ubc biochem thesis

• Library Home
• General (Summon)
• Books & Media (Catalogue)
• Indexes, Databases & Articles
• Research Guides
• UBC Research
• UBC Open Collections
• UBC Vancouver
• Asian Library
• Biomedical Branch Library
• Chapman Learning Commons Help Desk
• The Chung | Lind Gallery
• David Lam Management Research Library
• Education Library
• Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
• Koerner Library
• Law Library
• Music, Art and Architecture Library
• Rare Books and Special Collections
• Research Commons
• University Archives
• Woodward Library
• X wi7 x wa Library
• UBC Okanagan
• The Commons (Okanagan)
• Okanagan Library
• Special Collections & Archives
• UBC Virtual
• AskAway Chat Services
• Borrowing Services
• My Library Account
• How to Get Library Access
• See More...
• Electronic Access
• Connect to Library Resources
• OpenAthens Login Overview
• Computers & Technology
• Print, Copy, Scan
• Public Computers & Software
• Group & Silent Study Spaces
• Technology Spaces
• Guides for Library Users
• Undergraduate Students
• Faculty & Instructors
• Planning Your Research
• Getting Started on Your Research
• Finding Resources
• Journal Articles
• Evaluating & Citing Sources
• Evaluating Information Sources
• How to Cite
• Publishing Research
• Getting Started with cIRcle
• Building Your Academic Profile
• Collections
• Policies, Procedures and Guidelines
• Work with Us
• Accessing Library Resources?
• OpenAthens Login
• Add Browser Extension for Access
• Managing Your Account?
• My Library Account Login
• Need Citation Management?
• Citation Management Tools

JavaScript is disabled: Site features and functionality may be limited.

• Library Home /
• Search Collections /
• Open Collections /
• Browse Collections /

UBC Theses and Dissertations

Open collections, limit this search.

The UBC Theses and Dissertations collection promotes open and comprehensive access to a significant body of unique knowledge created by graduate students to support further research and for private study. The authors retain copyright ownership and moral rights to their theses. The content of theses and dissertations may not be re-purposed or exploited for commercial gain without the explicit permission of the authors. 

See Theses and Dissertations at cIRcle: Discovery and Use to learn more about finding and using openly available theses and dissertations in Open Collections. 

UBC graduate students began submitting their theses online via cIRcle, UBC’s digital repository, in fall 2007, a practice that both simplified the submission process and also ensured the availability of this research to a global audience in a timely manner. As of March 2012, UBC Library has digitized and made openly accessible the full-text of more than 32,000 theses submitted by graduate students between 1919 and 2007. In addition to providing information about specific fields of study these theses also reveal important information about changes in pedagogy at the University and within academic disciplines. Authors concerned about having their pre-2007 theses included as part of this collection can notify [email protected] to have their thesis removed. Similarly, if copyrighted material appears in a thesis the copyright owner can request that material be removed.

Browse Theses & Dissertations

• {[{degree.key}]} ({[{degree.doc_count}]})

• Academic Calendar
• Campus Services
• Faculties & Schools
• Student Service Centre
• UBC Directory

Biochemistry

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers opportunities for study leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. For information on advanced degrees, see graduate Biochemistry and Molecular Biology .

Students wishing to enter second-year Biochemistry Major, Honours, or Combined Honours specializations must apply using the online process administered by the Faculty of Science . Students will receive an email communication regarding the process in late May or early June. Due to the similarity between the major and honours biochemistry specializations in second year, the Faculty of Science only admits students directly to either the Major or Combined Honours. Qualified students wishing to transfer to Honours Biochemistry should contact the Undergraduate Advisor for advice. Only students in the second year Combined Majors or Combined Honours in Biochemistry and Chemistry specializations will be required to register using a Standard Timetable (STT) available on the registration system. The progress of continuing biochemistry students will be reviewed at the end of each academic year. Students making satisfactory progress do not require annual specialization approval. The Department will contact students with unsatisfactory standing in honours or combined honours.

The major specialization provides a strong background in biochemistry and is sufficiently flexible for students to develop their interests in allied fields (e.g., microbiology, food science, and chemistry). It is also appropriate for students who anticipate a professional career in the health sciences. The honours specialization is the recommended route for students interested in graduate studies in biochemistry or related disciplines. However, students enrolled in a major specialization with a strong academic record may also apply for graduate studies. For more information, see Biochemistry .

