do you do a dissertation with open university

Do They Do Dissertations, In The Open University Degrees?

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Open Research Online and student research

The Open Research Online (ORO) repository provides access to a select number of undergraduate and postgraduate student research projects and dissertations. Student Research is an important addition to ORO and helps to showcase the excellent work of our Open University students. If you have been contacted by one of the participating module teams to submit your work to ORO, congratulations!

The Library Research Support team will help you with your submission to ORO, making sure your document is ready to be published. Before submitting your research project or dissertation, please ensure that all personal information is removed from the document, e.g. Personal Identifiers (PIs), OUCUs, postal and email addresses. The Library Research Support team will review your work for any copyrighted material before publishing it on ORO and will offer you advice and guidance on what to do next.

Copyright guidance

For the purposes of reviewing, marking, and awarding your module work, you are permitted to use any copyrighted (third-party) images, or other types of copyrighted content, in your student research project or dissertation. However, when you are invited to publish your work on ORO you may need to obtain permission to use the content. As your work will be made available to the public, it is important to make sure you have the right to use other people's content.

We have provided the answers to some of the most common queries we receive below. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Library Research Support team for advice.

What is copyright and why do I need to seek permission to use third-party content in my project/dissertation?

The Library Research Support team and Intellectual Property (IP) team collaborated to create a video guide for our Postgraduate Researchers (PhD, EdD, DHSC, MPhil) to help them understand what copyright is, and why it is important to seek permission to use third-party copyrighted material. The same advice applies to undergraduate and postgraduate student research projects and dissertations published on ORO. Please take a look at the video and accompanying guidance on the Copyright and your thesis webpage and if you have any questions, please contact the Library Research Support team .

Can I make any changes or additions to my work before submission?

You are permitted to make small corrections, such as removing typos or correcting grammatical errors, but you must not otherwise alter your work from the version you submitted for assessment. If you wish to add a dedication or acknowledgement, you are welcome to do so.

What is a Creative Commons licence?

A Creative Commons (CC) licence allows a copyright holder to have control over how they would like their work to be attributed (acknowledged), shared, and adapted. There are six main types of CC licence. You can find an overview of the licences on our copyright and licences webpage and you can also download a PDF copy of our handy guide to the CC licences .

Do I need to pay a fee to obtain permission from a copyright holder?

No. You are not expected to pay any money to obtain permission from a copyright holder. If you are asked to pay a fee, do not proceed, and contact the Library Research Support team to discuss.

How do I get permission to include third-party content in my research?

Obtaining permission from copyright holders varies and is dependent on where you found the content. For your student research projects and dissertations, the majority of your third-party content is likely to be found in journal articles. The copyright terms for online journal articles are usually made very clear and they will state whether or not the content is covered by a Creative Commons licence, or if you need to ask for permission.

One of the most common ways to seek permission is to use the Copyright Clearance Center , also known as CCC Marketplace, or RightsLink. You can usually link through to the CCC website from the journal article you are viewing or alternatively, you can use the CCC Marketplace to locate the material you want to use manually. Please refer to our CCC user guide for some examples and guidance .

Sometimes you may have to contact a publisher or organisation directly by email. If you need to do this, you can use our sample permission email to help you construct your permission request.

Success! I have obtained permission. What now?

Keep a record of the permissions you have obtained. This may be in email format, or a licence document issued by a publisher. You do not need to submit this documentation to the Library Research Support team. Please keep them on file for future reference.

Help! I cannot get permission to use the content in my work. What do I do?

If you are unable to get permission, you have two options; find an alternative or redact. If it is important to use copyrighted content, such as an image, to illustrate a point in your work (and you have the time to investigate), finding an alternative may be the option for you. As there are many websites that offer free-to-use content, we have compiled some of the most popular ones in our free to use images, audio, and video guide . Terms and conditions of use vary so please check and ensure you comply and always credit the copyright holder.

If you decide to redact the content, please contact the Library Research Support team who will do this for you.

Who do I contact for help?

If you have any questions about the use of copyrighted content in your student research project or dissertation, please contact the Library Research Support team .

How to publish Open Access
How to add an item to Open Research Online (ORO)
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Professional Doctorates (EdD/DHSC)

Are you an experienced professional in education or health and/or social care seeking to develop themselves personally and professionally?
Are you already qualified to masters level and looking for the next challenge?

Our Professional Doctorate programme could be the opportunity and challenge you seek.

What is a Professional Doctorate EdD/DHSC?

A Professional Doctorate is the highest degree qualification it is possible to achieve. It has been developed to meet the needs and interests of those working in education or health and social care with a thirst for professional excellence and knowledge. It supports original research that will have an impact on professional practice and/or policy, as well as theory.

Professional Doctorates are studied part-time and designed to enable committed professionals to study and develop their own practice-based research in a structured and supported environment. They offer you the chance to enhance your career at doctoral level, enabling you to make a unique contribution to your profession or area of practice while continuing to work and progress in your field.

Successful completion of a Professional Doctorate (Doctorate in Education or Doctorate in Health and Social Care) confers the use of the title ‘Dr’.

What Professional Doctorates can I study at The OU?

Doctorate in education (edd).

This is an innovative programme of part-time study designed for professionals working in the field of education and related areas who want to extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding of contemporary educational practice. It is for professionals in education, including school leaders, teachers and trainers, but also other professionals working in any educational context in formal and non-formal settings including the public, voluntary and private sectors.

The EdD programme not only draws on existing research expertise across the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS), but it also draws on the wide educational research expertise across the University.

We welcome research proposals that fall into one of the following areas of study:

Childhood, Youth and Sport
Education, Learning and Development
Applied Linguistics
Learning Analytics and Learning Design
Professional and Digital Learning

Doctorate in Health and Social Care (DHSC)

The Doctorate in Health and Social Care (DHSC) is an innovative programme of part-time study designed predominantly for health and social care professionals, including registered nurses and social workers, but also other professionals working across health and social care including the public, voluntary and private sectors. The degree will also be open to people working as carers, whose role involves them working with the health and social care sector. Informal carers, ‘experts by experience’ advocates and ‘expert patients’ may also make an application to the programme. Applicants whose field of practice is through an informal, rather than paid, role, will need to carefully describe their field of practice and what access arrangements would be needed.

The Doctorate in Health and Social Care (DHSC) programme is located within the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) and therefore draws on existing research expertise specifically from within the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care (HWSC).

Health, wellbeing and healthcare practice
Social work and social care

What will I get from a Professional Doctorate at the OU?

The OU has a successful track record of delivering innovative and highly flexible education, and of supporting students to combine study alongside professional and personal commitments. The Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, in which the EdD/DHSC are located, has a world-class reputation for pioneering participatory and inclusive research, and has a history of engaging with communities of practice and policy-makers to generate critical, impactful and solution-orientated research. The OU has a long history of Professional Doctorate programmes, having delivered a well-established Doctorate in Education (EdD) for over 25 years.

Studying with students on both the EdD and DHSC you will have access to professional researchers across a broad range of education, health and social care fields of practice. This means your study and research will be able to reflect the increasingly multidisciplinary and multi-agency culture of these areas of practice. You will acquire skills in research and enquiry and be able to use these to carry out research that will contribute to professional knowledge and practice. Our doctoral training programme will help you develop transferrable skills that will be invaluable throughout your career.

International recognition

The UK Professional Doctorate is an internationally recognised and respected academic qualification and many of our Professional Doctorate graduates come from outside of the UK. Employers across the world recognise and value the quality of a UK university education; however, before you apply to study a Professional Doctorate, you should ensure that potential employers (within the country in which you wish to work) recognise the Professional Doctorate qualification. You may need to obtain equivalency certification at your own expense in order for your degree to be recognised within the country you wish to work.

How does it work?

The OU does not offer research degrees by distance learning or correspondence. The Professional doctorates are blended-learning part-time research degrees (rather than a distance learning degree or a taught course).

Professional doctorates have a dedicated website for interaction and access to resources.

4–8 years

Participation and supervision

You will study together with students enrolled in other Professional Doctorates.

You will be required to maintain regular email contact with your UK-based supervisors and travel to the UK at your own expense to attend residential weekends and for your viva examination.

You will be allocated two supervisors – your main one in year 1 and a co-supervisor from year 2 – and will have regular supervision sessions with them via a variety of options including telephone, online conferencing or face-to-face.

