Purpose While distribution channels of theses and dissertations have changed significantly in the digital age, they are generally still considered grey literature. This paper aims to argue the applicability of the concept of grey to electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). Design/methodology/approach The paper is presented as a debate between two contradictory opinions on the application of the grey literature concept to ETDs. Findings The paper provides a definition of grey literature and then discusses its application to electronic dissertations and theses. In particular, it assesses the aspects of acquisition, quality, access and preservation. Some arguments highlight the “grey nature” of ETDs, such as the limited access via institutional and other repositories. Other arguments (e.g. the development of ETD infrastructures and the quality of ETDs) question this grey approach to ETDs. The paper concludes that “greyness” remains a challenge for ETDs, a problem waiting for solution on the way to open science through the application of the FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability reusability) principles. Research limitations implications Library and information science (LIS) professionals and scientists should be careful about using the concept of grey literature. The debate will help academic librarians and LIS researchers to better understand the nature of grey literature and its coverage, here in the field of ETDs. Originality/value Some definitions from the print age may not be applicable to the digital age. The contradictory character of the debate helps clarify the similitudes and differences of grey literature and ETDs and highlights the challenge of ETDs, in particular, their accessibility and findability.

An early version of this study has been presented in the 19th International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Lille, France). Our gratitude to the reviewers and participants of the ETD national policies session for their constructive feedback. Furthermore, we are grateful to Dr. Joachim Schöpfel (Université Lille 3) for his suggestions on an early version of this manuscript. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) programs have been recognized as one of the most effective channels through which theses and dissertations can be made available to academic communities and beyond. ETD program management, however, needs to be aware of the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) throughout the process of design and development of ETDs. As the name implies, CSFs are those considerations decisive in achieving the projects' mission and goals. Based on a structured review of the existing literature about ETDs, this study identifies the CSFs that are crucial for the implementation of ETD programs. By comparing and classifying the identified CSFs, the study conceptualizes a generic framework comprising five generic dimensions: management and organization, participation, content, technology, and service. The framework can help the ETDs community, both scholars and practitioners, to make informed decisions on how to allocate effort and resources to the development, implementation, or improvement of ETD programs.

Purpose Implementing and maintaining Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) program at a national level encounters numerous difficulties in particular from technical, legal, business, and financial perspective. Business model (BM) is a tool to help to address business-driven challenges, such as business feasibility and viability, as one of the important aspects. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the BM practiced by different national Electronic Theses and Dissertations (NETDs) cases. Design/methodology/approach BM of seven NETDs programs have been studied through an online questionnaire; besides, programs’ websites were observed and related documents were examined. Business model canvas (BMC) was used to describe the business rationale behind the selected cases. Findings Most of the NETDs programs lack a documented BM. The main value of these programs is sharing ETDs which is offered to academics through online channels; skillful staff and proper hardware/software are their main resources to do so. Furthermore, their key activities are developing hardware/software and negotiating with ETDs owners as their key partners. All these activities required huge cost which is generally covered by public funding. Originality/value This study pioneers in applying BM concept into field of NETDs. Therefore, the major contribution of this study is to provide an analysis of NETDs programs’ BM through BMC. Furthermore, the paper provides recommendations on how ETDs could be implemented in a cost effective, sustainable, and viable way.

As Robert Merton believes, as Science is a social construct, researchers in a certain research community have to share their findings. However, one of the main activities of knowledge management is the sharing knowledge through formal channels, including theses and dissertations, books, articles, conferences, etc., because it has a significant impact on the advancement of sciences and will improve the quality of R&D activities, organizational performance, and the achievement of researchers to competitive advantage. Current global databases such as Scopus, web of science, Google Scholar, as well as academic social network sites (SNS) such as Researchgate and Academia.edu are not successful in demonstrating the dynamics of knowledge In order to understand the dynamics of science, scientific collaboration, industrialization of the countries, we analyze and draw a strategic map in Earth Sciences and Mines of Iran's to help science and technology policy-makers, based on reviewing of the research activities of researchers in different dimensions of geology and mining field study. Through a scientometrics approach, 8431 publications including thesis (1967 to 2015) and papers (1991 to 2016) in two special fields of geology and mining were analyzed. According to the findings, a total of 127 universities in the 80 field study and 294 disciplines in the field of geosciences, 52 universities, and 13 disciplines in the field of geology and 36 universities and 26 disciplines in the field of mining and geophysics have been involved in the production of theses. Among them, the largest amount of publications in the field of geosciences includes fields of geology, mining engineering, civil engineering, natural geography, natural resources engineering respectively. There is an incremental growth of scientific activities in the mineral sector of Iran but unacceptable trend in relation to the number of minerals deposits, mines as well as the total number of mines in Iran. According to the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), researchers in this area are more interested and performed the most scientific activity in metal (07), non-metallic and decorative (08), and oil and gas (05) section and (071), (081), (051)categories respectively. Also developing the statistical and GIS Mapping of research activities show low index of relationship between industrial needs and university research activities, lowest to medium (dispersive) overlap and duplicates, and insufficient research activities in various fields of the earth's sciences and subsequently lowest growth of quantity of the publications in this field so far for geosciences education of Iran despite the advances in the field of geosciences over the past 50 years. These findings improved our knowledge and helped us to know about our deficiencies/potential so that we suggest to develop a new generation of freely geosciences research activities databases based on web-GIS and scientometrics for researches/ers in the world in the 3 rd millennium. In fact, understanding ...

Purpose This paper aims to propose an integrating model for creating virtual libraries in Iranian universities of medical sciences. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted with an analytic survey method. The statistical population comprised 66 Iranian universities of medical sciences, of which 59 libraries participated in the study. A researcher-made checklist was used for data collection. To ensure the accuracy of data, interviews and, in some cases, observations were also performed. Statistical estimates, including frequency, percentage, cumulative frequency and diagrams, were used for data analysis, and the system analysis method was used for modeling. Findings Results demonstrated that the library software programs of the studied universities of medical sciences do not have desirable interoperability capabilities. Only Azarsa program can exchange information with other systems. In terms of metadata and its standards, the studied libraries use programs with various standards, with MARC and Dublin Core standards being the most frequently used ones in the studied sample. Originality/value The model proposed here for integration is a hybrid model which can translate metadata standards and use the Z39.50 and OEI protocol to transfer data.

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