Skip to Main Content
John M. Flaxman Library SAIC School of the Art Institute of Chicago

How to Submit or Find an SAIC Thesis or Grad Project

Banner for Get Your Research Life Together series

All workshops are in Sharp 613 or Zoom (RSVP required to join online). RSVP here for all sessions. Bring your laptop for all sessions.

11/14 • 6:30-7:30 PM • Control Your Citations

This workshop focuses on using Zotero, a free, open source tool for citation management. There will also be opportunities to ask general questions about citing works and giving credit. 

11/15 • 5:00-6:00 PM • Organize Your Images

In this workshop you will use Tropy to organize your creative or academic research images. We will also discuss best practices for preserving digital images and the basics of image copyright.

11/16 • 6:30-7:30 - File Fiercely

File management may sound boring, but building a consistent practice is key to making your research life easier. Learn more about managing and keeping your digital files safe at this workshop!

All current SAIC students are welcome to join one or all of these workshops in our Get Your Research Life Together series. These are hybrid events - join us in the library classroom or online!

Contact Us

Profile Photo
Flaxman Library
Contact:
John M. Flaxman Library
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
37 S. Wabash, 6th floor
Chicago IL 60603
flaxman@saic.edu
312.899.5096
Website

Thesis or Graduate Project Submission Guidelines + Forms

Library staff have included information and guidelines to help all SAIC students who must complete a thesis or graduate project in order to receive their degree. The library receives and archives all theses digitally through Canvas, and you will find links below to assist in that process. All questions about formatting your thesis should be directed to your thesis advisor/program director, the library has no requirements other than a digital file in PDF/A format that includes a title page and abstract.

What You Need to Know before You Complete Your Thesis or Graduate Project

All theses should be submitted digitally through Canvas. You will be enrolled in a thesis submission course for your cohort where you will be asked to fill out an online thesis/grad project submission worksheet and upload your PDF plus any supplementary files or links. You are required to provide a title page (see example here) and abstract. Check Canvas during the semester when your thesis is due for the Thesis Submission Course; contact your program director or thesis advisor and Flaxman librarians at flaxman@saic.edu if you are not enrolled.
 

NOTE: Your name will be findable in Google Books and Worldcat.org as it appears in the Author field of the thesis/grad project submission worksheet, along with the Title and Abstract of your thesis.

How to Submit Your Thesis or Graduate Project

When you have received the final approval for your thesis or graduate project by your thesis/project advisor, you can complete the Thesis Submission Canvas course. 

Submission requirements for thesis/project files:

  • File type must be PDF/A, this will guarantee that the archived document looks the way you designed. For information on combining PDF/A files please visit here and for converting PDF/A files here.
  • File size must be under 4.88GB.
  • Include all pages listed below in one pdf.
    • A title page for your thesis. You can find an example title page here. We need all the information included on the sample title page.
    • An abstract for your thesis.
    • The main body of your thesis materials.
  • To download Adobe Creative Cloud (SAIC's license), see CRIT's website.

Supplementary Files: You may also include images or other files in addition to your thesis/project file.

  • Most file types and sizes will be accepted (e.g. .tiff, .jpeg, .mp3., mp4, .png, .zip).
    • Exception: video files must be .mp4.
  • File size must be under 4.88GB.
  • Online links can be included in your submission form.

Important Links + Further Resources