Pattern of study

These are structured part-time programmes of study in two stages: Stage 1 (2 years structured) and Stage 2 (2–6 years supervised research component). You may take more time with Stage 2 if necessary.

Stage 1 of the programme aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge to support your engagement with the research and the practice field in which your project is located. This phase will involve you studying self-taught online modules on topics including:

the context of education or health and social care research
literature reviewing
the principles of research design
research ethics
methodology
approaches to data collection and analysis.

Stage 2 forms the ‘research’ component of the programme. During this time, you will carry out your study and work towards completing your thesis. In both stages (1 and 2) you will be supported through online seminar discussions and annual residential weekends at the OU’s campus in Milton Keynes.

Residential weekends

There is an annual residential weekend which is compulsory for all students to attend. The Year 1 residential weekend will provide an initial induction to the professional doctorate and will consist of supported discussions, seminars and workshops providing a great opportunity to meet up with your peers, supervisors and the programme team.

Year 1 residential weekends normally take place in October each year.

As well as supported self-taught modules there is a programme of online seminars on subjects such as:

Developing as a Researching Professional
Connecting research and practice
Getting your research published (peer-review).

While the programme is structured to meet the needs of those learning at a distance, there are plenty of opportunities to work alongside a community of other doctoral researchers.

You will complete two formative assessments in both Year 1 and Year 2 of the programme and will receive feedback from your main supervisor. In addition, there is a summative assessment at the end of Year 1 and Year 2. The Year 2 summative assignment will be the end of the first stage of your studies. You must pass each summative assessment before you can progress to the next stage of your studies.

The assessment in Years 1 and 2 will focus on developing your literature review, refining your research questions and extended proposal for research, preparing you for Stage 2 of the programme. Stage 2 has a structured schedule of submission of formative assignments which will pace your through ‘work in progress’ pieces that work towards your thesis chapters and provide regular opportunities for feedback.

At the end of your research you must complete a 65,000-word thesis which you then defend to the satisfaction of the examiners via an oral examination. Your thesis must meet the expectations specified in the QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications .

The thesis must demonstrate the relationship between theory and practice in education (EdD) or health and social care (DHSC), and the ability to select and apply appropriate research methods.

Entry requirements

Am i eligible.

You can register for a Professional Doctorate from anywhere in the world.

Applicants should normally hold, or be expecting to obtain before the start of the degree in October, a Masters Degree in Education or in Health/Social Care, or a related discipline from a UK/EU university or another recognised degree-awarding body. Applicants should also have at least two years of relevant professional experience or, on the DHSC, informal expertise as a carer, expert patient or advocate.

In exceptional circumstances, we may accept applications from candidates without a masters degree, if they are able to demonstrate suitability for postgraduate research. This requires evidence of publications, written reports or previous research relevant to the nature and scope of the proposed work.

English language proficiency

To study with us, you will need to have a good command of English. If your first language is not English, you will need to verify your competence in the English Language in all four elements (reading, writing, listening and speaking). The University requires a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any of the four categories (or approved equivalent). If you are an overseas student, you must have your level of proficiency certified through a provider approved by UK Visas and Immigration and provide your certificate and grade with your application.

If you need to prepare for an IELTS test, you may want to consider doing the free course Inside IELTS: Preparing for the Test with the Experts .

Find out how to apply .

Introducing our innovative Doctorate in Education (EdD).

By the end of the first year of my EdD, I felt confident enough to call myself a doctoral researcher. The more I study and discuss my research with my supervisor, the more I feel that I am poised to make a significant impact into the world of Higher Education. My supervisor is totally invested in the development of my investigations, and I look forward to our sessions as I always leave them inspired and energised.

do you do a dissertation with open university

I have really enjoyed the first two years of my DHSC. It’s been a long time since I had such a good opportunity to stop and think, which does feel like a luxury at times. The Covid-19 pandemic was a particular challenge to studying. However, the flexibility of OU study really came into its own, and the support of supervisors and the DHSC Team made it possible to get this far.

Your questions

For advice about applying for a research degree, or sponsoring a research student, email the Graduate School or call +44 (0)1908 653806.

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Health and Social Care
Health and Wellbeing
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Mathematics
Mental Health
Nursing and Healthcare
Religious Studies
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Postgraduate study
Masters in Social Work (MA)
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Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

OATD.org provides open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 6,654,285 theses and dissertations.

How to find resources by format

Why use a dissertation or a thesis.

A dissertation is the final large research paper, based on original research, for many disciplines to be able to complete a PhD degree. The thesis is the same idea but for a masters degree.

They are often considered scholarly sources since they are closely supervised by a committee, are directed at an academic audience, are extensively researched, follow research methodology, and are cited in other scholarly work. Often the research is newer or answering questions that are more recent, and can help push scholarship in new directions.

Search for dissertations and theses

Locating dissertations and theses.

The Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global database includes doctoral dissertations and selected masters theses from major universities worldwide.

Searchable by subject, author, advisor, title, school, date, etc.
More information about full text access and requesting through Interlibrary Loan

NDLTD – Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations provides free online access to a over a million theses and dissertations from all over the world.

WorldCat Dissertations and Theses searches library catalogs from across the U.S. and worldwide.

Locating University of Minnesota Dissertations and Theses

Use Libraries search and search by title or author and add the word "thesis" in the search box. Write down the library and call number and find it on the shelf. They can be checked out.

Check the University Digital Conservancy for online access to dissertations and theses from 2007 to present as well as historic, scanned theses from 1887-1923.

Other Sources for Dissertations and Theses

Center for Research Libraries
DART-Europe E-Thesis Portal
Theses Canada
Ethos (Great Britain)
Australasian Digital Theses in Trove
DiVA (Sweden)
E-Thesis at the University of Helsinki
DissOnline (Germany)
List of libraries worldwide - to search for a thesis when you know the institution and cannot find in the larger collections
ProQuest Dissertations Express - to search for a digitized thesis (not a free resource but open to our guest users)

University of Minnesota Dissertations and Theses FAQs

What dissertations and theses are available.

With minor exceptions, all doctoral dissertations and all "Plan A" master's theses accepted by the University of Minnesota are available in the University Libraries system. In some cases (see below) only a non-circulating copy in University Archives exists, but for doctoral dissertations from 1940 to date, and for master's theses from 1925 to date, a circulating copy should almost always be available.

"Plan B" papers, accepted in the place of a thesis in many master's degree programs, are not received by the University Libraries and are generally not available. (The only real exceptions are a number of old library school Plan B papers on publishing history, which have been separately cataloged.) In a few cases individual departments may have maintained files of such papers.

In what libraries are U of M dissertations and theses located?

Circulating copies of doctoral dissertations:.

Use Libraries Search to look for the author or title of the work desired to determine location and call number of a specific dissertation. Circulating copies of U of M doctoral dissertations can be in one of several locations in the library system, depending upon the date and the department for which the dissertation was done. The following are the general rules:
Dissertations prior to 1940 Circulating copies of U of M dissertations prior to 1940 do not exist (with rare exceptions): for these, only the archival copy (see below) is available. Also, most dissertations prior to 1940 are not cataloged in MNCAT and can only be identified by the departmental listings described below.
Dissertations from 1940-1979 Circulating copies of U of M dissertations from 1940 to 1979 will in most cases be held within the Elmer L. Andersen Library, with three major classes of exceptions: dissertations accepted by biological, medical, and related departments are housed in the Health Science Library; science/engineering dissertations from 1970 to date will be located in the Science and Engineering Library (in Walter); and dissertations accepted by agricultural and related departments are available at the Magrath Library or one of the other libraries on the St. Paul campus (the Magrath Library maintains records of locations for such dissertations).
Dissertations from 1980-date Circulating copies of U of M dissertations from 1980 to date at present may be located either in Wilson Library (see below) or in storage; consult Libraries Search for location of specific items. Again, exceptions noted above apply here also; dissertations in their respective departments will instead be in Health Science Library or in one of the St. Paul campus libraries.

Circulating copies of master's theses:

Theses prior to 1925 Circulating copies of U of M master's theses prior to 1925 do not exist (with rare exceptions); for these, only the archival copy (see below) is available.
Theses from 1925-1996 Circulating copies of U of M master's theses from 1925 to 1996 may be held in storage; consult Libraries search in specific instances. Once again, there are exceptions and theses in their respective departments will be housed in the Health Science Library or in one of the St. Paul campus libraries.
Theses from 1997-date Circulating copies of U of M master's theses from 1997 to date will be located in Wilson Library (see below), except for the same exceptions for Health Science and St. Paul theses. There is also an exception to the exception: MHA (Masters in Health Administration) theses through 1998 are in the Health Science Library, but those from 1999 on are in Wilson Library.

