Publisher Policies for Theses

[Updated: 02 Aug 2024] 

Major Academic Publishers* and Standard Policies Related to Academic Theses

*Individual journal policies might vary; see individual journal author guidelines for more details. See (formerly Sherpa Services, which included ) for links to journal websites or contact the journal editor / manager.

 

On this page:

 

Does the publisher allow authors to include their published articles in their theses?

(pre-thesis submission activity)

The information provided below was retrieved from the publisher's website on the date indicated.

Elsevier | 30 May 2024

Yes. There are two related entries on the Elsevier FAQ page, shown below.

says [emphasis added]:

Can I include/use my article in my thesis/dissertation?

Yes. Authors can include their articles in full or in part in a thesis or dissertation for non-commercial purposes.

AND

Can I use material from my Elsevier journal article within my thesis/dissertation?

As an Elsevier journal author, you have the right to include the article in a thesis or dissertation (provided that this is not to be published commercially) whether in full or in part, subject to proper acknowledgment; see the for more information. No written permission from Elsevier is necessary.

This right extends to the posting of your thesis to your university’s repository provided that if you include the published journal article, it is embedded in your thesis and not separately downloadable.

If published as a subscription article, says [clarification added]:

Theses and dissertations which contain embedded [published journal article] as part of the formal submission can be posted publicly by the awarding institution with DOI links back to the formal publications on .

Taylor & Francis | 30 May 2024

Yes, with conditions.

says:

As is the case for open access publishing, when publishing in a subscription journal, the author (or copyright owner of the article, if different) signs an author publishing agreement. The agreement incorporates the necessary transfer of copyright. After assigning copyright, you will still retain the right to:

  • Include the article in your thesis or dissertation
  • Post the Author’s Original Manuscript (AOM)/Accepted Manuscript (AM) on a departmental, personal website or institutional repositories depending on embargo period. To find the embargo period for any Taylor & Francis journal, please use the .

says:

Embargoes usually apply if you are posting the AM [Accepted Manuscript] to an institutional or subject repository, or to a scholarly collaboration network such as ResearchGate. (Embargo periods for all our journals are listed in the .)

Wiley | 30 May 2024

Yes, with conditions.

says:

Do I need to request permission to use my own work as my dissertation?

If you are the author of a published Wiley article, you have the right to reuse the full text of your published article as part of your thesis or dissertation. In this situation, you do not need to request permission from Wiley for this use.

Springer | 12 June 2024

Yes, with conditions, usually.

The standard policy is that, upon publication of the article, authors can reuse their article without permission provided that they cite the original material. However, in some cases there are certain factors which need to be considered on an article by article basis. Authors should contact the journal editor or publisher liaison before including their articles in a thesis. (Information obtained via email correspondence in September 2020.)

Note that Springer Nature has partnered with Copyright Clearance Center's RightsLink service to offer a variety of options for reusing this content.

says [emphasis added]:

Can I share my electronic offprint with others?

The eOffprint [typeset published version] is for personal use only and shall not be self-archived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website.

You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later, provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication, and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website.

The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at ”.

Sage | 12 June 2024

Yes, for most journals.

Regarding original submissions and accepted manuscripts, says:

You may share the Original Submission or Accepted Manuscript at any time after your paper is accepted and in any format. Your sharing of the Original Submission or Accepted Manuscript may include posting a downloadable copy on any website, saving a copy in any repository or network, sharing a copy through any social media channel, and distributing print or electronic copies. Please note some journals will not consider papers that have been posted as preprints prior to submission and you may check a journal’s policy regarding considering previously-posted papers by referring to the journal’s submission guidelines.

Regarding the final published version, says:

You may use the Final Published PDF (or Original Submission or Accepted Manuscript, if preferred) in the following ways:
[...]

  • in your dissertation or thesis, including where the dissertation or thesis will be posted in any electronic Institutional Repository or database

Provided that:
[...]

