Publishing Your Doctoral Thesis with TUM.University Press

TUM.University Press and the University Library offer three attractive options to publish your doctoral thesis quickly, cost-efficiently, and with Open Access. You decide whether to publish digital-only or prefer a combination of print and digital editions. To publish Open Access ensures optimal visibility and permanent access to your research findings.

Overview

Publication Packages

Downloads

Services

FAQ

Terms and Conditions

Publication Packages

We offer doctoral candidates three publication packages to choose from: You can publish your doctoral thesis "digital-only" on mediaTUM, or you can opt for a print-on-demand publication with TUM.University Press either "digital-first" or "print-first". In any case, your doctoral thesis will be released as a digital Open Access publication.

All three options comply with the requirements of the TUM Doctoral Regulations [1] and are approved for submission to the Office of Doctoral Affairs [2].

Overview of Publication Packages

Digital-only	Digital-first	Print-first
Self-publication on mediaTUM	Publication with TUM.University Press	Publication with TUM.University Press
✔ free of charge	✔ subject to publication fee	✔ subject to publication fee
Publication ✔ only as a digital version ✔ quickly available online ✔ easy PDF upload ✔ Open Access	Initial publication ✔ as a digital version ✔ quickly available online ✔ easy PDF upload ✔ Open Access	Initial publication ✔ as a print edition ✔ professional book cover ✔ print + digital edition identical ✔ available in bookstores
	Secondary publication ✔ as a print edition ✔ professional book cover ✔ available in bookstores	Secondary publication ✔ as a digital version ✔ Open Access
Online Workflow [3]	Publication Inquiry [4]	Publication Inquiry [4]

Details, Conditions & Application

Publication Package "Digital-only"

Would you like to publish your doctoral thesis solely as a digital edition? Then the University Library offers you a fast and free option via mediaTUM. You can easily upload the PDF of your doctoral thesis yourself in just a few steps and submit it to the Office of Doctoral Affairs.

✔ Fast and easy publication on mediaTUM
✔ Digital Open Access edition with DOI or URN
✔ No costs
✔ Official version submitted at the Office for Doctoral Affairs: Digital edition

What do you need to do?
Upload the PDF of your doctoral thesis via the online workflow in mediaTUM. You do not need to submit print copies to the Office of Doctoral Affairs.

Online workflow & instructions [3]

Support
E-Dissertation Team of the University Library [5]

Publication Package "Digital-first"

Do you want to publish your doctoral thesis both in print and digitally? At the same time, it is important to you to submit your work to the Office of Doctoral Affairs as swiftly as possible? For this purpose, we offer you the "Digital-first" publication package: First, you upload the PDF of your doctoral thesis to mediaTUM yourself and submit this digital version to the Office of Doctoral Affairs. Subsequently, we publish a print edition of your dissertation with TUM.University Press – including a professional book cover, ISBN, and distribution through bookstores.

Please keep in mind that in this option, the digital edition and the print version will differ. You will receive the publisher's cover and layout support only for the print edition.

✔ Fast and easy publication
✔ Digital Open Access edition with DOI or URN
✔ Print edition with ISBN
✔ Distribution through stationary and digital bookstores
✔ Individual support for print edition
✔ Professional book cover and formal PDF check for print edition
✔ Publishing fee of €500 plus printing costs
✔ Official version submitted at the Office for Doctoral Affairs: Digital edition

What do you need to do?

Independently upload the PDF of your doctoral thesis via the online workflow in mediaTUM. You do not need to submit print copies to the Office of Doctoral Affairs. Online workflow & instructions [3]
Simultaneously or subsequently, submit your publication inquiry via web form. Please check first whether you meet the acceptance criteria [6] of TUM.University Press. If your publication is accepted, you will receive a cost estimate and all necessary information about the next steps.

Publication Inquiry [4]

Support
TUM.University Press Team [7]

Publication Package "Print-first"

Do you want to publish your doctoral thesis both in print and digitally while seeking publisher support for both editions? Time is not your primary concern, but it is important to you that the layout of the two versions does not differ?

In that case, our "Print-first" publication package is the right choice for you. With this option, we first publish the print version of your doctoral thesis, which you then submit to the Office of Doctoral Affairs. You will need to provide five copies to the office. Following that, we will create a digital edition including the publisher's book cover and release it as an Open Access publication via mediaTUM.

✔ Digital Open Access edition with DOI or URN
✔ Print edition with ISBN
✔ Distribution through stationary and digital bookstores
✔ Individual support for print and digital edition
✔ Professional book cover and formal PDF check for print and digital edition
✔ Identical layout for print and digital edition
✔ Publishing fee of €500 plus printing costs
✔ Official version submitted at the Office for Doctoral Affairs: Print edition

What do you need to do?

If you haven't done already: Please register your dissertation via the online workflow on mediaTUM. Indicate that you will be submitting the printed version to the Office of Doctoral Affairs. Online Workflow & Instructions [3]
Submit your publication inquiry via web form. Please check first whether you meet the acceptance criteria [6] of TUM.University Press. If your publication is accepted, you will receive a cost estimate and all necessary information about the next steps.

Publication Inquiry [4]

Support
TUM.University Press Team [7]

Is none of the publication packages suitable for you?