Archival copies (non-circulating)

Archival (non-circulating) copies of virtually all U of M doctoral dissertations from 1888-1952, and of U of M master's theses from all years up to the present, are maintained by University Archives (located in the Elmer L. Andersen Library). These copies must be consulted on the premises, and it is highly recommended for the present that users make an appointment in advance to ensure that the desired works can be retrieved for them from storage. For dissertations accepted prior to 1940 and for master's theses accepted prior to 1925, University Archives is generally the only option (e.g., there usually will be no circulating copy). Archival copies of U of M doctoral dissertations from 1953 to the present are maintained by Bell and Howell Corporation (formerly University Microfilms Inc.), which produces print or filmed copies from our originals upon request. (There are a very few post-1952 U of M dissertations not available from Bell and Howell; these include such things as music manuscripts and works with color illustrations or extremely large pages that will not photocopy well; in these few cases, our archival copy is retained in University Archives.)

Where is a specific dissertation of thesis located?

To locate a specific dissertation or thesis it is necessary to have its call number. Use Libraries Search for the author or title of the item, just as you would for any other book. Depending on date of acceptance and cataloging, a typical call number for such materials should look something like one of the following:

Dissertations: Plan"A" Theses MnU-D or 378.7M66 MnU-M or 378.7M66 78-342 ODR7617 83-67 OL6156 Libraries Search will also tell the library location (MLAC, Health Science Library, Magrath or another St. Paul campus library, Science and Engineering, Business Reference, Wilson Annex or Wilson Library). Those doctoral dissertations still in Wilson Library (which in all cases should be 1980 or later and will have "MnU-D" numbers) are located in the central section of the third floor. Those master's theses in Wilson (which in all cases will be 1997 or later and will have "MnU-M" numbers) are also located in the central section of the third floor. Both dissertations and theses circulate and can be checked out, like any other books, at the Wilson Circulation desk on the first floor.

How can dissertations and theses accepted by a specific department be located?

Wilson Library contains a series of bound and loose-leaf notebooks, arranged by department and within each department by date, listing dissertations and theses. Information given for each entry includes name of author, title, and date (but not call number, which must be looked up individually). These notebooks are no longer current, but they do cover listings by department from the nineteenth century up to approximately 1992. Many pre-1940 U of M dissertations and pre-1925 U of M master's theses are not cataloged (and exist only as archival copies). Such dissertations can be identified only with these volumes. The books and notebooks are shelved in the general collection under these call numbers: Wilson Ref LD3337 .A5 and Wilson Ref quarto LD3337 .U9x. Major departments of individual degree candidates are also listed under their names in the GRADUATE SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT programs of the U of M, available in University Archives and (for recent years) also in Wilson stacks (LD3361 .U55x).

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Knowledge Base
Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | Guide, Examples, & Template

A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program.

Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating to know where to begin.

Your department likely has guidelines related to how your dissertation should be structured. When in doubt, consult with your supervisor.

You can also download our full dissertation template in the format of your choice below. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter, easily adaptable to your department’s requirements.

Download Word template Download Google Docs template

In the US, a dissertation generally refers to the collection of research you conducted to obtain a PhD.
In other countries (such as the UK), a dissertation often refers to the research you conduct to obtain your bachelor’s or master’s degree.

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Dissertation committee and prospectus process, how to write and structure a dissertation, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your dissertation, free checklist and lecture slides.

When you’ve finished your coursework, as well as any comprehensive exams or other requirements, you advance to “ABD” (All But Dissertation) status. This means you’ve completed everything except your dissertation.

Prior to starting to write, you must form your committee and write your prospectus or proposal . Your committee comprises your adviser and a few other faculty members. They can be from your own department, or, if your work is more interdisciplinary, from other departments. Your committee will guide you through the dissertation process, and ultimately decide whether you pass your dissertation defense and receive your PhD.

Your prospectus is a formal document presented to your committee, usually orally in a defense, outlining your research aims and objectives and showing why your topic is relevant . After passing your prospectus defense, you’re ready to start your research and writing.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The structure of your dissertation depends on a variety of factors, such as your discipline, topic, and approach. Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an overall argument to support a central thesis , with chapters organized around different themes or case studies.

However, hard science and social science dissertations typically include a review of existing works, a methodology section, an analysis of your original research, and a presentation of your results , presented in different chapters.

Dissertation examples

We’ve compiled a list of dissertation examples to help you get started.

Example dissertation #1: Heat, Wildfire and Energy Demand: An Examination of Residential Buildings and Community Equity (a dissertation by C. A. Antonopoulos about the impact of extreme heat and wildfire on residential buildings and occupant exposure risks).
Example dissertation #2: Exploring Income Volatility and Financial Health Among Middle-Income Households (a dissertation by M. Addo about income volatility and declining economic security among middle-income households).
Example dissertation #3: The Use of Mindfulness Meditation to Increase the Efficacy of Mirror Visual Feedback for Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees (a dissertation by N. S. Mills about the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on the relationship between mirror visual feedback and the pain level in amputees with phantom limb pain).

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo.

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.

Checklist: Dissertation

My title page includes all information required by my university.

I have included acknowledgements thanking those who helped me.

My abstract provides a concise summary of the dissertation, giving the reader a clear idea of my key results or arguments.

I have created a table of contents to help the reader navigate my dissertation. It includes all chapter titles, but excludes the title page, acknowledgements, and abstract.

My introduction leads into my topic in an engaging way and shows the relevance of my research.

My introduction clearly defines the focus of my research, stating my research questions and research objectives .

My introduction includes an overview of the dissertation’s structure (reading guide).

I have conducted a literature review in which I (1) critically engage with sources, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, (2) discuss patterns, themes, and debates in the literature, and (3) address a gap or show how my research contributes to existing research.

I have clearly outlined the theoretical framework of my research, explaining the theories and models that support my approach.

I have thoroughly described my methodology , explaining how I collected data and analyzed data.

I have concisely and objectively reported all relevant results .

I have (1) evaluated and interpreted the meaning of the results and (2) acknowledged any important limitations of the results in my discussion .

I have clearly stated the answer to my main research question in the conclusion .

I have clearly explained the implications of my conclusion, emphasizing what new insight my research has contributed.

I have provided relevant recommendations for further research or practice.

If relevant, I have included appendices with supplemental information.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

I have listed every source in a reference list at the end of my dissertation.

I have consistently followed the rules of my chosen citation style .

I have followed all formatting guidelines provided by my university.

Congratulations!

The end is in sight—your dissertation is nearly ready to submit! Make sure it's perfectly polished with the help of a Scribbr editor.

If you’re an educator, feel free to download and adapt these slides to teach your students about structuring a dissertation.

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EPQs: help and tips

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is an opportunity for you to work independently on a topic that really interests you or that you think is important. It is equivalent to an A-level qualification. These articles are designed to help you if you are enrolled on an EPQ.

Find out more about The Open University’s Open degree qualification .

This series of articles includes help and tips from members of AstrobiologyOU , a research group at The Open University, UK. They are all researchers, and the advice they offer comes from their different experiences.

There are four articles in this collection:

EPQs: designing your research question

You’ve already decided to do an EPQ, so it might seem a little odd to start this resource by asking you to consider why you want to do a research project. People do an EPQ for all sorts of reasons. Why do you want to do an EPQ?

Level: 1 Introductory

EPQs: finding and using evidence

Finding the evidence that will help you understand a topic or answer a question is an important stage in the research process. And once you have found it, you will need to examine it closely and carefully, to judge how reliable it is and whether it is useful to help you answer your question.

EPQs: writing up your dissertation

You have collected and analysed your evidence and considered it in relation to your research question. The next step is to communicate all that you have done. Your dissertation is the element of the EPQ that is read and assessed by others who haven’t been involved in your research.

EPQs: why give a presentation?

What are the guidelines for the presentation?

They focus on the process of undertaking a dissertation/research review EPQ. If you are doing one of the other kinds of EPQ (such as producing an artefact), you might still find parts of them useful.

The articles were written by Ann Grand, Senior Lecturer in Astrobiology Education, based on resources created by OU colleagues including Richard Holliman, Trevor Collins, Gareth Davies, Victoria Pearson, Joe Kendall, Penny Green, David Sharp and Sarah Davies.

