Q. How do I deposit my thesis into the University Repository?

If you registered after 1st August 2008 you must deposit the final accepted version of your thesis electronically into the University Repository using Liverpool Elements. This is the version after you have had your viva, and any modifications required have been accepted as sufficient by your examiners. If you do not deposit the final accepted version, your graduation could be delayed.

To deposit your thesis you must log into Liverpool Elements using your MWS login (the username and password you use to log into the University computers). There is a deposit guide to show you the process.

For details of submitting both initial and final versions of your thesis see the Submission and Examination pages of the Research Students section on the Student Administration Centre website. Or refer to the Liverpool Doctoral College Handbook. 

If you wish to deposit your thesis voluntarily, please contact the Open Research Team for further details.

We welcome voluntarily deposited theses. Making your thesis available online greatly enhances its discoverability, and means that your work is accessible by many more than if it were only available in printed format. This comes with the added factor of enhancing your reputation within your chosen field and can enhance your career prospects.

You must consider whether any third party copyrighted material is included in your thesis. You must obtain any permission to include third party copyrighted material, or replace the material in question with a text box listing the details of the item removed from the thesis. Failure to do this could delay your thesis from being accepted.

If you wish to deposit an abridged thesis you must also deposit the unabridged version of your thesis, which will be archived. The abridged version is the one that will be made available (subject to any requested embargo).

Further information is available in this guide on copyright and your thesis or see Are there any factors that could delay my thesis from being made available in the Repository?

Your thesis should be deposited in PDF format. If you have any difficulties converting your file you should contact the IT Service Desk.

If you have supplementary data that you wish to deposit in a format different to PDF you should contact the Open Research Team to discuss whether this material can be hosted and any other options.

The filename should be constructed using the following:

• your student ID number
• an underscore
• the first three letters of the month on your title page
• the year on your title page

The filename would look similar to this: 123456789_Apr2016.pdf.

After you deposit your thesis electronically the Open Research Team will perform the necessary checks on it.

An email will be sent to your supervisor asking them to agree to the embargo period (if any) you have requested. The thesis will become available via the University Repository after the embargo expires. The embargo period begins on the date of graduation.

If you are depositing your thesis on a voluntary basis, you must deposit the printed, bound copies of your thesis to the PGR Student Team before you are eligible to graduate.

If you wish to restrict access to the electronic version of your thesis you should state this in the embargo comments box when uploading your thesis via Liverpool Elements. 

If you are depositing your thesis voluntarily and wish to restrict access to the printed copies of your thesis you must submit a letter from your Head of Department (HoD) to the Acquisitions Team in the Sydney Jones Library

If you do not provide a reason for the embargo we cannot accept the thesis. If the reason for restricting access is a concern for your personal safety, access can be restricted permanently or indefinitely. For most other reasons access can be restricted for up to five years.

For more information see I want to restrict access to my thesis. What are the qualifying reasons?

If you need to obtain a thesis deadline suspension due to medical reasons or any other mitigating circumstances you can find information on this subject by visiting the the Suspensions and Extensions section of the Postgraduate Research Student website.