Policy on Amending Thesis/Dissertation after Final Submission

Once approved by the thesis/dissertation committee and published in the University’s ScholarlyCommons, all thesis/dissertation content becomes part of the formal record. Only in rare situations in which there is a significant chance of harm (to readers following the dissertation’s recommendations and/or to research informants/participants) will requests to amend the scholarly content of the submitted thesis/dissertation be considered. Students and committees should follow all IRB guidance and review thesis/dissertation content carefully before submission to avoid this scenario whenever possible.

Any request to amend the dissertation must be approved by the thesis/dissertation advisor (if still on the Penn faculty) and Graduate Group Chair. Once approved, the request should be submitted by the Graduate Group Chair, along with a rationale for consideration, to the Vice Provost for Education for final approval.

Two types of amendments to the scholarly content of the thesis/dissertation will be considered: (1) the removal or modification of classified, proprietary or confidential information, or (2) the addition of an errata sheet to note and correct significant errors in content. If the purpose is to remove or modify classified, proprietary or confidential information, the author should fill out the page substitution request form. If the purpose is to note and correct significant errors in content, the author should create an errata sheet using the errata sheet form and instructions.

Research master’s and PhD alumni may petition to change their name on their thesis/dissertation. Such requests will only be considered in the case of a legal name change, and are intended to support alumni whose gender identity and/or cultural or religious affiliation has changed. Alumni wishing to make changes to the name on their thesis/dissertation must first update their data with the Office of the University Registrar before filling out the thesis/dissertation name change request.

Updated March 26, 2022