University of Houston
AC-11: Access to Research

Theses and dissertations from all colleges are required to be submitted both digitally and physically to UH Libraries' Vireo Repository for open access (see below in "Library Support" for further detail). Additionally, any publications resulting from these theses and dissertations are required to cite the original document and be included in the Vireo Repository. This policy was amended to include all colleges November 2014. Since 2011, UH has also participated in ProQuest's submission service for thesis and dissertation submission. This allows for the works to reach an even broader audience that ProQuest serves. However, faculty works are not covered by this policy.

Preparation of Thesis or Dissertation The University of Houston uses an electronic thesis/dissertation submission process. Please check with your specific department for details regarding the college’s steps for submitting an electronic dissertation. Approval of Thesis or Dissertation Proposal Students must receive approval of their thesis or dissertation proposal from their thesis or dissertation committee. The committee is appointed by the dean of the college upon the advice of the appropriate department chair. In some departments, students may not begin research prior to admission to candidacy without the approval of an advisor. The thesis or dissertation must present evidence of a mastery of the literature in an area of study, a significant contribution to knowledge, and the ability to conduct independent research. Every thesis, dissertation or other research project involving the use of Human subjects must be approved by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects before research is started. Students should consult their faculty advisors for information. For additional information or an application form, contact the Office of Research Policies, Compliance and Committees, 316 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building, (713) 743-9204. The final draft of the thesis or dissertation must be completed and submitted to the advisory committee as early as stipulated by the committee, but no later than the deadlines specified in the academic calendar. Suggested Form for Thesis or Dissertation As a general rule, the format and style of presentation should conform to the most acceptable standards of scientific and scholarly writing in the discipline. For instances in which this general rule is an inadequate guide, reference should be made to a style manual approved by the college or department. Before preparing the thesis or dissertation, the student should obtain a copy of the guide for the preparation and submission of theses and dissertations from the appropriate college office. Electronic Submission of Thesis or Dissertation Students and faculty will use Vireo or UMI/ProQuest per the instructions found on http://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/current-students/thesis/ for processing thesis or dissertation material. Documentation will be submitted as a Portable Document Format (PDF) per the guidelines on the web site, and all program/department/college specific requirements must be followed by the student. Bound copies may be requested by the student, but will not be specifically maintained by the program/department/college/library. Previous Publication of Materials Students who have previously published portions of their electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD) in professional journals or in books must demonstrate who ultimately retains the copyright to the published works before material can be made publicly available in UH Libraries’ Vireo repository. It is the student’s responsibility to determine copyright ownership; he/she should consult the contracts signed between the student and the publisher to determine the copyright holder. Future Publication of Materials Any future publication (article or book) should include a note indicating that the material is, or is based upon, a thesis or dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designated degree at the University of Houston. ProQuest Open Access Publishing In addition to the rights granted under Section I of this UMI® Publishing Agreement, ProQuest/UMI may reproduce, distribute, display and transmit the Work in electronic format in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Open database (PQDT Open) or successor database(s), where it will be made available for free download. PQDT Open may be accessed by the academic community as well as through major search engines and open access harvesters. ProQuest/UMI may also provide an electronic copy of the Work to Author's degree-granting institution where it may also be posted for free open access. See "Library Support" for professor publication specifics.

UH (main campus) alumni and visitors are welcome to use the UH Libraries' electronic resources (with the exception of SciFinder Scholar) from within the M.D. Anderson Library or any of its branches. This provides access to the digital repositories of many peer-reviewed journals and publications. Many UH professors also individually provide open access to their research that can easily be accessed by these computers as well. Additionally, as outlined above, all thesis and dissertations bound by UH are uploaded to digital repositories and accessible through the same means described in this response.

No UH division or college has complete open access to all research it produces, particularly for faculty research, because of the expense, but all UH theses and dissertations are open access. http://info.lib.uh.edu/policies/electronic-resource-access-alumni-and-visitors http://www.uh.edu/class/_docs/students/PaperAgreementForm.pdf http://info.lib.uh.edu/edbs/information/.b48102702