Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Promoting ‘Hidden’ Research

Abstract

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.

Making Visualization Work for Institutional Repositories: Information Visualization as a means to browse electronic theses and dissertations

“…The cost (Weisser, 1997;Brown, 2010) and the amount of work entailed (Copeland, 2008) slowed the transition. Even given the time and cost of digitization, many agree that theses and dissertations (TDs) are important stores of information that represent years of research (Copeland, 2011;Lewis, 2002).…”

Harnessing our rivers of knowledge: time to improve nursing's engagement with Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“…Given this global transformation in the availability of theses and dissertations (Copeland ), it would be reasonable to assume that an international discipline like nursing would not only contribute its outputs, but also develop, harness and exploit the many new opportunities being presented. Sadly, the little we know about nursing's engagement with Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) suggests that we remain largely oblivious to the potential power of these developments.…”

Slipping through the net: the paradox of nursing's electronic theses and dissertations

“…Copeland () identifies some of the early concerns about the creation of ETDs but also the benefits and growth in their availability and use internationally. The number of ETDs, and ease of access to them, now provides substantive opportunities for nurses and nursing to benefit.…”

“…cybertesis.net/), the British Library's 'Electronic Theses Online Service' (EThOS; http://ethos.bl.uk) and the National Library of Australia's 'Trove' repository (http://trove.nla.gov.au). Copeland (2010) identifies some of the early concerns about the creation of ETDs but also the benefits and growth in their availability and use internationally. The number of ETDs, and ease of access to them, now provides substantive opportunities for nurses and nursing to benefit.…”