Copyright and Permissions in Your ETD

Your thesis or dissertation is copyright to you as soon as it is written.  Graduation on the thesis and dissertation track includes you giving a license to the university to make your ETD publicly available in our institutional repository, but it does not require a transfer of copyright.  Your dissertation will be permanently archived, in the version submitted through the Office of Graduate Studies' ProQuest process, and it will be accessible to anyone, worldwide, indefinitely.

The perpetual online availability of your ETD is why documenting copyright permissions and policies in your permissions appendix is important. It is also recommended that you avoid including identifiable faces and sensitive information in your dissertation, in consultation with your advisor and the Office of Graduate Studies.

In many cases you will need to obtain permissions or proof of permissions to reprint your own article in your ETD. The publication process for articles, proceedings, book chapters, etc. often involves signing copyright over to the publisher. Many publishers have a posted policy that specifically addresses whether published articles may be used in theses/dissertations.

The library has searched out publishers commonly used by graduate students.  The publisher listings to the left link to available policies that you can include in your permissions appendix as documentation of permissions to use your published works.

If you are unsure of the publisher for a journal, search for the journal title using your preferred search engine, or contact your librarian. 

For more general guidance on copyright, please see the 'Copyright' guide:

The following resources may also be helpful to students preparing their theses/dissertations: