eGraduEng: Application for confidentiality

Introduction:
A master’s thesis (but not a bachelor's thesis) may contain confidential information, e.g. if it is written for a company that wants to keep a trade secret, if you intend to apply for a patent or if the results are to be published later on in a journal. The student can then apply for confidentiality from the dean. The confidential material included in the master’s thesis is compiled in a separate appendix.

There will be two versions of a classified master’s thesis:

• Master’s thesis with confidential information in appendix – this version is reviewed and assessed. This version will only be published after the confidential version has expired and will then be available at Åbo Akademi University Library.
• Master’s thesis without confidential information in appendix – this version is sent for plagiarism control to Ouriginal. This version will be published after the master’s thesis has been approved and will then be available at Åbo Akademi University Library.

For more information on how to proceed with confidentiality, see below.

The appendix is made confidential for a maximum of 4 years. The public part of a degree project should always be an independent and "readable" whole. The master’s thesis and the related confidential appendix are assessed as a whole, so the appendix containing confidential information must be available to the evaluators.  

The master’s thesis without confidential information is published so that it is available only at Åbo Akademi University Library. The Master’s thesis will be published in its entirety after the confidentiality period has expired and will then be available at Åbo Akademi University Library.

Everybody involved and  examination of such a Master’s thesis isbound by the obligation of professional secrecy and may not inform any third parties of any information that they may have become aware – this applies to students, supervisors, heads of subject, faculty office staff, the dean and Åbo Akademi University Library. External evaluators sign a non disclosure agreement (NDA) before they start the review of the thesis.

This is what the student does if the master’s thesis contains confidential information:

1. When writing your master’s thesis

• Parts of the master’s thesis may be confidential, such as a specific chapter, parts of a chapter or figures and pictures, which are then placed in a non-public appendix to the master’s thesis. (Note that the title of the work must not reveal confidential information).
• You can write two versions, i.e. you can distinguish between the actual project, for which you are paid by an external party, and the master’s thesis, which is assessed and constitutes a thesis for a degree, and which must be public. Regarding the  project, you must remember to always follow the confidentiality terms that you / ÅAU have agreed on with the external party.
• Discuss with your supervisor how best to do it!
• With the company, you (and the supervisor) make a confidentiality agreement, a so-called." NDA (one-sided)".

2. Apply for confidentiality of the dean:

• Instructions for application of confidentiality
  Write an application, where you state the reason for the need for confidentiality, what part of the thesis  that needs to be confidential and for how long it should be kept confidential (according to the Degree Regulations maximum 4 years).
  Give the name of the supervisor and your main subject, incl.  confirmation that you have discussed this with your supervisor.
  Also give your name, student number and contact information.
  In the application, please refer to the 24th section/1st subsection/21st item in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999).
  The application should be sent to the Head of Academic Affairs in your faculty, who presents the application for the dean.

3. When you receive language response on your master’s thesis:

• Send only those parts that do not contain confidential material for language respons.

4. Before you send your master’s thesis for review – about the publication of your master’s thesis:

• Fill in the form for electronic publication: select the option "The thesis includes classified information. The thesis is published in Åbo Akademi University's repository WITHOUT the appendix with classified information".
• The Åbo Akademi University Library publishes that version of the master’s thesis that does not contain confidential material after the master’s thesis has been approved. It is published so that is only available at the Åbo Akademi University Library. (The Library will publish the master’s thesis in its entirety after the confidentiality period has ended, so that is only available at the Åbo Akademi University Library.)

5. When your degree project is to be checked for plagiarism:

• You follow the instructions found here, but note that you must send the master’s thesis without the attachment with confidential information for plagiarism review.

6. When your work must be subject to peer-review:

• Send the entire master’s thesis including confidential appendix by e-mail to the supervisor, who will forward the entire master’s thesis for subject evaluation.
• Make sure that you have saved both your master’s thesis and the appendix/everything to be peer-reviewed in PDF/A format (see instructions).

Regulation as basis:
Extract from the current Degree Regulations, chapter 43:

Documents that constitute plans or basic materials for theses are to be kept secret in the way described in section 24 of the Act on the Openness of Government  Activities (621/1999). If the content of a thesis is such that it is to be kept secret, the author is to apply to the Dean, at latest when the thesis is handed in for assessment , for the thesis to be accepted as coursework with such a restriction. On the application of the author or otherwise when it is motivated and enabled by the law, the Dean is to decide that part of an approved is kept secret . The decision is to state the time period for keeping it secret, which is a maximum of four years, and other possible provisions and the applicable legislation for the case , i.e. Section 24 of the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999).