Copyright and your thesis

Third-party copyrighted material

Before depositing your thesis in ORO, you need to be sure that you have permission for any third-party copyrighted material to be made available in an open access resource. 

If you are a new research student about to embark on your research degree, consider seeking such permission as you go, rather than waiting until your thesis has been finalised. This will save time at the end of your research. Please see the guide to 'Copyright and your thesis'  for further information (log-in required). The following video will also help you to understand why, when and how to seek permission to include third-party copryrighted material in your thesis.

Permission to include third-party copyrighted material in your thesis should be sought by contacting the copyright holder. This may be the author of a work, a publisher, an illustrator etc.

You need to seek permission when you wish to include these material types in your thesis:

  • Long quotations and extracts from literary or scholarly texts
  • Illustrations such as images, maps, photographs, tables
  • Short extracts if they form a substantial proportion of a work (such as a poem)
  • Internet material

Written permissions must include the right for you to disseminate the material in your thesis for non-commercial purposes in an open access resource. Further guidance, including templates for requesting copyright permission are available within the guide to 'Copyright and your thesis' (log-in required).

What if I am unable to clear copyright for third-party content contained in my thesis?

If you are unable to clear copyright for third-party content contained in your thesis a redacted version without this content should be deposited in ORO as well as the final version. In the redacted version please provide a link or description for any material that has been removed. Ensure the two versions' file names are clearly distinguishable.

Has any part of your thesis been published?

If any part of your thesis has been published (e.g. as a journal article) then you need to check the copyright agreement you signed with your publisher. Even if you assigned copyright to the publisher, the publisher may still allow you to use the material in your thesis. A template for requesting permission to include your own published material in your thesis can also be found within the guide to 'Copyright and your thesis' (log-in required).

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Library Research Support team