Requests by alumni/ae to amend their submitted thesis or dissertation are infrequent and are only considered when there is a significant chance of harm (to readers and/or to research participants). On these rare occasions, having a well-defined and agreed-upon process is helpful for all parties. This policy covers dissertations and research master’s theses and was developed with the Graduate Council of the Faculties and the Council of Graduate Deans. The new policy has now been adopted and published in the Pennbook at https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/

—Wendell E. Pritchett, Provost
—Beth A. Winkelstein, Vice Provost for Education

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 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 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.