How to Deposit your Thesis

Instructions for Depositing

1. Log into CaltechTHESIS at: http://thesis.library.caltech.edu/
   1. Use your IMSS account information as your username and password
2. Begin on the "Manage Deposits" screen
3. Choose "Submit a Thesis"
   1. "Description" should be the first screen tab
4. Fill in the screen fields, continuing through each tab at the top of the screens until you reach "Upload Open Files"
   1. Starred fields are required.
   2. Tips are viewable via the question marks to the right of each field.
   3. There are 6 screens tabs. Begin inputting your thesis information in the fields in the Description screen and work your way through the tabs to make sure you don't miss anything.
   4. You will get an orange warning box if any of the required fields are blank.
   5. You will also be prevented from depositing your thesis if any required fields are blank.
   6. Either the blue Next button or the next tab at the top of the input screen can be used to get to the next input screen.
5. For indexing purposes, files that will be viewable either on- or off-campus are loaded in a separate section from the files that are to be hidden from public view for any length of time. The viewable files are the so-called "open files", and the hidden files are the so-called "withheld files".
   1. All text files must be in PDF format.
   2. Supplemental files such as images, maps, videos, software programs, etc., that are related to your thesis may also be added. Software programs should be compressed (.zip or .tar.gz).
   3. If the thesis is quite large (<1 Mb), please split it into several smaller chapter files.
   4. If at least part of your thesis is going to be withheld from view, split it into separate chapter files that can have separate viewing designations. In addition, provide us with the complete thesis in one file, which can be withheld in its entirety.
   5. You can upload your file either directly from your computer or from the web ("Open Files" only).
6. The "Upload Open Files" tab is used to load files that will be viewable either to anyone worldwide restricted to Caltech-IP ranges only.
   1. Each file must be loaded separately, and in the order in which you want them to appear.
   2. Browse and locate the file, then click the Upload button.
   3. Fill in the screen fields.
7. The "Upload Withheld Files" tab is used to load files that will NOT be viewable to the public. These can include thesis files as well as written permission statements from owners of third-party copyrighted matter included in your thesis.
   1. ----If you do NOT have any files that need to be withheld from public view, you may skip over this tab. ----
   2. Each file must be loaded separately, and in the order in which you want them to appear.
   3. Browse and locate the file, then click the Upload button.
   4. Fill in the screen fields.
8. The Deposit tab is the last step in the submission process, once you have filled out all the other tabs and you are ready to submit your thesis to the library thesis coordinator for review.
   1. Before you deposit your thesis, be sure that you have obtained all written permission statements necessary from any owners of third-party copyrighted matter included in your thesis. You can add copies of these as withheld files.
   2. The "Save for Later" button can be used if you are not ready to submit your thesis for review. You may come back at a later time to continue the submission process.
   3. By clicking on the "Deposit Item Now" button, you are agreeing to the statement above it. Once you do this, you will have completed the submission process.
9. A new screen will appear after you have submitted your thesis.
   1. The Summary tab shows you what the record will look like to the public. If you have any withheld files, they will not appear.
   2. The Action tab allows you to grab back the thesis so that you can continue to work on it, then re-deposit it.
   3. The Export tab allows you to create a citation or metadata file that you can use elsewhere.
10. You may check on the progress of your submission in several different ways.
    1. You will receive email notifying you of the progress when:
       1. your submission has been deposited for review
       2. the library reviewer has sent the thesis information to the Grad Office for their final approval
       3. the library reviewer has received the final approval from the Grad Office and has released the thesis
       4. OR has received the final approval from the Grad Office and has withheld the thesis
    2. You may also log back in, go to the Details tab, and scroll down to check the "Review Status".

Help with Metadata Screen Fields

DESCRIPTION SCREEN: Information about the thesis

• TITLE = Title of the thesis.
• The title should not end with a period, but may end with a question mark. There is no way to make italic text, so please enter it normally. If you have a subtitle, it should be preceded with a colon [:]. Use capitals only for the first word and for proper nouns.
• ABSTRACT = Formal abstract of the thesis.
• You may write your abstract in plain text, using hard returns to create paragraph breaks, which should be separated by a blank line.
• You may also use XHTML to code your abstract. The coding rules are strict, so you must use both opening and closing lower case tags, use <br />, and use XHTML entities for any text that could possibly be construed as HTML tagging: for example, "greater than" symbols should be rendered as "&gt;", and "lower than" symbols should be rendered as "&lt;".
• AUTHORS = Thesis author's full name.
• Enter in your full name, including first and middle, in the order given. The identifier field is created by entering in your last name and first and middle name initials, all separated by dashes.
• The email address should be one that will continue to be valid after graduation, in case the library needs to contact you at a later date.
• THESIS TYPE = Type of thesis being deposited.
• THESIS DETAILS =
• DEFENSE DATE = Date the thesis was defended.
• DEGREE DATE = Year the degree was or will be awarded.
• If a thesis is not accepted prior to graduation in a given year, the degree is awarded the following year.
• THESIS AVAILABILITY = Sets limits on access to the full-text of the thesis.
• Select the appropriate value for your thesis.
• "Public" lets anyone worldwide have full-text access to the thesis.
• "Restricted" limits full-text access to members of the Caltech community. The title, abstract, and other metadata will be globally visible and searchable.
• "Withheld" completely hides the thesis and its metadata, and is not discoverable or retrievable.
• "Mixed" is used if different chapters or sections within a thesis should have different access restrictions. The thesis must be deposited both as a complete file designated as "withheld", and as separate files by chapters or sections with each file designated as appropriate.
• COLLECTION = Digital collection to which this item belongs, auto-generated by the system.
• This will usually be the same as the repository name but may differ if items were moved from another repository into this one.
• RECORD NUMBER = Unique record number of this item, auto-generated by the system.
• PERSISTENT URL = Persistent URL for this item, automatically generated by the system.
• INSTITUTION = Auto-generated by the system. Should say "California Institute of Technology."
• SUBJECT KEYWORDS = Natural language terms to describe the content or subject matter of the item. Separate terms with semicolons.
• RELATED URLs = URLs that are related to this item.
• For example, some journals require you to provide a link to their version of one of the chapters in the thesis is already or will be published.
• FUNDERS = Sponsoring bodies who contributed special or extra funding for the research in the thesis.
• This can include grants, fellowships, etc.
• PROJECTS = Names of any research projects that were connected with the research in the thesis.
• REFERENCES = Bibliography of the thesis.
• You are strongly encouraged to paste in the bibliography in plain text format. It may be used to link your thesis to those it cites and to those that cite it.
• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION = Useful information about the thesis that doesn't fit anywhere else.
• This information will appear on the public summary page for the thesis.
• ERRATA = Notes indicating corrections that were made after depositing the thesis. Can include links.
• INTERNAL NOTES TO/FROM THESIS COORDINATOR = Any comments from the author/submitter to the thesis coordinator, or from the thesis coordinator to the author/submitter.
• This information will not be displayed to the public.
• THESIS COORDINATOR USE ONLY =
• REVIEWER = Name of the library reviewer.
• GRAD OFC APPROVAL = Date the thesis was approved by the Grad Office, from the Grad Office Approval system.
• REVIEW STATUS = Indicates where in the review process the thesis is.

