Formatting and Submission
All students who complete a thesis or dissertation, and some students who complete a project report, will submit their manuscripts to the Graduate Resource Center for approval. Students will work with the GRC to format the document while they work with their committee to draft the content. Students are encouraged to join the GRC Canvas Course to receive reminders about the deadlines.
Submission Deadlines
Students may submit their thesis, project report, or dissertation for approval during the fall, spring, or summer terms. Students must meet the deadlines during the term they plan to submit their document for approval.
DEADLINES FOR CURRENT TERM
Deadline 1: April 25, 2025
Deadline 2: May 2, 2025
Deadline 3: May 16, 2025
Master's students must schedule a "Thesis Review" appointment in Navigate to receive format feedback on an early version of the thesis or project report draft. EdD and AuD students will schedule a "Doctoral Dissertation Review" appointment in Navigate to receive feedback from the GRC Coordinator. Drafts are reviewed only for format requirements, not content.
Prepare for your appointment:
- Complete one or two chapters of your manuscript
- Merge your manuscript into the template
- Bring questions about formatting and submission procedures to discuss with your Thesis Reviewer
Master's and doctoral candidates must upload their drafts to ProQuest for official review.
Prepare to upload:
- Before you upload, incorporate the format feedback you received in the preliminary review appointment
- Finish writing your content by this deadline so that you can upload a complete draft for official review. You can continue to edit your content after this deadline.
- Keep the PDF of instructions open while you work in ProQuest.
Master's and doctoral candidates must upload their final drafts to ProQuest and submit their signed GS-13 form to [email protected]. The GS-13 form is the approval page for all theses, dissertations, and project reports that are submitted to the Graduate Resource Center (GRC). Committee members can sign off on a student's GS-13 form as soon as the student has finalized all content edits. Students must submit the GS-13 form after the committee-approved final draft is uploaded to ProQuest.
Tips:
- All edits requested by your committee members must be finalized on this date.
- Continue to work with your Thesis Reviewer on format edits. Only your content needs to be finalized by this date.
| Semester | Deadline 1 | Deadline 2 | Deadline 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | July 25, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | August 8, 2025 |
| Fall 2025 | November 21, 2025 | December 5, 2025 | December 12, 2025 |
| Spring 2026 | April 24, 2026 | May 1, 2026 | May 16, 2026 |
Templates, Sample Pages, and GS-13 Forms
- Thesis/Project Report Sample Pages
- Dissertation Sample Pages (EdD Program)
- Doctoral Project Sample Pages (AuD Program)
GET HELP
Students can receive formatting support on their thesis or project report by scheduling an appointment or by dropping in.
Make an Appointment
Sign in to your MyCalStateLA portal and open NavigateLA. Click the blue "Get Assistance" button and select "Thesis Review" as the service. You can also click a Reviewer's Appointment Link below to quickly log in and make an appointment.
| Thesis Reviewer | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Javier | 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | |||
Nataly | 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | |||
Vishnu | 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | |||
Anthony | 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. | ||
Daniela Available for drop-ins in the Graduate Resource Center | 1:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | |||
Ryan Available for drop-ins in the Graduate Resource Center | 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
Email Us
Email questions about formatting and submission to [email protected].
Format Resources
The Format Checklist outlines all of the requirements that the GRC will review in your document. Go through the items in the checklist before your preliminary review appointment.
The format for your headings, subheadings, citations, and references will be determined by your style guide. Format resources for these elements are linked below.
We can be flexible with the formatting of headings and subheadings within your chapters but be consistent in how you format each type of heading. All level-1 headings should be formatted the same, all level-2 headings should be formatted the same, etc.
APA Style Quick Guide (Cal State LA Library)
APA Style (Purdue OWL)
MLA Style Quick Guide (Cal State LA Library)
MLA Style (Purdue OWL)
Chicago Style Quick Guide (Cal State LA Library)
Chicago Style (Purdue OWL)
Visit the Cal State LA Library website on Writing and Citing, or the Purdue OWL website for additional citation and reference resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
All students who complete a thesis or dissertation must submit their final draft to the GRC for approval by the posted deadlines. Some students who complete a project report will submit to the GRC for approval. Students completing a project report in the following programs or Colleges do not submit to the GRC for approval:
- College of Business and Economics
- College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology
- School of Social Work
- Criminalistics, MS program
- Latin American Studies program
- Sociology (portfolio option)
Students can meet with any Reviewer for formatting feedback.
