1/13/15, OF RECORD: Open Access Publication of the PhD Dissertation - Almanac, Vol. 61, No. 18

"The public availability of dissertations through submission to the Penn Libraries and publication by ProQuest has long been a requirement for the PhD degree at Penn. The Graduate Council of the Faculties, in consultation with the Council of Graduate Deans, has now established a further requirement for open access publication of Penn dissertations, effective December 2015. The open access provision described below is intended to support the public dissemination of knowledge and will align our policies with those of peer universities.  The new policy has been published in the Pennbook and can be viewed at: https://provost.upenn.edu/policies/pennbook/2013/02/13/academic-rules-for-phds-and-research-master-s-degrees#p-publication Students are encouraged to discuss the benefits and implications of open access publication with their advisors. Open access publica tion of Penn dissertations has been available for nearly five years, and an increasing number of students have already chosen this option. Open access publication provides the author with a much wider audience and can help students market their ideas to potential employers. In cases where papers are in press, patents are pending, or there are other intellectual property concerns, it may be beneficial to delay (embargo) publication. Beginning in December 2015, students will be permitted to embargo the dissertation automatically for three years and may apply for an additional three-year extension with the permission of the Graduate Group Chair. Further extension of the embargo requires the approval of the Graduate Dean. To assist students in better understanding issues pertaining to open access, copyright, patents and intellectual property, the Dissertation Manual has been updated as an online guide, with links to a variety of resources at Penn and beyond. The new Dissertation Manual is online at: http://guides.library.upenn.edu/dissertation_manual Until December 2015, open access publication of the dissertation remains optional, with an automatic embargo of one year.  Questions about the policy may be sent to provost-ed@upenn.edu"