Submitting master's theses

●Discussion Jan-Erik Frantzvag

There is a power for higher education institutions to exempt master's theses from the public, but only if the content indicates that they should do so. The Master's thesis is intended as training for scientific activity, and good science is not conducted behind closed doors.

I read in Nettavisen News that Trond Jeske refuses to extradite Master's thesis from NTNU. With the constant search for potential abuses by politicians, I can completely understand that you would not want to participate in that game, but this raises some questions that academia needs to think about.

It was a tradition Since ancient times, these assignments had to be handed over to the institution's library for further loan, but there was also a tradition of candidates being able to object to such lending activities and claim the assignment “conditionally” as it was called in the old days. I see Nettavisen use the term ranges, it was a new term to me.

I was engaged In working with us Monin Science ArchiveSuch issues were also discussed with us. In a scholarly archive, the content is made freely available online, and anyone can read it. After discussions with our attorneys, it became clear that students could oppose this online availability, under their own copyright. It was assumed that master's theses by definition have what is called the height of a work, such that they are protected by copyright.

As it became clear The institution of the “condition” has no legal basis. What is the legal basis? Public Law (Law on the Right to Access Documents in Public Institutions 05-19-16-2006). The dissertation must be understood as a document received by the institution, and questions regarding public access to it must be dealt with in accordance with the rules contained herein. It should be noted that the administration of this matter rests with the institution, and the student's wishes actually have no place in the proceedings as far as I can find in the law.

Provides law to the institution The opportunities – or even in some cases the obligation – to have a master's thesis exempted from the public, due to the content of the thesis. This may relate to trade secrets, personal data, etc. There is also in Article 26 a basis for exempting test documents from public inspection, a basis that could be used in the Giske case.

But the law requires As institutions exercise greater transparency (paragraph 11), they should indicate in practice that a master's thesis can only be exempted from publication if the content indicates that this should be done.

A must for every journalist He can contact the university and request to obtain/borrow at least a hard copy of the master's thesis – and grant the wish, unless the institution can prove a basis for its exemption from the public, when the law's requirement for further publicity has been taken into account. If you approach the candidate, they are fully within their rights to refuse to hand over their transcripts – candidates are not subject to common law, but to institutions. They are the appropriate addressee for such an inquiry, at least when the candidate says no.

To this limit A master's thesis is intended to be an exercise in scientific activity, and it seems strange that institutions should take the position that it is better not to make such assignments available – good science is not done behind closed doors.