This guide relates to the process of depositing theses to the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA).
Students should use this guide to check eligibility to deposit, how to deposit and how to comply with examination regulations.
Supervisors can find out which forms their students need to complete and how they can comply with exam regulations.
The University of Oxford is committed to the dissemination of its research, and in support of this commitment provides ORA. The Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) was established in 2007 as a permanent and secure online archive of research materials produced by members of the University of Oxford.
It provides a single point of public access to electronic copies of peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings by Oxford authors and Oxford research theses, created in fulfilment of University of Oxford Awards. This also provides a means for institutional compliance with funders’ Open Access requirements.
ORA is maintained by staff within the Bodleian Digital Libraries System and Services Department (BDLSS) of the Bodleian Libraries. Contact details are available here.
There are a number of benefits to storing your thesis in ORA and making your thesis freely available:
Benefits for authors
Benefits for the University and wider society
Members of the ORA team are happy to come to departments to talk about deposit requirements for post-graduate research students, covering topics such as obtaining third-party copyright permissions and funder responsibilities. If you would like to arrange a session then please contact ora@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
Your department may already have organised a session to take place within your usual student support programme and we recommend checking with your department to see whether sessions are available.
There are also scheduled sessions run within the Bodleian Libraries, via iSkills. For information on the next Bodleian Libraries iSkills workshop please see the website: Your thesis, copyright and ORA.
Hardbound theses submissions:
Students will not need to submit a hardbound copy of their DPhil thesis to the Examination Schools in order to graduate, following being granted leave to supplicate, during the 2021/22 academic year. This also includes any students who were unable to submit a hardbound copy due to COVID-19 social distancing measures in the 2019/20 & 2020/21 academic year. However, all candidates will still need to submit an electronic copy to the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) a minimum of five working days prior to their graduation date. Students will not be able to attend a degree ceremony (even in absentia) without doing so.
Further information on the position from 2022/23 onwards, and on when it will be possible to submit hard copies of restricted access theses, will be forthcoming in due course. Hard copies should not be printed and submitted to the Exam Schools or arranged for print and delivery via print services in the meantime, before it is confirmed when it will be possible to receive them.
Submissions of Research Degrees theses to be sent to examiners will still be via the Research Thesis Digital Submissions portal.
Up-to-date guidance for students and staff can be found on the Covid-19 FAQ page: http://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/coronavirus-advice “
ORA (Oxford University Research Archive) is the institutional repository for the University of Oxford and is home to the scholarly output of its research members.
Contact us at: ora@bodleian.ox.ac.uk, or via our contact form.
