Uploading your thesis to the Research Repository
Once you have successfully completed your research degree at the University of Essex you should submit an electronic copy of your thesis to the University of Essex Research Repository.
This must be done in order for you to be awarded your degree. Here’s a guide to using the Repository for the first time, and for uploading the thesis. Please note that all mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk (*).
Step 1
Your University ID is your University email address without '@essex.ac.uk'.
Step 2
Click New Item button.
Step 3
Upload a copy of your thesis in PDF format by clicking on Choose File, navigate to the location of the paper select it and click OK.
Step 4
If your thesis is to be made open access immediately click Next to move to the next screen and step 6 in this guide.
If you have had an embargo period approved, you need to indicate here the length of time which was agreed.
Click Show Options to set the embargo end date.
Set Visible to Repository staff only and enter the year, month and day under Embargo expiry date.
The embargo is automatically lifted by the repository software on the expiry date. The embargo period set will be confirmed by repository staff as part of the process of checking the thesis repository record after deposit.
Click Next to move to the next screen.
Step 5
The details screen allows you to input the details of your thesis – title, abstract, author etc. As a minimum you will need to complete the mandatory fields.
- Title – full title, including any subtitle. Separate title from subtitle(s) using space colon space ( : ). Use sentence case.
- Creators - the author of the work as presented on the title page.
- Thesis Type – select the appropriate radio button eg. PhD. For Professional Doctorates use Other.
- Supervisor(s) – thesis supervisor(s).
- Publication Details:
- Status – use the default entry – Unpublished.
- Date – month and year you were informed you’d passed your viva and needed to upload your thesis to the Repository.
- Date Type – Completion
- Institution – University of Essex.
Step 6
This step allows you to enter additional information such as an abstract and details of funding bodies or sponsors, for example:
- Abstract – brief summary of the thesis (up to 300 words, mandatory)
- Divisions – choose the name of the University school, department or institute that you were a member of whilst undertaking your research. If your departmental name isn’t appealing in the list, you can add it to the Department free text box
- Grant number – grant number allocated by funding body if appropriate
- Funders – name of any institution(s) funding the research, in whole or in part. Additional funders (if any) can be added by clicking the More input rows button.
- Contact email address – when the full-text is not made available (under embargo), requests by external users to view the full-text will be sent to this email address. A personal email address should be used in this field as university email accounts will be deleted once a student has completed their study. The email address supplied will not be made public.
- Uncontrolled Keywords – subject keywords to aid retrieval.
Click Next to move to the next screen.
Step 7
Under Subjects you may add at least one subject heading from the Library of Congress Classification.
Click Next or Deposit.Step 8
If you have finished, click Deposit item now. If you wish to come back and re-edit the repository record click Save for later.
Once you have clicked Deposit item now you will no longer be able to amend the repository record, it will have been sent to the review area for checking. Once an item has been deposited in the Repository it will not be visible straight away as it has to be approved by Repository staff before it goes to the live system.
You will receive an email to confirm the deposit when your thesis has been made available online.
Any questions, please email repository@essex.ac.uk
Once your deposit has been accepted to the repository, the PGRE Team will seek approval to confer your degree from the Faculty Dean (Postgraduate), confirmation of which will be emailed to you within 14 days of your successful upload to the Repository.
