Freetown, August 28, 2026_ — The University of Sierra Leone (USL) has announced that all student dissertations will now be submitted electronically, a move the University says will cut costs for students and strengthen academic integrity through new plagiarism detection measures.
In a directive issued by the Vice Chancellor and Principal and taking effect immediately, USL said hardbound copies will no longer be accepted for official submission across all faculties and departments. Students may print personal copies, but only electronic versions will be received and archived by the University.
The Vice Chancellor said the policy addresses two long-standing concerns: the financial burden of printing bound theses and the need for stronger quality assurance.
“We cannot continue with a system that places an unnecessary financial burden on our students and, at the same time, creates avoidable waste,” he stated. “The requirement for bound dissertations had become unjustifiable.”
Plagiarism checks to be introduced
Under the new system, USL will deploy a plagiarism detection platform. Every electronic dissertation will be subjected to an originality check before acceptance and archiving.
“Our transition to electronic submission does not mean a reduction in academic standards. On the contrary, we are strengthening our quality assurance mechanisms,” the Vice Chancellor stressed.
University officials confirmed that USL has adequate digital storage infrastructure to securely preserve and retrieve approved dissertations. The electronic archive is also expected to make research management and retrieval more efficient for faculty and future students.
All Deans, Heads of Departments, and Faculty Members have been directed to enforce the new submission process with immediate effect.
The Vice Chancellor described the shift as part of USL’s broader drive toward digital transformation, efficiency, and sustainability, and as “another milestone in modernising academic administration” in Sierra Leone.
