12. Thesis Requirements Note: Copies of the Thesis Guidelines manual are available in the departments or in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research office. 12.1 General Remarks The thesis is a major requirement of most programs and, in conjunction with the research for it, makes up at least one half of the time normally required for the program. The thesis must be expressed in a satisfactory literary form, consistent with the discipline concerned, and must display a scholarly approach to the subject and thorough knowledge of it. A critical review of previous work related to the subject should usually be given. A candidate will not be permitted to submit a thesis for which he or she has previously received a degree; however, with the permission of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, he or she may incorporate into the thesis material that was included in a previous thesis. 12.2 Master's Thesis The master's thesis should embody the results of successful scholarly research in a specialized area. It should exhibit the candidate's knowledge of recognized techniques of investigation and critical evaluation, and be presented in a organized and systematic way. (a) Oral Examinations Candidates are ordinarily required to undertake an oral examination of the thesis. Please refer to Thesis Specifications, section 12.5, item (d) (i) Master's, for submission deadlines. The master's thesis will be examined by a board consisting of at least four members, including the thesis supervisor, the chair of the department concerned, an examiner from a department other than that of the candidate and one additional member from the department concerned. The constitution of the examining board will be announced by the chair of the department concerned; both it and the thesis examination process are defined by guidelines, principles, and practices prescribed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. (b) Thesis Weight Thesis weight (one to three full courses) must be identified at the time of admission. A change in the thesis weight at a later date would require the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. (c) Research Essays and Independent Research Projects Faculty regulations governing research essays and independent research projects are normally the same as those for master's thesis, and subject to the guidelines, principles, and practices prescribed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. 12.3 Doctoral Thesis The doctoral dissertation must report, in an organized and scholarly fashion, the results of original research. The thesis must be a contribution to knowledge, and must demonstrate the candidate's ability to undertake sustained research and to present his/her findings in an appropriate manner. (a) Oral Examinations The dissertation must be defended successfully at an oral examination. Please refer to Thesis Specifications, section 12.5, item (d) (ii) Doctoral, for submission deadlines. The doctoral dissertation will be examined by a board consisting of at least five members, including the thesis supervisor, the chair of the department concerned, an examiner from a department other than that of the candidate, the members of the candidate's advisory committee, the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research or his delegate, and an external examiner who is a recognized authority on the subject of the thesis. The constitution of the examining board will be announced by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research; both it and the thesis examination process are defined by guidelines, principles, and practices prescribed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. (b) Thesis Weight Thesis weight (ordinarily about half of the total Ph.D. requirements of ten full courses) must be identified at the time of admission. If the thesis weight falls within a range of credit weights, it should be assigned at the time of admission a weight corresponding to the lower bounds of that range. A change in the thesis weight at a later date would require the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The work of each Ph.D. candidate will be assisted by an advisory committee of faculty members, who will aid him/her in his/her preparation for the final comprehensive examination, and assist in the evaluation of the thesis and oral examinations. 12.4 Deadlines (a) Master's Thesis A master's student expecting to graduate at the Spring Convocation must submit his/her thesis or dissertation to his/her supervisor, in examinable form, by March 1. A master's student expecting to graduate at the Fall Graduation must submit his/her thesis by August 1. A master's student expecting to graduate at the Winter Graduation must submit his/her thesis by December 1. (b) Doctoral Dissertation A Ph.D. student expecting to graduate at the Spring Convocation must submit his/her thesis or dissertation to his/her supervisor, in examinable form, by March 1. A Ph.D. student expecting to graduate at the Fall Graduation must submit his/her thesis by August 1. A Ph.D. student expecting to graduate at the Winter Graduation must submit his/her thesis by December 1. 12.5 Specifications (a) The candidate must submit six typewritten copies (original and five acceptable duplicated copies, on bond paper) and must comply with special departmental requirements governing the form of the thesis, including methods of bibliographical entry, and the use of diagrams and tables. (b) Each thesis or dissertation must be accompanied by a suitable abstract. The abstract of a master's thesis should not exceed 150 words, while the abstract of a doctoral thesis may be up to 350 words in length. (c) Regulations regarding style, pagination, certification, acceptance, grade and size of paper, as well as abstracts, reproduction, microfilming, binding, and the constitution of the examining board will be prescribed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. (d) (i) Master's The candidate is expected to notify his/her supervisor and the chair of the department at least two weeks in advance of the date on which he/she intends to submit the completed thesis. The candidate is then expected to submit six copies of the completed thesis to the department at least four weeks in advance of the intended date of examination.The thesis examination and defence will then be scheduled and the date will be announced at least two weeks in advance. The department must deposit one copy of the thesis to the office of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at least two weeks in advance of the actual date for the examination and defence. (ii) Doctoral The candidate is expected to notify his/her supervisor and the chair of the department at least two weeks in advance of the date on which he/she intends to submit the completed thesis. The candidate is then expected to submit six copies of the completed thesis to the department at least six weeks in advance of the intended date of examination.The thesis examination and defence will then be scheduled and the date will be announced by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at least four weeks in advance. The department must deposit one copy of the thesis to the office of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at least four weeks in advance of the actual date for the examination and defence. (e) The five unbound copies of the approved thesis submitted to the faculty for binding should be the original and four others, and they must be presented in order of pagination in separate envelopes. Two copies are maintained in the library, the third copy is given to the department, the fourth copy is for the candidate, and the fifth copy is for the thesis supervisor. If the thesis was supervised by two faculty members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research will accept six unbound copies. 12.6 Licence to the University and to the National Library of Canada In the interest of facilitating research by members of the Carleton community and by interested outsiders, and in consideration of his/her having been accepted as a graduate student at Carleton, the student author of a thesis or dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree, shall grant to the University and to the National Library of Canada a licence to make single copies or microfilms (solely for the purpose of private study and research, in response to written requests from individuals, libraries, universities, or similar institutions). It is understood that the student author retains other publication rights, and that neither the thesis, nor the dissertation, nor extensive extracts from them may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. 12.7 Withholding of Thesis Deposition If, at the time of submitting his/her thesis, the student elects to protect any rights to immediate commercial publication, or to obtain a patent which may arise from his/her research, or to keep his/her thesis out of circulation for other reasons, he/she may apply in writing to the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research requesting that the thesis be withheld from deposit in the library: (a) for an additional period of three months without reason (b) for each additional period of six months, with reason (total period of restriction not to exceed two years) The student must submit any request for extension of the restriction one month prior to the termination of the previous period. The student and his/her supervisor will be required to justify the extension of the restriction. Subsequent requests must follow the same procedure.