In publishing, an "embargo" is a delay placed on a publication. For Theses and Dissertations, an embargo is a restriction period placed on a thesis or dissertation that allows only the title, abstract, and other citation information to be released to the public, while the full text of the work is restricted for a limited period of time. Embargoes typically last from six months to two years following the submission of a thesis or dissertation to the TAMU-CC Repository or ProQuest.
Most theses or dissertations are not embargoed, but are made publicly available following their formal defense as part of completing a masters or doctoral degree. Reasons to embargo a thesis or dissertation include:
When submitting a thesis or dissertation to the ProQuest Administrator Website, students have the option of selecting an embargo for 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years. Students are required to select one of the reasons outlined above for delaying release to the TAMU-CC Repository.
Any requests for an extension of an embargo past two years, must be formally submitted to the university by emailing the Embargo Extension Request Form to scholarlycommunications@tamucc.edu, and submitted at least one month prior to the expiration of the first embargo date.
ProQuest Embargo Extensions must be requested by the author directly from ProQuest at disspub@proquest.com. The University does not process ProQuest embargo extensions.
Always discuss the pros and cons or embargoing your thesis or dissertation with your graduate committee prior to submitting your work to ProQuest.
It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of and adhere to U.S. copyright laws regarding the thesis and its contents.
The TAMU-CC policy is that graduate students may publish material that will later be used as part of the thesis, dissertation, or record of study. However, students must be aware of the agreement they sign when a journal accepts an article for publication. TAMU-CC eventually will release all manuscripts for public access in the TAMU-CC Repository. Do not sign any agreement that restricts TAMU-CC’s right to provide research results to the public.
Students should be aware of the publishing agreement they sign when a journal accepts an article for publication. The corresponding author typically transfers copyright to the journal as publisher and may no longer possess the right to use this material without permission.
The publishing agreement form can be modified before it is signed so that the student retains the right to include the material in the thesis, dissertation, or record of study. The publisher would still have the rights it needs to print, distribute, and sell the work.
When negotiating with the publisher, remember to inform them that the thesis, dissertation, or record of study will be available online. Dissertations and records of study will be sent to ProQuest and can be purchased through them. TAMU-CC does not consider the posting of dissertations in the ProQuest repository a commercial venture.
If you have not retained the right to use your previously published material in the document, you must get permission from the copyright holder to include it. A written statement of permission (email is accepted) should be provided. If the journal retains the right to an article and does not allow its exact reproduction in your thesis, dissertation, or record of study, we recommend that you contact them to ascertain whether a preprint version is acceptable, or whether you can revise or reword the printed version.
Regardless of which rights students retain, authors are required to provide written documentation as evidence they have appropriate rights to include the pre-published material. This evidence might be a copy of the publication agreement, website documentation about author retained rights, emails, or other forms of written permission from the publisher.
If you plan to publish any thesis, dissertation, or record of study material after graduation, investigate whether the journal of choice will publish material already made available to the public. Some journals insist on being first publisher. You have the option to restrict full-text access to your thesis or dissertation for two years before releasing it to the public through the TAMU-CC Repository.
If the manuscript contains any material (e.g., figures, tables, text) from copyrighted sources, you must determine if permission from the copyright holder is needed. There are numerous factors to consider, including whether the material is in the public domain or can be used under the provisions of Fair Use. Regardless of whether permission is required, proper credit must be given in the text. For material requiring permission, acknowledgment should be included in the text per the copyright holder’s instruction. For additional information regarding copyright and fair use, refer to Copyright and Fair Use Guide.
Your manuscript is automatically protected under U.S. copyright as soon as it is finalized into a fixed form. Master’s and doctoral candidates may wish to take additional steps to register their copyright through the ProQuest ETD site. Although it is not required, there are benefits to registering your copyright, including additional legal remedies if someone infringes upon your work.
Students may wish to include a Creative Commons license in the same location as the copyright notice. Creative Commons licenses allow the author to retain copyright, while authorizing specific uses of the work to others. More information about Creative Commons licenses can be found on their website.