You are obligated to publish your dissertation after completing your doctoral studies. You must do so within two years, a deadline which may be extended following an application to the doctoral board. Before publishing your work, you must first obtain permission to print your dissertation from the doctoral board. You must also submit a statement from your examiners confirming the version of the text that is to be published to the doctoral board. Following this, the doctoral board will send you written confirmation with permission to print your dissertation.

You may choose from four publication formats:

• letterpress or photo printing
• publication through a commercial publisher 
• microfiche copies
• online publication on the University Library server.

You demonstrate that you have fulfilled your obligation to print your dissertation by submitting a certain number of deposit copies (the exact number is stated in the doctoral regulations) to Freie Universität Berlin’s Dissertations Department (“Hochschulschriftenstelle”), which forms part of the University Library. Please familiarize yourself with the requirements of the Dissertations Department beforehand to ensure that your deposit copies will be accepted. You can find the most recent information on the number of deposit copies that are to be submitted on the Dissertations Department’s website under “Doctoral Graduation Regulations.”

Please present the doctoral board’s permission to print your dissertation when submitting your deposit copies to the Dissertations Department. Deposit copies will only be accepted when this permission is provided.