Guidance for choosing your access levels

Open Access

Open Access theses can be downloaded from Apollo as a PDF file without any restrictions other than the license under which they have been made available. Just click on the document file in the thesis record to download a copy.

This access level is suitable for theses that do not contain any third party copyright or sensitive information, where there is no immediate plan to develop the thesis into a further work (such as a book, book chapter or journal article) or where there is such a plan but your publisher does not consider the open availability of an thesis to be a prior publication. 

You may be planning to develop your thesis and publish it as a monograph or journal article. Many publishers will not consider the existence of an openly available thesis to be problematic, and specifically, do not consider it a 'prior publication'. This is especially true for any publisher who is a member of COPE; they have guidelines for publishers when dealing with theses that have been made available in an institutional website, which make it clear that such theses should not be considered prior publications, provided they contain otherwise unpublished work.  

Opting for Open Access first is definitely worthwhile considering because it increases the visibility and exposure of your work by making it discoverable by search engines. This can lead to higher citation counts, increased potential for international and interdisciplinary collaboration and attention from publishers. It will also provide a stable, long-term URL that you can use to promote and share your work and allow you to monitor the impact of your research by tracking citations and downloads which you can advertise to potential funders or employers. By making a reference copy publicly available you are also better protected against plagiarism. Plus, you can always opt to place an embargo on your thesis at a later date if necessary. 

• If your thesis is currently open access and you wish to change the access level, please complete the Access Confirmation Form and email it to thesis@repository.cam.ac.uk  

Embargoed Access

Embargoed theses are shown in Apollo with a padlock icon over the PDF file. The files are not open access but a copy can be requested. If you wish to access the full thesis, click on the padlock icon on the PDF and you will be redirected to the repository’s ‘Request a Copy’ function. Requests for embargoed theses will be passed on to the author so they can choose to grant or refuse the request at their discretion. 

This access level is suitable for theses where there is immediate plan to develop the thesis into a further work (such as a book, book chapter or journal article) and your publisher does consider the open availability of an thesis to be a prior publication. It may also be suitable for theses that do contain third party copyright material for which permission is being sought and is expected to be provided. Theses will be embargoed for 12 months in the first instance. 

Embargoed theses will default to Open Access at the end of the embargo period. The Thesis Team do not send reminders, so students are advised to make a note of the expiry date and contact the Thesis Team in advance if you wish to extend the embargo on your thesis. 

• If you need to extend an existing embargo on your thesis, or the embargo on your thesis has lapsed and you wish to reinstate it, please fill in the Embargo Extension Form and email it to thesis@repository.cam.ac.uk. Embargoes can be extended for a maximum of six years from the date of deposit in Apollo. 

• If your thesis is currently embargoed, and you wish to change the access level, please complete the Access Confirmation Form and email it to thesis@repository.cam.ac.uk.  

Controlled Access

Theses under Controlled access remain unpublished because they are not made available on the internet via the Apollo repository and as such, the rules for unpublished works in UK copyright law will apply to these theses. Controlled access theses are provided by the University Library in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents act 1998. 

Theses under controlled access are shown in Apollo with a padlock icon over the PDF file. The files are not open access but a copy can be requested. If you wish to access the full thesis, click on the padlock icon on the PDF and you will be redirected to the repository’s ‘Request a Copy’ function. Requests for access are managed by the Library, not by the author. Requesters must agree to the terms of use before a Controlled Access thesis will be released. If a thesis has been digitised by the Digital Content Unit's image request service in the library it will be deposited in Apollo under controlled access and can be requested via the thesis record in Apollo.

For further information on copying by librarians or archivists see: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/43

This access level is suitable for theses that contain third party material that cannot be redacted and for which no permission has been granted. 

• If your thesis is currently under Controlled Access and you wish to change the access level, please complete the Access Confirmation Form and email it to thesis@repository.cam.ac.uk.  

Time Limited Restricted

Theses under Time Limited Restricted are deposited to Apollo to comply with the University's condition for graduation. However, they are not available for request and the file cannot be accessed. Theses under this access level will have a basic metadata record and do not display an abstract. Once the time period has elapsed, the thesis will be made openly available. 

The Degree Committee must also sign the Thesis Access Form if this access level is chosen. Students are advised to factor this into their submission timeline as the Degree Committees meet at specific times throughout the term; more information on the Degree Committee meeting dates is available on the Student Registry's website

This access level is suitable for theses that contain sensitive information that is sensitive for a specific period of time, for example, it is most often used where a patent application is planned or in process but it could also be appropriate in other situations where the sensitivity will lapse after a specified period of time, for example, a period of time defined by a non-disclosure agreement. 

This access level is not designed for situations where the intention is to develop the thesis into a published work; students should choose from open, embargoed or controlled access in these situations, taking into consideration the publisher's position on whether they count an openly available thesis to be an already published work.

• If the need for the temporary restriction has lapsed and you wish to you wish to change the access level, please complete the Access Confirmation Form and email it to thesis@repository.cam.ac.uk. Please complete the same form if you wish to extend an existing restriction period. You will need to seek permission from the Degree Committee to change the access level or extend the restriction period. 

Indefinitely Restricted

Theses that are Indefinitely Restricted are deposited to Apollo to comply with the University's condition for graduation. However, they are not available for request and the file cannot be accessed. Theses under this access level will have a basic metadata record and do not display an abstract. 

The Degree Committee must sign the Thesis Access Form if this access level is chosen. Students are advised to factor this into their submission timeline as the Degree Committees meet at specific times throughout the term; more information on the Degree Committee meeting dates is available on the Student Registry's website

This access level is suitable for theses that contain sensitive information that will remain sensitive for the foreseeable future and the nature of which means that it should never be released. Examples include theses that contain non-anonymised health information, where political views of identifiable individuals are expressed and which may endanger their safety if released. This access level is not designed for situations where the intention is to develop the thesis into a published work; students should choose from open, embargoed or controlled access in these situations, taking into consideration the publisher's position on whether they count an openly available thesis to be an already published work.

Thesis Access Options Summary