Thesis Submission

As of April 15 2025, the thesis submission process at the METU Library has been updated.

Under the new implementation, the METU Library has discontinued the acceptance of printed theses, making electronic submissions through OpenMETU mandatory. Students no longer need to deliver their theses directly to the library; electronic copies and related documents will only be processed through the respective Graduate Schools.

This change which aims to digitize processes, enhance accessibility and achieve sustainability goals was enacted by the decision numbered 2025/4-3 of the Middle East Technical University Senate, dated April 15 2025.

With this update, the objectives include:

  • Improving the accessibility of theses available in the OpenMETU repository,
  • Reducing the financial burden on students associated with preparing printed theses,
  • Ensuring more effective and secure access controls,
  • Utilizing library physical spaces more efficiently.

You can access the Directive Regarding the Submission, Storage, and Accessibility of Electronic Copies of Graduate Theses of Middle East Technical University here.

Access the E-Thesis submission process here.

Requirements before the Thesis Jury Defense:

Students who will attend the thesis jury defense must submit an unbound copy of the thesis (spiral-bound copies for each jury member and a PDF version for format checking) along with the jury appointment form to our Institute one month prior to the jury date. After the thesis has been checked by the responsible Institute staff and returned to the student, the Institute will not be held responsible for any errors arising from changes or additions made by the student.

Contact Informatioın:

For thesis review and submission of the thesis copies and related documents, please contact the relevant phone number assigned to your department listed on the Contact page.

In summary: Thesis copy (for format control) and jury appointment form must be submitted to our Institute.

Requirements after the Thesis Jury Defense:

Student Procedures:

  • Thesis Format Checking and Signatures: Once the thesis format is approved, the student obtains signatures from jury members and co-advisor (if applicable) on the printed and bound copies. These signed copies, also signed by the student, must then be submitted to the Institute.

  • Publication and Declaration Form: The student signs the "Declaration of Publication, Intellectual Property Rights, and Accuracy."

  • Electronic Thesis Submission: The student uploads the PDF file and metadata of the thesis to OpenMETU, ensuring the electronic version is identical to the printed version. Personal information (ID, phone number, email, etc.) should not be included in the PDF.

  • YÖK Data Entry Form: Upon approval, the student completes the thesis submission by delivering the YÖK Data Entry Form.

Thesis Submission Procedure for METU Library

  • Archiving Signed Thesis Documents: The library staff archives the signed PDF document transmitted through EBYS. Pages with original signatures remain indefinitely restricted from public access.

  • OpenMETU Access and Metadata Control: The library verifies the thesis PDF, metadata, and access conditions via OpenMETU.

  • Approval Email: An approval email is sent to the Institute.

  • Thesis Catalog Record: The thesis is cataloged by adding it to the Library automation system.

Requests for Changes in the Thesis after Approval:

In the event of a change request for an approved thesis already added to OpenMETU:

  • Change requests are evaluated by the Institute under exceptional circumstances. The requested change, along with its justification, must be submitted to the Institute through a formal petition.

  • After approving the request, the Institute informs KDDB via EBYS.

  • KDDB implements the necessary modifications on OpenMETU and informs the Institute accordingly.

     Library Thesis Submission Video
     (The video mentions making an appointment for thesis submission; please disregard this part.)

Important Notes for Preparing the CD Copy to be submitted to YÖK:
http://tez2.yok.gov.tr/tezvt/tm_teslim_klavuzu.php?

   ·    Points to be considered in preparing CD copy of the thesis for submission to YÖK (Higher Council of Education):http://tez2.yok.gov.tr/tezvt/tm_teslim_klavuzu.php?)

  1. Full text of the thesis will be prepared as one pdf document. Links available in pdf preparation web page can be used for converting word documents to pdf documents.
  2. Prepared pdf documents should be the same as the copy of the thesis approved by the Institute or the Dean's Office. As any modifications on the thesis cannot be made by Higher Council of Education; author has the full responsibility for the digital thesis to be the same with the original copy. Adequate enumeration of the pages and identical placement of all the elements found in the main text of the thesis such as figures, graphs and tables should be provided by the author.
  3. Documents should be un-compressed and without any password protection.
  4. When naming the documents, Turkish characters should be avoided.
  5. When naming the documents, related content information should be added after the full name of the author eg. Name_Surname_thesis.pdf
  6. Thesis supplements in text format or prepared via photocopy should be found in the pdf document containing the full text of the thesis. In order to do this, documents will be converted to pdf format using scanners or digital photocopy machines.
  7. Mixed theses: If the thesis does not only contain text file but involves additional image, map, computer programs, audio/video recordings this case should be stated in "Thesis Entry Form” declaring all the document names. Preferred formats for images, video recordings and audio recordings are given below. If any other program is used this should be contained in the CD with the thesis in an available format to the readers with required license.


Preferred Formats:
i-Image Formats
Image documents should be prepared using one of the formats given below:

  • GIF (.gif)
  • PDF (.pdf)
  • TIFF (.tiff)
  • JPEG (.jpeg)

ii-Video Formats

  • MPEG (.mpg)
  • Quick Time – Apple (.mov)
  • Audio Video Interleaved – Microsoft (.avi)

iii-Audio Formats

  • Wav (.wav)
  • MIDI (.midi)
  • MP3 (.mp3)

 Filling the Thesis Entry Form  (http://tez2.yok.gov.tr/tezvt/tm_teslim_klavuzu.php?)

The “Thesis Data Entry Form” (http://tez2.yok.gov.tr/) must be completed electronically by the thesis author, saved to the computer, printed after obtaining a Reference Number, signed, and submitted along with the thesis.

This form is designed to transfer the information provided by the author into a temporary table connected to the Thesis Database. Upon completion and clicking the “Save” button, a printable form will be generated containing the “Reference Number” assigned by the system. If incorrect data entry occurs for any reason, corrections can be made by revisiting the form before printing. During data entry verification performed by the Thesis Center, the Reference Number on the correctly filled and submitted form will be used.

If no suitable options exist for Department, Division, or Discipline, these fields may remain blank.

The principle adopted by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) stipulates that all theses should be openly accessible to researchers without restriction, except for justified reasons such as patent applications or ongoing publication processes. Concern about potential copying of the thesis is not considered a valid reason to restrict access. The “restriction” option on the Thesis Data Entry Form should be selected according to these guidelines.


Submission of the bounded thesis to the Institute for Graduation Process


1. Thesis Entry Form to be filled from http://www.yok.gov.tr webpage.
2. One copy of CD named by reference number from Thesis Entry Form taken from YÖK system.
3. Two copies of bounded thesis.

Registration Withdrawal


After students submit their theses and the required documents, they need to perform Registration Withdrawal from https://oibs2.metu.edu.tr/Registration_Withdrawal_269/  address.