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Ratings & comments, share this free course, copyright information, publication details.

Originally published: Wednesday, 3 May 2023
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Dissertations and Theses: A Finding Guide: Open Access, etc.

Introduction
Cornell Theses
Non-Cornell Theses
Open Access, etc.
Cornell Dissertation Guidelines

Open Access (Free) Database

Of particular use to alumni and the general public: The following three open access dissertation and theses databases are available. Some titles in these databases are citation only, while others provide free access with links to the full text of the dissertation or thesis cited.

EBSCO's Open Dissertations Database Coverage varies by the source database. Provides open access to over 800,000 dissertations from 26 U.S. universities plus the UK. Created from a collaboration between EBSCO and BiblioLabs, it uses the standard EBSCO search interface. Consists primarily of three resources--mostly full text titles from OhioLink's open ETD database (mainly 1999 to date); EThOS: e-theses online service of UK dissertations from the British Library (1800 to date); and citations digitized from UMI's Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. (EBSCO is working on extending this coverage from 1955 to date.)
PQDT Open A subset of ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Coverage: mainly 2006 to date. Some earlier titles back to 1990. PQDT Open provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge. The text, if available, is in PDF format.
EThOS: E-Theses Online Service (British Library) Coverage: 1800 to date. Also searchable as part of EBSCO's Open Dissertations database . More than 480,000 titles included with links to the full text for over 100,000 dissertations. About EThOS .

Summon and Discipline-Specific Databases Covering Dissertations

Many periodical databases in academic disciplines index dissertations in addition to articles and books: MLA Bibliography , PsycINFO , and EconLit are three well-known examples. In general, one would not expect to find dissertations not already cited in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global in these databases. However, it can be a way to locate dissertations written in a particular discipline rather than searching using specific subject terms in PQD&TG.

<< Previous: Non-Cornell Theses
Next: Cornell Dissertation Guidelines >>
Last Updated: Apr 19, 2024 2:22 PM
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7 steps to writing a dissertation

While you may be experienced in revising and writing essays, your dissertation requires careful planning, extensive research, and time management to succeed

Your dissertation is a key part of your degree course and a testament to your ability to conduct research, analyse data, and write a clear argument. Dissertations can be challenging, but they are also rewarding experiences that allow you to explore a topic in-depth and make a significant contribution to your field of study.

To achieve your academic goals, it is important to act on feedback, use your supervision time to your advantage, and demonstrate a strong knowledge of your subject. Whether you're writing an undergraduate, Masters , or PhD dissertation, these seven steps can help you stay on track.

1. Choose your topic wisely

Selecting the right topic is the foundation of a successful dissertation. It is important to choose a topic that is:

Relevant to your academic discipline and interests. This will ensure that you are passionate about your topic and have the necessary background knowledge to conduct meaningful research.
Intriguing and thought-provoking . A well-chosen topic will inspire you to ask interesting questions and develop original insights.
Specific enough to allow for in-depth analysis, yet broad enough to provide enough research material. A topic that is too narrow may be difficult to research or produce meaningful findings, while a topic that is too broad may be difficult to cover in the allowed time and word count.

Consider your career goals and what topics are relevant to the field you hope to work in after graduation. It's also important to be open to change, as it's common for students to modify their dissertation topic as they explore the subject more.

Once you have identified a potential topic, seek guidance from your supervisor. They can help you to refine your choice, identify relevant sources, and develop a research plan.

2. Check what's required of you

Read your marking criteria carefully. It is also important to consult the module guidelines and follow the instructions on any additional parts to your main assignment, such as a project plan, literature review or a critical reflection.

Neal Bamford, associate lecturer at London Metropolitan University, reports that his marking process always begins by 'distilling criteria to what students need to provide and how many marks this is worth.'

'Several dissertations I mark don't include a project plan in their submission. This is worth 20% of the overall mark, so students lose out on a significant portion of their grade'.

Before you begin to plan, make sure you understand what's expected of you. Find out:

what academic writing looks like in your discipline
the word count
when and where you must submit your dissertation.

3. Conduct in-depth research

Research at this stage in the process is often referred to as a literature review. This is where you are expected to gather relevant sources, articles, and studies from libraries, and online academic resources to identify the existing research on your topic and to develop your own research questions.

'Form your own opinion and argue for it using research. A history of the topic is always helpful, as it shows that you understand how things got to this point in time,' says Neal.

Be sure to take careful notes on each source and organise them for easy reference. You need to critically evaluate and analyse the sources to ensure their credibility and relevance to your research. This will be helpful when citing your sources in the writing stage.

Don't forget to seek guidance from your advisor throughout the research process. They can provide you with valuable feedback, relevant sources, and support.

4. Develop a strong thesis statement

A well-defined thesis statement is a roadmap for your dissertation. It should concisely state your main argument or research question and provide a clear direction for your paper. Your thesis statement will guide your entire writing process, so take the time to fully understand it before you begin to write.

When writing a thesis statement:

Be specific and focused - avoid broad or vague statements.
Remember that your thesis needs to be arguable - it should be a statement that can be supported or proved false with evidence.
Make sure your thesis is realistic - you need to be able to research and write about it in the allotted time and space.

Once you have a draft of your thesis statement, share it with your supervisor and other trusted peers. They can provide you with feedback and help you to refine your statement.

If your research disproves your original statement, it can be a disappointing experience. However, it is important to remember that this is a normal part of the research process.

'Many of my students believe that if they don't find the answer they're expecting, then their work is worthless,' says Neal.

'This is not the case. You don't have to find the answer to produce valuable research. Documenting your process and conclusions, even if they are inconclusive, can help others to avoid repeating your work and may lead to new approaches.'

5. Proofread and edit

After working on your dissertation for such a long time, it can be tempting to end the process once you have finished writing, but proofreading is an essential step in ensuring that it is polished and error-free.

To help with the proofreading process:

Read your dissertation aloud . This can help you to catch errors that you might miss when reading silently.
Change your environment to see your work with fresh eyes.
Focus on one thing at a time such as grammar, spelling, or punctuation to avoid getting overwhelmed.

To edit your dissertation, begin by reviewing its overall structure and flow. Make sure that your arguments are well-organised and that your ideas are presented in a logical order.

Next, check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation carefully. You can use a grammar checker, but it is important to proofread your work yourself to identify stylistic or subject-specific errors.

'Make sure you understand the reference style your university prefers. Formatting and labelling of images, tables etc. is vitally important and will be marked,' says Neal.

You should also ensure that your dissertation is formatted using the correct font, font size, margins, and line spacing.

6. Seek feedback and finalise

Once you have made your final revisions, seek feedback from your advisor or board members.

To get the most out of your feedback, be specific about what you are looking for. For example, you might ask for feedback on the overall structure and flow of your dissertation, the strength of your arguments, or the clarity of your writing.

Be open to feedback, even if it's negative. Remember that your advisor is there to help you improve your work, so it's important to take the time to understand and implement the feedback you receive.

Once you have addressed all the feedback, you can prepare your final submission. It's important to follow the guidelines carefully before submitting. Be sure to hand in your dissertation on time, as late submissions may be penalised or even rejected.

Online hand in is the most common method of dissertation submission, and you will typically need to upload a PDF file to an online portal. Follow the instructions carefully - you may need to provide additional information, such as your student ID number or the title of your dissertation.

Some institutions still require dissertations to be submitted in hard copy. If this is the case, you will need to submit a bound copy of your dissertation to your department office. You may also need to pay the binding fee.

Be sure to check with your advisor or department office for specific instructions on how to submit your dissertation in hard copy. You may have to submit multiple copies of your dissertation, and you be required to to include a title page, abstract, and table of contents.

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Open Scholarship

Open Access Theses

I have benefited greatly from being able to share my PhD dissertation as an open access publication – it has meant that more people have read and engaged with the research I spent so many years working on. I was glad to know there was an option to move to a Creative Commons license, so that it was clear to people what they can do with the work. Dr Lauren Gawne, PhD Graduate (School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, 2013)

Today, public access to graduate research theses is a common and valuable aspect of the open scholarship landscape. This is usually made possible by depositing the thesis in an institutional repository after final submission. To meet the best practices of open access , graduates may be encouraged to apply a Creative Commons licence to their thesis.