Co-operative (Co-op) Education Option

The department offers an optional Co-op Education Option (honours and majors). The program is open to interested and qualified students and is intended to provide additional practical and technical biochemical and molecular biological experience in academic and industrial research laboratories. This is normally achieved through a period of 12 to 15 months of approved work placement under the supervision of practising professionals. A faculty advisor will be assigned to each internship student. Acceptance into the Co-op Option is based upon academic standing and general suitability to perform in a technical research environment. The first phase is a placement for three or four months (summer following third year) in an academic research or industrial laboratory (either at UBC or at an off-campus site). This is normally followed by placement in off-site laboratories for three consecutive, four-month terms. Placements are arranged by mutual agreement of the student, employer, and faculty advisor through the Office of Co-operative Education. Students participating in the Co-op Option must register for off-site placements by using BIOC_V 398, 399, 498 and, where appropriate, 499, and pay the co-op education program fee for each course. After completion of the work terms, students return to the University for completion of the normal fourth-year major or honours academic requirements. This option requires five years and is not a requirement for admission to the graduate program in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Enrolment in the Co-op Education Option is limited; continuation in the option is contingent on the availability of suitable work placements. For more information contact the Co-operative Education Program .

Specializations

Major (0244): biochemistry (bioc_v)  .

Honours (0186): Biochemistry (BIOC)  

Combined Major (3382): Biochemistry and Chemistry (BIOC, CHEM)  

Combined Honours (0565): Biochemistry and Chemistry (BIOC, CHEM)  

Combined Honours (3508): Biochemistry and Forensic Science

See Forensic Science .

Minor (1184): Biochemistry (BIOC)

Biochemistry Minor course requirements vary depending on the first area of specialization (e.g., Major, Honours) of the student and must be decided upon in consultation with the Biochemistry advisor. A maximum of 6 credits of overlap between the requirements of the two areas of specialization is allowed.

In general the Biochemistry Minor consists of all of BIOC_V 303, 402, and 410; and 6 credits selected, in consultation with the Biochemistry advisor, from: BIOC_V 403, 440, 450, 460; BIOL_V 335; CHEM_V 305, 313; MICB_V 302, 306, 325, 405, 425. BIOC_V 302 can be substituted for BIOC_V 303, with an additional 3 credits of upper level credit selected from the list provided.

For Chemistry Major or Honours students, the Biochemistry Minor consists of all of BIOC_V 303, 402 and 410; one of BIOC_V 403, 440, 450, 460; and one of BIOL_V 335, MICB_V 325. BIOC_V 302 can be substituted for BIOC_V 303, with an additional 3 credits of upper level credit selected from the list provided.

UBC Academic Calendar

2016 1874 East Mall Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z1

UBC Campuses

• Emergency Procedures |
• Terms of Use |
• UBC Copyright |
• Accessibility

Calendar Sections

• Dates and Deadlines
• Academic Year
• Establishment and Constitution
• Campus-wide Policies and Regulations
• Services, Facilities, and Organizations
• Research Units, Centres, and Institutes
• UBC Library
• Faculties, Colleges, and Schools
• Alternative Study Options
• Course Descriptions
• Emeriti Staff
• Enrolment Statistics 2023/24
• Calendar History
• Calendar Archive

• Copyright Requirements for UBC Faculty and Staff
• Copyright Guidelines for UBC Faculty, Staff and Students
• Fair Dealing Requirements for UBC Faculty and Staff
• Fair Dealing in Practice
• Faculty FAQ
• Best Practices for Faculty
• Lecture Slides & Recordings
• Distributing Course Readings
• Music & Film in the Classroom
• Open Course & Educational Resource Guidelines
• Conference Presentations
• Copyright Flowcharts
• DVD Restrictions
• Student FAQ

Theses and Dissertations

• Why Should I Care?
• Website Administration
• Information about SOCAN and Re:Sound Fees at UBC
• Copying Posters
• Broadcast Emails

Introduction

What is copyright, what is fair dealing and can i use it for my thesis, when to seek permission, how to obtain permission, what to include in permission requests, unable to get permission, citations & bibliographies, student responsibility, removing images, non-exclusive licences, circle submission, publishing your thesis, creative commons licensing.

All UBC graduate students are required to submit a copy of their thesis to UBC’s institutional repository ( cIRcle ), where it will be made available to the public. Submission into cIRcle requires that you sign a license that gives UBC the rights necessary to make the thesis available to the public. The specifics can be found at cIRcle’s  License & Copyright  page. You are personally responsible for ensuring that your thesis complies with Canadian copyright law, and the cIRcle license requires that you confirm that you have done so.

This guide is designed to provide you with a starting point for your understanding of and compliance with your responsibilities.

Back To Top

Copyright is the sole and exclusive right of a copyright owner to produce, reproduce, perform, publish, adapt, translate and telecommunicate (e.g., post on the internet, email, etc.) a work, and to control the circumstances in which others may do any of these things.

Copyright law in Canada protects a wide range of works . Producing, reproducing, performing, publishing, adapting, translating and telecommunicating a “substantial” part of someone else’s copyrighted work is copyright infringement, unless (a) you fall within one of the exemptions set out in the Copyright Act , or (b) you have written permission from the copyright owner.

