The requirement to deposit a physical copy of PGR theses to the Bodleian Libraries in order to meet the requirements surrounding a research degree has been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Trinity term 2022 the Education Committee – Research Degrees Panel (RDP) agreed, following staff and student consultation, that regulations should be revised permanently so that successful D.Phil., M.Sc., and M.Litt. students are required, on the granting of leave to supplicate, only to submit an electronic version of their finalised thesis to ORA (Oxford University Research Archive).
PGR students are therefore no longer required to submit a physical copy of their thesis to the Bodleian Libraries, with the exception of students who have been granted permanent dispensation from consultation of their entire thesis, who should, in addition to the finalised copy of the thesis submitted to ORA, submit a finalised physical copy of their thesis for deposit in the relevant university library. Students whose thesis (or part of the thesis) is in a non-standard format which cannot be submitted electronically (e.g. a 3D artwork, or artefact) should also submit a physical copy for deposit.*
General Regulations surrounding the affected degrees have now been updated to reflect this change, and a circular detailing this change has been sent from the Education Committee to the Divisions, Department, Faculties, Colleges, and Oxford Student Union.
Students undertaking a PGT degree may still be required to submit a physical copy of their final theses to the Bodleian Libraries as part of the regulations surrounding the degree.
Where submission of a physical copy of your Oxford thesis is necessary, this can be made by handing in your thesis to the Library Information Desk in the Proscholium (entrance) of the Bodleian Library during library opening hours. Alongside your thesis you need to include a completed and signed Graduate Studies Office ‘Information for Thesis Cataloguing’ (GSO.26) form. This form can be found on the Graduate Forms webpage (Graduate forms | University of Oxford), and physical copies are available at the Library Information Desk.
If you cannot deposit your thesis in person please address it to:
Theses deposit
c/o Reader Services
Bodleian Library
Broad Street
Oxford
OX1 3BG
Please address any queries to: oxford.theses@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
* It may be possible to create a digital version of your work for additional electronic submission to ORA, such as 3D-scans. To initiate discussion please contact the ORA team.