For candidates undertaking creative work as part of their thesis, or whose thesis includes Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) , other copyright and intellectual property considerations will apply, and full open access may not be possible. The advice on this page primarily concerns traditional text-based research theses.

Benefits of making theses open access

Until your thesis has been made open access, it is an untapped resource of original research. A thesis under embargo cannot be downloaded or read, significantly limiting the potential impact your research can have.

By making your thesis freely available to the public, you help to advance scholarly discourse in your field. You also make it available to other researchers, students, policy makers, and practitioners, all of whom could build on your research in significant and meaningful ways.

For University of Melbourne graduates, your thesis being open access in Minerva Access results in it being discoverable through Google, Google Scholar, the National Library of Australia’s Trove database, and other platforms.

Making your thesis open access means it can easily be provided as an example of your work and expertise in your chosen discipline, helping to raise your researcher profile. It can also help to build your impact narrative, spark conversations, and lead to exciting collaborations, both within and beyond the academy. Once open, your thesis can also start gathering views, downloads, shares, and citations – none of which are likely if your thesis remains inaccessible to most potential readers.

Researchers in low- and middle-income countries often face significant barriers when it comes to accessing research. Making theses open access increases the amount of high-quality research available to researchers of the Global South, whose institutions may struggle to afford expensive journal descriptions or costly books ( Tennant et al., 2016 ).

Open access theses at the University of Melbourne

The University’s institutional repository, Minerva Access , provides free public access to theses completed at the University of Melbourne.

Open access is required for University of Melbourne PhD, Doctorate, and Masters Research theses in all but exceptional cases. It may also be required, or encouraged, for Honours and Masters Coursework theses, depending on the school or faculty. When required and approved, temporary embargoes and ongoing access restrictions are possible.

For more information, see the FAQ and deposit advice below, or visit the Graduate Research Hub’s “My thesis in the library” page. Current graduate researchers may also wish to join one of the “Open Access and Your Thesis” webinars, which run twice each year as part of our Researcher@Library program .

Browse open access theses in Minerva Access

Publishing after your thesis is open access

Historically, publishers would not consider submissions that had been adapted from theses available online, just as, historically, many publishers would not accept submissions that had been shared as preprints . Today, however, it is increasingly rare for publishers to reject work for appearing in earlier forms as online theses or preprints, whether the submission is for a journal article, book chapter, or monograph.

That is, most publishers today do not consider theses available online as prior publications for the purposes of publishing. They are typically treated in a similar way to preprints: they are regarded as early versions of a work shared online prior to submission to a publisher.

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) states that online theses should not be considered prior publications that would prevent submission to a publisher: “Where a thesis (or chapter) contains otherwise unpublished work … it should not be considered prior publication. That is, it is acceptable for the work, or parts of the work … to be submitted … to a publisher for publication” ( COPE Best practice for theses publishing, 2017 ).

There do remain some publishers, journals, and individual editors who are resistant to publishing work previously available online as theses or preprints, so check websites for publisher policies prior to submission. It may be that an editor’s or journal’s resistance is out of step with their own publisher policies.

If an editor or publisher requests that a thesis be taken offline, embargoed, or placed under access restrictions for publishing reasons, graduate researchers must negotiate on the terms of publication. Any agreement entered into with a publisher must accommodate the University making the thesis publicly available in Minerva Access (see “Can I choose not to make my graduate research thesis open access?” in the FAQ below).

Deposit your thesis

Find out how to deposit your University of Melbourne thesis in Minerva Access.

Graduate Research Theses

PhD, Doctorate, and Masters Research candidates are required to submit a digital copy of their thesis to Minerva Access via the Thesis Examination System (TES). Detailed information is available on the "My thesis in the Library" page.

Honours and Masters Coursework Theses

Honours and Masters Coursework candidates are welcome to submit their completed thesis to the Minerva Access repository. This may be required by some schools or departments.

Most major scholarly journal publishers today have clear policies supporting the submission of articles derived from theses or dissertations that are publicly available. In doing so, they are following COPE best practice guidelines that recommend treating theses, like preprints, as not being prior publications for the purposes of publishing. The shift to accepting openly available theses as publications is ongoing, but in the University’s experience it is already very rare that an open access thesis is ultimately a barrier to publication.

Consider the following publisher policy examples:

Elsevier’s policy on prior publication confirms that they do not consider online publication of an academic thesis as prior publication. Like preprints, they are considered prior uses of a work that can be considered for publication. They note, however, that Lancet journals, Cell Press journals, and some society-owned journals have their own policies on prior publication that can be found on the journal homepages.

Likewise, Springer’s journal author FAQ states: “Springer will consider submissions containing material that has previously formed part of a PhD or other academic thesis including those that have been made publicly available according to the requirements of the institution awarding the qualification.” Other Springer Nature imprints have similar policies, confirming that theses are not considered prior (or duplicate) publication – see BMC , SpringerOpen , Palgrave , and Nature .

Sage’s prior publication guidelines follow COPE guidelines and states: “Excerpts or material from your dissertation that have not been through peer review will generally be eligible for publication.”

Taylor & Francis’s Editorial Policies state that the publisher supports “the need for authors to share early versions of their work.” Although the policy does not mention theses or dissertations specifically, preprints and other Author’s Original Manuscript versions can be shared anywhere, without embargo.

Although Wiley’s overarching policies do not mention theses, their Preprints Policy confirms that the publisher will consider submissions already available online as preprints, and allows submitted manuscripts to be shared to preprint servers at any time. Individual journals’ author guidelines often confirm that theses do not count as prior publications. For example, “Articles submitted to Journal of Anatomy are done so on the following conditions: that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis)” ( Journal of Anatomy Author Guidelines ).

Major academic book publishers differ in their approaches to publishing monographs based on theses, but most are happy to consider book proposals based on theses that are available online. Some publishers have strong statements clarifying that open access theses do not present barriers to publication, while others consider matters on a case-by-case basis.

Palgrave Macmillan, for example, provides the following advice on their Early Career Researcher Hub : “Palgrave Macmillan will consider submissions containing material that has previously formed part of a PhD or other academic thesis including those that have been made publicly available according to the requirements of the institution awarding the qualification. Prospective authors should bear in mind that every PhD thesis will need to undergo rigorous revision in order to be published as a monograph with our press.”

Likewise, Cambridge University Press considers theses and dissertations to be preprints, as covered by their Green Open Access Policy . If a monograph is based on a thesis, the policy supports that thesis being shared in full, at any time, under any licence (including a Creative Commons licence).

Some other major publishers, such as Routledge, do not have blanket statements of this kind, but consider requirements on a case-by-case basis. Such publishers will usually take into account university expectations around theses being made open access.

Be aware that some publishers who do not accept open-access theses for consideration as monographs may also ask the author to assign rights that the author does not have, such as requiring the author to assign exclusive rights for all time. Embargoes are only for a limited period, after which the University will exercise its right to make the thesis available; this right cannot be removed by the author and thus cannot be assigned in a publication contract. Some publishers go further, for example requiring that the material has not and never will be used for academic assessment, which means that they cannot consider material such as a thesis that was used in award of a degree.

Creative Commons licences make it clear to authors and readers how a work can be shared and used. University of Melbourne graduates can apply a Creative Commons licence to their thesis in Minerva Access using the following process:

Choose a Creative Commons licence that would be suitable for your thesis. See “ Selecting a licence for your work ” on our Copyright website for guidance.
Receive written permission from your thesis supervisor to apply the chosen Creative Commons licence.
Email [email protected] to request your chosen Creative Commons licence be applied to your thesis, attaching the supervisor’s permission.

Note that if your thesis includes publications, you may be restricted in what licence can be applied. Consult your publishing agreement or your publisher’s website for more information. For further advice, contact the University’s Copyright Office .

At the University of Melbourne, it is a requirement of all PhD, Doctorate, and Masters Research candidates that their final thesis is made open access in Minerva Access, unless exceptional circumstances mean that an embargo or ongoing access restrictions are required.

This requirement is outlined in the Graduate Research Training Policy (MPF1321) and the Intellectual Property Policy (MPF1320) . The latter policy reads:

4.19. Student theses must be made openly available to the public through the University’s Institutional Digital Repository, unless otherwise agreed with the University (for example where an embargo has been approved by the University). The University is deemed to have been granted by the Student a non-exclusive, royalty free, world-wide and irrevocable licence to use and reproduce the Student theses for non-commercial educational, teaching and research purposes, including making the thesis available to the public through the University’s Institutional Repository.

