Use of Copyrighted Material
Before students submit doctoral dissertations to the Graduate School, they are advised to obtain permission from the author or publisher to quote any extensive portion from copyrighted materials. Such permission usually is granted on the condition that appropriate acknowledgement is made. Students are responsible for any payment which may be required.
Copyrighting the Thesis or Dissertation
A student desiring to register a copyright for a thesis or dissertation should deal directly with the United States Copyright Office of the Library of Congress (http://www.copyright.gov). For general copyright information or questions relating to copyright registration, call the Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000. Recorded information is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and information specialists are on duty from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday except holidays. The Forms Hotline [(202) 707-9100] may also be called to request application forms for registration or informational circulars if the student knows which forms or circulars he/she wants. Form TX is the form to be used to apply for registration of theses, dissertation, works of fiction and poetry, among other textual works.
If a thesis or dissertation is to be copyrighted, the student should include in each copy, preceding the title page, an unnumbered page bearing (1) the symbol " " or the word "Copyright" or the abbreviation "Copr.;" (2) the year of first publication; and (3) the full name of the owner of the copyright. An example would be " 1993 Roger Keith Ballard." A copyright registration is effective on the date that the required application, fee and one complete copy of the entire work for which registration is being made are received in the U. S. Copyright Office.
Microfilming Doctoral Dissertations
North Carolina State University requires that all doctoral dissertations be microfilmed by ProQuest for University Microfilms International. The student is responsible for the charge assessed by University Microfilms. The diploma will not be released nor a statement of the award of the degree entered on the student's permanent record until the required arrangements for microfilming the dissertation have been completed. Abstracts of the thesis are published in Dissertation Abstracts International, a bimonthly journal. Reproductions of a dissertation, either in whole or in part, may be purchased from University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48106. Publication in this form does not preclude publication in other outlets.
For doctoral dissertations, University Microfilms International requires the students
to certify that any extensive use of copyrighted material in the manuscript has the written permission of the copyright owner.
The purpose of this requirement is to "save and hold harmless" University Microfilms International from damages that
may arise from any copyright violations.