Doctoral theses & Gray literature

After the work has been approved and graded, students receive two copies of a form from their school's department secretariat (see the sample form). The form includes:

1. Confirmation that the thesis or doctoral dissertation has been approved.
2. A declaration by the author granting the Library and Information Center a non-exclusive licence to make the approved undergraduate thesis, master's thesis or doctoral dissertation available online, and a declaration that a faithful copy will be deposited in the Digital Repository in PDF format.
3. A declaration of any restriction limiting full-text access to the university network, or restricting full-text access for six months without justification. Students seeking a one-year restriction for specific reasons must apply to the Library, explain those reasons in detail, and select the one-year restriction on the form. This applies to both undergraduate and master's theses.
4. A declaration of any restriction limiting full-text access to the university network, or restricting full-text access for up to 36 months with a simple written explanation to the Library. Doctoral candidates seeking a restriction longer than 36 months for specific reasons must apply to the Library, explain those reasons in detail, and select either 60 months or, for exceptional reasons, a restriction without a time limit on the form. This applies only to doctoral dissertations.
5. An application to the Library to check that the required information has been entered correctly and the work has been uploaded successfully to the Digital Repository.

Students must bring both copies of this form to the Library, sign the declarations, and upload their work to the university's Digital Repository, Pergamos. It can be accessed through the Library and Information Center website or directly at pergamos.lib.uoa.gr.

The student's steps for uploading the work to the Digital Repository and the Library's subsequent actions are as follows:

• Visit the platform at http://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/.
• Select "Login" in the upper right corner to open "Personalised services".
• Select "Login via CAS" to go to NKUA's central authentication page, operated by its Network Operations and Management Center (KLEIDI). Enter your NKUA username and password. An active NKUA account is required to access personalised services and processes. If you do not have one, create it at http://webadm.uoa.gr.

Please note: Your account must be correctly linked to your department or the specialisation of your postgraduate programme. If it is not, correct the account details at http://webadm.uoa.gr.

• After you log in, your account details and available services appear. If you are eligible to deposit a work, select "Electronic Deposit". On the next page, select "Start deposit" to begin. Clear, detailed instructions are provided at every step within the platform.
• While completing the appropriate registration form, you can save it temporarily until final submission.
• Students depositing an undergraduate or master's thesis who want to restrict access to the full text have three options:

1. Allow full-text access only within the NKUA network.
2. Restrict full-text access for six months.
3. Select a six-month restriction and submit an application to the Library (see the sample application) explaining in detail the specific reasons for requesting a one-year restriction. The Library forwards the application to the Governing Board of the relevant School Library. Only if the application is approved does the Library set a one-year restriction. If it is rejected, the work becomes available to everyone after the initial six months.

• Doctoral candidates depositing a dissertation who want to restrict full-text access have the following options:

1. Allow full-text access only within the NKUA network.
2. Restrict full-text access for six, 12, 18 or 36 months. For a 36-month restriction, submit a written explanation of the reasons to the Library.
3. Select a 36-month restriction and submit an application to the Library (see the sample application) explaining in detail the specific reasons for requesting a 60-month restriction. The Library forwards the application to the Governing Board of the relevant School Library. Only if it is approved does the Library set a 60-month restriction. If it is rejected, the work becomes available to everyone after the initial 36 months.
4. Select a 36-month restriction and submit an application to the Library (see the sample application) explaining in detail the exceptional reasons for requesting a restriction without a time limit. The Library forwards the application to the Governing Board of the relevant School Library. Only if it is approved does the Library set the restriction without a time limit. If it is rejected, the work becomes available to everyone after the initial 36 months.

• After submission, the student receives an email confirming the deposit.
• Library staff check that the required fields contain the correct information and that the digital file is a PDF. The file must be in its final form and must not be locked.
• If the Library finds errors in the required information or PDF upload, it emails the student, who corrects or completes the information and uploads the work again. Once the Library confirms that the work or dissertation has been entered and uploaded correctly, it approves the deposit and adds it to the Digital Repository's "Grey Literature" collection. Only then are all parties notified by email: the Library, the student, the supervisor and the department secretariat.
• The platform generates a deposit confirmation for the work and attaches it to that email.

The process allows enough flexibility to meet the needs of those involved.

When the selected and approved restriction period ends, the full text becomes available to everyone online.

Remember: depositing a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation is required for graduation and award of the corresponding degree, while depositing an undergraduate thesis is optional, subject to each NKUA department's decisions and procedures.

After three working days from submitting the confirmation/application to the Library and uploading the work to the repository, the student visits the Library, receives one signed copy of the application/confirmation, and gives it to the school's department secretariat to apply for graduation.

Notes:

1. When free access to the full text is restricted, only the work's descriptive metadata is available, such as information about the author and work, the abstract, and keywords.
2. Free access to the full text helps institutions and authors gain prompt recognition for their research output and increases the use of their research results.
3. Deposit in the Digital Repository and free access to the full text help protect authors against plagiarism.