eThesis

What is an eThesis?

An electronic copy of your thesis.

What is the Monash University repository Bridges?

Bridges is Monash University's digital research repository for research data, collections and research activity outposts. Bridges also holds PhD and Master by Research theses.

Monash University Higher Degree by Research students are required to submit a digital copy of their thesis for examination. When accepted and finalised, the thesis will then be automatically added the the University's Bridges Repository for archiving as well as public discoverability. The repository includes two distinct parts:

1. Open Access - this is for research that will be publicly available and discoverable. The student retains copyright of their thesis but gives Monash University the right to publish their thesis in the Bridges research repository. Research in this section is considered to be published and will be available for anyone to view.
2. Restricted Access - this is research which is stored by Monash University primarily for archival purposes. The full-text of the thesis will not be published online, however, the bibliographical details, the title and abstract will be available.

What is third-party material?

Third party works means any material you are using in your thesis that was created by someone else. This could be text quotations of substantial length, photographs, artworks, computer programs, technical illustrations etc.

If you choose to submit your thesis in the open access section of the repository, you will need to seek permission to publish any third-party mnaterial that is within the thesis.

Do I have to secure copyright permission for third-party material used in my thesis even if I’m not publishing in the open access part of the Monash University repository Bridges?

If you choose to have your thesis under the restricted access section of the repository Bridges, this mean you do not need to seek permission for the third-party copyright material in the thesis as restricted access means the thesis is not being published.

However, if requested, the university may still supply the full-text of the thesis, for research purposes, as permitted under Section 51(2) of the Australia Copyright Act 1968.

What is an embargo?

You can apply for an embargo of one or three years. If granted, this means that your thesis cannot be accessed by anyone without your permission for the duration of the embargo. 

You must still submit a digital copy to the library for archiving and preservation purposes in the restricted access section of the Monash University repository Bridges. However, only your title and the full-text of the abstract, depending on your choice, will be made available in the Monash University repository Bridges.

Will I be notified when my embargo is about to expire?

You will not receive a notification about your embargo ending:

1. Open access with initial temporary embargo: once an embargo period end, the thesis will automatically revert to open access.
2. Restricted access with initial temporary embargo: once the embargo period ends, the thesis will automatically revert to restricted access.

Can I extend my embargo when it is due to expire?

You can remove or extend the embargo by submitting a written request to the Monash Graduate Research Office: mgro-thesisexams@monash.edu.