EThOS: progress towards an electronic thesis service for the UK

Abstract

EThOS: progress towards an electronic thesis service for the UKThe EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) project is building on previous e-thesis initiatives, and co-ordinating the work of some of the key players in the UK to develop a service for finding, accessing and archiving digital copies of doctoral theses produced in UK higher education institutions.Key issues for the project are the development of a sound financial basis for a successful service, the provision of advice needed by authors and university staff on handling intellectual property rights, and the protection of legitimate needs for confidentiality. EThOS will also establish workable and standardsbased procedures for populating e-thesis repositories with current and retrospectively acquired digital versions of theses and associated metadata. These developments must also fit with universities' own internal administrative arrangements and regulations.The project aims to deliver an e-thesis infrastructure that is both technically and financially sustainable, together with a full supporting toolkit of guidance, standards and procedures. JILL RUSSELL on behalf of the EThOS project team

Factors Influencing the Adoption and Development of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Programs, with Particular Reference to the Arab Gulf States

“…However, changing and updating university regulations and policies in this way is a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating process (Greig, 2005). It involves lengthy discussions between libraries, academic departments, university administrators and computer service staff (Copeland, Penman and Milne, 2005;Russell, 2006). Bevilacqua (2007) stated that most faculties' regulations did not mention the deposit of thesis copies in the library when the university decided to adopt an ETD program.…”

“…Bevilacqua (2007) stated that most faculties' regulations did not mention the deposit of thesis copies in the library when the university decided to adopt an ETD program. Russell (2006) stated that few universities have local procedures in place for voluntary or mandatory e-submission of theses. However, it is not only the absence of adequate policies and regulations that can affect the adoption and development of ETD programs; inappropriate policies can also have a signifi cant impact.…”

UK theses and the British Library EThOS service: from supply on demand to repository linking

“…The launch of EThOS in 2009 was the culmination of years of hard work and commitment by a small project team to a belief that opening up access to doctoral theses would be a good thing for individual researchers, the authors of the theses themselves and for participating institutions. The EThOSNet project (Russell, 2006), supported extensively by Jisc funding and vision, worked hard to persuade the community that the move to electronic theses was inevitable and would bring extensive benefits.…”

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Programmes in the Arab Gulf States: Exploring factors affecting their adoption and development

“…However, changing and updating university regulations and policies in this way is a timeconsuming and, sometimes, frustrating process (Greig, 2005;Jones & Andrew, 2005). It involves lengthy discussions between libraries, academic departments, university administrators and computer service staff (Copeland et al, 2005;Russell, 2006). Several universities have been found by various studies to lack appropriate policies when deciding to adopt ETD programmes.…”

“…With regard to university regulations, for example, Bevilacqua (2007) stated that most faculties' regulations made no mention of the deposit of theses copies in the library, even after the university had decided to adopt an ETD programme. Russell (2006) stated that few universities have local procedures in place for voluntary or mandatory electronic submission of theses.…”