Western University Open Repository

It is an expectation that all Western University theses and dissertations be submitted to Western University's Open Repository. In keeping with the thesis guidelines outlined by Western Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS), and the research and education mandate of Canada’s publicly funded universities, it is required that the results of research be made publicly available in a timely manner.  

People interested in your work can find, read, and download the full text of your work from the Theses and Dissertations collection from anywhere in the world, without passwords or fees.  

This guide outlines the process you will follow to prepare your deposit.  

For more information on policies and procedures for theses, please refer to the SGPS Thesis website.  

• Append any supplemental content to your thesis prior to publication, if possible. If you have supplemental files that cannot be appended, such as videos or data files, you will be able to upload those separately.

Theses are submitted to Western University's Open Repository after they have been successfully defended. All edits to the thesis must be made before it is submitted for publication. 

• Go to uwo.scholaris.ca
• Login using Western WebLogin

• Review the Thesis format checklist and sample pages linked below.

• Create your Title page using the examples outlined in the Thesis format checklist and sample pages linked below.

• Name the file using the following convention:  Diaz_Jose_PhD_2025.pdf   OR  Clark_Maria_MASc_2025.pdf 

To submit your thesis to the Theses and Dissertations collection, complete these steps. If you need help, email thesis@uwo.ca

Create a new item

• Go to uwo.scholaris.ca
• Log In using Western Web Login
• In the black sidebar menu on the left of the screen, click + --> New --> Item.
  • If you don't see the sidebar menu, double check that you are logged in.
• In the search bar that pops up, start typing Theses, then click on that collection when it appears; or scroll to the Theses collection in the list below the search bar and click on it. 

Complete the submission form 

• Author - Enter your last name, first name.

• Supervisor - Enter your Supervisor's name (last name, first name)

• Degree Program - Select your Program

• Degree Grantor -  University of Western Ontario

• Degree Name - Select the Degree abbreviation

• Title - Enter the main title of the item. Enter the title in sentence case; for example,  Workloads and wellbeing in the academic workplace

• Other Titles - If the item has any alternative titles, please enter them here

• Date of Issue  - Enter the copyright year on the title page of your thesis

• Publisher - University of Western Ontario 

• Type - Thesis 

• Language - Select the language of the main content of the item. If the language does not appear in the list, please select 'Other'.

• Identifiers - If there are any identifiers associated with your thesis, enter them here. For most students there will not be any identifiers. Your thesis will be assigned a DOI after publication.

• Subject Keywords - Enter appropriate keywords or phrases. Hit enter after each entry or use commas to separate keywords or phrases.

• Abstract  - Enter the abstract of the item

• Lay Summary -

Enter Summary for Lay Audience (max. 350 words). This is a brief and accessible summary of a research project that is used to explain complex ideas, technical writing and scientific terms to people who do not have prior knowledge of the subject. While your abstract is designed with your subject peers in mind, the summary for lay audience communicates the importance, impact and content of your thesis to a broader audience.

• Thesis Format - Select your thesis format 

• Notes - Enter any other notes, description, or comments in this box

• Copyright Statement  - As the author of your thesis, you are the copyright holder. To identify yourself as the copyright holder, please enter your name and year (Firstname Lastname, Year).

• Upload Files - Click browse in the box at the top of the screen or drag and drop the file anywhere on the page.

  • If your thesis includes more than one file, repeat this process for all files.
  • If you get an error message when uploading a file, click Save for later. Click Edit to reopen the submission form and try uploading it again.
    • If the file is very large, try compressing it.
    • If you're trying to upload several files at once, try uploading them one at a time.
    • If you're still getting an error, click Save for later and wait a while before trying again. Connection speeds and bandwidth imitations can cause upload errors
• Embargo (Delay of Publication) - Please indicate how long you wish to delay the publication of your thesis. If you do not need an embargo, choose “No delay of publication.” If you wish to add any other information related to an embargo on your thesis, add it in the “Note for embargo” field.

• Creative Commons License - Select a license type

• Deposit License - Read the Western University's Open Repository's non-exclusive distribution license for ETDs, then click I confirm the license above. 

• Review the information you entered carefully and make any changes, if needed.
• Confirm that you have uploaded the final version of your thesis and that you have followed the instructions in the Thesis format checklist carefully.
  • If you need to make changes to the file you uploaded or you uploaded the wrong file, click the red trashcan icon > Yes, I'm sure. Then you can upload the correct file.

Your thesis submission will be reviewed by SGPS staff. You will receive an email from “no-reply@scholaris.ca” if any revisions are needed before your thesis can be published. You will also receive an email once your thesis submission has been approved and published.