Students must retain all necessary rights to enable the University to publish and share the thesis and not grant exclusive copyright licence to a thesis to any other person or organisation.

Likewise, our Principles for Open Access to Research Outputs at Melbourne states:

10. Graduate researchers are expected to make their research thesis publicly available via the University’s institutional repository unless otherwise agreed with the University, and to make their thesis available within the University via the repository in all but exceptional cases. Note that the University’s right to publish and share a thesis is irrevocable and cannot be overridden by a private publication agreement.

For information on how to apply a temporary embargo or formally request permanent access restrictions, see the FAQ item below and consult the “My thesis in the library” page.

If you are a University of Melbourne graduate researcher, you may apply a temporary embargo to your thesis or formally request permanent access restrictions when certain criteria are met. Embargoes and access restrictions can also be applied to portions of your thesis, whether this is through the redaction of third-party copyright material or through the embargo or restriction of certain chapters or appendices.

When summitting your final thesis in the Thesis Examination System (TES), you can request a two-year embargo, which will be granted if you meet the required criteria. This can be either an external embargo (the default), where access is limited to University of Melbourne staff and students and interlibrary loans, or a full embargo, where the thesis is not available by any means. Full embargo is only granted in highly exceptional circumstances, where supporting documentation and supervisor approval is provided. The two-year embargo period can be shortened with the support of your supervisor. Further information on embargoes and embargo criteria can be found on the “My thesis in the library” page.

As covered in the Graduate Research Training Policy (MPF1321) , ongoing restricted access arrangements must be approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate & International Research) in consultation with the relevant Dean. Further information, and the restricted access request form, can be found on the “My thesis in the library” page.

Note that applications to have embargoes extended purely for publishing reasons are only granted when extenuating circumstances apply. Requests for permanent access restrictions that are sought to comply with publisher contracts are never granted. In most cases, however, these are not required, as most publishers today understand the requirements for theses to be freely available in institutional repositories.

Yes. Any University of Melbourne graduate who opted to embargo their thesis can choose to release it from embargo early. To end an embargo before its original end date:

Check to make sure that ending the embargo early would not conflict with any agreements made with third parties (for example, publishers).
Receive written permission from your thesis supervisor to shorten the embargo period.
Email [email protected] to request a change to embargo end date, attaching your supervisor’s permission.

When preparing a thesis with publications, candidates should follow the guidelines on the “Incorporating your published work in your thesis” and “Submitting my thesis” pages, as well as the “Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Rules.”

If your publication is still in review and has not yet been formally accepted for publication, you should include the submitted manuscript in your thesis.

Once accepted for publication, or published, you should use the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) – the final manuscript accepted for publication after peer review and revisions.

Final published versions can only be included when you have explicit permission to do so and when it does not conflict with your publishing agreement. Final PDFs can be always used for open access publications carrying Creative Commons licences.

It is important to check publisher policies to determine which version can be shared and whether an embargo is required. In the absence of policies pertaining specifically to inclusion in online theses, candidates should follow policies governing what can be shared in institutional repositories. These policies should be available on journal or publisher websites and may be referred to as open access policies, sharing policies, or self-archiving policies. For journal articles, the Sherpa Romeo deposit policy register can be used to determine sharing policies and embargo requirements.

Also note that some publishers offer specific permissions to include Author Accepted Manuscripts (AAMs) or final published versions in theses. For example, the publisher Sage allows the final PDF of a candidate’s article to be included in their thesis and made available online. Their Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines states: “You may use the Final Published PDF (or Original Submission or Accepted Manuscript, if preferred) … in your dissertation or thesis, including where the dissertation or thesis will be posted in any electronic Institutional Repository or database.”

For more information, see the “My thesis in the library” page, along with the advice contained on the Copyright Office’s “Copyright and your thesis” page. The “Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis” form can be found on the “Submitting my thesis” page.

Some theses contain information that cannot be made public, such as confidential or private data, or third-party copyright material where permission to publish has not been obtained. In these cases, it may be necessary to submit a redacted version of your thesis with third-party copyright content removed. You would then be submitting two copies:

The original, examined thesis, which will be archived (not available for online public access).
A redacted “public access” copy, with non-compliant material removed (ensure you maintain page number integrity).

Guidelines on how and when to seek permissions, recording copyright statuses, and redacting copyright material can be found on the “Copyright and your thesis” and the “My thesis in the library” pages. For more information, please consult the Copyright Office .

Further Support

For enquiries relating to open access and scholarly publishing, please contact your Faculty or Subject Liaison Librarians .

If you require assistance using Minerva Access, or have requests relating to existing Minerva Access thesis records, please email [email protected] .

For all other enquiries relating to thesis preparation and submission, please email your faculty or school’s graduate research contact .

Page last updated 1 February 2024.

Return to Open Scholarship

Institutional repository

Repositories hosted by institutions to collect the research outputs of that institution. They often collect a broad range of digital items including articles, papers, books, book chapters, reports, data, and creative outputs.

The University of Melbourne has two institutional repositories: Minerva Access for research outputs, and Melbourne Figshare for research data, reports, supplementary research materials, and non-traditional research outputs (NTROs). You can find out more about Minerva Access and Melbourne Figshare on our Repository Open Access page .

Open access

Open access refers to the availability of research outputs via the internet, such that any user can find, freely access, read, and download the output without charge. Best practice in open access is to use open licences, such as Creative Commons licences, that permit users to copy, distribute, print, search, link, crawl, mine, and otherwise use and reuse the research output, as long as proper attribution is provided. Find out more on our What Is Open Access? page.

Creative Commons licences

Open licences that have become best practice in open access publishing. They are built using a combination of elements: BY (Attribution), SA (Share-Alike), NC (Non-Commercial), and ND (No Derivatives). All licences are detailed on the Creative Commons website .

The most open of the licences is the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence. This licence allows authors to retain their copyright while granting others permission to distribute, use, adapt, remix, and build upon the material, so long as attribution is given to the creator. This is the preferred, and sometimes required, licence of the Australian Research Council (ARC) and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), as well as many international research funders.

The most restrictive is the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. This licence does not allow for any commercial uses or the creation and sharing of any adaptations or derivative versions. It greatly restricts how others can use the work and, when adopted as part of an exclusive licence to publish with a publisher, can result in a significant loss of author rights.

In the context of open access publishing and sharing, embargoes are a restriction imposed by publishers on the public release of an output. Most scholarly publishers will allow the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) of a journal article or book chapter to be made open access in a repository after an embargo of between 12 and 36 months.

Staff at our institutional repository, Minerva Access , will determine and manage embargoes before making any version of a research output publicly available.

A version of an article or paper that is shared openly prior to formal peer review or publication. Preprints are typically shared on preprint servers, such as arXiv.org , bioRxiv , OSF Preprints , SSRN , or Zenodo .

Find out more on our Preprints page.

Submitted manuscript

The submitted manuscript is the version of a research output originally submitted to a venue, such as a journal or book publisher. This version typically undergoes editorial review and may subsequently be sent on for peer review.

In the past, submitted manuscripts were sometimes called preprints , although this term now has a different meaning: early versions of article or papers shared prior to peer review on preprint servers.

Find out more about article versions on the Minerva Access website .

Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) / Accepted version

The version of an article, paper, book, or book chapter that has been accepted for publication. It is the author’s final manuscript version after peer review and revisions, but prior to the publisher’s copyediting, typesetting, and formatting results in a proof.

Version of Record (VoR)

The final published version of a research output – usually the publisher’s final PDF.

Unless the work is published open access under a Creative Commons licence, this version cannot generally be shared or made open access in a repository.

Non-Traditional Research Output (NTRO)

A broad term encompassing research outputs that do not take the form of typical peer-reviewed scholarly publications (journal articles, books and book chapters, conference publications).

Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) include visual artworks, creative writing, films, performances, recordings, music composition, building and design projects, curated exhibitions, and portfolios. They may also be referred to as Artistic and Practice Based Research Outputs (APROs).

To be considered a research output for reporting purposes, an NTRO must meet the definition of research established in the Australian Research Council's 2018-19 ERA report :

Research is defined as the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies, inventions and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it is new and creative.

University of Melbourne researchers can find out more about reporting their NTROs on our Research Gateway: Add Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) to Find an Expert .

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

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About OATD.org

OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions . OATD currently indexes 7,179,316 theses and dissertations.

