Theses FAQ

Q. Is it compulsory for me to submit a copy of my thesis to MRO?
A. According to the Massey University Regulations on Final Examinations (10 i) any thesis with a points value of 90 or more credits and that is not embargoed will be made publicly accessible through the university’s digital repository. This applies only if you enrolled for the programme after 1 January 2007.

Q. What are the advantages of having my thesis publicly accessible?
A. Having your thesis available over the Internet will give your work greater exposure to other academics and researchers and will increase the chance that it will be cited in other publications. If your thesis has a “public good” aspect this will be considerably enhanced. MRO is indexed by the Kiwi Research Discovery Service (KRIS) and Google Scholar. Google Scholar ranks content from institutional repositories higher than other sites as it is considered a ‘trusted site’.

Q. If I do not wish my thesis to be publicly accessible how do I apply for an embargo?
A. You should apply to the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Research) using this form.

Q. Under what circumstances would I want to apply for an embargo?
A. If your thesis contains sensitive or private material you should be aware that the digital repository will make this available to anyone who finds it on the Internet. If you wish to make commercial use of the thesis or of the information it contains you may need to place a limitedterm embargo on it to allow you to do this.

Q. If my thesis is embargoed will it simply not appear in the digital repository?
A. The regulations state that in the case of an embargo details of the author, title, abstract and metadata (i.e. the keywords) will be made available.

Q. How do I submit my thesis to the repository?
A. There is no need to do this. The regulations require you to submit a digital copy of the thesis along with the paper copies and this copy will be used for the repository.

Q. The regulations require a declaration signed by the student and supervisor that the digital and paper copies are identical. How can I ensure that this is the case?
A. You should save a definitive digital copy of the thesis at the time that the final paper copy is printed.

Q. I have included reprints of published articles in my thesis that I wrote during my research. Why are they not allowed in the digital copy?
A. Usually reprints of published articles are subject to copyright restrictions and cannot be loaded as part of your thesis online. Any reprints of articles will be removed from the digital version and a note added to the record in Massey Research Online. However, sometimes publishers allow the accepted manuscript (or the version after peerreviewing) to be added. If you would like the accepted manuscript to be added please include it as a separate file on the CDROM with your thesis. We will then be able to link from your thesis to the articles and vice versa. The advantages of having your articles in the repository are the same as for your thesis. For more information please see the MRO Flyer.