Graduate students are encouraged to review the release options available to you as you publish your dissertation/thesis in the University’s repository, IDEALS, and to discuss them with your advisers as you consider the visibility and dissemination of your work.
Students may choose from three options:
- Open Access: The dissertation/thesis is publically available in IDEALS.
- U of I Access: The dissertation/thesis is restricted in IDEALS to the campus community and through interlibrary loan for 2 years.
- Closed Access: The dissertation/thesis is restricted in IDEALS and is not available to anyone (not even the student or adviser) for 2 years.
Please Note: No matter which release option the student chooses, the metadata (including the title and abstract) will be available.
If it is necessary to delay publication of the document to protect potentially patentable technology or work or to comply with the terms of sponsored research agreements, then the student and adviser must work with the Office of Technology Management (OTM) to request a patent hold on the document. You can learn more about the patent hold process on the OTM website.
If you have any questions regarding these options, please contact the Graduate College Thesis Office at thesis@illinois.edu or (217) 333-6278.