About OATD (our FAQ) .

Visual OATD.org

We’re happy to present several data visualizations to give an overall sense of the OATD.org collection by county of publication, language, and field of study.

You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses:

Google Scholar
NDLTD , the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not.
Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published electronically or in print, and mostly available for purchase. Access to PQDT may be limited; consult your local library for access information.

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Dissertations - National

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global‎: Full Collection Citations to dissertations and some theses from 1861 to present. Most records are from the U.S. Fulltext for most dissertations added since 1997 and some coverage for older graduate works. Also includes PQDT UK & Ireland abstracted content. Some full-text PDFs for dissertations from select UK institutions are being added.

Penn Dissertations

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: University of Pennsylvania subfile A subset of the ProQuest Dissertations covering Penn dissertations only. Citations from 1899 forward and fulltext from 1997 to the present. Selected full-text available prior to 1997. Search for advisor, author, or keywords. A search of the program name may pick up some dissertations for specific programs as this information may be on the cover page.
Publicly Accessible Dissertations from University of Pennsylvania Starting in December 2015, Penn requires dissertations to be publicly available. These are hosted on the ScholarlyCommons website.

PennGSE Dissertations

Publically Accessible GSE Dissertations in ScholarlyCommons@Penn (2010-present)

GSE Dissertations in ScholarlyCommons@Penn (2008 and before) - Only accessible on campus

GSE Dissertation records in the Franklin Catalog - Recent dissertations are available online, with a single print copy in the library collections. Older dissertations are represented by two print copies, as well as a microfilm copy. Print dissertations may circulate outside the Library. Search by author, title, or the subject heading: Penn dissertations--Education.
PennCLO Dissertation records in the Franklin Catalog - Dissertations have the subject heading: Penn dissertations -- Chief Learning Officer Program or Work-based Learning Leadership . Some records will be for print, others for online. Take the author/citation information and search in ProQuest dissertations for full-text.

Requesting Dissertations - Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan - Book request form Non-Penn dissertations that are not available in full-text in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses may be requested through the Penn Library's Interlibrary Loan service. Make requests using the online request form for a book available on the left side of the BorrowDirect+/ILL page.

Penn Dissertion Manual

Dissertation Manual for the University of Pennsylvania Instructions on policies, formatting, and submissions.

Grad Center - Thesis and Dissertation Support

Dissertation Preparation guides

Additional Electronic Theses and Dissertation (ETDs) Search Sites

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)

Global ETD Search
Find ETDs - Listing of searchable these and dissertation sites arranged by country and region.

PQDT Open (ProQuest)

Open Access Theses and Dissertations Records come for institutional repositories, regional or national ETD consortia, and a set of ETD catalog records provided by OCLC Worldcat. With few exceptions, records are harvested from these sites using a standard called the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH)
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Home » For Authors & Researchers » Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Theses and dissertations produced by students as part of the completion of their degree requirements often represent unique and interesting scholarship. Universities are increasingly making this work available online, and UC is no exception. Find information related to open access theses and dissertations below.

UC has an open access policy for theses and dissertations, but procedures and specifics vary by campus

Several UC campuses have established policies requiring open access to the electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) written by their graduate students. As of March 25, 2020, there is now a systemwide Policy on Open Access for Theses and Dissertations , indicating that UC “requires theses or dissertations prepared at the University to be (1) deposited into an open access repository, and (2) freely and openly available to the public, subject to a requested delay of access (’embargo’) obtained by the student.”

In accordance with these policies, campuses must ensure that student ETDs are available open access via eScholarship (UC’s open access repository and publishing platform), at no cost to students. By contrast, ProQuest, the world’s largest commercial publisher of ETDs, charges a $95 fee to make an ETD open access. Institutions worldwide have moved toward open access ETD publication because it dramatically increases the visibility and reach of their graduate research.

Policies and procedures for ETD filing, including how to delay public release of an ETD and how long such a delay can last, vary by campus. Learn more about the requirements and procedures for ETDs at each UC campus:

UC Berkeley: Dissertation Filing Guidelines (for Doctoral Students) and Thesis Filing Guidelines (for Master’s Students)
UC Davis: Preparing and Filing Your Thesis or Dissertation
UC Irvine: Thesis/Dissertation Electronic Submission
UCLA: File Your Thesis or Dissertation
UC Merced: Dissertation/Thesis Submission
UC Riverside: Dissertation and Thesis Submission
UC San Diego: Preparing to Graduate
UCSF: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines
UC Santa Barbara: Filing Your Thesis, Dissertation, or DMA Supporting Document
UC Santa Cruz: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines (PDF) from the Graduate Division’s Accessing Forms Online page

Open access can be delayed in certain circumstances

Some campuses allow students to elect an embargo period before the public release of their thesis/dissertation; others require approval from graduate advisors or administrators. Visit your local graduate division’s website (linked above) for more information.

Common copyright concerns of students writing theses and dissertations

Students writing theses/dissertations most commonly have questions about their own copyright ownership or the use of other people’s copyrighted materials in their own work.

You automatically own the copyright in your thesis/dissertation as soon as you create it, regardless of whether you register it or include a copyright page or copyright notice (see this FAQ from the U.S. Copyright Office for more information). Most students choose not to register their copyrights, though some choose to do so because they value having their copyright ownership officially and publicly recorded. Getting a copyright registered is required before you can sue someone for infringement.

If you decide to register your copyright, you can do so

directly, through the Copyright Office website , for $35
by having ProQuest/UMI contact the Copyright Office on your behalf, for $65.

It is common to incorporate 1) writing you have done for journal articles as part of your dissertation, and 2) parts of your dissertation into articles or books . See, for example, these articles from Wiley and Taylor & Francis giving authors tips on how to successfully turn dissertations into articles, or these pages at Sage , Springer , and Elsevier listing reuse in a thesis or dissertation as a common right of authors. Because this is a well-known practice, and often explicitly allowed in publishers’ contracts with authors, it rarely raises copyright concerns. eScholarship , which hosts over 55,000 UC ETDs, has never received a takedown notice from a publisher based on a complaint that the author’s ETD was too similar to the author’s published work.

Incorporating the works of others in your thesis/dissertation – such as quotations or illustrative images – is often allowed by copyright law. This is the case when the original work isn’t protected by copyright, or if the way you’re using the work would be considered fair use. In some circumstances, however, you will need permission from the copyright holder. For more information, please consult the Berkeley Library’s guide to Copyright and Publishing Your Dissertation .

How to find UC Dissertations and Theses online

All ten UC campuses make their electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) openly accessible to readers around the world. You can view over 55,000 UC ETDs in eScholarship , UC’s open access repository. View ETDs from each campus:

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Publishing your dissertation open access.

IUScholarWorks is our repository, intended for anyone affiliated with IU to share their research openly so that it’s available for anyone in the world to read . It’s important to remember that this includes graduate students! Graduate students can share papers, data, posters, and even their dissertation in IUScholarWorks.

Sharing a dissertation in IUScholarWorks (sometimes called IUSW) has many benefits for authors, including:

increased discoverability of the dissertation, as it will become indexed in Google Scholar
long-term preservation, ensuring scholars can access it in several decades and beyond
the agency to decide how the dissertation should be licensed. Authors can choose one of several Creative Commons licenses based on how they would like others to use their work (this is optional)
the ability to embargo (or limit access) to the dissertation for up to five years
a free mechanism for sharing–there is never an additional cost for authors

Sharing Your Dissertation

When a dissertation or thesis has reached its final stage, all graduate students must submit an electronic version of their thesis or dissertation to ProQuest via the Graduate School Website instructions.

ProQuest provides multiple services and options for publishing a dissertation. Traditional publication with ProQuest means that the dissertation will be included in the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses database. This option is free for the author but in order to access the thesis or dissertation, readers will either need to be affiliated with a library or pay a fee. The 25 most-accessed ProQuest theses and dissertations for last month cost around $38 each to download for those not affiliated with a library or organization with access. However, this model does provide authors with other other add-on services, including the ability to print a physical copy and the option of copyright registration for a $55 fee.

ProQuest offers an additional option: authors can publish their dissertation or thesis open access in their database PQDT Open for an additional fee, shifting the cost from the reader to the author. Making a dissertation open gives anyone, regardless of affiliation or socioeconomic status the ability to access it. There are a few important considerations for authors interested in this option. ProQuest charges authors a $95 fee for this option, which might be a challenge for some authors. Additionally, while PQDT Open dissertations are free for all to read, it’s unclear if authors can select a Creative Commons License for their work, which enables authors to explicitly tell others how they can use the dissertation or thesis.