What is a “substantial” part of a work depends on numerous considerations, including:

• the quantity of what is being copied,
• whether what is being copied forms a material or essential part of the work, and
• what purpose the copied portion will be put to.

It is commonly understood that, for most purposes, copying more than a few sentences of a literary work, a few words of a short poem, a few bars of music, or a few seconds of a film is a “substantial” portion of the work. Also, copying any important part of a painting, graph or table, etc., is a “substantial” portion of a work.

Copyright protection comes into effect as soon as a work is created; there is no requirement that the work be registered or that the word “copyright” or the symbol © appear on the work. Accordingly, works that are publicly available on the Internet (such as images found via Google) are treated the same way under copyright law as materials distributed in any other way. In Canada, generally speaking, copyright expires 70 years after the death of the author, regardless of who holds the copyright.

This means that, if you have started writing your thesis, then your draft is already protected by copyright, which gives you control over the ways in which it can and cannot be legally used by others. At the same time, this also means that you need to think very carefully about how you are using the works of others, and about whether or not you will need permission to quote from or include these works in your thesis.

(For more information about copyright in general, please see the Basics FAQ and the Copyright Guidelines for UBC Faculty, Staff, and Students .)

Fair dealing is one of the user rights in the Copyright Act that allows any person to make a copy of a copyrighted work. In order for fair dealing to apply to your use of others’ works in your thesis, (a) the copying must be for one or more of the following purposes: research, private study, education, satire, parody, criticism, review, or news reporting, and (b) the copying must be fair.

When copying copyrighted works for use in a thesis, such copying is primarily for the purposes of research, criticism, and/or review. Any fair dealing for the purpose of criticism or review must mention the source and, if given in the source, the name of the author or creator of the work. Fair dealing should never be used merely for illustrative purposes or enhancing the content of the thesis without engaging with the third-party copyrighted materials for the fair dealing purposes listed above.

Sometimes you may hear that “copying for research or educational purposes is always fair” but this can be a misleading oversimplification. Ultimately, the fairness of the dealing is determined by a court of law if and when the rights holder makes a claim of infringement against the party that copied the work.

To determine whether a particular instance of copying may be considered “fair” for the purposes of fair dealing, the Supreme Court of Canada has stated that all relevant factors need to be considered, including the following, which comprise what is sometimes referred-to as the “six-factor” fair dealing test:

• the purpose of the proposed copying, including whether it is for research, private study, education, satire, parody, criticism, review or news reporting;
• the character of the proposed copying, including whether it involves single or multiple copies, and whether the copy is destroyed after it is used for its specific intended purpose;
• the amount of the dealing from the individual user’s perspective, including the proportion of the work that is copied and the importance of that excerpt in relation to the whole work; this is often referred to as a “short excerpt” and must contain no more of the work than is required in order to achieve the fair dealing purpose;
• alternatives to copying the work, including whether there is a non-copyrighted equivalent available;
• the nature of the work, including whether it is published or unpublished; and
• the effect of the copying on the work, including whether the copy will compete with the commercial market of the original work.

There is no specific Canadian case law on how the six-factor test would apply to use of third-party content in theses that are freely distributed on the Internet and what kind of copying would be permitted. The CAUT Guidelines for the Use of Copyrighted Materia l is a useful resource to learn about the six-factor test and to help determine if using others’ works in your thesis might be considered fair. For more information on fair dealing in general, including the University’s approach to determining whether something is a “short excerpt”, please see UBC’s Fair Dealing Requirements for UBC Faculty and Staff .

In summary, if your use of others’ work in your thesis is “fair”, then you do not need to ask for permission to use it. If your use of the work would not be “fair” then you do need to seek permission to use it. As a graduate student, you are responsible for the content of your thesis and, thus, for determining whether your proposed use of copyrighted works qualifies as fair dealing or whether you need to seek permission. The University is unable to provide you with legal advice in this regard.

UBC Library offers workshops and consultation to support graduate students in the application of these guidelines. Workshops are offered in collaboration with UBC Library Research Commons while consultations can be booked online or by emailing [email protected] .

Because the University requires you to submit your thesis to cIRcle (which means that it is published online) and also to submit your thesis to Library and Archives Canada, it is important for you to understand that any improper use of the fair dealing right by you may constitute copyright infringement and risks exposing you, and the University, to legal liability from copyright rightsholders.

In addition, you may wish to publish your thesis (or parts of it) in an academic journal. Please note some publishers may not be satisfied with copyright works used pursuant to fair dealing and may require authors to obtain permission for third-party copyrighted materials prior to publication.

