Pre-Publication Concerns and eTheses

Making your thesis available electronically through the Leicester Research Archive constitutes a form of publication. As such it can be a cause for concern for those research students who are considering how to make use of their work elsewhere - for example, re-working their thesis as a monograph or book.

If you have pre-publication concerns, it is important to make sure you have all the information you need - usually adding your thesis to an online repository like the Leicester Research Archive will not harm your chances of eventual publication and may actually improve them.

Publisher Requirements

First of all it needs to be remembered that electronic submission is a requirement of all research students - there are no exceptions from that requirement. Nor does electronic submission affect your rights over your thesis - as the author, you continue to hold the copyright on your thesis even after it is added to an electronic repository.

While the University recognises that some students will have genuine concerns, it is unlikely that adding your thesis to the Leicester Research Archive will harm your chances of publishing the work by another route. Research in the United States has shown that adding a thesis to an online repository rarely precludes subsequent use of the material in another form.

However, if you are looking to make use of your thesis as a monograph, book, or journal articles you should check the relevant publisher's license agreement conditions. The Sherpa/Romeo website has information on the standard license agreements for major academic publishers.

In most cases, adding a thesis to an electronic repository does not preclude its subsequent publication. If you are unsure or need further advice on publisher conditions, please contact the Leicester Research Archive team - email ethesis@le.ac.uk

Improving the Chances of Publication

You could be waiting some time, months or even years, before you see your work appear in a journal or are able to secure a contract with a publishing firm; having your thesis available through the Leicester Research Archive will ensure that your work is available in the meantime and help it attract attention at a time when you will need it most. Indeed some publishers view usage data on etheses as an indicator of potential for future publication.

While adding your thesis to the Leicester Research Archive will not guarantee that your work is published by another route, it can prove to be a significant advantage - giving it maximum accessibility and visibility while you make the necessary arrangements. 

Restricting Access to Your Thesis

Making your thesis available through the Leicester Research Archive will not necessarily harm your chances of publishing your work by another route and it may actually help you in that aim. 

However, in some cases publishers/editors may adopt a stricter approach.

Where that is the case, research students can request a restriction on access to their thesis for a fixed period - allowing them time to arrange publication by another route before their thesis is added to the Leicester Research Archive. Read more about restricting access to your thesis.