Frequently Asked Questions

Where within ORE is my thesis/dissertation submitted?

Open Research Exeter (ORE) is structured as a list of communities and collections into which material can be submitted. The community called Doctoral College contains three collections based upon the nature of the award:

Doctoral Theses
MPhil Dissertations
MbyRes Dissertations.

Do I have to deposit a digital copy of my thesis / dissertation into ORE?

Students who registered for a research degree after October 2008 must submit a copy of their final thesis to ORE. This replaces the submission of a hardbound copy. Full details can be found in the Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for the Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures.

Students who registered before October 2008 may choose whether to submit either a hard-bound copy of their final thesis to the Postgraduate Administration Office or an electronic copy to ORE.

If I have already graduated from Exeter and originally deposited a hard-bound copy of my thesis/dissertation to the Library, can I deposit an electronic copy?

Yes. You will need to provide a copy of your thesis in PDF format which you should email to the Postgraduate Administration Office with your full name, date of birth and year of award.

When and where do I deposit the digital copy?

You may deposit a copy of your thesis/dissertation in ORE as soon as you have been recommended for award by your Board of Examiners. Any corrections required by your examiners must be completed and approved by your examiners before your thesis/dissertation is submitted to ORE.

How do I prepare my files?

You will need have your thesis in PDF format before you deposit. The file should consist of the complete text of the thesis/dissertation (including title page, abstract and contents). The filename should be constructed from your Surname and first initial eg, SmithA.

The text must be identical to that which was approved by your board of examiners for award. Should you need to remove any third party copyright material, an additional file must be submitted with the copyright material removed.

Can I include published papers?

The university regulations permit the inclusion of published papers within theses/dissertations submitted for examination. However, not all publishers will allow the inclusion of either pre or post publication papers in ORE. It is your responsibility to check liability.

If you have contributed to a co-authored paper then you will also require permission from the other authors. If a paper cannot be made accessible on ORE you must insert a link to the publisher’s website in the relevant section of your thesis.

Do I need to inform the Postgraduate Admission Office that I have successfully deposited my work to graduate?

No, the Postgraduate Administration Office will have approved your submission and will automatically process the award of your degree. Once the award has been formally approved you will receive a confirmation letter inviting you to attend the next degree congregation.

DClinPsy students: You will need to forward the confirmation email to the Programme Administrator.

Will my thesis/dissertation be included in the Library catalogue as well as on ORE?

Yes, all theses/dissertations deposited on ORE are also included in the Library catalogue with links to the full text in ORE. If the thesis author has requested a temporary embargo the full text will not be available until the embargo has expired.

Is there a permanent way of linking to my thesis/dissertation on ORE?

Once your work has been checked and approved for entry to ORE by the Postgraduate Administration Office you will receive an email containing the stable/persistent handle that can be used to link to your work. When citing or linking to your thesis (for example, on a CV or personal website) please use this handle rather than the URL of your thesis/dissertation. Use of the handle will ensure that even if the repository URL changes your thesis/dissertation will still be available.

How will people be able to access my thesis/dissertation?

Your thesis will be available via ORE where people may search or browse collections directly or locate your work through search engines such as Google.

Your thesis/dissertation can be linked to directly with a special type of permanent link (a handle) that is not subject to change.

We will create a record for your thesis/dissertation in our online library catalogue, including a link to its record in ORE. This will direct access from the library catalogueto the full text of your thesis/dissertation (providing there is no embargo in place).

We will also work with the British Library’s Electronic Theses Online Service (EthOS), the UK’s national doctoral e-theses service. This will allow those searching EThOS direct access to your thesis/dissertation.

How do I deposit multimedia files associated with my thesis/dissertation?

Any type of file can be deposited in ORE. If your work includes images, sound or movie files which are separate from the text of your thesis/dissertation, you are encouraged to deposit these as supplementary files. We will accept files in most standard formats and endeavour to make them available online.

Email rdm@exeter.ac.uk for advice with ‘ORE – Supplementary Files’ as the subject of your message.

What is the ORE Deposit Licence?

This is the licence that you agree to when you deposit your thesis into ORE. We recommend that you take the time to read this licence as it includes information about the permissions granted by you to ORE, as well as a declaration of ownership of the work and a third-party copyright statement. Granting this licence will not affect the copyright of your thesis, which will still belong to you as the author, unless the sponsor of your research requires ownership.