You should seek permission if your thesis contains any of the following and you are unsure if the work can be used pursuant to fair dealing, as described in the previous section:

• Images of any form that have been obtained from copyrighted sources. This includes any tables, figures, maps, graphs, photographs, screenshots, drawings, logos, video screen captures, etc. that have been obtained from websites, newspapers, journals, books, brochures, professors’ lecture notes, etc.
• Since you will typically be using the whole of the copyrighted image (as opposed to a small portion of the image), you should be particularly careful in undertaking your fair dealing analysis or obtain permission before including it in your thesis.
• Altering an image does not necessarily remove the need to seek permission nor change the fair dealing analysis. Common alterations include cropping, re-sizing, modifying colours, and annotating with text, arrows, and other visual call-outs.
• Keep in mind that just because something is freely available on the web does not necessarily mean that you have permission to reproduce it. Always check the Terms of Use or copyright licence information on the website.
• Long quotations or excerpts from any one source. Common sources of quotations include books, academic journals, newspapers, magazines, short stories, plays, and poems.
• Articles or parts of articles that you wrote and previously published in a journal to which you assigned copyright. Academic publishing agreements commonly require authors to assign their copyright to the publisher. Refer to  Including Published Material in a Thesis or Dissertation  for additional requirements from Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
• Material co-authored with others. Each co-author shares copyright and must consent to your use of the work if you are seeking permission to use it.
• Scripts and recordings of any performance.
• Translations of copyrighted work.
• Testing instruments such as standardized tests, questionnaires, forms, and surveys.

Important : The list above is not exhaustive. If your use of copyrighted material is not described above, that does not necessarily mean that you do not need undertake a fair dealing analysis or to seek permission.

Seeking permission is a straightforward process, but obtaining responses from copyright owners can take a long time. You are strongly encouraged to send out your permission requests as early as possible.

Identify the Copyright Owner

The first step in the process is to identify the copyright owner. Usually you will be able to identify the owner somewhere on the work by looking for the copyright symbol ©, which should have the copyright owner’s name next to it. You’ll often find this at the beginning of a book, at the side of a photograph or at the bottom of a web page.

Permission from Individuals

If the copyright owner is an individual, then the next step is to email or write to that individual, explaining how and why you want to use the work and requesting permission. The permission should be in writing; an email message will suffice. It’s also a good idea to keep a record of who gave the permission, what was permitted, the date, and how to contact the person who gave the permission. (For more information about what information to include in your permission requests, see the next section of this guide.)

Permission from Commercial Publishers

If the copyright owner is a commercial publisher, the fastest course of action is often to search for the work in question at the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). The CCC handles permissions for a large number of publishers, and permission to include images in theses can often be obtained through the CCC website swiftly and at no cost.

If you cannot obtain permission through the CCC, then the next step is to check the publisher’s website. Many publishers will require that you submit your request directly to their permissions department, while others will require that you use an online form.

When you arrive at the website, look for a link that says “Rights and Permissions” (or something similar), then read through the available information to determine the correct method for requesting permission.

Permission from Journals

If the copyright owner is an academic journal (or an academic association/society that publishes a journal), then you may be able to obtain permission through the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), as discussed above. If permission is not available through the CCC, then you should check the journal’s website, which may provide one or more of the following:

• Advance permission for specific uses. For example, The Journal of Biological Chemistry provides advance permission for non-commercial use.
• Advance permission to journal authors who have signed over copyright
• Information on how to request permission
• Information on uses that are specifically prohibited

If you can’t locate any information about copyright and permissions on the journal’s website, then visit the website of the company or organization that publishes the journal.

If permission to use copyrighted material is given on a website, then print out or save an electronic copy of the web page that states this and keep it for your records. Note, saving a link to the page is not sufficient, as the link may break or the content of the website may change.

Proof of Permission

You should keep copies of all letters and forms granting you permission to use copyrighted material. These copies are for your own records; do not include them in your thesis or dissertation.

As mentioned above, email permissions are acceptable. The best possible proof of permission is one of the following:

• a completed copy of the Permission to Use Copyrighted Material form, or
• an original signed letter on the copyright owner’s letterhead.

Originals are best, though scanned copies work well too.

For more information about seeking permission, see UBC Copyright Basics FAQ 1.16 .

Include the following information in your requests.

Introduce yourself clearly.

Tell the copyright owner that you are a graduate student preparing a thesis or dissertation for submission as part of the requirements for your degree at the University of British Columbia.

Identify the work you are seeking permission to use.

Give standard reference information for the work you wish to use, including figure/table number, if any, and page numbers. You should briefly describe the context in which you propose to use the work in your thesis.

Tell the copyright owner where their work will be distributed.

• that your thesis will be publicly available in UBC’s online digital repository, and
• that you will be granting non-exclusive licences to UBC and to Library and Archives Canada.

You, of course, will not know at the time you are asking permission, whether your thesis will be published in an academic journal. If you believe that it is a realistic possibility, you may wish to ask the copyright owner’s permission to use their work in the published version of your thesis.

Send the copyright owner information about and a copy of the cIRcle licence agreement:

• [cIRcle Licence Agreement – downloadable PDF http://hdl.handle.net/2429/59877 ]
• [cIRcle Licence Agreement – online submission form https://circle.ubc.ca/submissions/license-form ]

Ask for specific action.

