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Electronic Theses of LMU Munich

Opening hours

Personal submission of your dissertation (no appointment necessary)

Monday to Friday from 9-12 o'clock
Leopoldstr. 13
Haus 1, Zi 1108 (1. Stock)

Address for postal delivery

Universitätsbibliothek der LMU München
Publikationsdienste Dissertationen
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
80539 München

Please note that it is not possible to drop off items outside opening hours. There is no letterbox for posting university theses.

After passing the oral exam, your thesis must be made available to the scientific community, i.e. published (statutory obligation to publish), in the version approved by your doctoral supervisor. Some faculties also require the publication of a Habilitationsschrift.

The following FAQ is intended to help you with the publication of your university thesis. If you have specific questions, please contact the "Dissertation Publication Services".

We will always inform you by e-mail if there are any changes to the submission status of your thesis. You therefore do not need to call us.

What options do I have for publishing my thesis?

According to the doctoral regulations or Habilitationsordnungen of the faculties, you have two options for publishing your thesis:

  1. Publication in print by a publisher as a monograph, as part of a series, or as a special issue of a journal
  2. Electronic publication in the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and copies printed in a copy shop accompanying the electronic submission
    (Electronic submission is not permitted at the Faculty of Protestant Theology and the Faculty of Business Administration - Munich School of Management)

The doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung regulate how many printed depository copies must be submitted. Some doctoral regulations also allow other forms of submission on request.

Leaflets for all faculties for the submission of theses

What is the faculty title page?

Every thesis must include a so-called faculty title page. Usually, you have already added this to the front of your thesis when submitting it for revision. After the oral exam, you will usually have to add a few details.

It contains the following information:

  • Your faculty and the doctoral degree you wish to obtain, e.g. Dr. med., Dr. rer. nat., Dr. phil.
  • The full title of your thesis, including the subtitle
  • Your full name as it appears on your passport
  • The names and academic titles of your two referees for the written thesis
  • The date of the oral exam
  • Some faculties also require the date of submission and/or your place of birth

The requirements can be found in your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung.

Referees and dates of submission and oral exam are not required for Habilitationsschriften. Here you only need to indicate the year in which the Venia legendi was granted.

Faculty title pages for all faculties (Word)

Faculty title page Biology (LaTeX)

Faculty title page Chemistry and Pharmacy (LaTeX)

Faculty title page Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (LaTeX)

Faculty title page Medicine (LaTeX)

Faculty title page Physics (LaTeX)

Faculty title page Veterinary Medicine (LaTeX)

What are the general legal requirements for publishing my thesis?

Before you submit your thesis, you should check that you have complied with the legal requirements concerning copyright:

  • Have you obtained permission from the owners of any works you have used or obtained from the internet?
  • Have you properly acknowledged your sources? (See also §51 Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Urheberrechtsgesetz – UrhG)). Please do ensure that you have paid any license fees for the use of maps downloaded from the internet.

As the author of your work, you are responsible for clarifying the appropriate rights. However, we are happy to assist you with any specific questions you may have.

When you upload your thesis in the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, you are making a legally binding declaration to the University.

You confirm that

  • the submitted version is the accepted version of your thesis.
  • the printed and electronic versions are identical.
  • no rights of third parties are infringed.
  • that you release the University Library from all claims by third parties arising from the infringement of copyright or an exclusive right of use.

You grant the University Library

  • a non-exclusive usage right which may be transferred to a third party. This does not affect your rights under copyright law.
  • the right to make your thesis publicly accessible through the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, to store it, and to reproduce the work for the purpose of including it in other electronic databases. The University Library has no financial interest in this matter.

Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Urheberrechtsgesetz – UrhG)

What do I have to consider when publishing with a publisher?

If you publish your thesis as a book with a regular publisher, you must submit 2 to 6 copies of the published book, depending on your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung.

  1. In addition to the publisher's title page, the mandatory copies must also contain the faculty title page. Depending on your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung, they contain certain information that are formally required.

    Either the publisher binds the faculty title page to your specifications or you paste it into the books before the publisher's title page.

    If the title has changed since submission, enter the title of submission here.

