UMI Dissertation Services
A UMI dissertation service is a publishing service provided to dissertation and writers who have completed their documents and have earned their degrees. UMI dissertation services are offered by UMI Dissertation Publishing, a division of the research database ProQuest. UMI Dissertation Publishing maintains a large electronic database of graduate dissertations and theses from institutions around the world. This database is commonly available at academic libraries.
A UMI dissertation service should not be confused with a dissertation writing or editing service. UMI is a publisher of completed documents; therefore, UMI dissertation services are only related to the storage and publication of assignments that have been approved by institutions. UMI does not alter submitted theses or dissertation in any way.
One of the most important UMI dissertation services is the storage and distribution of dissertations and theses. This is significant for two primary reasons. First, there is much important academic work and research reported in theses and dissertations; however, many graduate students do not seek publication of this work immediately or sometimes ever. UMI makes this information available to the academic community through an easily searchable and widely available electronic database so that academics can be aware of current graduate research. Many institutions mandate that their students submit their graduate dissertation or thesis to UMI upon completion, making the UMI database fairly comprehensive. UMI then uploads these documents into its database, which can be accessed from most university libraries and some public libraries, as well. Researchers are then able to search the database and read the document abstracts and, if interested, request a copy of the entire document for research purposes. Besides making information more widely available to the academic community, the UMI database is a permanent record. UMI maintains both physical and electronic copies of all submitted documents. Therefore, if a student's dissertation or thesis is somehow lost, it can always be retrieved from UMI.
Another significant UMI dissertation service is the copyrighting of dissertations and theses. If requested, UMI will file the necessary documentation for copyrighting a student's document, so long as the student submits the requisite copyrighting fee.
UMI stores dissertations and theses free of charge. However, it may require that interested parties purchase a dissertation or thesis featured on its database. Therefore, UMI can also serve as a market for student work, as students receive a percentage of all copies of their work sold through UMI.
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