FAQ for Graduate Students Submitting a Thesis

What You'll Find Here:

• Who can submit a master's thesis?
• How to submit a master's thesis
• Who will see my thesis?
• How do I monitor my download statistics?
• How do I digitally sign the submission agreement?
• What are keywords?
• What are subject categories?
• What does it mean if my work is under embargo?
• When will my thesis be available on Digital Commons?
• Who do I contact with questions?
• What document types can I upload to Digital Commons?



Who can submit a master's thesis?

DigitalCommons@SarahLawrence only accepts master's theses, undergraduate senior theses/capstone projects, and other select works completed by Sarah Lawrence students, staff, and faculty.


For more information about submission requirements for specific dicsiplines, visit the Submit Research Page.

How to submit a master's thesis

Each graduate program has a unique submission procedure. For more information about how to submit your master's thesis, visit the Submit Research Page and navigate to your program. This will lead you to the submission guidelines for your program.

Who will see my thesis submission?

By submitting your research to Digital Commons, a metadata record will be automatically created indicating that your thesis exists in our collection, regardless of the access level you selected. The metadata record will display basic information about your thesis including your name, the title, and the year the degree was awarded. A catalog record, with the same information, will appear in WorldCat. The level of online access beyond that depends on the level of access you select when you submit your thesis. The access levels are:

Open Access: Your thesis will be discoverable via Google and other search engines. Open Access serves the scholarly and creative community by sharing your work with others around the world; exemplifying the nature of graduate work done at Sarah Lawrence College.

Restricted for one year; then Open Access: Delay release of the entire work for one year from date of submission for publication or other proprietary purposes. After one year, your work is automatically made available to the world through Open Access.

Restricted for two years; then Open Access: Delay release of the entire work for two years from date of submission for publication or other proprietary purposes. After two years, your work is automatically made available to the world through Open Access.

Access restricted to SLC only: Allow access only on the Sarah Lawrence College campus (via IP address) and to current Sarah Lawrence College community members via DigitalCommons@SarahLawrence with valid MySLC login credentials. Consistent with past practice, the thesis will also be available to other libraries via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Please note: ALL MFA Writing Program theses are, by default, closed access. A closed access thesis means that the full-text of your thesis will not be available online. A digital preservation copy will be maintained by the College Archives. Access will not be allowed to your thesis without first requiring written permission from you, the author.


How do I monitor my download statistics?

A great feature in Digital Commons is the author dashboard where you can view the readership statistics for your work. In addition to downloads, metadata hits, and location, it also provides information on citations and impact factor. For more information on the dashboard, including how to access it, visit here.


How do I digitally sign the submission agreement?

We highly recommend using the free and simple Adobe Fill and Sign app, which you can download on both Android and iOS devices. When using this app, be sure to use the signature [pen] icon to sign and the ABC icon to type in the fields.

If you are unable to access the app, you may find the following websites and solutions helpful:

1. From the Adobe website, see this free online option for using Fill and Sign in a web browser.
2. For more detailed directions on how to upload a photo of your signature to sign a pdf, see the bottom of this Adobe support page
3. If you use a Mac, try the directions on this site if you are having trouble
4. See this link for a video tutorial on using the Fill and Sign feature in the Adobe software
5. If all else fails, print the form, sign it, scan it (or take a photo of it with your cell phone if you have no other options), and email it to yourself to save.

What are keywords?

During the submission process, you may enter up to 6 keywords or phrases, separated by commas. Keywords enhance the indexing and retrieval of your thesis. Consider using keywords that help identify and classify your thesis, but are not mentioned in your title or abstract. For example, you may want to include geographic locations, themes, topics, or scientific names.


What does it mean if my work is under embargo?

If you selected a delay in releasing your thesis, it is said to be under embargo until the terms of the restriction have been met (i.e., restricted for one year; then open access or restricted for two years; then open access). Your work will not be accessible to anyone until the embargo is lifted.


When will my thesis be available on Digital Commons?

Once you have completed the submission process, please allow up to 4 weeks for SLC library staff to review and post your submission. You will receive an email to your Sarah Lawrence email address once your thesis has been posted. If you selected the open access option, it will be available to view and download from the DigitalCommons@SarahLawrence site. If you did not select the open access option, your name and the title of your work will appear in searches, but the document itself will not be available until the terms of your access selection are met.


What are subject categories?

Digital Commons has an established taxonomy, or disciplines, list: “a three-tiered taxonomy of academic subject areas used to tag content and enhance discoverability.” When you complete the online submission form in Digital Commons for your thesis, you will notice that a discipline/subject has been pre-assigned for you. This is a general subject category and you should feel free to add additional categories from the taxonomy list (available in the submission form as well as here). We understand that there may be an interdisciplinary element to your work. These subjects can capture the different disciplines reflected in your work. Note: Each subject category has its own Commons (i.e., Psychology Commons, Writing Commons, etc.) When you assign a subject heading to your work, it is automatically placed within the Commons for that subject, linking you to an international scholarly community within your discipline(s).

Who do I contact if I have questions?

For general questions about Digital Commons, including the submission process, formats, or issues with your account, please contact digitalcommons@sarahlawrence.edu.


What document types can I upload to Digital Commons?

The vast majority of master's theses are in PDF format. Digital Commons does allow for many different formats for submissions, including .doc, .docx, and .rtf files, all of which will be automatically converted into PDFs once they are uploaded. The majority of media files can also be submitted. If you have trouble submitting a file type, contact digitalcommons@sarahlawrence.edu.