Tufts Digital Collections and Archives
A digital copy of your dissertation will go into the Digital Library of Tufts Digital Collections and Archives.
ProQuest Help
Many questions that will occur to you during the submission process are answered here. You will also find contact information for various ProQuest departments.
Copyright and Your Dissertation or Thesis: Ownership, Fair Use, and Your Rights and Responsibilities
PhD and Master’s Dissertations and Theses Dissemination Agreement
Quick Find
After Defending
Dissertation Submission
After the dissertation defense, you are required submit the final dissertation version in electronic form to ProQuest/UMI at http://www.etdadmin.com/tuftsfletcher/. Ginn Library staff get an automatic notice when a dissertation is submitted and will review it briefly before approval is given to the registrar. Ginn Library will supply and bind a print copy to put in Ginn Reference. An electronic copy of the dissertation will also go the the Tufts Digital Library.
Embargo
If, for any reason, you want to place an embargo on the dissertation so that it will not be immediately distributed either electronically or in hard copy, you may check the appropriate option on the submission form. Embargo options are six months, one year, or two years, but may be extended by contacting ProQuest directly. For additional details, see their page for dissertation authors: http://www.proquest.com/products-services/dissertations/authors.html
The Tufts Digital Collections and Archives (DCA) has traditionally honored the Proquest embargo, but students with inquires about embargoing copies found in the Tufts Digital Library should contact DCA directly.
A print copy will still be available on the shelf at Ginn Library.
Copyright
Copyright is immediate upon completion of your manuscript without requirement of notice or registration. However, you might want to include a copyright notice on your dissertation in a conspicuous place just after the title page.
Example: Copyright 2011, Your Name OR ©2011, Your Name.
You may also register for copyright; this establishes a public record and is required before you can file an infringement lawsuit. It is up to you to decide whether you want to do this. ProQuest/UMI provides copyright registration service for a fee but you can also file for copyright any time in the future. (See this site for more details.) Having Proquest do it for you just makes it easier.
Open Access vs. Traditional publishing
Open access means the dissertation will be available freely for viewing on the internet with no restrictions; the author still owns the copyright. Traditional publishing through ProQuest/UMI means the author has an arrangement with UMI to sell copies of the work. The author receives a small royalty payment for every dissertation copy sold. You may choose either method of publication; in both cases the dissertation will be accessible to subscribers of the ProQuest/UMI database as well as available for free in the Tufts Digital Library.