The University of Chicago has a useful summary of the difference between traditional ProQuest dissertation publication, PQDT Open publishing, and publishing in a repository (like IUScholarWorks).

Will making my work open access mean I can’t rework it into an article or book?

Some students worry that publishers will not publish a book or article that is based on a dissertation. First and foremost, you should consult with publishers (or published authors/ mentors) in your field if you have ideas about developing your work further and are concerned about this.

It’s important to remember that when a dissertation goes through the publication process, a lot of the information changes in some shape or form. In other words, it’s unlikely that a dissertation can be republished without major edits. Dee Mortensen, Senior Sponsoring Editor at the IU Press , compares the relationship between a dissertation and a book to that of a chrysalis and a butterfly.

Because of the substantial alteration involved in the transformation of book to dissertation, it is often not an issue to make the original dissertation available. The study “Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities?” supports this claim, finding that most publishers (93% of university presses) do not consider a dissertation a prior publication that would disqualify the revised version from publication.

If you’re still concerned, remember that you can embargo your dissertation for up to five years in IUScholarWorks. An embargo would mean that readers can find information (sometimes called metadata) about your dissertation on the web but they would not be able to read the full-text of the work until a specified date.

IUSW staff are happy to discuss this option with you in more detail if you’re interested. Staff can also consult with authors about Creative Commons licensing and selecting the best license based on your goals for your work.

You can submit your thesis or dissertation to IUSW here. A staff member will deposit it and respond to you with the link–it’s that simple!

You can also view all of this information in detail in a handy slide deck by our very own Sarah Hare (PDF link). If you are an advisor or faculty member and would like us to come to your class or event to talk to your students about dissertations, please e-mail us at [email protected].

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E-resource - EBSCO Open Dissertations

An open-access database built to assist researchers in locating both historic and contemporary dissertations and theses. Open Dissertations includes records for more than 1.4 million electronic theses and dissertations from more than 320 universities around the world.

https://biblioboard.com/opendissertations/

For more information about using this database, please view the publisher's online print tutorial or video tutorial .

UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this community https://hdl.handle.net/2152/4

This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present. Some pre-2001 theses and dissertations have been digitized and added to this collection, but those are uncommon. The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations.

Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in this collection. Most of the ETDs in this collection are freely accessible to all users, but some pre-2010 works require a current UT EID at point of use. Please see the FAQs for more information. If you have a question about the availability of a specific ETD, please contact [email protected].

Some items in this collection may contain offensive images or text. The University of Texas Libraries is committed to maintaining an accurate and authentic scholarly and historic record. An authentic record is essential for understanding our past and informing the present. In order to preserve the authenticity of the historical record we will not honor requests to redact content, correct errors, or otherwise remove content, except in cases where there are legal concerns (e.g. potential copyright infringement, inclusion of HIPAA/FERPA protected information or Social Security Numbers) or evidence of a clear and imminent threat to personal safety or well-being. This policy is in keeping with the American Library Association code of ethics to resist efforts to censor library resources, and the Society of American Archivists code of ethics that states "archivists may not willfully alter, manipulate, or destroy data or records to conceal facts or distort evidence."

Authors of these ETDs have retained their copyright while granting the University of Texas Libraries the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute their works.

Collections in this Community

UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations 31360

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COMMENTS

Theses & dissertations
OU theses and dissertations Online theses. Are available via Open Research Online.. Print theses. Search for OU theses in the Library Search.To see only print theses click 'In the Walton Hall library' and refine your results to resource type 'Thesis'.
Do They Do Dissertations, In The Open University Degrees?
As laalNick says, some do a project, but from what I've seen, these still aren't of the same style and scale as dissertations. My degree pathway doesn't offer the opportunity for a dissertation. So if the opportunity to forego a significant undertaking in developing and producing a final piece of work appeals, The OU is ideal.
Writing your thesis
A number of resources are available to help you prepare and present your dissertation or thesis, and decide where to publish your work. Research skills
EPQs: writing up your dissertation
You have collected and analysed your evidence and considered it in relation to your research question. The next step is to communicate all that you have done. Your dissertation is the element of the EPQ that is read and assessed by others who haven't been involved in your research.
The Open University
From the 1st October 2016 The Open University requires the full-text of all their awarded doctoral thesis to be submitted to ORO. Open Research Online (ORO) accepts the deposit of theses from the following research degrees awarded by The Open University:. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
PhD
Open University PhDs. Research Degrees at The Open University. Unlock your Potential with a PhD, the Highest Level of Degree.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the links to read our FAQs on the topics below. If you can't find the answer you need, please contact us:. For generic queries about research degree study at The Open University please email the Graduate School or telephone +44 (0)1908 653806.; For queries about the research area you wish to study, please use the contact details given in the 'Get in touch' section of each Research ...
The Open University
Open Research Online and student research The Open Research Online (ORO) repository provides access to a select number of undergraduate and postgraduate student research projects and dissertations. Student Research is an important addition to ORO and helps to showcase the excellent work of our Open University students. If you have been contacted by one of the participating
Professional Doctorates
Professional Doctorates with The Open University. Work-Based Research Programmes. Study Part-Time and reach Doctorate-Level Education.
Writing your research proposal
A traditional PhD, a Doctor of Philosophy, usually studied full-time, prepares candidates for a career in Higher Education.. A Professional Doctorate is usually studied part-time by mid- to late-career professionals.While it may lead to a career in Higher Education, it aims to improve and develop professional practice.
Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)
OATD.org provides open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 6,654,285 theses and dissertations.
Dissertations and theses
Locating Dissertations and Theses. The Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global database includes doctoral dissertations and selected masters theses from major universities worldwide.. Searchable by subject, author, advisor, title, school, date, etc. More information about full text access and requesting through Interlibrary Loan; NDLTD - Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations ...
What Is a Dissertation?
A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed.
EPQs: help and tips
Find out more about The Open University's Open degree qualification.. This series of articles includes help and tips from members of AstrobiologyOU, a research group at The Open University, UK.They are all researchers, and the advice they offer comes from their different experiences.
Dissertations and Theses: A Finding Guide: Open Access, etc
Of particular use to alumni and the general public: The following three open access dissertation and theses databases are available. Some titles in these databases are citation only, while others provide free access with links to the full text of the dissertation or thesis cited.
7 steps to writing a dissertation
While you may be experienced in revising and writing essays, your dissertation requires careful planning, extensive research, and time management to succeed Your dissertation is a key part of your degree course and a testament to your ability to conduct research, analyse data, and write a clear ...
Open Access Theses
Publishing after your thesis is open access. Historically, publishers would not consider submissions that had been adapted from theses available online, just as, historically, many publishers would not accept submissions that had been shared as preprints.Today, however, it is increasingly rare for publishers to reject work for appearing in earlier forms as online theses or preprints, whether ...
OATD
You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses: Google Scholar; NDLTD, the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not. Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published ...
Full-text Dissertations
Dissertation Solutions by Bradley Axelrod; James Windell Dissertation Solutions provides graduate students with the basic tools and skills to help them navigate the whole process with minimal damage, making the whole process of planning, researching, and writing more manageable. This thorough, but concise guide will help even the most naive graduate student become experts in navigating and ...
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Theses and dissertations produced by students as part of the completion of their degree requirements often represent unique and interesting scholarship. Universities are increasingly making this work available online, and UC is no exception. Find information related to open access theses and dissertations below.
Publishing Your Dissertation Open Access
IUScholarWorks is our repository, intended for anyone affiliated with IU to share their research openly so that it's available for anyone in the world to read.It's important to remember that this includes graduate students! Graduate students can share papers, data, posters, and even their dissertation in IUScholarWorks.
EBSCO Open Dissertations
An open-access database built to assist researchers in locating both historic and contemporary dissertations and theses. Open Dissertations includes records for more than 1.4 million electronic theses and dissertations from more than 320 universities around the world.
Dissertations
Over the last 80 years, ProQuest has built the world's most comprehensive and renowned dissertations program. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT Global), continues to grow its repository of 5 million graduate works each year, thanks to the continued contribution from the world's universities, creating an ever-growing resource of emerging research to fuel innovation and new insights.
UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present.

Do They Do Dissertations, In The Open University Degrees?

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