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Theses @ Macquarie University

An overview of Theses @ Macquarie University

About this guide

Macquarie University Theses Collection is the open-access digital collection of the University’s research and scholarly output. It contains digital versions of Macquarie University higher degree theses deposited with the Library.

This Guide will explain how to submit your thesis to the digital collection and highlights copyright questions to consider.

Theses formats at Macquarie

The Library holds copies of Macquarie theses for PhD, professional doctorates, masters and MRes in print, microfilm or digital formats. Limited honours theses are collected on advice of the Faculty. Submission of print theses is no longer required by the University.

Theses available in print only are located in the Library's Thesis Collection. Access to the Thesis Collection is restricted, and items must be used under supervision. For more information see our Theses Finding guide.

Mandatory submission of digital theses commenced in 2011. Macquarie University Theses collection contains digital versions of Macquarie University higher degree theses deposited with the Library. Records of the Macquarie University theses are also searchable in MultiSearch.

Benefits and potential issues

What are the benefits of submitting a digital copy of my thesis?

A digital thesis:

  • has a greater potential readership than a thesis stored in hard copy; it is accessible in any country at any time of the day.

  • is cited more often than a hard copy version and has a greater research impact.

  • is protected from destruction by disasters such as fire or flood because it is stored in Macquarie University Theses's secure digital environment.

Why should the Library keep a digital version of my thesis?

The Library uses commercial software that is specifically designed for storing digital objects. It has the following advantages over other options like a personal website:

  • Availability – a thesis in the Library’s repository is sent to other repositories such as TroveGoogle Scholar, NDLTD and OAISTER and is more accessible to academic searches. The thesis is assigned a persistent identifier so that a link to the thesis will always be current and resolvable.

  • Preservation and security – specific preservation and metadata standards are adhered to so the digital objects can be viewed well into the future and are easily migrated to new systems with no data loss. A comprehensive data protection policy will also protect the thesis to ensure backup and security. Storing your electronic thesis outside the repository may make it more vulnerable to loss or tampering.

  • Access rights – the ability to view or hide the thesis in a repository can be tightly controlled.

  • Document presentation – the repository can deliver additional viewing tools to enhance the viewing of the thesis. It can also create various relationships between digital objects such as images, video and sound files to create an enriched presentation.

  • Searching – the repository has powerful database indexes created from standardised metadata and full-text extraction. This allows full-text searching and controlled searching similar to a library catalogue. The search results can be sorted, limited and emailed in a citation format.

  • State of the art systems – the repository will be upgraded regularly with new developments to ensure that all of the above features are continually enhanced.

Who can make a copy of my thesis?

Except where an exemption has been granted, Macquarie University requires that any thesis deposited with the Library be immediately available for use.

Under existing copyright conditions and deposit arrangements, the Library is able to make a copy of a thesis, in whole or in part, if an individual requests this for the purposes of research, criticism or review. Copying limits will be determined by relevant copyright regulations or embargo conditions.

For further information about access to your thesis, contact researchonline@mq.edu.au

Theses Quick Links

Access digital and print versions of theses