An increasing number of universities are accepting and encouraging the submission of theses and dissertations in electronic format. Two hundred and three institutions are now members of the international 'Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations' (NDLTD), and in May 2003 over 200 individuals travelled to Berlin to participate in the ETD symposium ('Next Steps-Electronic Theses and Dissertations Worldwide'). The support of UNESCO and the work undertaken by key institutions such as Virginia Tech. has led to wide scale developments at national and individual level. Within the UK, funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has enabled three project teams to engage in research and development associated with the creation, management, and use of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). This paper considers recent ETD-related activity in the UK within the broader international context. It concentrates, in particular, on the work of the Electronic Theses project consortium that is led by The Robert Gordon University. The benefits of ETDs, issues of concern, the selection of software, and advocacy requirements are amongst the topics addressed. The authors welcome comments on both the project and the information available on the Electronic Theses project Web pages.
Purpose: To describe the key findings of the UK JISC-funded Electronic Theses project that was led by The Robert Gordon University, as well as the results of associated projects that formed part of the JISC-funded 'FAIR' Programme, and the way in which the recommendations will be taken forward.Design/methodology/approach: The research involved: an assessment of existing best practice relating to the production, management and use of e-theses; the use of questionnaires to obtain feedback from potential users; the identification and testing of potentially useful software; consideration of the elements required in a metadata core set, and discussions with representative bodies to ensure that the model recommended for use in the UK had support from the key stakeholders. Findings:Information is provided about the value of the NDLTD Web site, the suitability of DSpace and EPrints software for institutional e-theses repositories, and the recommended infrastructure for the operation of an e-theses service at national level. Details are included about the agreed metadata core set for UK e-theses, and advice is provided about administrative, legal and cultural issues.Practical Implications: The JISC-funded EThOS project is taking forward many of the recommendations from the Electronic Theses project.Originality/value: The research results described in this paper will be of use to institutions which are aiming to establish their own e-theses collections. The details provided about the UK approach towards the management of e-theses may be of use in countries which have not yet made their theses available in electronic format.
Copyright Items in 'OpenAIR@RGU', Robert Gordon University Open Access Institutional Repository, are protected by copyright and intellectual property law. If you believe that any material held in 'OpenAIR@RGU' infringes copyright, please contact openair-help@rgu.ac.uk with details. The item will be removed from the repository while the claim is investigated. Electronic Theses and Dissertations: promoting 'hidden' research SUSAN COPELANDThe Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland ABSTRACT Since the mid 1990s an increasing number of higher education institutions and organisations have been encouraging the production and submission of theses and dissertations in electronic format. Where access to electronic theses and dissertations is available via the Internet, usage figures indicate that this is a much consulted resource. However, until recently, only a small percentage of the theses produced internationally have been mounted on Web pages. The situation is now changing as efforts to promote 'open access' are leading many universities to develop institutional repositories which contain the full text of theses and dissertations alongside journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, reports and associated research datasets etc. Attention is now being directed towards the identification and dissemination of examples of good practice, and attempts are being made to co-ordinate activities across institutions both nationally and internationally (to reduce unnecessary duplication of effort and encourage developmental work in areas where this will be beneficial). This article highlights key issues associated with the creation, management and use of electronic theses and dissertations and provides information about organisations that are actively working to promote this useful source of research data. Information is provided on topics such as training, technical and administrative requirements, and the issues to address, whether adopting a local, institutional, approach or participating in a national level service.
The submission of this manuscript in its final form has been approved by all authors. All authors entitled to authorship are listed as authors and in order of their contributions. Each of the authors listed made substantial contributions to the conception and design of this study; development of the researcher-generated survey used to collect data; participated in data collection, and provided input relative to the analysis and interpretation of data. Although the primary author drafted the manuscript, the other authors significantly contributed to the revisions and critically reviewed the manuscript relative to their expertise including nursing and library science. There are no conflicts of interest.
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The paper aims to describe recent moves to establish a UK electronic thesis service. The existing arrangements for access to UK doctoral theses are not seen as ideal or sustainable. A range of stakeholders have come together in recent years to invest in an alternative. The resulting service model is one that is relevant to higher education across the UK and beyond. Design/methodology/approach -The EThOS service model is a partnership between the British Library as the service provider and UK universities, and includes technical, legal, business and operational aspects. It has been achieved by a series of development projects undertaken since 2002, culminating now in the impending transition from prototype to live service. Findings -The EThOS service model includes a range of partnership options to suit the varied requirements of UK higher education institutions. The main ambition of the model is to make electronic theses available open access via a financially viable and sustainable model. The core of the model is a "central hub", offering discovery, digitisation and preservation functions, working with institutions, in part via their institutional repositories. Practical implications -It is hoped that most UK higher education institutions will sign up for EThOS and benefit from this shift to both electronic theses and open access. Many have already indicated that they will do so. Originality/value -The value of the EThOS service is likely to be considerable. Where theses are available open access, their use escalates. EThOS will enable UK theses to be more widely accessed, read, used and cited worldwide. Authors, institutions and the UK all benefit from this.
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