The deadlines are structured in a way to make the format and submission process as smooth as possible for students. Missing the first deadline means you will have more format corrections to make closer to the end of the semester. Students must meet the second and third deadlines to be eligible for graduation.
There are a few rare circumstances where we cannot approve a thesis, project report, or dissertation, including:
- when a student conducts human or animal subjects research without IRB or IACUC approval
- when a student doesn't submit a signed GS-13 form
- when a student doesn't make requested format edits that come from the GRC
In your last term, attend a thesis formatting and submission workshop or webinar. In those sessions, we cover everything you need to know about requirements, deadlines, and procedures. We also encourage you to join the GRC Canvas Course to receive email announcements with tips and reminders about deadlines and procedures.
Students in the joint doctoral program in Special Education should email [email protected] during their final term at UCLA to notify the GRC Coordinator that they will be finishing the program. Students will submit the UCLA-approved version of the dissertation to Cal State LA. Deadlines will vary.
Recent Email Communications about Thesis and Project Report Submission
5 Weeks Away: Thesis and Project Report Final Deadline for Spring 2025 Graduation
In just over 5 weeks, theses and project reports will be due to the Graduate Resource Center for Spring 2025 approval. If you are graduating in Spring 2025 and working on a thesis or project, take some time to review the formatting and submission guidelines webpage. Here, you’ll find information about how to meet each upcoming deadline, a list of resources and support available to you now, and quick links to book an appointment with a Reviewer.
Here are some general reminders:
Each thesis or project must be approved by a thesis or project committee and the Graduate Resource Center. A thesis or project committee shall include, as a minimum, a chair and one other member of the permanent faculty. Up to two additional committee members may include other permanent faculty or subject-matter or professional experts, including temporary faculty (Faculty Handbook, Chapter 5).
Your committee is responsible for approving your content. Your committee will determine how long your manuscript should be, which style guide to adhere to (APA, MLA, IEEE, etc.), and whether you need to have a defense. They grant approval of your draft by signing your GS-13 form.
The Graduate Resource Center grants official approval for theses and project reports on behalf of the University. The GRC is responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information included in the preliminary pages of the draft, for identifying format errors in final drafts, and for submitting grade change requests to the Registrar for culminating experience courses (5970, 5990, 5995, 6990, and 9000). Most of the format elements that are required in theses and project reports are already built into the template so download it now to become familiar with its elements.
Preliminary Review Appointment availability ends on Friday, April 25. During a preliminary review appointment, you can seek feedback from a Reviewer on your draft’s format to ensure compliance with the University format standards. You can also use that appointment to ask questions about deadlines, student procedures, and required forms. Appointment slots are filling up so don’t miss your chance to get one-on-one support from a Reviewer. If you miss the opportunity to schedule an appointment, you may drop by the Graduate Resource Center on Thursdays for walk-in support—no appointment needed.
Upcoming Deadlines
Friday, April 25: Last chance to get one-on-one support from a Reviewer.
Friday, May 2: Students must upload their thesis or project report draft to ProQuest to indicate their intention to graduate in Spring 2025.
Friday, May 16: Students must upload committee-approved drafts to ProQuest and signed GS-13s must be received by the GRC.
8 Weeks Away: Thesis/Project Submission for Spring 2025 Graduation
This semester’s May 16th deadline for theses and project reports is eight weeks away! By now, you should have a significant portion of your thesis or project report drafted and you should be working with your committee to edit and finalize the content. You will work with the Graduate Resource Center to format the document and to submit it officially to the University. The template does a lot of the heavy lifting related to formatting for you, so be sure to download the file and merge your writing into it.
If you have not already done so, connect with the Graduate Resource Center to learn about the steps you need to complete to have your document approved. You can make a thesis review appointment online through NavigateLA in your MyCalStateLA Portal or you can visit us in the Graduate Resource Center on Thursdays for walk-in support (no appointment needed).
Visit our Graduate Thesis, Project, and Dissertation Guidelines webpage for additional details and resources.