• Request a reply by a given date.
• Offer to send the copyright owner a copy of your completed work.

Keep copies.

• Keep copies of request letters and all correspondence with the copyright owner.

When you are unable to obtain permission or there is a charge for obtaining permission, you must either (1) remove the copyrighted material and insert the text described below; or (2) replace the material with a different work for which permission is either obtainable or not required (such as works that are covered by Creative Commons licenses or that are in the public domain ).

If you have removed copyrighted material from your thesis and not replaced it, you must insert the following:

• A statement that the material has been removed because of copyright restrictions
• A description of the material and the information it contained, plus a link to an online source if one is available
• A full citation of the original source of the material

Example: Figure 3 has been removed due to copyright restrictions. It was a diagram of the apparatus used in performing the experiment, showing the changes made by the investigating team. Original source: Wu, G. and Thompson, J.R. (2008) Effect of Ketone Bodies on Dairy Cattle. Biochem J. 255:139-144.

The brief description of the removed figure is important, as it gives the reader a chance to follow the thesis argument without needing to look up the actual figures. If possible, including a link to an online source is also very useful.

You must include full citations for any copyrighted material in your thesis or dissertation regardless of source. Each citation must include the copyright symbol, name of the copyright owner (who may or may not be the author), and, if applicable, a statement that the use of the material or adaptation (in the case of adapted graphics) is by permission of the copyright owner.

Examples of direct citations to copyright owners:

• Image title (© 2001 Jane Doe, by permission)
• Graph Title (© 2003 John Smith, adapted with permission)
• Poem Title (© 2005 Jane Doe, by permission)
• Testing Instrument Title (© 2007 Company Name, by permission)

Citations from published works should follow your chosen citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, etc.) but include reference to the specific page. Examples of sources from published works:

• Table 1 from © Author, A., Author, B., & Author, C. (2007). Book Title. City: Publisher. Page 45. By permission from publisher.
• Figure 4.1 from © Author, A., Author, B., & Author, C (2009). Article Title. Journal Title, 38(2), 186-204. Page 191. Adapted with permission from publisher.
• Photo Title from © Author, A. & Author, B. (2012, May 5). Title of Web Article. Website Title. Retrieved from URL. By permission from author.

Sometimes copyright owners will ask you to use a specific wording in your citation. If so, it’s important to follow their instructions exactly, word for word.

Otherwise, craft your citations in accordance with your degree program’s preferred style guide. If you are unsure about which style guide to use, ask your supervisor. If you need help with using a particular style guide, check out the Library’s “How to Cite” guide or contact the subject librarian for your discipline. If you need help with citing images in particular, check out UBC’s Image Citation Guide .

If you have any questions about copyright or permissions, please begin by consulting the resources available on the Copyright at UBC website. You are also invited to send your copyright or permissions questions to [email protected] .

If you have questions related to the thesis-writing process, please review the following resources from Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies:

• Resources for Thesis Preparation and Checking
• Final Dissertation & Thesis Submission
• Graduate Pathways to Success (GPS) Program

My supervisor said that I don’t need permission to include copyrighted images in my thesis, so can I submit my thesis without seeking permission?

Information

As the author of your thesis, you are responsible for ensuring that your use of copyrighted images and other material is compliant with Canadian copyright law.

Indeed, when you submit the final copy of your thesis, you must sign the  cIRcle Non-Exclusive Distribution License  confirming that if you have copyrighted material in your thesis, you are either using that material under an exception available to you under the Copyright Act (such as fair dealing) or you have obtained permission to use it.

Can I just remove any copyrighted images from my thesis before submitting it, so I don’t need to worry about seeking permission?

For the reasons set out in the next paragraph, your thesis should be as complete as possible. Removal of material should only be an option if you are denied permission, if an unreasonable fee will be charged for use of the material, or if you receive no response from the copyright owner after making a reasonable effort at contact.

Theses are scholarly documents, and students are expected to complete them in accordance with scholarly best practices and their program’s requirements. Furthermore, by submitting your thesis to cIRcle , UBC’s digital repository, it will be publicly accessible online, so you want it to be as complete as possible to ensure that it appears professional, especially to future colleagues and employers. Your thesis is not only the culmination and crowning achievement of your graduate degree, but also the main surviving record of the work you completed during your degree. It is in your best interests to ensure that it is as complete as possible. By omitting images from your thesis, you run the risk of obfuscating the very arguments that you devoted so much time and effort to creating.

I know that I need to sign the cIRcle Non-Exclusive Distribution License before I can submit the final copy of my thesis, but I’m not entirely sure what I’m agreeing to. What exactly is a “non-exclusive licence,” and why do I need to grant such a licence to UBC in order to submit my thesis?

