Due to an amendment of the regulations for dissertation publication in April, 2013, all Doctoral conferees must now make the entire text of their dissertations publically available online within one year from the date of conferment.
The new rule has designated the Kobe University Repository Kernel as its preferred online publication medium.
It is, however, possible to apply for a deferment. If the reason(s) for deferment is officially approved, the summary of dissertation will be published instead of the entire dissertation.

（201304announcement_en)

【Kobe University Repository (Kernel)】
https://lib.kobe-u.ac.jp/da/en/kernel/deposit_thesis/
Procedure BEFORE Confermentv (Procedure when submitting dissertation)
【When applying for deferment of online publication】

If the reason(s) for deferment is officially approved, then the online publication will be postponed for two years (in principle) from the date of the degree conferment. Applicants for this procedure must submit the following documents to the Student Affairs Section of Graduate School of Engineering when submitting Doctoral Dissertation.
【Documents to be Submitted】

1. ”Delegation of Authority for Online Publication of Doctoral
   Dissertation(Attachment Form 1)”
2. ”Description of Dissertation Summary (Attachment Form 2)”
3. “Application to Defer Online Publication of Dissertation (Form 1)”
4. Summary of Dissertation
   (Only if you apply for deferment of online publication at the same time as requesting dissertation review, the dissertation abstract can be accepted as a summary of dissertation to be published online.)

The summary is required to be made in the PDF/A version. The file name of summary should be as follows;

Ex. [SUMMARY] 甲_123T456T_KonbeTaro_Degree Title in Japanese.pdf
([SUMMARY]甲_StudentNo_NameofAuthor_Degree Title in Japanese.pdf)
*Numbers, alphabets and underline must be one-byte.
*The degree title should be selected from the followings;
-　学術(=Philosophy)
-　工学(=Philosophy in Engineering)
(Reasons for deferment)
Please choose one of the reasons listed in the form ”Description of Dissertation Summary (Attachment Form 2)”.
(1) To respect copyright agreement or to protect personal information 　　　contained within the dissertation.
(2) Where online publication may jeopardize the possible future 　　　appearance of the dissertation in some other printed publications, 　　　academic journal or patent application.

When applying for Exemption from Online Publication

Applicants for this procedure must submit the following documents to the Student Affairs Section of Graduate School of Engineering and the summary of dissertation when submitting Doctoral Dissertation.
【Documents to be Submitted】

1. ”Delegation of Authority for Online Publication of Doctoral
   Dissertation(Attachment Form 1)”
2. ”Description of Dissertation Summary (Attachment Form 2)”
3. “Application for Permission to Exempt Dissertation from Online Publication (Form 4)”
4. Summary of Dissertation
   (The dissertation abstract cannot be accepted as a summary of
   dissertation to be published online.)

Please follow the instructions in the section 【When applying for deferment of online publication】above how to make a summary.
(Reasons for deferment)
Please choose one of the reasons listed in the form ”Description of Dissertation Summary (Attachment Form 2)”.
(1) When the dissertation contains non-printed items including three-
dimensional shapes.
(2) To respect copyright agreement or to protect personal information
contained within the dissertation.

≪Procedure AFTER Conferment≫【When applying for extension of deferment】

Applicants for this procedure must submit “Application to Extend Period of Initial Deferral of Online Publication of Dissertation (Form 2)” to the Student Affairs Section of Graduate School of Engineering by three months before the initial deferment deadline (when the deadline of submission is on a weekend, the application form must be submitted by Friday before the weekend).

【When applying for cancellation of deferment】

Applicants for this procedure must submit “Application to Cancel a Deferral of Online Publication of Dissertation (Form 3)” to the Student Affairs Section of Graduate School of Engineering as soon as the reason for deferment is overcome.
(Reasons for deferment)
(1) To respect copyright agreement or to protect personal information
contained within the dissertation.
(2) Where online publication may jeopardize the possible future
appearance of the dissertation in some other printed publications,
academic journal or patent application.

【When applying for Exemption from Online Publication after approval of deferment】

Applicants for this procedure must submit the following documents to the Student Affairs Section of Graduate School of Engineering by three months before the deferment deadline (when the deadline of submission is on a weekend, the application form must be submitted by Friday before the weekend).
【Documents to be Submitted】

1. ”Description of Dissertation Summary (Attachment Form 2)”
2. “Application for Permission to Exempt Dissertation from Online Publication (Form 4)”
3. Summary of Dissertation
   (The dissertation abstract cannot be accepted as a summary of dissertation to be published online.)
   (Reason for deferment)
   (1) To respect copyright agreement or to protect personal information contained within the dissertation.

Additional information

(1) The above conditions apply only to online publication. The dissertation must still be made available in printed form to the National Diet Library and the Kobe University Library.
(2) After the expiration of the initial period of deferment or an extension to the initial period of deferment, the dissertation will be put into Kobe University Online Repository Kernel.
(3) It could happen that the online publication may not be allowed when the copyright belongs to someone else and the dissertation contains information, such as figures or personal information, which cannot be reprinted. In such cases, all the necessary procedure, including a request for permission of reprinting or publication, must be taken on the author’s own responsibility upon mutual agreement with your academic supervisor.

Application Forms

(Form 1)　
Application to Defer Online Publication of Dissertation
[Word]　[PDF] [Sample]
(Form 2)
Application to Extend Period of Initial Deferral of Online Publication of Dissertation　
[Word]　[PDF]　[Sample]
(Form 3)
Application to Cancel a Deferral of Online Publication of Dissertation
[Word]　[PDF]　[Sample]
(Form 4)
Application for Permission to Exempt Dissertation from Online Publication
[Word]　[PDF] [Sample]
(Attachment Form 1)
Delegation of Authority for Online Publication of Doctoral Dissertation
(Attachment Form 2)
Description of Dissertation Summary
[Excel] [PDF]

(Updated.01.16.2015)