  2. In addition, all copies of the edition must bear the indication either in the imprint or at the beginning of the preface that it is a dissertation of the LMU, e.g. with the phrase: Thesis, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, ‹Year of oral exam›. If the publisher does not allow this, "D 19" can be printed in the imprint instead.
    This requirement does not apply to Habilitationsschriften.

If you have published your thesis with a publisher you will be welcome to re-publish it on the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München once the usage rights have been clarified.

Faculty title pages for all faculties

How to paste the faculty title page into a publisher's edition (PDF, 58 KB)

What do I have to consider when publishing electronically?

The entire thesis must be submitted in a single PDF file, no other formats are allowed.

If you have additional data, please attach a USB stick to the printed copies. "Publication Services Theses" will create a ZIP file from the data on the USB stick, which will also be uploaded to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

The name of the PDF file must follow fixed specifications, and the PDF file must also contain document properties and a language setting (see What should the file name of the PDF file be? and How do I set the document properties and the language setting for the PDF file?).

  1. Upload your thesis to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München before printing.
  2. Wait until you receive an e-mail confirming that the upload is correct. You will usually receive this e-mail on the day of the upload, but no later than noon the following working day.
  3. Please do not print your thesis until you have received said e-mail. This will prevent you from printing any formal mistakes.
  4. Submit the printed copies with the necessary documents to "Publication Services Theses" (see "Where do I submit my printed copies?").
What do I have to consider when writing a cumulative thesis?

If your thesis contains articles that have already been published in a journal, are in the process of being published, or are yet to be produced from the results of your work, you must ensure that you do not infringe the publisher's usage rights.

However, many publishers allow secondary publication in a doctoral thesis in an institutional repository. The repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München is one such institutional repository.

  • Check your publisher's contract or contact the publisher of the journal in question to see if they allow secondary publication. Many publishers also provide legal information on their websites.
  • You can also use the database "Open policy finder" to check usage conditions for secondary publication. Please note that the information contained in the database "Open policy finder" is not legally binding.
  • Another option is to contact the Copyright Clearance Centre.
  • Where legally permissible, please reproduce the articles in full. If the publisher does not allow secondary publication in an institutional repository, it is sufficient to provide the source (full citation with journal title, volume, year, issue and page numbers) and an additional link and DOI, if your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung allow this.
  • If the publisher allows secondary publication only after a certain embargo period, you can apply for a blocking note due to publication in a journal, provided your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung permit this.
  • If your articles have been published in an Open Access journal under a Creative Commons license you can reproduce and upload them without restriction as part of your thesis.
  • Please ensure that the pagination of your cumulative thesis is a single consecutive sequence.

Database "Open policy finder"

Copyright Clearance Center

Form for the issue of a blocking note due to publishing in a journal (PDF, 108 KB)

CC licenses

How do I set the document properties and the language setting for the PDF file in Word?

Please enter the document properties and the language setting in your original file. When you convert your Word file to a PDF file, these values will be adopted.

Only if you have the paid Adobe Acrobat Pro application (not to be confused with Adobe Acrobat Reader) can you edit document properties and language settings directly in the PDF file.

Please do not change the security settings. Changes will not protect your thesis from being misused. However, they will result in your thesis being rejected by the „Publication Services Theses", as the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek will not be able to include your thesis in its catalogue.

Creating document properties in Word

  1. Open your file in Word.
  2. Select the tab "File".
  3. Select "Properties" > "Advanced Properties" in the top right column.
  4. In the "Title" field, enter the title and subtitle of your thesis separated by „  :  ". This field is indexed by Google.
  5. In the "Author" field, enter your complete name in the form "FirstName(s) LastName". This field is also indexed by Google.

Creating the language setting in Word

  1. Open your file in Word.
  2. Select the tab "File".
  3. Select "Options" > "Language" in the navigation column on the left.
  4. Set the main language of the thesis in "Display language" as the default. If your cumulative thesis contains English articles but the introduction is in another language, please select the other language. If you set a new default language, the setting will not take effect until you have restarted Word.

