URI Thesis Submission Guidelines.pdf

The University of Rhode Island requires doctoral dissertations and master's theses to be deposited electronically via ProQuest's Dissertation Publishing service. After submission, ProQuest delivers the dissertation or thesis to the University Libraries, which then deposits it into DigitalCommons@URI, making it openly available via the Internet.

Students can choose from the following public access options:
- Immediate release
- 6-month embargo
- 1-year embargo
- 2-year embargo

A permanent embargo is not permitted. By submitting their thesis/dissertation, students grant the University of Rhode Island a non-exclusive right to reproduce, display, and distribute their work in electronic format. Students retain ownership rights to the copyright of their work and the right to use it in future works.

The submission process includes a digital form that must be completed by students and their major professors. The form requires acknowledgement of the Library Rights Statement, which includes the non-exclusive thesis/dissertation distribution license.