  • You may not post the Final Published PDF on any unrestricted website or repository without permission from SAGE.

[...]

  • The journal as the original publication of your Contribution is appropriately credited by including the full citation information each time your Contribution, or excerpts, are further distributed or re-used: 
    • After your Contribution has been accepted for publication and until it is assigned a DOI, please include a statement that your Contribution has been accepted for publication in the journal.
    • Once full citation information for your Contribution is available, please include this with your posted Contribution, in a format similar to the following: Author(s), Contribution Title, Journal Title (Journal Volume Number and Issue Number) pp. xx-xx. Copyright © [year] (Copyright Holder). DOI: [DOI number].
Some SAGE journals have exceptions to this author re-use policy. The re-use terms for these journals are stated in the Contributor Agreement used by the Journal. .
Nature | 12 June 2024

Yes, with attribution.

says:

Author reuse

Authors have the right to reuse their article’s Version of Record, in whole or in part, in their own thesis. Additionally, they may reproduce and make available their thesis, including Springer Nature content, as required by their awarding academic institution.

Authors must properly cite the published article in their thesis according to current citation standards.

Material from: 'AUTHOR, TITLE, JOURNAL TITLE, published [YEAR], [publisher - as it appears on our copyright page]'

If you are [in] any doubt about whether your intended re-use is covered, please contact journalpermissions@springernature.com for confirmation.

IEEE | 12 June 2024

Yes, with citation and some conditions. But the final published version may not be posted online.

Author Centre for , , and all say:

Can I Reuse My Published Article in My Thesis?

You may reuse your published article in your thesis or dissertation without requesting permission, provided that you fulfill the following requirements depending on which aspects of the article you wish to reuse.

  • Text excerpts: Provide the full citation of the original published article followed by the IEEE copyright line: © 20XX IEEE. If you are reusing a substantial portion of your article and you are not the senior author, obtain the senior author’s approval before reusing the text.
  • Graphics and tables: The IEEE copyright line (© 20XX IEEE) should appear with each reprinted graphic and table.
  • Full text article: Include the following copyright notice in the references: “© 20XX IEEE. Reprinted, with permission, from [full citation of original published article].”
When posting your thesis on your university website, include the following message:

“In reference to IEEE copyrighted material which is used with permission in this thesis, the IEEE does not endorse any of [name of university or educational entity]’s products or services. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. If interested in reprinting/republishing IEEE copyrighted material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution, please go to http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/rights_link.html to learn how to obtain a License from RightsLink. If applicable, University Microfilms and/or ProQuest Library, or the Archives of Canada may supply single copies of the dissertation.”

Only the accepted version of your article, not the final published version, may be posted online in your thesis.

 

Does the publisher accept manuscripts previously made available in a thesis?

(post-thesis submission activity)

The information provided below was retrieved from the publisher's website on the date indicated.

Elsevier | 30 May 2024

Yes, for most journals.

says [emphasis added]:

Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication: An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Elsevier does not view the following uses of a work as prior publication: publication in the form of an abstract; publication as an academic thesis; publication as an electronic preprint. Note: some society-owned titles and journals that operate double-blind review have different policies on prior publication. Information on prior publication is included within each Elsevier journal’s guide for authors.

Taylor & Francis | 30 May 2024

Yes, with attribution.

Yes, as long as the journal editor is made aware (during the submission process) that the paper is derived from their dissertation. (Information obtained via personal email correspondence July 2021.)

Taylor & Francis actively encourages graduate students to publish their thesis work, as evidenced by advice articles like and .

Wiley | 30 May 2024

Yes.

says [emphasis added]:

The following types of “prior publication” do not present cause for concerns about duplicate or redundant publication (see also the information in these guidelines on preprints):

  1. Abstracts and posters presented as part of conference proceedings.
  2. Results presented at meetings (for example, to inform investigators or participants about findings).
  3. Results in databases and clinical trials registri