You cannot set the language on a computer with macOS. In this case, the language setting is made by the "Publicatio Services Theses".

How do I set the document properties and the language setting for the PDF file in Apache OpenOffice?

Please enter the document properties and the language setting in your original file. When you convert your Apache OpenOffice file to a PDF file, these values will be adopted.

Only if you have the paid Adobe Acrobat Pro application (not to be confused with Adobe Acrobat Reader) can you edit document properties and language settings directly in the PDF file.

Please do not change the security settings. Changes will not protect your thesis from being misused. However, they will result in your thesis being rejected by the „Publication Services Theses", as the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek will not be able to include your thesis in its catalogue.

Creating document properties in Apache OpenOffice

  1. Open your file in Apache OpenOffice.
  2. Select the tab "File".
  3. Select "Properties" > "Description".
  4. In the "Title" field, enter the title and subtitle of your thesis separated by „  :  ". This field is indexed by Google.
  5. Select the tab "Tools" > "Options" > "OpenOffice" > "User Data".
  6. In the field "Forename/Surname/Initials", enter your complete name in the form "FirstName(s) LastName". This field is also indexed by Google.

Creating the language setting in Apache OpenOffice

  1. Open your file in Apache OpenOffice.
  2. Select the tab "Tools" > "Options" > "Language Settings" > "Languages" > "Default languages for documents".
  3. Select the main language of the thesis in the field "Western". If your cumulative thesis contains English articles but the introduction is in another language, please select the other language.
How do I set the document properties and the language setting for the PDF file in LaTeX?

Please enter the document properties and the language setting in your original file. When you convert your LaTex file to a PDF file, these values will be adopted.

Only if you have the paid Adobe Acrobat Pro application (not to be confused with Adobe Acrobat Reader) can you edit document properties and language settings directly in the PDF file.

Please do not change the security settings. Changes will not protect your thesis from being misused. However, they will result in your thesis being rejected by the „Publication Services Theses", as the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek will not be able to include your thesis in its catalogue.

Creating document properties in LaTeX

Use the hyperref package to create document properties in LaTeX. To do this, insert the following commands into the document preamble of your LaTeX document:

\usepackage{hyperref}
\hypersetup {
pdfpagemode = {UseNone},
pdftitle = {Title of your thesis},
pdfauthor = {FirstName LastName},
pdflang = {en-GB}
}

Please make sure that the subtitle is also included in the document properties.

Creating the language setting in LaTeX

German: de-DE
British English: en-GB
American English: en-US
French: fr-FR
Spanish: es-ES
Italian: it-IT
Select the main language of the thesis. If your cumulative thesis contains English articles but the introduction is in another language, please select the other language.

How do I set the document properties and the language setting for the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro?

With the paid application Adobe Acrobat Pro, you do not need to enter the document properties in the original file, but can do so directly in the PDF file.

Please do not change the security settings. Changes will not protect your thesis from being misused. However, they will result in your thesis being rejected by the „Publication Services Theses", as the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek will not be able to include your thesis in its catalogue.

Creating document properties in Adobe Acrobat Pro

  1. Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
  2. Select the tab "File" > "Documents properties".
  3. Select "Description".
  4. In the "Title" field, enter the title and subtitle of your thesis separated by „  :  ". This field is indexed by Google.
  5. In the "Author" field, enter your complete name in the form "FirstName(s) LastName". This field is also indexed by Google.

Creating the language setting in Adobe Acrobat Pro

  1. Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
  2. Select the tab "File" > "Documents properties".
  3. Select "Advanced" > "Reading Options" > "Language".
  4. Select the main language of the thesis. If your thesis contains English articles but the introduction is in another language, please select the other language.
How do I create a PDF file?

Creating a PDF file with Word

  • Select the tab "File" > "Export" > "Export as PDF" (please select the option PDF/A).
  • OR

  • Select the tab "File" > "Save as PDF" (please select the option PDF/A).

The "Print to PDF" command does not retain the document properties and the language setting of the document. You can use Adobe Acrobat Reader to check whether the document properties have been adopted. However, the language setting is not visible in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

If you are using a computer running MacOS, the language setting will not be included in the PDF file. In this case, the language setting is made via the "Publication Services Theses".

