Your library copy is a clean, electronic copy of the final version of the thesis and is required for lodgement with The Deakin University Library before the degree can be awarded. When preparing your library copy for submission, it is important to follow the below guidelines to ensure your thesis is approved by the Examinations Officer. To make sure you’ve met all formatting requirements, please refer to our Library Copy – Formatting Checklist. Please note: If you need guidance on how to present your Response to Examiners form and amendments, please see the “Find out what happens after submission” section of this page.  

The library copy of your thesis is submitted via HDR examinations. If your thesis requires amendments, you will submit the library copy at the same time as your amended thesis. If your thesis does not require amendments, you will submit the library copy after your results have been released.

All library copy submissions will include 3 components to be submitted in the HDR Examination system:

• A clean thesis document
• A thesis summary.
• A Digital Copyright and Access form

Below is advice on what to include in each component.

Clean Electronic Thesis document

The Clean Thesis document will be stored as your library copy. As part of the submission the clean electronic thesis document must be a single, unsecured PDF (preferably PDFA) that does not exceed 100MB. We recommend using a university computer to convert your thesis from Word to PDF, ensuring all figures, tables, and contents are correctly formatted. If your document exceeds the size limit or you need to submit additional materials, please email the Examinations team for further assistance.

1. The thesis title page must be the first page of your thesis (not numbered) and must adhere to the formatting requirements provided in the sample title page. Do not add any additional information or alter the layout.
2. A COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement (optional) explains the impact of the pandemic on your research. You may choose to include the statement as an additional page in your thesis (no more than 600 words) and/or address the impact within the content of the thesis. Note: you may opt to include a COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement for examination and remove it from your library copy but you cannot do the reverse. A COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement cannot be included in your library copy if it wasn’t included in the examination copy.
3. The candidate declaration form must be signed and inserted as page two of your thesis (not numbered). Any bracketed instructions like "(10 words maximum)" and "(Please Print)" should be removed. Please note, this is the same declaration form that you will have inserted into your examination copy
4. The Research Training Program (RTP)/Funding Acknowledgement must be inserted on the third page of your thesis (not numbered) if you have received any type of RTP Scholarship. If you have received any other financial support for your project you are also encouraged to disclose that in this section.
5. An authorship statement needs to be inserted into the thesis if you have included any multi-authored publications. There must be one form inserted for each multi-authored publication. This statement needs to describe clearly the contributions made by you and by every other author and must be signed by all authors. These can be included as appendices if preferred.
6. The acknowledgement page (optional) should be inserted as the fourth page of your thesis (not numbered). If a professional editor has been used, editing assistance may be required to be acknowledged depending on the agreement between the candidate and the editor.
7. A list of publications (optional) should be inserted as the fifth page of your thesis (not numbered). Please indicate if each publication was submitted or accepted. A full version of your publication(s) may be included as an appendix to your thesis (not numbered). Note: this will be included in the word limit so you may prefer to provide a link to the publication as an alternative.

Digital Copyright and Access form

The Digital Copyright and Access Form relates to the copyright and accessibility of your thesis via the internet. This form must be completed and signed, then uploaded in PDF format along with your final thesis submission via HDR examinations.

When filling out the form ensure:

1. You’ve provided a personal email address, rather than your Deakin email.
2. Your thesis title is the exact same as what is in your thesis document.
3. You’ve added your signature, your name, and the date to the sections at the bottom of the form.

You have the option to make your entire thesis available online through Deakin Research Online or limit access to the citation, abstract, and metadata only. If you opt for limited online access, the Deakin University Library will make individual digital copies available for consultation, loan, and limited copying in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968.

If necessary, you can request a complete restriction of access for a limited period to facilitate the commercial exploitation of your material or for other compelling reasons. These requests must be made to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or nominee (Schedule E: Restricted Access to Thesis).

Thesis Summary

The thesis summary will appear in the graduation ceremony program and the Deakin Research Online (DRO) repository. Please ensure it is easy to understand for a general audience.

The summary must:

• Begin with either "This research", "This thesis" or "This study".
• Use plain English with minimal jargon/technical language where possible.
• Be longer than one sentence and approximately 50 words (maximum of 59 words).
• Avoid using the first person or referring to the author.
• Clearly describe the research and its outcome(s).
• Be free of spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors.