What to Remove from a Blind Review Thesis | Anonymization Checklist for Submission

What this page helps you do first

• Focus on the identity clues most commonly missed in review copies
• Separate what should be removed from what usually must stay
• Best used together with school-specific requirement pages

The biggest blind-review risk is often identity leakage, not content quality

Many students think removing the name from the cover page is enough. In reality, the body text, headers, acknowledgements, achievement pages, and file properties may still reveal identity.

A proper anonymized submission needs a systematic check of every place where the author, advisor, institution, or lab can still be inferred.

The items most often reviewed first

• Author name, student number, advisor name, department, and program details
• Acknowledgements, CV, publication list, grant and project support notes
• Mentions of specific labs, hospitals, companies, or teams inside the text
• Headers, footers, comments, file properties, and tracked changes

What usually should not be deleted blindly

• Abstracts and table of contents often still remain unless school rules say otherwise
• The main text, references, and necessary appendices usually belong to the review package
• Method or sample descriptions that are essential for understanding the study should not be stripped until the argument collapses

A safer review order

• Remove obvious identity items first: cover, declaration pages, achievement pages, acknowledgements
• Then scan the body text for institutional, geographic, or advisor-linked clues
• Check headers, footers, comments, tracked revisions, and document properties
• Finally compare everything with your school-specific submission rules

When not to rely on general experience alone

If your university or department has a dedicated blind-review notice, follow that first. Schools do differ on acknowledgements, achievement pages, declarations, and abstract retention.

Common university scenarios for this issue

If you are solving this problem under a specific university format, check the relevant school requirement pages below before making final edits.

Frequently asked questions

Must acknowledgements always be removed?

Often yes, but not universally. The safest approach is to follow the current review notice from your school or department.

Should I remove the abstract and contents page too?

Usually no by default. Many schools still require abstracts, keywords, and the contents page in the review version, but the formal rule should decide.

Can file properties and tracked changes reveal identity?

Yes. Document metadata, comments, and revision history can expose names and should be checked before submission.