Creating a PDF file with Apache OpenOffice.

  • Select the tab "File" > "Export".
  • In the field "File Type", select pdf and click "Selection".
  • After you chose "Save", the window "PDF Options" will open. Select "General" PDF/A-1a.
  • OR

  • Select the tab "File" > "Export as PDF".
  • The window "PDF Options" will open. Select "General" PDF/A-1a.

You can use Adobe Acrobat Reader to check whether the document properties have been adopted. However, the language setting is not visible in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

If you are using a computer running MacOS, the language setting will not be included in the PDF file. In this case, the language setting is made via the "Publication Services Theses".

Creating a PDF file with LaTeX

LaTeX (or TeX) mostly uses bitmap fonts. After converting the Postscript output to PDF format, these fonts are poorly displayed on screen by some PDF previewers such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. Bitmap fonts should therefore be avoided, also in view of the size of the output file. The following options are available:

  • pdflatex

The program "pdflatex" is included in every current LaTeX distribution. It creates a PDF file directly from the LaTeX file.

Images must be in PDF, JPG or PNG format. Images in Encapsulated Postscript (EPS) format can be converted to PDF using Adobe Acrobat Distiller on Windows or MacOS or epstopdf (with Ghostscript 6.0 or later) on Unix/Linux.
Vector graphics (drawings) should be in PDF format.

The hyperref package of LaTeX automatically creates hyperlinks within the document.


OR
  • dvipdfm

dvipdfm converts the DVI file created with standard LaTeX directly into PDF format. When using the graphicx package from LaTeX, graphics in EPS, JPG and PNG formats are directly processed in addition to PDF graphics. dvipdfm is included in most LaTeX distributions.


OD
  • Computer-Modern-Font im Type-1-Postscript-Format
  • If the fonts in this format are not included in the LaTeX distribution, they can be obtained from the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN). For "dvips" the options "-Pcmz -Pamz" are appropriate. To convert the Postscript file created by "dvips" into a PDF file, you can use e.g. Adobe Acrobat Distiller under Windows or MacOS or "ps2pdf" (with Ghostscript 6.0 or later) under Unix/Linux. However, these do not allow hyperlinks within the document.


    Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN)

What should the file name of the PDF file be?

Name your file like this: Surname_FirstName.pdf. If parts of your name are connected by hyphens, please enter a hyphen instead of an underscore.

Spaces must not be included in the file name and must be replaced by an underscore and not by writing parts of the name together.

If your first name or surname contains characters such as ä, ö, ü and ß, please resolve them as ae, oe, ue and ss etc. Please do not use diacritical marks in the file name.

For example:

  • Smith_John.pdf
  • Gimenez_Sanchez_Juan.pdf (if the surname is Gimenez Sanchez)
  • Gimenez-Sanchez_Juan.pdf (if the surname is Gimenez-Sanchez)
  • Mueller_Franz.pdf
  • Colic_Stepan.pdf (if your surname is Colić)
How to register for the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München? How to upload my thesis?

Before you can upload your thesis to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, you need to register.

  1. Click "Create Account".
  2. Enter your personal e-mail address, a chosen password, and a user name.
  3. An activation code valid for one week will be sent to your e-mail address. Please ensure that you access the link provided in the e-mail within this time.

Once you have registered, you can log in using your username and password by clicking on the "Login" menu item.

Now you can upload your PDF file to the repository by clicking "New item" and going through the screens one by one:

  1. Upload the PDF file of your thesis.
  2. Enter the metadata. Abstract and keywords are not mandatory. Please enter a maximum of 5 keywords that characterize your thesis. Separate the individual keywords with commas.
  3. Select your faculty.
  4. If you would like to review your upload before finally submitting it, click "Save and return" on the submission page to correct any errors.
    If you click "Submit item" on this page, your thesis will be sent to "Publications Services Theses" for review and you will not be able to make any changes.

"Publication Services Theses" will check your electronic thesis for formal correctness and inform you by e-mail. Only when the printed copies have been submitted will your thesis be considered published and the certificate will be issued.

