This page should be used to find out which files should be submitted as part of your ORA deposit, and in which version(s) and format(s).
Two copies of your thesis should be submitted to ORA:
1. Archive version: The version of your work that is required for deposit to the research archive in order to comply with the terms of your graduation is a copy that is as close to the examined work as possible (including any approved minor corrections), with all images and text in place, for the purpose of preservation.
This may be a Word doc, LaTeX, PDF (depending on how the file has been created) or another source. Files can be zipped together to submit to the repository as necessary. The archive version of your thesis must not have security settings enabled as this prevents indexing and the running of preservation activities.
The original source file(s) will be kept secure in the dark archive for preservation and will not be made accessible for general use.
2. Dissemination version: A PDF version of the work should also be added to your submission as the version for dissemination (once any embargo periods have ended).
If you are unable to make the full version of your thesis available online, we must still receive a full archive version of your thesis, but you can - with dispensation from consultation - provide an edited dissemination version. It must be ensured, however, that pagination matches between the two versions (i.e. if your dissemination version has one page redacted, a blank, numbered page should be in its place). See: edited/dissemination version.
PDFs are a good format for dissemination as they display as the author intended, retain pagination (and therefore correct cross-referencing) and can have security settings enabled.
Additional files: If your document requires any custom LaTeX macros or scripts, please include these.
If your thesis files contain TIFFs, it is helpful to deposit JPEG versions as well. ORA staff may make a JPEG copy.
If your thesis work contains datasets, they can be submitted to ORA in a separate deposit and linked to your thesis record as a related item. Please contact ora@bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you wish to discuss the deposit of research data in ORA, or view our dataset research guide for further information.
ORA will accept any font or characters that are Unicode
Many authors need to include non-Roman characters in their publications. Use of Unicode fonts is recommended for inclusion in ORA.
Other non-Unicode fonts/characters may be problematic:
If you are not using a Unicode font, please avoid inserting non-Roman characters or other non-Unicode characters in the ORA deposit form. Contact ora@bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you have any queries on this matter.
Greek characters
Many students want to include images within their thesis. If you intend to include images you might like to think about:
Generally, it is best to keep things as simple as possible. You should check with your supervisor for information about what your academic division permits as content within your thesis.
The requirement to submit a hardbound copy of your thesis to the Examination Schools is currently suspended.
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.
Depositors may deposit files in any format in ORA. It is expected that most files will have been created using current common or recent software applications. Some older, obsolete or more obscure file types may present preservation or dissemination difficulties and depositors should be aware of such limitations.
Software for converting files to PDF is available on many departmental or college workstations, but if you have any problems additional support can be given from by IT Services, Banbury Road.