ADVISOR/COMMITTEE SCREEN: Information about student's research advisor and thesis committee members

• RESEARCH ADVISOR = Name of the author's research advisor.
• The format used matches the one used for authors. Choose the person's role from the "Role" pull-down menu options.
• THESIS COMMITTEE = Names of the members of the thesis faculty committee.
• The format used matches the one used for authors. Choose the person's role from the "Role" pull-down menu options. List the committee chair first.

DIVISION/OPTION SCREEN: Information about the degree being awarded

• DEGREE GRANTOR = Body or institution granting the degree.
• The default entry is the "California Institute of Technology". This may be changed if the final grantor is a different university, such as the "Ecole Polytechnique" in France.
• DEGREE TYPE = Type of degree being awarded for the thesis.
• DIVISION = Caltech Division which is awarding the degree.
• MAJOR OPTION = Major option (department or field of study).
• Hold down the CTRL key to select more than one major option.
• MINOR OPTION = Minor option (department or field of study). Hold down the CTRL key to select more than one minor option.
• Hold down the CTRL key to select more than one major option.

UPLOAD OPEN FILES: Information on files that will be viewable to the public

• CONTENT = Publication version of the thesis, or type (not format) of the material in the file.
• FORMAT = File or storage format.
• This software is designed to detect the format when you upload the file, but please check for accuracy.
• DESCRIPTION = Add a brief description of the material contained in the file, e.g. "Chapter 1", "Complete Thesis", "Crystallographic Information File", etc.
• ACCESS-VISIBLE TO = Indicate any access restrictions for this file.
• Will anyone in the world be able to view or download this file, or should it be restricted to Caltech users only?
• If you restrict access to this file in any way, consider setting an expiration date for the access restriction.
• If you wish to hide this file completely, change the Access field to "Internal Use (Withheld)", and the file will then move to the "Upload Withheld Files" tab.
• LICENSE = Specify an explicit license for this file.
• This is not the same as an access restriction. Instead, it specifies what rights you grant to others to use this document.
• If you choose "Default-See Usage Policy", the default license agreement provided by Caltech applies: it says "No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided."
• This repository also allows Creative Commons licenses.
• ACCESS RESTRICTION EXPIRATION DATE = Date that any access restriction (Caltech Users Only or Withheld) will expire.
• On and after this date, this document will be made publicly accessible. Specifying an expiration date is OPTIONAL. If you withhold your thesis and do not specify an expiration date, CaltechTHESIS staff will contact you after one year to determine if the restriction needs to be extended.

UPLOAD WITHELD FILES: Information on files that will NOT be viewable to the public

• CONTENT = Publication version of the thesis, or type (not format) of the material in the file.
• FORMAT = File or storage format.
• This software is designed to detect the format when you upload the file, but please check for accuracy.
• DESCRIPTION = Add a brief description of the material contained in the file, e.g. "Chapter 1", "Complete Thesis", "Crystallographic Information File", etc.
• ACCESS-VISIBLE TO = Defaults to "Internal Use (Withheld)".
• Consider setting an expiration date for the access restriction.
• If you wish to make this file viewable, change the Access field to "Anyone" or "Caltech Users Only", and the file will then move to the "Upload Open Files" tab.
• LICENSE = Specify an explicit license for this file.
• This is not the same as an access restriction.
• Instead, it specifies what rights you grant to others to use this document. If you choose "Default-See Usage Policy", the default license agreement provided by Caltech applies: it says "No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided."
• This repository also allows Creative Commons licenses.
• ACCESS RESTRICTION EXPIRATION DATE = Date that any access restriction (Caltech Users Only or Withheld) will expire.
• On and after this date, this document will be made publicly accessible. Specifying an expiration date is OPTIONAL. If you withhold your thesis and do not specify an expiration date, CaltechTHESIS staff will contact you after one year to determine if the restriction needs to be extended.