Please be very careful when creating the PDF file and uploading it!

Once your thesis has been published by "Publication Services Theses", it is no longer possible to make any changes to the thesis!

What do I do if I find an error after uploading?

Please be very careful when creating the PDF file and uploading it!

If the metadata are incorrect, please send an e-mail to "Publication Services Theses". They will correct the error for you.

If an error occurred in the PDF file and your thesis has not yet been published, you can request its deletion.

  1. Login to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
  2. Select "Manage deposits".
  3. Click on the magnifying glass icon.
  4. Select "Actions".
  5. Select „Request deletion".
  6. Please make sure that you state the reason why this is required.

The "Publication Services Theses" will send your upload back, which you will find in the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München under the tab "Manage deposits".

  1. Login to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
  2. Select "Manage deposits".
  3. Click on the magnifying glass icon.
  4. Select "Details".
  5. Select "File Upload" > "Edit item".
  6. Delete the incorrect PDF file by clicking on the bin icon.
  7. Upload a new corrected PDF file.
  8. Resubmit the modified set for review.

If you have corrected your PDF file and the incorrect version is still displayed, please clear your browser cache.

Once your thesis has been published by "Publication Services Theses", it is no longer possible to make any changes!

How can I regulate the re-use of my thesis? What are CC licenses?

Creative Commons (CC) is an international non-profit organisation that regulates the re-use of works through pre-written license agreements. All rights protected by the Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Urheberrechtsgesetz – UrhG) are always retained without restriction.

It is not mandatory to grant a CC license. If you check "Unspecified" when uploading the PDF file, your thesis will automatically be subject to the German copyright law.

However, if you choose to grant a CC license, it will be valid for as long as the Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Urheberrechtsgesetz – UrhG) allows, i.e. 70 years after the death of the author (Section 64 UrhG). The decision to use a CC license cannot be reversed.

There are six different types of CC licenses. Of these, CC BY or CC BY-SA clearly comply with the DFG's "Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice" and the "Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Scientific Knowledge".

Creative Commons

Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Urheberrechtsgesetz – UrhG)

DFG's "Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice"

Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Scientific Knowledge

If you are placing the PDF file under a CC license, you must clearly indicate this in both the PDF file and the printed copies. To do this, please print the following text on the back of the faculty title page (in the case of medicine, below the table of contents):

  • This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
  • This work is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
  • This work is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
  • This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
  • This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

The CC License options:

CC BY

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.

BY: Credit must be given to the creator.

CC BY-SA

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms.

BY: Credit must be given to the creator.

SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.

CC BY-NC

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

BY: Credit must be given to the creator.

NC: Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted.

CC BY-NC-SA

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms.

BY: Credit must be given to the creator.

NC: Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted.

SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.

CC BY-ND

This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.

BY: Credit must be given to the creator.

ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

CC BY-NC-ND

This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

BY: Credit must be given to the creator.

NC: Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted.

ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

What do I have to consider when printing the copies accompanying the electronic submission?

Once you have uploaded your thesis to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, you must submit 2 to 6 printed copies to the "Publication Services Theses", depending on your doctoral order or your Habilitationsordnung

  • The paper of the copies must be acid-free and ageing-resistant. This paper is usually used by publishers and copy shops.
  • The copies must be durably bound. We cannot accept ring or spiral bindings. No plastic cover if possible. (Plastic quickly becomes brittle and is not environmentally friendly). Plastic covers are expressly forbidden in Veterinary Medicine. Hard cover printing is not required.
  • The cover must be printed. The best way to do this is to print the title page on the cover again.
  • There are no specifications as to the format - but it must be DIN A5 in Veterinary Medicine.
  • Printing can be single or double sided.
  • Black and white printing is permitted only if it does not affect the ability to read and understand illustrations or graphics.
What do I do if my thesis is associated with a patent application?

If your thesis is related to a patent application, you may request that your thesis not be published until up to 3 years after the date of the oral exam. However, you have already fulfilled your statutory obligation to publish your thesis by submitting the required copies and will receive your doctoral certificate.

