Photo courtesy: UBC Brand & Marketing
All UBC graduate students are required to submit their thesis or dissertation to cIRcle, UBC Library’s open access digital repository.
But what does open access mean, and what are the implications and impacts to your research in the short and long term? And is there an option to request a delayed release (commonly referred to as a delay to publication, or embargo)?
In collaboration with UBC Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office and with the support of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS, UBC Vancouver) and College of Graduate Studies (CoGS, UBC Okanagan), cIRcle is pleased to share a new guide aimed at supporting UBC graduate students as they prepare their thesis or dissertation for wide distribution online.
UBC Theses and Dissertations : Open Access and Embargo Considerations outlines the benefits to open access and what to consider when choosing a Creative Commons (CC) License, which determines how others will be able to cite and use your thesis or dissertation. Further, it provides information about potential impacts to future publication opportunities derived from your research (which can highly vary by discipline), and implications of choosing to delay the release of your thesis or dissertation.
We strongly recommend any UBC graduate students preparing to deposit their thesis or dissertation to cIRcle review this guide, and discuss with your faculty supervisor(s) if there are further questions applicable to your specific context.
Getting ready to submit?
As you prepare to submit your thesis or dissertation to cIRcle, refer to your respective campus’ Graduate Studies website, which outlines deadlines and guidelines for preparation and submission. Note that any embargo requests must be made after your defense, but before you submit to cIRcle:
- UBC Vancouver: G+PS’ Final Submission Instructions
- UBC Okanagan: CoGS’ Post-Defence Submission
If you have questions not answered in the above sites, contact graduate.thesis@ubc.ca (UBC-V) or gradtheses.ok@ubc.ca (UBC-O).
cIRcle has also outlined key steps for submission on cIRcle’s Theses and Dissertations page, and has step-by-step guides you may follow.
Congratulations as you prepare to share your work around the world!
Further Reading
cIRcle’s UBC Theses and Dissertations collection currently holds over 54,000 items.
Essential Tips for UBC Thesis or Dissertation Submission. Published September 2023.
Submitting Non-English and Multilingual Theses and Dissertations. Published June 2025.