ScholarWorks Submission and Publication
Graduate theses, projects, and dissertations published on ScholarWorks must follow the deadlines, formatting, and other requirements described below. Note that per the updated Culminating Experience guidelines approved by the Graduate Council, only theses and dissertations are required to be published on ScholarWorks. Project publication on ScholarWorks is optional and is at the discretion of the student Projects that are not published on Scholarworks are archived by the graduate program.
Regardless of whether you are completing a thesis, project, or dissertation, if your research includes working with human subjects (surveys, interviews, tests) contact the Institutional Review Board for guidance on research protocols before you begin.
Projects: Things to Consider
If you are wondering whether to publish your project on ScholarWorks, consider the following:
- ScholarWorks is a great way to distribute your work online. Your work is discoverable through Google Scholar and you can easily share your work with potential employers or doctoral programs.
- If your project includes information you don’t wish to make publicly available, foregoing publishing on ScholarWorks is appropriate.
Thesis, Project and Dissertation Deadlines
Theses, projects, and dissertations must be submitted by the semester submission deadline and accepted for publication by the publication deadline. Please do your best to format your manuscript before submitting it to CSUSB ScholarWorks. Poorly formatted manuscripts take additional time to review and correct; this could cause you to miss the publication deadline.
- Consultation Deadline: Before you submit your manuscript, meet with a thesis reviewer to review your formatting by this date. Consultations are optional.
- Submission Deadline: Turn in the Committee Certification Form, upload your manuscript on Scholarworks, and pay the Digital Archiving Fee by this date. Students who do not meet the deadline must wait until next semester to submit. We encourage you to submit before the deadline! Please see the Review Process below for more information.
- Publication Deadline: Complete all corrections for publication by this date. Do not wait until the publication deadline to submit your corrections - most manuscripts take two reviews. Allow several days for each review.
See the Review Process listed below for details.
Submit early! You do not need to wait until the deadline date. During spring semester our office goes through about 300 reviews and the turn-around time is 5 business days.
| Deadlines | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Consultation Deadline | Thursday, July 9th, 2026 (5:00 pm) |
| Submission Deadline | Monday, July 13th, 2026 (5:00 pm) |
| Publication Deadline | Thursday, August 6th, 2026 (5:00 pm) |
| Deadlines | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Consultation Deadline | Friday, Nov. 6, 2026 (5:00 pm) |
| Submission Deadline | Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 (5:00 pm) |
| Publication Deadline | Friday, Dec. 4, 2026 (5:00 pm) |
| Deadlines | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Consultation Deadline | April 9, 2027 (5:00 pm) |
| Submission Deadline | April 12, 2027, (5:00 pm) |
| Publication Deadline | May 7, 2027 (5:00 pm) |
The Review Process
All graduate theses, projects and dissertations must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies for format review; content is determined by the faculty committee chair. Theses, projects and dissertations are published on CSUSB ScholarWorks, the university's electronic repository.
The manuscript submission process is described below. Formatting guidelines are found on the Formatting page.
1. Consultations
We encourage you to meet with a thesis reviewer for formatting assistance before submitting your manuscript on ScholarWorks. (Meetings are not required.) Meetings are available in-person or via Zoom.
Click on the button below to schedule an appointment with our thesis reviewer. Keep in mind that formatting consultations do not constitute a full review of the manuscript and reviewers may not be able to catch all errors. You may make up to two appointments; additional appointments will be scheduled if time permits. Appointments will be limited to 30-minute sessions and are not available after the consultation deadline.
2. Submission Process
Your initial submission includes three steps, which can be completed in any order:
- Pay the $30 Digital Archiving Fee.
- Pay the fee online through your MyCoyote Student Center; email the receipt to Graduate Studies at gradstud.csusb.edu. (Instructions for paying the Digital Archiving Fee.)
- Complete and Submit the Required Form.
- Most graduate students: Submit the Committee Certification Form. The student initiates the process by filling in the form, and the committee chair and graduate coordinator sign the form through Adobe Sign; it will then automatically be routed to Graduate Studies and all parties will receive a copy. (We will continue to accept forms that have been scanned and signed. Email them to gradstud@csusb.edu)
- Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) students: Submit the Report of the Final Examination of the Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership (Form 9) instead of the Committee Certification Form. Once signed by all parties, Form 9 is automatically sent to Graduate Studies.
- Submit your Manuscript on CSUSB ScholarWorks:
- All Students Except M.S. in Counseling: Submit your thesis, project, or dissertation through CSUSB ScholarWorks: (See the Library Guide for instructions on how to submit to ScholarWorks.)
- M.S. in Counseling Students Only: Submit your project to the Scholarworks M.S. in Counseling Collection.
Important Submission Notes:
Manuscripts will not be reviewed until all we have received the fee receipt, committee form, and thesis, project, or dissertation.
Manuscripts must be final and complete at the time of submission. Students who are required to defend must do so before submitting to Scholarworks.
3. Publication Deadline
All manuscripts must be approved for posting on ScholarWorks by the publication deadline. Do not wait until the publication deadline to make corrections – reviews take several days. Manuscripts typically go through two reviews before they are accepted for publication. Allow at least three days for each review. You will be notified via email when your manuscript is accepted; please forward the notification on to your program coordinator or committee chair so that they may award your grade for your thesis, project, or dissertation.
Students whose manuscripts are not accepted for publication by the deadline, as well as those whose manuscripts are rejected, must postpone their graduation and resubmit next semester.
Additional Information
Once we receive all of your materials your manuscript will be checked for plagiarism via Turnitin.com and reviewed for formatting. Watch for an email from Scholarworks notifying you of the status of your submission; most students are asked to make some formatting corrections. After you make the corrections, upload your corrected manuscript via your ScholarWorks account. (Do not make a new account. See Instructions for resubmission. ) When all corrections are made, you will be published on ScholarWorks.
Publishing Options
CSUSB ScholarWorks offers two options for access to your work: open access and restricted access.
- Open Access: Your document can be accessed by anyone via the internet.
- Restricted Access: Only current CSUSB students, staff and faculty can access your manuscript.
You will choose the type of access you prefer when you first submit your manuscript through ScholarWorks.
Please contact Graduate Studies if you have any questions about the process. Please see our Workshops page for upcoming formatting and submission process workshops.
M.S. in Counseling Students: Submit your project to the Scholarworks M.S. in Counseling Collection.
Doctor of Educational Leadership Students: Please complete the Report of the Final Examination of the Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership (Form 9) instead of the Graduate Studies Committee Certification Form. Once signed by all parties, Form 9 will automatically be sent to Graduate Studies.