You own the copyright for your thesis, which means that you have the right to produce, reproduce, perform, publish, adapt, translate and telecommunicate your thesis, and you have the right to control the circumstances in which others may do any of these things.

By signing the UBC Thesis Licence Agreement, you are giving the University the permission to publish and archive your thesis in cIRcle.

Because this licence (or permission) is “non-exclusive,” you retain all of your rights as the copyright owner, and you may grant similar rights to others, at any time. This is in contrast to an “exclusive” licence, which would mean that the University alone would have the right publish and archive your thesis.

What is cIRcle, and where can I get help with submitting my thesis to cIRcle electronically?

cIRcle is an open access digital repository for research and teaching materials created by the UBC community and its partners. Its aim is to showcase and preserve UBC’s unique intellectual output by making content freely available to anyone, anywhere via the web.

Apart from theses and dissertations, cIRcle contains articles, conference and workshop papers, technical reports and working papers, books, datasets, learning objects, multimedia and audio-visual materials including podcasts, webcasts and more.

The University, via Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, requires you to submit your thesis to cIRcle electronically. For information on how to submit, please see the cIRcle instructions for electronic thesis submission.

As of September 2012, you can get in-person assistance with the thesis-submission process at the Koerner Library Research Commons .

If you have specific questions regarding cIRcle, please contact [email protected] . For questions related to your thesis submission, or to have your cIRcle login authorized for submission, please contact [email protected] .

You own the copyright to your thesis and are free to publish your thesis if you wish. However, if your thesis includes any copyrighted works (e.g. figures, tables, etc.) that you did not create and you are not able to use this work under an exception available to you under the Copyright Act (such as fair dealing), then you will likely need to obtain permission from the copyright owners in order to publish them.

This is true even if you have already obtained permission to use the works in your thesis, as the act of publishing your thesis would count as a different use of the works in question, and would therefore require separate permissions. With this in mind, as you make your initial requests for copyright permissions for your thesis, you may wish to think about asking for permission should you decide to revise your thesis for publication as a journal article or book at a later date.

The Scholarly Communications @ UBC website contains a wealth of information about scholarly publishing, including valuable resources for authors and information about how to make your work open access .

Also, you should be aware that students who have graduated may be contacted by publishing companies that have an interest in publishing their thesis. These companies often contact authors directly. You are free to grant permission, but you should research the company first to ensure that it is a reputable academic publisher. There are usually discussions among former students online that can give you an insight into the value of publishing with a particular company.

Creative Commons (CC) licences provide copyright owners with a simple and clear way to grant others permission to access and (depending on your preferences) to share and adapt your work for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

By applying a CC licence to your thesis, you can enhance the ease with which others can share and reuse your work. For more information about the various licences and what they allow, please see this useful overview .

To apply a CC licence to your thesis, you can simply select your desired licence when you submit your thesis to cIRcle (see: cIRcle’s submission instructions , step 3.7).

To apply a CC license to your other work, you can use the “Choose a License” form on the CC website. This form helps you choose a licence based on your preferences and then generates the appropriate text to apply to print works, as well as the HTML code to apply to online works.

In addition to information on the public domain available on the Copyright at UBC website, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries has published a FAQ on term extension that is available on their website. [Read More]

MORE UPDATES

• Graduate School
• Current Students
• Dissertation & Thesis Preparation

Structure and Style of Theses and Dissertations

Workday student support.

Graduate students can find "how to" guides and support information on our Workday support page .

Each student and their supervisory committee should work together to determine the scholarly scope and most appropriate structure of the thesis, keeping in mind scholarly standards within their fields and professional objectives of the student.

As forms of scholarship continue to evolve, so do the possibilities for how a body of scholarly work can be expressed. Theses at UBC can include many forms of knowledge production and scholarly representation. Some examples are:

• a fully unified textual volume, similar to a scholarly book
• a series of published or publication-ready manuscripts with synthesis
• inclusion of scholarly professional artefacts such as policy papers or curriculum plans, for example, along with description and analysis
• a compendium of multimedia works with written description and analysis

Within this flexibility of structure, there remain several elements that must be included in each thesis or dissertation, and specifications to be followed, in order to enable consistent standards and proper archiving.

In addition to the preliminary materials described below, all theses should include an introduction to the subject, a critical analysis of the relevant prior scholarly work, a description of the scholarly methods, a presentation of the results, and a discussion and summary of the results and their implications. Knowledge dissemination products or modes can be incorporated as appropriate.

As appropriate, representation of the research results or methodologies may take a variety of forms, including scholarly publications or submissions (manuscripts), scholarly text, creative text, graphics, audio/visual products, or web pages,  Additional knowledge translation or dissemination products or descriptions of activities can be incorporated, such as policy briefs, lay or professional publications, syllabi, or outlines of workshops or exhibits.

