Non-disclosed (Confidential) Theses #

1. Objectives & Scope #

This short guide deals with possibly confidential works which must not be disclosed. It applies to Bachelor’s Theses 2 (PTO) and Master’s Theses (ENP) likewise.

Keep in mind:

Theses are figuratively the business cards of a study program. Therefore everyone involved in thesis work should really think twice before requesting confidentiality. Often it’s possible to publish the results of the works without disclosing e.g. company secrets (see below, Publication Hints).

2. How to Apply for Non-Disclosure #

File a request on JOANNEUM|online according to this guide
Request will (most probably) get approved by the head of the study program

3. Publication Hints #

If the student’s company advisor suggests (or even requests) not to disclose the thesis, there are still several possibilities to circumvent this situation. Usually it’s possible to remove crucial company-related data deriving from the company-based thesis work / project from the finally published version of the thesis. This is especially a common procedure in the academic community when it comes to economic figures (which, of course, no company would want to have published in a thesis).

Often just disregarding the primary data can (i.e. mentioning their source without further detailed publication) can already lead the path to a disclosed thesis.

In case of doubts:

Ask your academic supervisor to get in touch with the company supervisor to clarify the situation

4. Submission of Non-Disclosed Theses #

Non-disclosed theses as a whole must not be uploaded to JOANNEUM|online, therefore 3 printed and bound (book, dark cover) copies have to be handed in for final grading. The abstract of the thesis must be uploaded to JOANNEUM|online anyhow. For details please refer to Submission of Master’s Theses or Submission of Bachelor’s Theses.

Caution:

Upload of the theses’ abstract to JOANNEUM|online is inevitable to sign up for the final (Bachelor’s or Master’s) exams!