Thesis

Thesis Submission

All theses and dissertations must be submitted electronically as a PDF using the UIC Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) submission system.

• UIC Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) System

iThenticate Review Procedures

Effective for thesis and dissertation defenses occurring on January 1, 2015 or later, students will be required to review their thesis/dissertation using iThenticate.

• iThenticate Review Procedures

Thesis Manual

The Thesis Manual was prepared by the Graduate College to provide guidance for the student and advisor in the formal preparation of the thesis, and should be consulted before the student begins compiling the document. While there are a number of format and presentation requirements that should be followed, the Graduate College allows for deviations for accepted disciplinary manuscript practices, and the guidelines allow flexiblity for many of these deviations.  Consult the manual for more information, and also consult with your advisor and department.  A checklist is provided in the back of the Thesis Manual, and it  should be carefully reviewed.

The Thesis Manual should be consulted on questions of format.  Additional questions should be directed to your advisor, Director of Graduate Studies, or program thesis coordinator since the format is mainly approved by the program.  Issues that the Thesis Manual may not fully address and that your program can’t answer, as well as questions on the submission of the thesis to the Graduate College not stated in the manual, may be addressed to the Thesis Coordinator in the Graduate College.

• Thesis Manual

Policy on Non-English Theses and Dissertations

Theses and dissertations should be submitted in English (excluding quotes in another language).  On occasion, other languages may be used when there are sound academic reasons. The title page and abstract must always be in English.

If the primary literature on a subject matter is in another language, and the thesis or dissertation addresses a community of scholars who publish in a language other than English, a student may elect to write the thesis/dissertation in that language at the discretion of the student’s department, provided that all committee members read the language and support its use in the dissertation. Approval of the Director of Graduate Studies from the student’s program is required. All theses/dissertations must include an abstract and title page in English. A second title page in the language of the thesis/dissertation may be included or the English title page may also include the title in the dissertation language underneath the English title.

Graduate College Policy and Guidance for the Use of Generative AI in Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Policy:  Graduate theses and dissertations are intended to demonstrate and provide a record of independent thinking, original research, and technical mastery in a field of study. The core contribution of the thesis, as determined by the author’s advisor(s) and thesis committee, must be the original work of the author and cannot be that of any other party or generative AI. Therefore, the student’s research and writing as presented in the thesis must represent that effort, even if AI tools are used as support. That is, the student’s original scholarship, including writing, critical thinking, and analysis, must be evident regardless of other included supportive materials.

Any AI use must receive documented pre-approval by the student’s thesis committee and must be limited to a clearly defined scope. To confirm adherence with this expectation, a clear and comprehensive statement must be included as an appendix of the final thesis or dissertation describing the role of generative AI in the scholarly process and what was authorized as appropriate use. The student and the thesis committee are responsible for ensuring any permitted use of AI aligns with disciplinary standards and reflects the student’s independent judgment and originality. Unauthorized use of generative AI tools is considered unauthorized assistance under UIC’s code of academic integrity. Unauthorized use of AI tools may also be considered a violation of institutional policies on academic honesty and plagiarism, including those related to integrity in research and scholarly activities.

Guidance: Students and advisors should be aware of the potential risks and limitations associated with generative AI, such as ethical concerns about plagiarism from the content on which the AI was trained, the possibility of inaccurate information, accountability issues, and data security and privacy concerns. It is crucial to critically evaluate AI-generated content and ensure that its use aligns with the norms and standards of the student’s discipline. In particular, students must review and are responsible for the thoroughness, accuracy, and objectivity of all included AI-generated content. Using Generative AI in graduate theses puts the student at risk for future challenges to their expertise or routine scanning of prospective employee’s theses for plagiarism and generative AI. If you need to use AI services, use secure AI services provided by the UIC IT (ACER) office.

Individual programs or departments may have additional policies or restrictions regarding the use of AI tools in graduate research that go beyond these guidelines. It is the student’s responsibility to understand and follow any department-specific or discipline-specific guidelines. Students should contact their department for clarification if needed. As the field of AI evolves, these guidelines may be updated to reflect new developments.

• UIC IT (ACER) office