Access Restrictions and Implications for Publication
Allowing the Library to communicate your thesis online and providing
the cataloguing data to ADT (or other system) does not constitute
prior publication in a scholarly sense.
There may be some theses the specific findings of which would
be better reported first in journal articles. A temporary restriction
would enable such publication while preserving the principle of
scholarly access. Theses can be embargoed for up to 24 months
using the University's system. Similarly, for the small number
of theses that might be turned into books, there is usually no
issue as books are highly unlikely to be published in the original
form without significant revision (and your thesis upon which
the book is based can be embargoed for up to 24 months if necessary).
In any case, putting scholarly work online for free (self-archiving
or ePrints) is becoming an accepted practice. The majority of
publishers are content for authors to do this and still be published,
and according to Project
Romeo these publishers produce 91% of journals. For a list
of the principal publishers that allow self-archiving please click
here. However, a small number of publishers still do not allow
self archiving of articles derived from theses. If a publisher
demands the thesis to be taken down, all you would need to do
is request removal of your thesis from the archive.
If there are some circumstances in which parts of theses must
be permanently restricted (e.g. sacred, secret, commercial-in-confidence
and national security content) an option is to place sections
that need to be restricted in an appendix that is not included
in the repository. This allows access to the main argument and
findings while protecting confidential data.
Making your thesis publicly available could have implications
in relation to patents. If you have produced a thesis that contains
patentable material please contact the Commericalisation
Unit for more information.
Some examples of access statements for different restriction
options.
(i) Open access including online:
'This thesis may be reproduced, archived, and communicated in
any material form in whole or in part by the University of Tasmania
or its agents, and may be made available for loan and copying
in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968.'
(ii) Restricted for two years, and then allowed to be communicated
online:
' This thesis is not to be made available for loan or copying
for two years following the date this statement was signed. Following
that time the thesis may be reproduced, archived, and communicated
in any material form in whole or in part by the University of
Tasmania or its agents, and may be made available for loan and
copying in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968.'
(iii) Hard copy in library can be lent, but no online version:
'This thesis may be made available for loan. Copying of any part
of this thesis is prohibited for two years from the date this
statement was signed; after that time limited copying is permitted
in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968.'
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