Every thesis will have a PDF component that includes at least the following elements:

• Committee page
• Lay summary
• Table of contents, and/or a List of all submitted files (if there are files in addition to the PDF)

1. Title page (required)

2. committee page (required).

The committee page:

• is the second page of the thesis and is numbered ii
• lists all examining committee members and supervisory committee members, along with their titles, departments, and universities or organizations
• does not include signatures
• is not listed in the table of contents

See Resources for Thesis Preparation and Checking for examples and templates.

Doctoral students: Please include this page in the copy for the External Examiner, with your supervisory committee entered. If you know which members of the committee will be on the Examining Committee you can include them there; otherwise, they can go under Additional Supervisory Committee Members.

Doctoral students post-defence: Please remember to update the committee page before final post-defence submission if necessary.

3. Abstract (required - maximum 350 words)

The abstract is a concise and accurate summary of the scholarly work described in the document. It states the problem, the methods of investigation, and the general conclusions, and should not contain tables, graphs, complex equations, or illustrations. There is a single scholarly abstract for the entire work, and it must not exceed 350 words in length.

4. Lay Summary (required - maximum 150 words)

The lay or public summary is a simplified version of the abstract that explains the key goals and contributions of the research/scholarly work in terms that can be understood by the general public. it does not use technical terms and discipline-specific language. It must not exceed 150 words in length.

5. Preface (required)

Sample Prefaces

The Preface includes a statement indicating the student's contribution to the following:

• Identification of the research question(s)
• Design of the research work
• Performance of the research
• Analysis of the research results

If any of the work was collaborative, the above statement must also detail the relative contributions of all collaborators, including the approximate proportion of the research, analysis, and writing/representation conducted by the student.

If any of the work has led to any publications, submissions, or other dissemination modes, all must be listed in the Preface. For publications, the title of the article, the names and order of all co-authors, and the journal details (if accepted or published) must be included, and linked to the related chapter or portion of the thesis. For further details, see “Including Published Material in a Thesis or Dissertation”.

If any of the work is intended for publication but has not yet been published, you must say whether or not it has been submitted. Do not say where it has been submitted, as if it is not accepted for publication that information will be misleading.

If the work includes other scholarly artifacts (such as film and other audio, visual, and graphic representations, and application-oriented documents such as policy briefs, curricula, business plans, computer and web tools, pages, and applications, etc.) that have been published or otherwise publicly disseminated or that have co-authors, they must be listed in the Preface (with bibliographical information, including information on co-creators, if applicable).

If ethics approval was required for the research, the Preface must list the Certificate Number(s) of the Ethics Certificate(s) applicable to the project.

In a thesis where the research was not subject to ethics review, produced no publications, and was designed, carried out, and analyzed by the student alone, the text of the Preface may be very brief. Samples are available on this website and in the University Library's online repository of accepted theses.

The content of the Preface must be verified by the student's supervisor, whose endorsement must appear on the final Thesis/Dissertation Approval form.

Acknowledgements, introductory material, and a list of publications do not belong in the Preface. Please put them respectively in the Acknowledgements section, the first section of the thesis, and the appendices.

6. Table of contents (required)

7. list of tables (required if document has tables), 8. list of figures (required if document has figures), 9. list of submitted files (required if additional files are submitted with the pdf), 10. list of illustrations (advisable if applicable).

If you remove copyrighted tables, figures, or illustrations from your thesis you must insert the following at the spot where the table, figure, or illustration previously appeared:

• A statement that the material has been removed because of copyright restrictions
• A description of the material and the information it contained, plus a link to an online source if one is available
• A full citation of the original source of the material

See the UBC Library Copyright Educational Resources: Theses and Dissertations Guide “ Unable to get Permission? ”

11. Lists of symbols, abbreviations or other (advisable if applicable)

12. glossary (optional), 13. acknowledgements (optional).

This may include statements acknowledging support and contributions from various sources, including the student’s research supervisor and committee, research participants, colleagues, friends, and family members. IMPORTANT : Please ensure that everyone you mention in your Acknowledgements understands and accepts that their name will be appearing online in an open-access document.

Any funding for the research should be listed here.

14. Dedication (optional)

15-17. thesis body: introduction, research chapters, conclusion (usually required unless the thesis consists only of multimedia).

This contains the comprehensive contextualization, methods, findings, analysis and implications of the scholarly work. These components can be organized and expressed in a manner that the student and their supervisory committee deems to be most appropriate to the work, to the student and their objectives, and to the relevant disciplines.

In many cases the thesis will be organized in chapters, while for others (especially those including creative and/or other modes of expression) it may take different forms. The different elements should be divided appropriately (and indicated as such in the Table of Contents) to enable ease of review. The thesis should be presented in a manner that enables a cohesive understanding of the work and which is credible within the field. In all cases, certain elements are required:

Introductory content.  This must clearly state its theme, topics, hypotheses and/or goals and provide sufficient background information to enable a non-specialist in the subject matter to understand them. It must contextualize the topic and questions within a thorough review of relevant literature and/or other foundational scholarship

Research/Scholarship methodologies, findings, products.  The account and products of the scholarly work should be complete and sufficiently detailed to enable a reader to understand how the work was carried out and analyzed, and how to apply similar methods in another study.

