Guide to depositing your thesis

Thesis deposit

It is mandatory for all University of Newcastle research higher degree, and professional doctorate theses to be deposited in the University institutional repository. Wherever possible thesis files will be made openly available online via Open Research Newcastle, otherwise a metadata (descriptive) record will display.

Other types of thesis, e.g., Honours, may also be deposited with approval from your School.

How to upload your thesis

Theses are submitted via our online deposit form (via ServiceNow). See our detailed guide on how to upload your thesis to complete this process successfully.

Copyright is an important consideration to make your thesis open access. Please ensure you have resolved any concerns around third-party copyright material before submitting.

Learn more about copyright requirements for digital theses via our Copyright for research page - see the accordion for Theses and dissertations.

Thesis file formats

PDF is the preferred file format when submitting your thesis. However you can also upload your thesis in other formats (e.g., Word document) if you are unable to convert the file yourself.

If you have additional/supplemental files, such as spreadsheets, zip folders, etc., you can submit them as-is. If you have any questions or issues around submitting these kinds of files, please reach out to Copyright & Scholarly Publishing.

Large files

There is currently a file size upload limit of 15MB per file for thesis submission. If your thesis file is too large to attach, submit the Thesis Deposit Submission form without the file. You can then contact Copyright & Scholarly Publishing to arrange an alternative method to share your file in order to complete your submission requirements.

Restricting access to your thesis (requesting embargoes)

The University policy for theses is generally unrestricted worldwide access. However, there are circumstances when theses may need to be restricted, wholly or in part, for varying reasons and periods.

The options available for digital theses are:

  • no restrictions - worldwide access;
  • restrict all access for a certain period via an embargo as approved by the University. When this embargo period has elapsed, worldwide access will be enabled.

All requests for access restrictions must be approved via the Application for Embargo form. Requesting an embargo in the Thesis Deposit Submission form is not sufficient to grant an embargo unless your application has already been approved by the University.

Some theses may require permanent embargo due to inclusion of commercial-in-confidence material, or similar reasons. If this is the case, you will still need to apply for the initial embargo and submit your thesis file for preservation purposes.