Susan Copeland

Electronic theses : the turning point

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 n...

The development and promotion of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) within the UK

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.

A new electronic service for UK theses: access transformed by EThOS

Purpose – 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 c...

Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Promoting ‘Hidden’ Research:

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 data sets, etc. Attention is now being directed towards the identification and dissemination of examples of good practice, and attempts are being made to coordinate 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.

OpenAIR: The Development of the Institutional Repository at the Robert Gordon University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of OpenAIR, the institutional repository at the Robert Gordon University.Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines the principles that underpinned the development of the repository (visibility, sustainability, quality, and findability) and some of the technical and financial implications that were considered.Findings – OpenAIR@RGU evolved from a desire to make available an electronic collection of PhD theses, but was developed to become a means of storing and providing access to a range of research output produced by staff and research students: book chapters, journal articles, reports, conference publications, theses, artworks, and datasets.Originality/value – The paper describes the repositorys contribution to collection development.

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

In 2009, India mandated that all theses and dissertations from its universities would be required to be submitted electronically to a new national repository called Shodhganga: http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in. Combining Shodh, the Sanskrit word for research and discovery, with Ganga, the name of the country’s longest and holiest river, produced the striking metaphor of a national river of doctoral and masters knowledge. Although the database is more conservatively billed by its custodians as a reservoir, it is hard for the deskbound academic to resist the splendid vision of a nation’s theses and dissertations, now in electronic formats, rolling forward as a mighty unified force to feed into the global ocean of scholarship. India is not alone in such activity. During the past 10 years Australia, the UK and many other countries have harvested theses and dissertations in electronic formats from the Institutional Repositories (IRs) of individual universities to create excellent national web portals for scholars from all disciplines. Importantly, a guiding principle has been to make these works openly available in full text format whenever possible. In turn there are now several international web portals such as the Networked Digital Library for Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) that harvest these scholarly works. So, in a relatively short time we have come a long way from the use of white gloves for the single copy unpublished thesis, or the use of microfiche and magnifying glass.

E-Theses Developments in the UK.

Several projects are underway currently in the UK to promote the production, management and use of theses in electronic format. Funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) is enabling three project teams to address key issues which to date have held back e-theses development in this country, including the lack of models suitable for use at national level. In order to appreciate the context within which the (Glasgow, Edinburgh and RGU led) projects are operating, this paper includes a brief history of the development of e-theses in the UK. It has taken a considerable length of time for the present, positive, situation to materialise in the UK. However, it is hoped that by highlighting the stages of development, the paper will serve to encourage others to persevere with attempts to obtain funding, and change attitudes, in order to achieve acceptance of electronic theses in their own institutions. The formation of the University Theses Online Group (UTOG), in the mid 1990s, may be considered the first milestone in the UK. Over the years, members of UTOG have worked hard to ascertain the views of students and researchers and to raise awareness of the advantages of having theses available in electronic format. At times the slow rate of progress has been dispiriting, but individual achievements have been significant. The paper explores the difficulties associated with maintaining interest in the subject of e-theses over a lengthy period during which there were few major breakthroughs - and it explains how this has been achieved in the UK. Finally, the paper examines the value of having easy access, via Web pages, to information about international e-theses projects and developments. Persuasive arguments can be made at home when details about progress, achievements and increased usage statistics elsewhere can be cited.