Are PhD dissertations copyrighted?

In the United States, you automatically own the copyright in your original creative authorship, such as your dissertation, once it is fixed in a tangible form (i.e., written down or recorded).

Who owns the copyright of my PhD thesis?

By default, copyright in your thesis belongs to you, the author, under Section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) 1988. This does not apply to third party copyright of work that you have quoted or reproduced within your thesis, which may include data, figures, quotations and other works.

Is the copyright of the dissertation held by the author?

The copyright of the dissertation is held by the author. The author grants ProQuest the “license” – i.e. the right to display the dissertation on the ProQuest platform. The license is non-exclusive: the author has full authorization to publish a book or to have the dissertation available on another website.

Are PhD dissertations public?

Most theses and dissertations are not embargoed, but are made publicly available following their formal defense as part of completing a masters or doctoral degree.

Can I cite a PhD dissertation?

Can I cite a dissertation? Yes, you can cite a dissertation in your APA research paper. Using dissertations and theses in your paper is encouraged because they offer recent information on timely topics.

Registering Copyright in the Dissertation

Can a dissertation be used as a source?

Note: While dissertations are definitely scholarly and are reviewed and edited before publication, they do not go through a peer-review process, and thus, aren't considered peer-reviewed sources.

Can you reference other dissertations in your dissertation?

Yes, you are able to reference their work in your text, as long as you make clear in the bibliography what type of document (master thesis, PhD thesis, Institution) it is.

How do I find someone's PhD dissertation?

At the institution where the work originated or the national library of the country (if outside the US): Online institutional repositories (like Harvard's DASH): If the work was produced after the school's repository was established, it may well be found here in full text. Libraries: Check the library catalog.

Are all doctoral dissertations published?

While it is an essential requirement for a Ph. D. or other doctoral programs, many students often wonder if their dissertations will be published. The short answer is no, not all dissertations are published. In fact, many dissertations are not intended for publication at all.

Why is a dissertation under embargo?

The author has previously published the work in whole or in part, and the publisher is restricting the public release of the work in some way. The dissertation includes data covered by a nondisclosure agreement for a specified period of time, including personal information, company secrets, or intellectual property.

Are dissertations in the public domain?

You own the copyright in your dissertation, doctoral project, or thesis from the moment it is fixed in a tangible form, such as saved as a digital file. Nothing in the submission process to ProQuest or DigitalGeorgetown changes the ownership status of your work.

Are dissertations made public?

As such, unless a legitimate reason for restricting access to the thesis exists, all PhD theses will be made publicly available on the internet. Masters dissertations are not routinely made available online, but exceptional dissertations can be made open access.

Should you file for copyright for dissertation?

No, you do not have to copyright your work unless your school requires you to do so. However, in order to file a suit for infringement you will need to have your copyright registered.

Can a PhD thesis be patented?

Doctoral dissertations contain the results of years of original research; they may also contain patentable inventions. To protect these inventions, doctoral candidates may request a delay (embargo) on the public release of their dissertations until their patent applications are filed.

Can I publish a paper from my PhD thesis?

Successfully completed PhD researchers often ask the question: “Can I publish papers from my monograph?” In general, we say: “Yes, you can, but … you first must determine whether you're allowed to publish your work with regard to permissions, copyright, ethics, originality, plagiarism, and foreign language versions.” ...

Are PhD dissertations in the Library of Congress?

The Library of Congress holds an extensive collection of U.S. doctoral dissertations. Most of these dissertations do not have records in the Library of Congress's Online Catalog, however, and none are freely available online through the Library.

Can you do a PhD without a dissertation?

There are certain online doctoral programmes meant to be finished in a shorter amount of time, such as 18 months, and may not require a traditional dissertation, although traditional PhD programmes normally contain a dissertation and take several years to complete.

Can you have a PhD without dissertation?

You sure can. Several Ph. D. programs (especially those with practical business applications) accept a capstone project, research paper, or exams instead of a dissertation.

Can I request a copy of my dissertation?

A PhD thesis is usually a published work, and is normally archived in a university's library. Almost all dissertations are available via reprints. So you could ask your own library how to order a copy of the thesis.

Can you look up someone's PhD?

Ask the title of their dissertation, the names of their university, department and advisor. Their dissertation should be listed in that university's library catalog, and you should be able to google up the department and advisor.

How can you verify if someone has a PhD?

Here's how to verify academic credentials: Contact the school. Most college registrars will confirm dates of attendance and graduation, as well as degrees awarded and majors, upon request. If the applicant gives permission, they may provide a certified academic transcript.

Can you read other peoples dissertations?

Often reading other people's defended dissertations in your own department can be helpful to provide you with a better sense of what a dissertation looks like and a general sense of what is expected. You can ask former students for copies of their dissertation.

How do you cite someone else's dissertation?

Reference format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title (Publication No. if present) [Doctoral dissertation/Doctoral thesis/Master's dissertation/Master's thesis, Institution Name].

Can I share my dissertation with others?

Authors have the full right to make their works available to other commercial services or for open access outside of the ProQuest service. Further dissemination options, such as distribution via an Institutional Repository or website, can occur in parallel with availability through ProQuest.