Please proceed as follows:

  1. Upload the electronic version of your thesis to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and tick Blocking note "yes" in the metadata.
  2. After the "Publication Services Theses" has asked you to print the copies, you should submit 2 to 6 copies, depending on your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung.
  3. Fill in the "Form for the issue of a blocking note due to a patent application" on the computer, sign it yourself and have it signed by your doctoral supervisor. Submit one copy together with the printed copies or send a scan by e-mail to Publication Services Theses.

The blocking period is initially two years and can be extended once for another year.

To extend the blocking period, please contact the "Publication Services Theses" by e-mail at least 4 weeks before the original deadline. You will then receive a completed extension form, which must be signed by you and your doctoral supervisor. This extension form is not available online.

If the blocking note is no longer required before the blocking period expires, please inform the Publication Services Theses by e-mail.

Form for the issue of a blocking note due to a patent application (PDF, 138 KB)

Form for the suspension of a blocking note due to a patent application (PDF, 211 KB)

What do I do if the results of my thesis are to be published in a journal?

If your thesis contains parts that have not yet been published in a journal or if you have to observe an embargo period due to already published articles, you may request that your thesis not be published until up to 3 years after the date of the oral exam. However, you have already fulfilled your statutory requirement to publish your thesis by submitting the required copies and will receive your doctoral certificate.

Please proceed as follows:

  1. Upload the electronic version of your thesis to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and tick Blocking note "yes" in the metadata.
  2. After the "Publication Services Theses" has asked you to print the copies, you should submit 2 to 6 copies, depending on your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung.
  3. Fill in the "Form for the issue of a blocking note due to publishing in a journal" on the computer, sign it yourself and have it signed by your doctoral supervisor. Submit one copy together with the printed copies or send a scan by e-mail to "Publication Services Theses".

The blocking period is initially one year and can be extended twice for one year each.

To extend the blocking period, please contact the "Publication Services Theses" by e-mail at least 4 weeks before the original deadline. You will then receive a completed extension form, which must be signed by you and your doctoral supervisor. This extension form is not available online.

If the blocking note is no longer required before the blocking period expires, please inform the "Publication Services Theses" by e-mail.

Form for the issue of a blocking note due to publishing in a journal (PDF, 108 KB)

Where do I submit my printed copies?

You can submit your thesis to the "Publication Services Theses" in person, through a third party (without authorization) or by (in-house) mail.

Please note that a drop-off is not possible outside opening hours. There is no mailbox for dropping off your thesis.

Personal delivery

Monday – Friday 9.00 a.m. – noon (no appointment necessary)

Address for in-house mail

Publikationsdienste Dissertationen
Leopoldstr. 13, Haus 1, Zimmer 1108
80802 München

Postal address

Universitätsbibliothek der LMU
Publikationsdienste Dissertationen
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
80539 München

Before sending parcels from non-EU-countries please check customs formalities. Parcels held at German customs will be returned to the sender.

How do I know whether the copies of my thesis have arrived?

We will always inform you when your upload is in order, a part of your submission has arrived or the submission is complete. You don't need to call us. If you track your package and it is considered delivered, please allow an additional 2-3 business days for the package to be received by "Publication Services Theses" for processing.

Please include your e-mail address when sending your books by post so that we can inform you. You can also send us your e-mail address via e-mail to "Publication Services Theses".

Is it possible to publish a book via the University Library? What does "Open Publishing LMU" mean?

The University Library (UB) has joined forces with publishing service providers to enable you to publish your thesis simultaneously as a printed book and in electronic form.

  • Your thesis will be published as a book in the series Dissertationen der LMU or Habilitationsschriften der LMU in DIN A5 format under the license CC BY 4.0.
  • The electronic version of the text will be published in the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, permanently archived with a stable and citable address, and a DOI.
  • Parallel publication in the repository is obligatory.
  • By publishing through "Open Publishing LMU" you fulfil your statutory obligation to publish your thesis with a publisher. Depending on your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung, you must submit between 2 and 6 copies of your thesis to the "Publication Services Theses".
  • We regret that it is not possible to first submit your thesis using the digital option and then apply for publication in print via "Open Publishing LMU".
  • This offer is available to anyone who has successfully completed a thesis at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
  • Depending on the workload of our graphics department, publication takes approximately 12 weeks from receipt of the type-ready manuscript.