Analysis and summary content.  This should include a reflective analysis of the scholarly findings and/or products, integrated into the context of the thesis subject to demonstrate how the thesis leads to new understandings and contributions. The work’s potential (or actual) impact, its limitations, and its significance should be outlined.

18. Bibliography (mandatory except for MFA and MMUS)

There must be only one Bibliography or References section for the whole thesis.

19. Appendices (Optional)

These consist of supporting material that is not integral to the understanding of the work and/or easily incorporated into the thesis body, potentially including additional methodological details or data, copies of surveys used, etc. They must be referred to in the document.

• Why Grad School at UBC?
• Graduate Degree Programs
• Application & Admission
• Info Sessions
• Research Supervisors
• Research Projects
• Indigenous Students
• International Students
• Tuition, Fees & Cost of Living
• Newly Admitted
• Student Status & Classification
• Student Responsibilities
• Supervision
• Managing your Program
• Health, Wellbeing and Safety
• Professional Development
• Final Doctoral Exam
• Final Dissertation & Thesis Submission
• Life in Vancouver
• Vancouver Campus
• Graduate Student Spaces
• Graduate Life Centre
• Life as a Grad Student
• Graduate Student Ambassadors
• Meet our Students
• Award Opportunities
• Award Guidelines
• Minimum Funding Policy for PhD Students
• Killam Awards & Fellowships
• Dean's Message
• Leadership Team
• Strategic Plan & Priorities
• Vision & Mission
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
• Initiatives, Plans & Reports
• Graduate Education Analysis & Research
• Media Enquiries
• Newsletters
• Giving to Graduate Studies

Strategic Priorities

• Strategic Plan 2019-2024
• Improving Student Funding
• Promoting Excellence in Graduate Programs
• Enhancing Graduate Supervision
• Advancing Indigenous Inclusion
• Supporting Student Development and Success
• Reimagining Graduate Education
• Enriching the Student Experience

Initiatives

• Public Scholars Initiative
• 3 Minute Thesis (3MT)
• PhD Career Outcomes

FNH_V 499 - Undergraduate Thesis

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Biochemistry Co-op gives you a head start exploring career options with the opportunity to work in various industries within the field of structural and molecular biology. Many of our placements will put you at the cutting edge of science and will give you an opportunity to put into practice what you have learned in school. Your work experience will take the form of four consecutive four-month work placements in a variety of different research areas including biomedical research, pharmaceutical development and clinical healthcare studies. Co-op placements begin after your 3rd academic year and take place in organizations throughout Canada or internationally. Completion of all four work terms is required in order to receive a Co-op designation on your transcript.

Application Deadlines

Apply to Science Co-op Now

We’ll run you through the application requirements, and then you’ll be prompted to create an account in SCOPE, the UBC Science Co-op Information System.

Application Requirements

If you wish to apply to the Biochemistry Co-op, you must be a third-year student enrolled in the Biochemistry Major, Combined or Honours programs at UBC.

• Have a minimum cumulative average of B- (68%)
• Be a full-time UBC (Vancouver) student in good academic standing in mathematics, English and the sciences
• Have at least 30 credits remaining of your graduation requirement at the time of application
• Currently enrolled in BIOC 301
• Good communication skills, and a responsible, mature attitude
• Demonstrated leadership, teamwork and time management
• Demonstrated interest in your chosen field
• Be flexible and willing to accept a work placement outside the Lower Mainland

Work-Term Schedules

This highly recommended schedule enables students to complete their program within the shortest time frame. Alternate scheduling is available in consultation with your coordinator.  

Sample Jobs and Companies

Made a mistake on your application.

Just log into SCOPE and edit your application. For technical support contact [email protected] .

• BIOCAPS Spotlight
• Workday Tutorials
• Faculty Onboarding
• Postdoctoral Fellows Onboarding
• Research Associates Onboarding
• Faculty by Research Areas
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Program Information
• Funding for Domestic Students
• Funding for International Students
• Biochemistry Graduate Program Statistics
• Post Doctoral Fellow Award
• BMB Postdoctoral Scholar Program 
• Seminars & Events

Candidate Presentation – BMB Head Search

Congratulations to Dr. Calvin Yip on the Faculty Promotion to Professor with tenure!

2024 Michael Smith Distinguished Lecture – Dr. Sue Biggins (October 18, 2024 at 3:00 pm at LSC 1001 and via Zoom)

Questions about new versions of biochemistry specializations, you can contact dr. warren williams at [email protected].