MSpace help
MSpace is a preservation vehicle for UM scholarship that also provides public access and discovery for that scholarship. Depositing in MSpace can at times be complicated. You may have questions about potential copyright or license concerns, your rights and obligations as the depositor, and understanding how to accurately complete the submission form.
This help webpage includes the following sections:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Research Publications & MSpace
- FAQs about Theses/Practica & MSpace
- Who to contact for help with Research Publications & MSpace
- Who to contact for help with Theses/Practica & MSpace
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Research publication FAQ
Once I deposit the item in MSpace, can I deposit elsewhere?
If you have rights to deposit and make the item available, then there should be no restrictions to deposit in other repositories and/or engage in other methods of distribution. If the work has been previously published and/or is subject to conditions, always ensure that these modes of distribution are permitted.
After I deposit and it is officially open, and then I choose to enter a commercial publisher contract with content that is contained in that deposit, can I apply a retrospective embargo to the deposited work?
Each case is unique but, in general, only in exceptional circumstances will the MSpace staff be willing to apply a retrospective embargo. It is advised that the author negotiate with the publisher for author rights or grant allowance for the deposit.
What happens if I am a co-author of a work, and my colleague, who was the depositor of the work, submitted without my permission and I do not want the work deposited/available in MSpace?
Each case is unique but, if possible, we will contact the depositor to inform them of the request. Then the MSpace Admin will follow the takedown policy and procedure in UM Libraries' Content Deposit Guidelines.
I think the previous publisher of the work has made some citation stipulations that need to either be in the record or on the item itself. How do I do that?
If citation and/or referring information needs to be added to the item itself, contact your respective liaison librarian or libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca. If the information needs to be in the record, enter the citation information in the MSpace submission form when you are depositing the item.
By depositing in MSpace will I be in compliance with the open access policy of my funder?
As a general rule, yes, so long as you obtained the appropriate permissions and conditions of the publisher agreement. If you are unsure please contact libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca.
I notice that there are only permanent URLs available in MSpace. Can I have a DOI applied to the record?
DOIs may be available upon request. Contact libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca to request a DOI for your MSpace item.
I am not sure about the Date of Availability to set the embargo on the item being deposited. Where do I go for that information?
It is usually the duration of the embargo period plus one additional day; if possible, check the terms of your publication agreement to confirm.
Thesis/practicum FAQ
I have just submitted my thesis/practicum to MSpace. How long will it take for it to be approved?
The time it takes for a thesis submission to be checked and approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) varies, depending on the volume of submissions currently being processed. The respective FGS Student Program Assistant (SPA) is responsible for reviewing submissions for the programs they support. It can take up to several weeks.
If you have questions about your submission after you have submitted it for review, please contact your respective SPA.
I checked on the status of my submitted thesis in My MSpace and it states ‘waiting for controller’. What does this mean?
The status ‘waiting for controller’ means that your thesis is currently in the MSpace collection editor pool, waiting for the respective Faculty of Graduate Studies Student Program Assistant (SPA) to claim it for review. Once it has been claimed by the SPA, the status condition will change to "workflow". Until the SPA has reviewed the submission and either rejected the submission for changes or approved it for acceptance or final review, the submitter will NOT receive email communication from the system. For resources on how to submit your thesis, see Depositing theses or practica step by step.
It has been several weeks, and my thesis has still not been approved. What does this mean?
If you have made your initial submission before the deadline, you are still eligible for graduation. Contact your respective FGS Student Program Assistant for the review status of your thesis or if approval timelines are conflicting with other requirements (e.g., work permits).
I made a mistake in my thesis submission. What do I do?
Please contact your respective FGS Student Program Assistant. If they have not yet claimed your submission in the review pool, they will do so and then 'reject' it so that it returns to Your Submission space of My MSpace. You may then make the desired changes and resubmit. If it has been approved already, you will require permission from the Faculty of Graduate Studies to amend the thesis and your SPA can provide information about that process.
My thesis is now in MSpace. Can I make some further changes to it?
It is the policy of the Faculty of Graduate Studies that no changes be made to a thesis once the record has been made publicly available in the MSpace collection. If you have further questions about this, please contact either the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies or your Student Program Assistant.
I am interested in obtaining a printed and bound copy of my thesis. Is there a procedure for requesting a printed copy of the thesis?
The University, including Media and Libraries, does not have printing/binding services to create a hard copy version of your thesis. Some commercial printing services will do this for you. We cannot endorse or recommend particular services/providers.
I can't tell if my thesis has been successfully submitted. Do I get an email confirmation?
No, you will not get an email confirmation from the system telling you have successfully submitted. You should see a green message box after submission that briefly appears that states something like "Congratulations! You have successfully submitted". You can see what your status is on a particular submission in Your Submissions section of My MSpace. After the editor has review your submission, you will get an email at that point either to make changes (as it has been rejected) or that it has been approved.
Definitions of status conditions:
'Waiting for controller' = in the Collection's editorial pool, waiting to be claimed
'Workflow' = has been claimed by a designated collection editor (i.e. FGS Student Program Assistant) and in their workflow for review
'Archived'= the submission has been formally accepted into the repository
I am having difficulties saving my submission or depositing my thesis. What am I doing wrong?
Try the following troubleshooting methods for saving or depositing your thesis:
- Use the browser Mozilla Firefox. Other browsers (e.g., Chrome, Edge, Safari) can cause problems.
- If you are seeing 'caution' signs in certain sections, make sure the appropriate data has been entered into the required fields (those marked with an asterisk).
- If you haven't checked the License box (at the bottom of the input form), it won't let you proceed to Deposit so ensure this requirement is checked.
If you are still having problems after going through this checklist, submit your concern to libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca.
I need to add an embargo/access delay to my thesis. How do I do this?
Before an embargo can be added, permission from the Faculty of Graduate Studies must be granted. To apply for embargo permission, see the Embargo Request Form from the programs section of FGS forms webpage. Follow the instructions in the form; both the Advisor and the Dept Head/Graduate Chair must sign off before submission to the Dean. See also article 7.c of the MSpace Digital Repository Mandate and Policy.
Once permission is granted, ideally the embargo is applied during/prior to submission. To do this, click the pencil-page icon in the Upload section of the input form:
- Add the reason for the embargo in the Description section
- Select 'embargo' from the access drop-down menu.
- The date field when the item becomes available is open for entry: add the date when the thesis is accessible. For example, if you received permission for a one-year embargo, the date available is that date plus one additional day.
- Click save.
If the embargo is to be applied very soon after thesis has been archived in MSpace, the FGS Student Program Assistant (SPA) needs to contact MSpace staff. Contact your respective SPA if this is your situation.
Who to contact for help
For research publications and MSpace
- Descriptive information/metadata about a work
- Contact the respective liaison librarian for your subject area
- Creator copyright concerns
- Contact the Copyright Office
- Meeting existing or future publisher obligations
- To submit a takedown (withdrawal) request
For theses/practica and MSpace
Prior to deposit
- Consult Depositing theses or practica step by step for videos, walkthroughs, and other resources
- For thesis descriptive information/metadata, contact the respective liaison librarian for the program or the Student Program Assistant for your subject area
- Meet existing or future publishing obligations: contact libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca
- In preparing the item (e.g., scanning large sized pages into PDF): contact libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca
During deposit (either in Active Submission or Review Pool)
- For corrections and/or technical problems, contact the respective Student Program Assistant for your subject area
Contact us
Research Services & Digital Strategies
Elizabeth Dafoe Library
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada