Archive of doctoral theses

Pursuant to the provisions of Law no. 382/1980 as amended, doctoral theses defended in Italian universities must be deposited at the two National Central Libraries of Florence and Rome, which render these documents accessible in accordance with current legislation.

A new space for the depositing and accessing of doctoral theses

Since 2010, Italian universities have had the option of depositing doctoral theses in either printed or digital format, initially by sending a CD or DVD-ROM, and later through automatic acquisition.

In 2023, the National Central Library of Florence (BncF) joined the CINECA Interuniversity Consortium, with a view to improving and implementing long-term conservation and access services for digital scientific research materials produced by Italian universities and research centres.

As part of this collaboration, which promises to be extensive and long-lasting, the first service to be set up concerns the creation of a new system for the depositing and accessing of doctoral theses.
The platform has been created by CINECA using the Unitesi platform, and has been available for public access since July 2024 via: https://tesidottorato.depositolegale.it/.

Methods for the depositing of doctoral theses

The methods for depositing vary according to how individual universities handle doctoral theses, and are described below.

Universities that have an institutional IRIS doctoral theses repository

For universities equipped with an institutional IRIS repository, theses are transmitted to the Magazzini Digitali (Digital Archives) automatically.

Automatic transmission governs all theses with a “definitive/validated” status.
Similarly, any updates to previously transmitted theses will be sent automatically.
Each university IRIS system contains the “BncF synchronisation monitoring” tool, which can be accessed by administrators via the “SYNCRONISATION” section and that allows verification of the status (correct or error) of transmitted theses.

Universities equipped with other types of institutional doctoral thesis repository (e.g., DSpace, Eprints, Esploro, etc.).

The Magazzini Digitali are equipped with a web service: universities with other types of repositories may sent theses via a REST client.

Specifications for client development have been defined by CINECA in the relative documentation: TD REST Client Deposit Specifications (updated as of February 2025)

Credentials for sending and modifying records may be requested by writing to: bnc-fi.magazzinidigitali@cultura.gov.it

With a view to facilitating collaboration between public administration entities and in compliance with the provisions regarding Reuse and Open Source published by AGID, universities developing clients are invited to provide solutions for free reuse in accordance with the Guidelines for the acquisition and reuse of software for public administrations.

Universities that do not have an institutional doctoral theses repository

Universities that do not have an institutional doctoral theses repository and that have, until now, deposited doctoral theses via CD-ROM or similar formats are required to apply to the BncF (bnc-fi.magazzinidigitali@cultura.gov.it) for credentials to allow them to upload theses directly to the Magazzini Digitali.
Theses may be uploaded either individually or in batches, either manually filling in the various fields or via the available upload formats: BibTEX, EndNote, RIS, CSV, TSV, ISI.

As of 15 May 2024, doctoral theses on CD-ROM or similar formats will no longer be accepted for deposit.

Metadata schema

For universities with an IRIS repository, information on mapping with the mandatory or optional metadata schema for deposit purposes is provided in the following file: Mappatura-DepositoLegale-IRIS.xlsx (updated as of January 2025).

For universities without an IRIS repository or an institutional repository, the mandatory or optional metadata schema for deposit purposes is described in the client development specifications: TD Client REST Deposit Specifications (updated as of February 2025).

File formats suitable for deposit

Irrespective of the chosen method of transmission, files should preferably be transmitted in PDF/A or standard format in order to facilitate the long-term conservation of resources, with a maximum dimension of 300 MB.

Any particular requirements concerning file format should be assessed and agreed with the BncF in advance.

Full-text access to deposited theses

With almost all Italian universities having adopted specific open access policies, and above all in accordance with the provisions of art. 14 of Ministerial Decree no. 226/2021, the majority of doctoral theses have been issued for open access or, in permitted cases, with a temporary embargo that may vary in length (generally for a maximum of 36 months).
Consequently, only a residual number of cases exist in which doctoral theses may currently be issued with permanent restricted access policies.
However, universities have adopted their relative open access policies at different times and in varying ways, and therefore access to doctoral theses defended before the adoption of these policies is very often restricted or blocked.

In line with the situation described, full-text access to doctoral theses via the Magazzini Digitali is defined as follows:

  • University repository = Open Access
    ⇒ Magazzini Digitali = Open Access
  • (For prior submissions and other residual cases) University repository = Blocked or restricted access
    ⇒ Magazzini Digitali = Access granted exclusively from within the National Central Libraries of Florence and Rome, with filtering for IP addresses belonging to the two libraries.
  • University repository = Embargo (temporary)
    ⇒ Magazzini Digitali = Access blocked for the duration of the Embargo

Licences

Starting from October 2025, it will be possible to submit information on the usage licenses of doctoral theses to Digital Archives.
The accepted values are:

The procedures for submitting licenses are as follows:

  • For universities with an IRIS repository: each university must open a ticket with its Cineca support for mapping and submitting licenses, both for already deposited theses and for future deposits.
  • For universities with a NON-IRIS repository: the client documentation has been updated with the new data format.
  • For universities without a repository: when manually uploading theses, it is possible to select the usage license for each attachment.

Doctoral theses containing information harmful or potentially harmful to the rights of others

An initial study of guidelines issued by universities concerning the writing of doctoral theses and their uploading to the repository has identified a number of indications regarding the possible presence in theses of information that is harmful or potentially harmful to the rights of others, with particular reference to copyright (Law 633/1941) and the protection of personal data and information on criminal convictions and offences (GDPR, in particular articles 9 and 10):

  • Content covered by copyright: Theses should only contain third-party content that is in the public domain or, in the case of works covered by copyright, summaries, citations and sections of work in accordance with the limits permitted by art. 70 of Law 633/1941. In all other cases, explicit permission for use must be obtained from the author of the relative work.
  • Special categories of personal data and information on criminal convictions and offences: Theses should not contain any personal data or information regarding criminal convictions or offences unless in anonymous form.

