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MBZUAI Graduate Thesis Guide: Deposit your Work

A guide provides essential information you need to know when depositing your thesis to Library

Checklist

Arrangement of sections in thesis
Review third-party content
Choose an approved template
Deposit graduate thesis

Students must submit an electronic copy (PDF format) of their final and approved thesis for deposit in the MBZUAI Electronic Thesis and Dissertation collection, with the approval of their supervisors and the Provost, and to fulfill their graduation responsibilities.

A thesis deposit agreement is required to support the deposit of a thesis in the MBZUAI Library. The agreement determines the conditions of public access and may allow MBZUAI Library to make the contents of the work discoverable on the institutional repository, MBZUAI eCommons.

Required embargo periods are covered by the thesis agreement and should be approved by the Provost.

Thesis Submission

Congratulations! Your thesis has been accepted and all other degree requirements have been met. One final step is required. Deposit the final and approved version of your thesis/dissertation to the Library. 

MBZUAI eCommons is the university's institutional repository and accepts for deposit open access scholarship and graduate work of the MBZUAI community, created and published during the period of affiliation with the university.

 

Copyright of your thesis remains yours, but as a student of MBZUAI, you have granted MBZUAI Library non-exclusive rights to make the content of your thesis discoverable through the university's institutional repository. Should you have transferred some of your rights through an alternative agreement with a publisher or plan to, you may request an embargo period to withhold the contents of your thesis from the public for a defined period of time.

The embargo is applicable for the case mentioned below. Section B in the ETD form allows you to apply for an embargo period for your thesis. We advise you to discuss this with your supervisor, as the justifications must be approved by the supervisor and the Provost.

The embargo period can be applied for 

  • The thesis is due for publication, either as a series of articles or as a monograph. I have discussed this with the publisher and confirmed the period of embargo.
  • The thesis includes material that is the subject of a pending patent or for which a decision whether to file a patent is pending.
  • The thesis includes material that was obtained under a promise of confidentiality.
  • The thesis contains material that would substantially prejudice the commercial interests of the author, the University, or an external company.
  • The thesis contains information that may endanger the physical/mental health or personal safety of an individual(s).
  • Other(s), option to provide other specific reasons for applying embargo period.

Thesis Deposit Requirements to the Library

To meet MBZUAI graduate thesis submission requirements, you must –

• Format your thesis as per library’s format guidelines. Tips:

  • Thesis should be according to the MBZUAI approved formatting standards.
  • Refer to MBZUAI Graduate Thesis Structure and use MBZUAI template.
  • Final thesis must be free of any typographical error. Carefully review the content of your thesis and assess the use and inclusion of third-party materials in your work.

• Name your thesis according to the following file naming convention StudentNumber_FamilyName_Thesis, for example:  12345678_JONES_Thesis.pdf.

• Submit your final thesis for similarity check/plagiarism to iThenticate service. Tips:

  • Use this link to request access an iThenticate service.
  • The whole thesis, including abstracts, and any attachments/images, shall be submitted as one document. Refer to iThenticate guide for more instructions
  • Email your plagiarism report to your supervisor for evaluation.
Complete a thesis deposit form in consultation with your graduate advisor.

• After the defense and all the revisions - final step for Library submissions. Tips:

  • Complete the Thesis Deposit Form available from Student E-Service. For the Fall 2024 submission deadline, please check with your department chair.
  • Ensure to provide the required bibliographic details in full.
  • Upload files: submit the final approved version of your thesis (PDF format only) and any supplementary files supporting your thesis (iThenticate report etc.,).
  • Provide the data deposit details if you have deposited your data or code in a repository.
  • Provide the conditions of deposit (with and without embargo) and the author declaration.
  • Email us etd.deposit@mbzuai.ac.ae if you are having problems (attaching files, … ).

• Meanwhile, steps by other departments:

  • Thesis submitted on E-service will be reviewed by the academic administrators (Supervisor, Department Chair, Provost) before being forwarded to the library.

    • If they require clarification or an adjustment on your deposit, you will be contacted by email. Revisions must be made, and the updated thesis resubmitted to MBZUAI Library through E-service.

  • The deposit will be considered to be "complete" subsequent to the academic administrator's approvals received by the library. The Registrar will be informed (by the library) after the deposit is complete.