What does it mean that my thesis or dissertation will be made open access in the Digital Repository Service?
Answer
Northeastern University requires all doctoral dissertations and master’s theses to be deposited electronically via ProQuest’s Dissertation Publishing service. Part of the ProQuest service is delivery to the University Library of an electronic copy of each dissertation or thesis. The library will deposit this copy into its Digital Repository Service (DRS), making it available open access via the Internet.
Northeastern University, like many other institutions, has implemented this ETD program for several reasons. First, while access to your full thesis or dissertation via ProQuest is only available to those whose institution subscribes to the database, the DRS provides free online access to users worldwide. You will hold the copyright to your work just as you would if it were made available in print. Deposit in electronic form also permits the inclusion of supplemental materials such as video, data sets, and presentation slides. Also, the co-location of Northeastern’s dissertations and theses in an online environment provides an excellent overview of the important research being conducted here.
If you do not wish your dissertation or thesis to be available immediately in the DRS because you are planning a patent application or formal publication, please choose one of the embargo options (from 6 months to 2 years) when you submit your work to ProQuest. The embargo period you choose will also be applied to your dissertation or thesis in the DRS. Please note that a permanent embargo is not permitted; therefore, you are advised to omit from your work any information that must never be made public.