This type of publication requires a certain amount of time on your part. The manuscript of your thesis must be ready for typesetting before it is submitted to us, i.e. the wording cannot be changed, it must be free of spelling mistakes, etc., and formatted according to the specifications in our checklist.

We work with two service providers, the Nomos Verlag with the Olms imprint and the self-publisher Buchschmiede in Vienna.

  1. Nomos (the Olms symbol can be found on the spine of the book)
    • At Nomos a black and white page costs 6.50 euros to produce, and a colour page costs 45 euros. When calculating the production price, we assume 2,100 characters per page + an additional ½ page per illustration/diagram/table. If you send us the number of characters and illustrations/diagrams/tables, we will give you a rough estimate.
    • You must purchase at least 10 copies at the author's price (retail price minus 30%). Of these, 2 to 6 copies must be submitted to the "Publication Services Theses" according to your doctoral regulation or Habilitationsordnung and one copy to the archive of the Referat Elektronisches Publizieren (Associated Electronic Publishing Divisions).
    • A proof, which will be produced after you have approved the typesetting and before the final print run, is included with a minimum order of 10 copies.
  2. Buchschmiede
    • The Buchschmiede charges a flat rate of 249.80 euros gross.
    • You must purchase at least the number of copies required according to your doctoral regulation or your Habilitationsordnung, one copy for the archive of the Referat Elektronisches Publizieren (Associated Electronic Publishing Divisions) and two copies for the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
    • The proof copy will cost a flat rate of 44.90 euros.

The services of the UB (typesetting, contact with the publisher, etc.) are free of charge in both cases.

This is how it works:

  1. Please send an e-mail to the Referat Elektronisches Publizieren (Associated Electronic Publishing Divisions) and state your faculty. If your thesis is in a format other than Word, please state this as well.
  2. When requested send us a sample chapter of your thesis, formatted according to our checklist. We will then decide whether to publish your thesis with "Open Publishing LMU".
  3. The UB will conclude a contract with you regarding the publication of your thesis. The contract covers costs, services and usage rights.
    • You agree that your thesis will be published under the CC BY 4.0 license.
    • You must also submit the completed and signed "Submission form for electronic theses".
  4. Please send us your complete, proofread, and formatted manuscript, including the faculty title page, as a Word document. In separate documents, send us the illustrations, an abstract and a short biography for the back cover, and the keywords for the Verzeichnis lieferbarer Bücher (VLB) (Catalogue of available books in Germany). Please send both in English and German.
  5. The UB will use InDesign to layout your manuscript for Dissertationen der LMU or Habilitationsschriften der LMU and create the PDF file for printing. This PDF file will be sent to you for correction and approval.
  6. After approval, you will receive a proof copy. If further corrections are necessary, a new proof will be produced for a fee.
  7. After your final approval, the books are printed. They are given an ISBN and registered with the VLB and various online booksellers. The publisher takes care of the mandatory copy for the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. If you publish through Buchschmiede in Vienna, you will be charged for this service.
  8. You will receive the copies you have ordered directly from the publisher. The copies required to fulfil your statutory obligation to publish your thesis and the archive copy will be sent directly from the publisher to the "Publication Services Theses" or to the Referat Elektronisches Publizieren (Associated Electronic Publishing Divisions) respectively.
  9. The "Publication Services Theses" will immediately forward the copies to the offices responsible for issuing the doctoral certificate (Dean's Office, Promotionsbüro at Bavariaring, or PAGS)
  10. They will also upload the electronic version to the repository "Electronic Theses" of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
  11. In addition, your thesis will be listed on the "Open Publishing LMU" page, where you can view all previously published theses.

You will be kept informed of every step by email.

Website „Open Publishing LMU"

Checklist for "Open Publishing LMU" (PDF, 195 KB)

Faculty title pages for all faculties (Word)

Submission form for electronic theses (PDF, 178 MB)

On this server you'll find currently 21431 electronic theses of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in PDF format.