FAQ for Submitting a Senior Thesis

What You'll Find Here:

• Who can submit a senior thesis?
• How to submit a senior thesis
• Who will see my senior thesis?
• How do I monitor my download statistics?
• How do I digitally sign the submission agreement?
• What are keywords?
• What are subject categories?
• When will my senior 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 senior thesis?

DigitalCommons@SarahLawrence only accepts undergraduate senior theses completed by Sarah Lawrence students.


How to submit a senior thesis

Submission Guidelines for the senior thesis can be found here .

Who will see my senior thesis?

All senior theses are SLC only access. This access option is explained below. By submitting your research to Digital Commons, a metadata record will be automatically created indicating that your thesis exists in our collection. The metadata record will display basic information about your thesis including your name, the title, and the year or your thesis. A catalog record, with the same information, will appear in WorldCat.

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).



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.


When will my senior thesis be available on Digital Commons?

Once you have completed the submission process, please allow up to 6 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.


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.” Please add 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.