As an author, you retain copyright of your work. This means you have the right to:

• Make copies of your work
• Distribute your work in any form you want to anyone you want
• Create new works (such as articles or books) based on your research
• Perform or display your work publicly
• Grant any of these rights to anyone you choose

WesternU does not require you to transfer your copyright to us, but does ask you to grant us a non-exclusive right to archive your work and make it accessible to others. (Non-exclusive means that you can also grant this right to others. For example, you could post your work on a personal website or in a repository dedicated to your type of research.) We currently use CONTENTdm for this purpose, which is currently accessible to everyone at WesternU. We eventually plan to make this collection fully searchable on the open internet and accessible to everyone, but when we do, you will have a choice whether to make your work accessible to everyone or only the WesternU community.

If you need or wish to delay public viewing of your work, you can request an embargo for between one and three years.

What is an embargo?

An embargo is a delay in releasing the full text of your thesis.

Why might I want an embargo?

• You plan to rework your thesis as an article for publication
• Your work involves innovative or proprietary ideas and you want to submit for a patent
• Your work is part of a larger project that is not yet ready to go public
• Your adviser recommends you choose an embargo

How long of an embargo period can I choose?

You can choose an embargo on the full text for one, two, or three years. Only your abstract will be released until the end of the embargo period. Make sure your abstract does not contain any information you do not want publicly available.

Before submitting, you will need to fill out the WesternU Publishing Agreement. Please click here to download a copy.  

The library will need:

• Signed copy of WesternU Publishing Agreement (emailed to reference@westernu.edu, or dropped it off in the library [Attention: Reference Department])
• Digital copy of your work (PDF only; other formats require special permission) - this should include an UNSIGNED page listing the members of your committee
• A copy of the SIGNED signature page from your committee members

Ready to submit? For your convenience, use the submission checklist below to make sure everything is complete.

Since your thesis will be accessible online, please make sure that you do not include any personally identifiable information (such as signatures, date or city of birth, email address, etc.) about your or anyone else in your vita or appendices.