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Yes, it can. However, the Thesis Office will not process the signature page and send a confirmation email with submission instructions until the first day of the semester's submission period. By completing a signature page before the first day of the official submission period, students are first in line for evaluation of their theses. Generally, manuscripts submitted early in the submission period are evaluated within 1 week.

Completed signature pages received by the Thesis Office after the deadline (the last day of a semester submission period) will not be accepted for that term. To submit for the following term, the student should create a new signature page with the new semester listed. The committee and college designee would need to sign this new form before the next semester's deadline. The Thesis Office would process an early signature page and send out a confirmation email the first day of the next semester’s submission period.

Manuscripts are reviewed in the order they are uploaded to the ProQuest ETD website. If you have commitments that require timely clearance of your manuscript (e.g., employment, doctoral program admission, relocation, or extended trip), you should make every effort to submit your fully signed signature page early in the submission period as the turnaround time is shorter then. Beyond this, review timelines are dependent on how quickly and thoroughly the student completes their revisions. Students should strive to dedicate time to go through formatting edits diligently and submit as soon as possible when they are seeking an expedited clearance. While the Thesis Office makes every effort to accommodate special situations, it cannot guarantee that your thesis will be prioritized. To request a special exception, please email the Thesis Office (thesis@csulb.edu) and copy your thesis advisor. 

If you are having trouble making formatting edits, contact the Thesis Office. We will do our best to answer your questions or assist with any formatting issues you are encountering. It is recommended to email a list of the items you are having trouble with. Thesis Office staff will advise on the next step--it may be best to send over your Word document or to schedule an in-person or phone/Zoom appointment. Students can also call or stop by during office hours. We will work with you as best we can so that you can complete the necessary formatting edits and graduate. If other events in your life get in the way of making revisions, also let us know and we will accommodate as best we can.

Rejection of your manuscript for formatting errors is a rare but very real possibility. Manuscripts submitted for an initial evaluation must be professional and formatted to the best of your ability according to the Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà Format Manual and the citation style designated by your department. The first evaluation, follow-up evaluation, and cleared pending steps provide enough time and opportunity for the large majority of students to make revisions. If students cannot make the necessary revisions before the end semester deadline, the student will not have completed the final thesis requirement and will not graduate during that semester. The student's graduation date will need to be moved and Enrollment Services paperwork regarding graduation will need to be updated. Those manuscripts can be re-submitted for the next semester. 

The ultimate deadline is decided each semester by the Thesis Office in consultation with Enrollment Services. It is always during the first few weeks of the following semester, and very few students come close to missing that deadline. If the date is of concern to you, ask about it after you receive the email about the initial evaluation of your PDF manuscript. An ultimate deadline date will have been determined by that time for that semester. If a student has not made all corrections to his or her manuscript before this ultimate deadline, graduation will be pushed back and all paperwork filed with Enrollment Services for graduation will have to be updated.