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Thesis submission changes for PGR students

From 1 September 2021 all PGR students* must submit ONLY an electronic version of their final thesis as a condition of fulfilment of their award.

Postgraduate researcher students required to make thesis open access in Pure

[* PGRs = MPhil and & doctoral programme students] 

The only exception to this requirement is the Higher Doctorate and PhD by Published Works which require a physical submission AND electronic submission. 

What do PGRs need to do now?

PGRs must submit their thesis electronically via Pure. Pure is the university’s Current Research Information System. 

Each PGR must upload PDFs (Portable Document Format) of

(i) their final, completed thesis &

(ii) the signed thesis deposit form to Pure. 

The electronic thesis must be submitted via Pure in advance of the university's submission deadline dates to qualify for winter or summer graduation. 

To embargo or not embargo?

PGRs should carefully consider if an embargo is required for the thesis and the duration of the embargo.

Each PGR is strongly encouraged to upload any publications and/or research data associated with the thesis. 

Further information about e-theses can be found on the following Theses LibGuide  

Direct any queries to the e-thesis email address: e-thesis@qub.ac.uk 

General information about thesis submission for PGRs:

There are two stages of submission for a PGR award:

(i) soft submission &

(ii) final submission

These occur at different times, are managed by different departments across the university, and have different processes.

The table below summarises the main points of difference:

Table displaying main points of difference between soft and final submission for a PGR award

Further Useful Information: 

PGRs and Pure Access 

  • Each PGR has access to Pure only for the length of their study. A PGR’s access to Pure will expire at the end of the expected completed date. This information can be found on your personal Pure profile 
  • Each PGR must upload a PDF of (i) the completed thesis and (ii) signed thesis deposit form to Pure to be eligible for graduation 
  • In addition, it is advised that each PGR should note in Pure any endeavour or output that is likely to increase research visibility 

In Pure, there is the facility to create records for the following: 

  • Research outputs – research articles, conference proceedings/abstracts, chapters, monographs  
  • Activities – invited speaker, organiser of a conference, delivering a paper etc. 
  • Prizes – scholarships, travel awards, poster awards, conference awards etc. 
  • Press/Media – have you spoken to the press about your research topic? 
  • Datasets – any related data connected to the thesis e.g. surveys, interviews, transcripts, photos, tables, charts, spreadsheets, videos, code, software etc. In many instances, these are valuable as stand-alone datasets. These can be embargoed also in symmetry with the thesis while you seek publication

It is advised that PGRs create records for the above where relevant and before expiration of their Pure account.

Relevant PGR Training 

Note there is a range of training courses, which are essential for PGR students to attend. These include 

  1. Copyright and your e-thesis*  
  2. Getting your first article published* 
  3. Pure class*  
  4. Understanding embargoes  
  5. Destination graduation* and  
  6. E-thesis essentials  

[* = recommended that you attend] 

These are routinely offered throughout the academic year by the Open Research Librarian, Dr. Michael O’Connor.

The information will be available on Library Training and will be available to book via MyFuture  

Email: michael.oconnor@qub.ac.uk 

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