Who Can Submit

NMU Commons Master's Theses only publishes theses produced under the auspices of Northern Michigan University.

Formatting guidelines for thesis submission are available at the College of Graduate Studies and Research Thesis Information page, listed under The Northern Michigan University Guide to the Preparation of Theses.

Rights and Permissions

Submission Agreement for Master's Theses

Before submitting a paper to the repository, authors should be sure that all necessary permissions have been cleared. Authors retain the copyright to their own paper and grant Northern Michigan University the non-exclusive right to publish this material, meaning that the author may also publish it elsewhere.

It is necessary that the author agrees to the terms of publishing in the repository listed here:

  • I hold the copyright to this thesis and verify that this thesis and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained and attached hereto needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third‐party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine).
  • I warrant that the posting of the work does not infringe any copyright, nor violate any proprietary rights, nor contain any libelous matter, nor invade the privacy of any person or third party, nor otherwise violate repository policies.
  • I hereby grant to Northern Michigan University and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that my thesis may be made available immediately following approval for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work.

Embargos and On-campus Restrictions

After consultation with their thesis chair, authors may choose to restrict access to their thesis. An embargo restricts a thesis from being downloaded in The Commons until after 5 years. An on-campus restriction limits access to a thesis in The Commons to users on the NMU campus network, either via Wi-Fi or a direct Ethernet connection. Requests for embargos or on-campus restrictions are made when you submit your thesis via The Commons, and will require a written justification. The Dean of Graduate Studies and Research has final say in deciding whether a thesis will be restricted.

For additional information on any of these policies including embargo periods, please contact the Northern Michigan University Office of Graduate Education and Research at graduate@nmu.edu or call 906-227-2300.