Feedback from the 2017 Customer Satisfaction Survey revealed that there is growing demand for electronic access to Postgraduate Theses at Queen’s. Concerns were highlighted about the lack of open access to theses and the impact that this has, both on visibility of our collections and on accessibility, especially for students working off campus. Previously it was only possible to consult student theses by visiting the Library and requesting the print copy for consultation.
In response to this, electronic deposit of theses is now required for Postgraduate Research students registered since September 2016. Students must submit an electronic copy of their thesis to Pure (the Research Information System) for open access display on the Queen’s Research Portal.
Further support for electronic thesis deposit, plus a video on how to upload to Pure can be found on the eThesis LibGuide. A regular training course on “Copyright and your E-Thesis” is provided by the Library and bookable via the Graduate School.
The Library is also investigating a retrospective digitisation project to provide open access to some older theses. More information will be available about this project in due course.