What is an Embargo?

In academia, an "embargo" is a restriction placed on a thesis or dissertation that allows only the title, abstract and citation information to be available to the public, while the full text of the work is kept hidden for a limited period of time. Embargoes typically last from one to five years following the publication of a thesis or dissertation via a college or university's institutional repository or some other publishing service (such as ProQuest or EBSCO). 

Reasons not to Embargo

• The more accessible your thesis or dissertation is, the more likely it is to be discovered, the helpful it can be, and more likely it is to be cited. 
• Making your thesis or dissertation accessible allows it to be scrutinized by others in the field- which is a good thing!
• You don't want to be plagiarized and you want to be properly cited.
• While copyright protection is automatic, people who are concerned about copyright infringement can also register copyright it with the U.S. Copyright Office at http://copyright.gov/eco/. Registration provides statutory damages and attorney's fees in the event of an infringement.
• Having theses or dissertations available helps future scholars about the process of scholarship.

 

Why Embargo a Thesis or Dissertation?

Most theses and dissertations are NOT embargoed but are made publicly available following their formal defense as part of completing a degree. Some reason to embargo a thesis or dissertation include:

• The author wants to publish the work in whole or in part in the future and is concerned that making the work public will interfere with this. You will want to work with your advisor on this process. 
• The author has previously published the work in whole or in part, and the publisher is restricting the public release of the work in some way. 
• The dissertation includes data covered by a nondisclosure agreement for a specified period of time, including personal information, company secrets, or intellectual property.

 

What does Gratz recommend?

Gratz does not recommend an embargo. If selected, Gratz will place a standard embargo on your theses and dissertations for 12 months. If needed, you can also specify a different desired embargo timeframe. Be sure to discuss all your publishing options with your advisor before your scheduled defense.