Scholarly Publishing & Communication : Electronic Thesis and Dissertations at UGA

1. How does UGA make my Thesis/Dissertation available?

UGA values the public dissemination of scholarly works. The UGA Graduate School thus requires that you make your Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) available openly accessible through the UGA Libraries institutional repository ScholarWorksUGA upon degree conferral.

2. Is open access the only option for making my ETD available?

The Graduate School provides two options or levels of open access for you to choose when making your ETD available.

Option 1:   Limit access to only authorized UGA users (currently affiliated with UGA) for a maximum of 2 years; then open to the world OR

Option 2:  Embargo the ETD to all for a period of two years from the date of degree conferral. Requires written approval of the Dean of the Graduate School and the ETD must contain any of the following:

   A.  patentable material currently protected or under patent application review

   B.  sensitive information that is protected by funding agency agreement

   C. is under considertation for publication with a restrictive publication agreement

3. How will my ETD be accessible, and for how long?

ETDs are made available through the UGA Libraries open access institutional repository Athenaeum@UGA permanently. You can use the URI (similar to a DOI) to link to your ETD on your CV or other documents.

4. Can I re publish parts of my ETD later into a book or journal articles?

The short answer is generally yes. It's best practice to do some editing of your work rather than try to re publish as is from your ETD. It is also best publishing practice to inquire into the publisher policy before re using your ETD closely. Some publishers may not want to publish material they perceive is already published.

5. What rights do I have in my ETD to re use later for publication or other purposes?

You are the copyright owner to your ETD. That means the law allows you to: reproduce, distribute, create derivative works, display the work publicly, perform the work publicly.

6. Are there other options for making my ETD digitally available?

You can choose to submit your ETD to a commercial database called UMI ProQuest which makes ETDs available and register your copyright in the work with the U.S. Copyright Office for a fee. 

7. Do I have to register my copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, and what is the advantage to that?

You are not required to register your copyright in your ETD as your ownership rights are conferred upon your completion of the work. However, a formal registration of the work is a required element should you need to prove that you are the onwer if you need to sue for copyright infringement.