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Library:Circle/UBC Theses and Dissertations : Open Access and Embargo Considerations

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Introduction

If your graduate degree program requires completion of a thesis or dissertation, it will be submitted to cIRcle at UBC Library, UBC’s open access institutional repository. cIRcle showcases and preserves UBC’s unique intellectual output by making content freely available to anyone, anywhere.  

This guide aims to explain what open access means, and considerations as you prepare your thesis or dissertation for wide distribution online. Strengthening your understanding in the ways your work can be freely searched, read, used, and cited will benefit you as an author. It will help you be intentional and make informed decisions in the way you create and share your significant research contributions.

UBC graduate theses and dissertations are reviewed and approved by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS, UBC Vancouver) and College of Graduate Studies (CoGS, UBC Okanagan), before your program is closed.  Other graduate works that do not undergo review and approval by G+PS/CoGS (e.g. projects, essays, reports, capstones, etc.) have different requirements; consult with your program for further information.

Open Access

What does open access mean?  Per UBC Library’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office, open access works “are made freely available to the general public for viewing, and often for reuse” and have many benefits in research dissemination:

  • Increases research advancement through permissive licensing, ensuring the results of the research can be accessed and built on by anyone.
  • Offers the potential to increase networks and contributors to research by supporting access to published works for anyone with an internet connection.
  • Benefits authors by providing the widest possible audience for their work. This offers greater research impacts through increased citations, which ultimately impacts recognition, including securing additional funding and supporting tenure and promotion portfolios.
  • Supports research advancements, including access to data and the use of data mining tools. Traditional publishing models can be legally and technically restrictive, while open access empowers researchers to push the boundaries of how research can be conducted and disseminated.  

cIRcle provides online open access to UBC’s theses and dissertations via Open Collections (OC).  

During the submission process to cIRcle, you will select a Creative Commons (CC) License to apply to your thesis/dissertation.  You will maintain copyright over your work, but “grant others permission to access and (depending on your preferences) to share and adapt your work for commercial or non-commercial purposes.”

Exception: Designated creative arts students (MFA and MMus) have the option to submit to a restricted collection. Theses are accessible only to current UBC students, faculty, staff, and on-site Library users via Campus-wide Login (CWL): cIRcle: Electronic Theses and Dissertations in Creative Arts, 2017+.  

Embargoes (Delays to Publication)

Applying an embargo delays the public release of your thesis/dissertation. At UBC, embargo lengths are limited. Permanent embargoes are not an option.

You may have questions about how open access publication of your thesis/dissertation may impact future publication opportunities derived from your research. The extent and nature of impacts can highly vary by discipline. It is recommended to talk to your faculty supervisor(s) and other researchers in your field about their publishing experiences. You can also review publisher policies to learn more about their requirements.

Publication of theses/dissertations in an institutional repository (such as cIRcle) has been common practice for nearly two decades. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the majority of publishers across disciplines do not consider theses and dissertations as prior publications.  Subsequent publications generally differ significantly and are therefore often considered new works. Additionally, publishing open access can lead to increased awareness and proper attribution of your work, potentially improving acceptance for future publication. You can find a list of studies about theses/dissertations and publishing at Your Dissertation: Public Access and Embargo Considerations (from the University Libraries at the University of Oklahoma).

It’s important to understand the implications of choosing an embargo, as delaying open release could limit the immediate visibility and impact of your work. This Yes or No Embargo video (3 minutes, 43 seconds) from the University Libraries at the University of Oklahoma highlights some benefits of open access, and helpful considerations when deciding whether to request an embargo.

Embargo requests must be made after your defense, but before you submit to cIRcle. For conditions and instructions for requesting an embargo, see G+PS’ Delaying Publication of Your Thesis page (UBC Vancouver) or CoGS’ Post-Defence Submission (Requesting Your Thesis To Be Withheld From The Public Domain) page (UBC Okanagan).  

Further Reading

Browse or search the UBC Theses and Dissertations collection for prior theses and dissertations available publicly.  

Review UBC Copyright’s Theses and Dissertations page for more information about copyright compliance and your rights as the copyright owner in relation to your thesis or dissertation.

See cIRcle’s Theses and Dissertations page for instructions about submitting theses and dissertations to cIRcle.

Explore Your Dissertation: Public Access and Embargo Considerations from the University Libraries at the University of Oklahoma for further studies about embargoes and publishing.


We thank and attribute the work of Simon Fraser University Library and the University Libraries at the University of Oklahoma for inspiration and resources that contributed to this page.

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