Delay in Public Release of Thesis

The University of Calgary is a publicly funded institution and much of our research is sponsored by government funding. As such, the university has an obligation to ensure that this research is available for the benefit of the public at large, for example, through the University of Calgary’s online repository. However, in some circumstances where it would be detrimental to the author or the sponsor of the thesis research to have the thesis made publicly available immediately upon completion, the copyright owner of a thesis may request that it be withheld from public distribution for a period of time. Valid reasons to withhold a thesis from public distribution include: 

1. A contract between the research sponsor and the University specifies a period of confidentiality (normally up to two years; proof of contract is required)
2. Applying for a patent (normally up to two years; proof of application is required)
3. Enabling publication in a scholarly venue (normally up to five years; a publication plan is required)
4. Publishing of the creative portion of a creative work (normally up to five years with the possibility of extending to duration of copyright; supporting document such as proof of contract, letters from the publisher are required). Controlled access to the complete thesis will be available through the University of Calgary Archives after the initial withhold period.

A Thesis Withhold Form may be obtained from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Once the appropriate signatures have been obtained, and the Dean of Graduate Studies has approved the request, the copyright owner of the thesis, the department and the University of Calgary Archives will receive copies of the form. Once the withhold period expires the thesis will be sent to Library and Archives Canada, and will also be made available to the public. In the event that a withhold is requested to be released earlier than scheduled, a memo must be supplied explaining the reasons for such a request and must demonstrate consent from all related parties.

NOTE: Thesis Title and Abstract will be published in The Vault, the university's electronic thesis repository as soon as the electronic submission is approved.

Submit the Thesis Withhold Request form to the FGS office, along with your other mandatory thesis forms. Your forms will be reviewed and you will be given further instructions on how to submit your thesis. A withhold will not be granted if approval is not obtained.