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Explanation of Key Terms

Publishing Options in ProQuest

Open Access: Scholarly works are available for viewing and downloading to encourage the wide dissemination of scholarly and scientific information. See Open Access for more information.

Traditional Publishing: The author contracts with the publisher (in this case ProQuest) to reproduce, distribute and sell copies of the author’s work. See Traditional Publishing for more information.

Release Options

Immediate Release: The bibliographic information, the abstract, and the full text of the thesis or dissertation are immediately available for viewing by the general public. See the Open Access or Traditional Publishing options above for additional information.

Delayed Release (or Embargo): Delays the release of the full text of the thesis or dissertation for publication through the ProQuest database and the GW institutional repository for the embargo period selected. The bibliographic information and the abstract of the thesis or dissertation (as entered on the ProQuest ETD Administrator site) will be displayed in both the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Database and the GW institutional repository. See the Open Access or Traditional Publishing options above for additional information.

If you are unsure about placing an embargo on your thesis or dissertation, you may wish to seek guidance from your dissertation/thesis faculty advisor.

​Search Engine Access

ProQuest will ask: "Would you like major search engines such as Yahoo! or Google, etc. to index the metadata of your thesis or dissertation?"

System Default is set to YES.

  • Select YES: Your work will be indexed in major search engines and unembargoed dissertations and theses will be discoverable and accessible through Google Scholar. Authenticated users will be directed to the full text in the ProQuest Dissertation & Theses database. If the ETD is embargoed, the work will not be available for indexing in Google Scholar until after the embargo release date. If you change your mind, email ProQuest Support to opt out.
  • Select NO: Your work will be available for discovery only by users of the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (NOTE: search engines may find access through other access points.)