  • IRB Form: IRB Forms are the only exceptions to inserting images of forms into your thesis/project. Please take a picture of each page of your IRB form and insert it into the thesis/project. 

 

Spring 2023 Timeline

Timeline for ADA Compliance
When Student Action
April 24th You must submit at least a draft of your Thesis or Project by April 24th for your document to be made ADA compliant for you. Email the file to thesisada@csusm.edu .
As your file is being made ADA compliant Keep track of any changes or edits you make to your draft. You will need to transfer these edits into the ADA compliant file the ScholarWorks team emails to you.
May 8th The ScholarWorks team will have emailed you the ADA compliant version of your thesis or project by May 8th
After your Defense and you have your final, edited version of your Thesis or Project

Upload the final version of your thesis or project, including the appropriate signature page as the first page, to the [Final Submission Webform].   

The ScholarWorks team will do a final ADA check of your file and alert you to any major errors, so please keep any eye on your email. 

 

Missed the ADA Deadline?

Submit your draft through the [ADA Compliance Webform] ASAP! Your name will be added to the list of students that we are working with. Keep in mind that we work on the files in the order we receive them. If you send your files in after the ADA deadline, we cannot guarantee your file will be ready by May 8th.