You are of course free to publish with a commercial publisher or to submit five paper copies with ISBN [8] to the Office of Doctoral Affairs in accordance with the TUM Doctoral Regulations. However, we cannot provide you with an ISBN allocation.

Services

The team of TUM.University Press is there to advise and support you in publishing your doctoral thesis.

Fair publishing contract
One of our core objectives is to offer our authors fair and transparent conditions for publishing their research results. Therefore, our publishing contracts are designed in such a way that you grant us only the rights we really need for publication. As a non-profit institution of the University Library, we do not pursue commercial interests.

Professional layout
We provide you with information and templates that enable you to carry out the layout and typesetting of your doctoral thesis yourself. Our graphic designers will formally check the PDF you have created and design the book cover and title pages in consultation with you.

Visibility for your doctoral thesis
We take care of the distribution and availability of your doctoral thesis in both physical and digital bookstores. We ensure that your doctoral thesis is listed in relevant databases and search engines, including the Directory of Available Books (Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bücher, VLB), TUM-OPAC, mediaTUM, Gateway Bayern, the German National Bibliography (Deutsche Nationalbibliographie), and DART - Europe E-theses Portal.

Contribution to Open Access
TUM.University Press and the University Library are committed to providing unrestricted access to scientific information. With our publication services, we contribute to the promotion of Open Access. In doing so, we align ourselves with TUM's Open Access Policy [9], the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities [10], and the Recommendations of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for the Transformation of Academic Publishing: Towards Open Access [11].

Our offers

Fair publishing contract
Affordable publishing fee
Consulting and support (informational material, templates)
Professional design of book cover and title pages
Handling of book production through our external printing partners
Full-text access via our website and mediaTUM
Allocation of ISBN, DOI, or URN
Reporting and dispatch of mandatory deposit copies to the German National Library (DNB) and the Bavarian State Library (BSB)
Distribution through stationary and online bookstores

Terms and Conditions

We ensure the quality of our publishing program with a set of well-defined acceptance criteria. A decision on acceptance is based on the following requirements and in consideration of available publishing capacities. We prioritize the interdisciplinarity and relevance of the topic as well as the diversity of subjects at TUM.

Our requirements

Your doctoral thesis was submitted at TUM.
You have completed your doctorate with either summa cum laude or magna cum laude.
You commit to adhering to the principles of good scientific practice according to the TUM-SGwP bylaw (PDF 430 KB – in German) [12].
The manuscript has a book-appropriate, high-quality layout following the publisher's specifications (PDF 5.5 MB) [13].
The responsibility for obtaining reproduction rights and correct image credits lies with you.
The conclusion of a publishing agreement to transfer necessary rights of use and to regulate deadlines, bearing of costs, etc., is mandatory.
You must order at least 15 author copies.

The TUM.University Press team is happy to support you in meeting these requirements.

Our Costs

TUM.University Press considers itself a service provider for members of TUM. We offer services from TUM for TUM. Therefore, we only charge a publishing fee of €500. External printing costs are additional. Before signing the contract, we will provide a cost estimate listing the printing costs. There may be slight price fluctuations since printing is done through external printing companies.

Downloads

FAQ

Who can publish a doctoral thesis with TUM.University Press?

In principle, doctoral theses completed at the Technical University of Munich and graded summa cum laude or magna cum laude can be published with TUM.University Press. Exceptions apply for works published within dissertation series.

Decisions on acceptance are based on TUM.UP requirements [6] and in consideration of available publishing capacities. We prioritize the interdisciplinarity and relevance of the topic as well as the diversity of subjects at TUM.

How much does it cost to publish a doctoral thesis with TUM.University Press?

TUM.University Press charges a publishing fee of €500. In addition, there are external printing costs. Before signing the publication contract, you will receive a cost estimate detailing the printing expenses.

How can I publish my doctoral thesis with TUM.University Press?

You can submit your publication inquiry via web form [4]. Please first check whether you meet the acceptance criteria [6] of TUM.University Press and then choose the publication package [17] that best suits your needs.

If your publication is accepted, you will receive a cost estimate and all necessary information about the next steps.

Can I publish a print edition of a dissertation that has already been published digitally?

If you have already submitted the digital version of your doctoral thesis to the Office of Doctoral Affairs [2] and published it via mediaTUM, you can additionally publish a print edition with TUM.University Press afterwards. We offer the publication package "Digital-first" [17] for this purpose.

Please note that the digital and print version will differ in this case. You will receive the publisher's cover and layout support only for the print edition.

Are there dissertation series at TUM.University Press?

Yes, there are dissertation series at TUM.University Press. Professors have the opportunity to publish dissertation series. If you are interested, please contact us at tumuniversitypress@tum.de [18].

How can I publish my doctoral thesis in a dissertation series?

If you have been accepted into a dissertation series by your professor, you can register for the publication using our publication inquiry form [4]. Please indicate that you are publishing within a series and specify which one. The TUM.UP requirements [6] listed apply, except for the dissertation grade. Publication will be in print and digital form (Open Access).

How can I establish a dissertation series with TUM.University Press?

As a professor at TUM, you are welcome to publish a dissertation series for your doctoral students with TUM.University Press. Please contact the publishing team by e-mail: tumuniversitypress@tum.de [18]