Furthermore, many universities ask PhD students to sign a waiver or declaration regarding the use of third-party data in their thesis, either before or at the same time as it is uploaded into the repository. In some cases, these waivers are attached to the copy of the thesis in the repository, while in others they are not (IRIS, for example, does not currently provide for this). Therefore, in theory, no PhD thesis should contain information produced by third parties that is not in the public domain or that has not been used in compliance with the previsions of Law 633/1941, unless the author has explicitly authorised wider use, nor should it contain any special categories of personal data or criminal information unless in anonymous form.

Consequently, for the purposes of deposit with the National Central Libraries of Florence and Rome, there should be no further limitations to access other than those previously examined.

Any PhD theses containing special categories of personal data or criminal information that is not in anonymous form, in accordance with the specific exceptions provided for by the GDPR and with university regulations, or that contain data regarding military classification or public security, may be sent to the archives with either a restricted-access policy or an embargo of varying duration.

Lastly, if the relative university management system allows, two versions of a thesis may be sent to the archive: one complete and one in which the harmful or potentially harmful information has been redacted.
The Magazzini Digitali will only grant access to the redacted version.
The methods for sending two versions of a single thesis are explained in detail below.

Universities that have an institutional IRIS doctoral theses repository

Two files should be sent, corresponding, respectively, to:

  • redacted thesis = distributed > sent to the BncF and available under OA
  • unredacted thesis = not distributed or distributed under embargo until 31/12/2099 > sent to the BncF and not accessible

Universities equipped with other types of institutional doctoral thesis repository (e.g., DSpace, Eprints, Esploro, etc.).

Reference is made to the documentation regarding client development.

Universities that do not have an institutional doctoral theses repository

Two files may be uploaded:

  • Redacted thesis = available under OA
  • Unredacted thesis under embargo until 31/12/2099 = not accessible

It should, in any case, be noted that the National Central Libraries of Florence and Rome will not in any way be held liable for the content of the material deposited, and that verification of the same is the responsibility of the universities charged with the archiving of doctoral theses.

National Bibliography Number (NBN)

The BncF is the organisation responsible for issuing National Bibliography Numbers (NBN) for digital publications subject to legal or voluntary deposit.
An NBN is a persistent identifier based on the URN (Uniform Resource Name) standard that specifically identifies a determined publication, allowing for the efficient location of resources archived on the internet while also favouring the authentication of the relative resource, its provenance and the relative exploitation rights.
All doctoral theses either already deposited or to be deposited will be automatically assigned an NBN.
The NBN is generated at the moment an item is sent, in whatever manner, and is transmitted in response to the sender if transmission is successful.
For IRIS users, the NBN is memorised within the metadata dc.identifier.nbn.

Processing of previously deposited theses

The inclusion in the new Magazzini Digitali environment of previously deposited doctoral theses, either via automatic harvesting or CD-ROM, takes place as described below.

Universities that have an institutional IRIS doctoral theses repository

Since the implementation of the new Magazzini Digitali, all doctoral theses present in university IRIS repositories are automatically sent to the Magazzini Digitali.
Any records related to theses not present in the IRIS repositories but that have previously been deposited (via harvesting from another form of repository or on CD-ROM) will be recovered by CINECA from the legacy environment of the Magazzini Digitali and entered into the relative university collection.
In the meantime, all resources will remain accessible as previously established, first and foremost the catalogues of the BncF and BNCR.

Universities equipped with other types of institutional doctoral thesis repository (e.g., DSpace, Eprints, Esploro, etc.).

Universities with other forms of institutional repository may choose whether to resend theses transmitted before 2024 via the client developed for subsequent transmissions.
This option allows universities to resolve any previous incorrect or incomplete transmissions, but the relative operation must be agreed in advance with the BncF and CINECA.

Universities that do not have an institutional doctoral theses repository

Doctoral theses from universities without an institutional repository and that were, prior to 15 May 2024, authorised to send CD-ROMs were imported into the new Magazzini Digitali environment by CINECA in 2024.

Access statistics

Statistics regarding the viewing of metadata and files for each doctoral thesis are available via a public graph showing geographic distribution.

How to sign up for the service

Universities that do not currently use the digital doctoral thesis deposit service via one of the three methods described above may formally request subscription by filling in the relative form and sending it to the certified email addressed of the National Central Libraries of Florence and Rome:

  • bnc-fi@pec.cultura.gov.it
  • bnc-rm@pec.cultura.gov.it

Regulatory Framework

Art. 14 Register of doctorates and databases of doctoral theses, paragraph 2. Within thirty days from the approval and defence of a thesis, the relative university will deposit an electronic copy of said thesis in the register referred to in paragraph 1, in a specific section for Open Access. If authorised by the academic board, sections of text may be redacted in accordance with the use of data protected pursuant to the relative current legislation. This is without prejudice to the obligation to deposit theses with the National Central Libraries of Florence and Rome.

Managers of university repositories are kindly invited to comply with the provisions of current legislation and internal regulations regarding research doctorates and open access.

Contacts

National Central Library of Florence | Magazzini Digitali Service
bnc-fi.magazzinidigitali@cultura.gov.it
Supervisor: Ms. Chiara Storti