The present research work deals with the Electronic Thesis Repositories which are a major form of grey literature of any organization. There are various benefits of ETDs like they help in increasing the citation count of the author and the institution, minimum time required for dissemination of scholarly information, various file formats can be incorporated in the electronic form which is not possible in the print theses and dissertations and they provide a solution of long term preservation of theses and dissertations. In spite of the benefits of ETDs, authors hesitate in depositing their research work in electronic format mainly due to fear of plagiarism.
There are various concepts in the whole process of setting up of an ETD Program. The present research work aims to study the various concepts of ETDs by analyzing the E-thesis Repositories in the world and collecting data from the Repository administrators through Web Questionnaire. The fourteen research objectives are divided into nine sections of Background Information of E-thesis Repository; Repository Materials; Hardware & Software;Ways of Providing Access to ETDs; Budget & Human Resource; Metadata & Interoperability Standards; Preservation Policies; Copyright Issues;Language Compatibility, Linkages with various National and International ETD Projects & Currency of Information.
The Review of Literature was conducted exhaustively using various keywords belonging to the area of research from print and non-print sources of information. The major trend observed in the international literature emphasized on importance of ETDs in academic libraries, world wide open access initiatives, overview of country specific ETD Projects, copyright and preservation issues related to ETDs, selection of software and Policy Guidelines framed by international organizations. Trend observed in ETD literature published in India highlight on contribution of UGC, NKC and INFLIBNET towards Open Access and ETDs, selection of software, copyright and IPR issues, developments in open access initiative in India and development of ETD projects in various institutions across India.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
1.1.1 Definition of Institutional Repository
1.1.2 Need of Institutional Repository
1.1.3 Benefits of Institutional Repository
1.2 Significance of the Present Study
1.3 Statement of the Problem
1.4 Aims & Objectives of the Present Study
1.5 Hypotheses
1.6 Scope & Limitations
1.7 Research Methodology
1.8 Chapterization
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Review of Literature at International Level
2.2.1 Electronic Theses and Dissertations
2.2.2 Institutional Repositories
2.2.3 Open Access
2.3 Review of Literature at National Level
2.3.1 Electronic Theses and Dissertations
2.3.2 Institutional Repositories
2.3.3 Open Access
3. OPEN ACCESS REPOSITORIES: A HISTORICAL REVIEW
3.1 Introduction
3.2 History of Open Access
3.3 What is Open Access
3.4 Types of Open Access
3.5 Benefits of Open Access
3.5.1 Benefits of Open Access- by SPARC
3.5.2 Benefits of Open Access- by SPARC Europe
3.5.3 Benefits of Open Access- by UNESCO
3.5.4 Benefits of Open Access- by National Open Access Policy for Developing Countries
3.5.5 Benefits of Open Access- by Alma Swan
3.6 Barriers to Open Access
3.7 Efforts Towards Open Access Initiative (OAI)
3.7.1 International Efforts
3.7.2 National Efforts
3.8 Open Access Institutional Repositories
3.8.1 Advantages of Institutional Repositories
3.8.2 Contents of IRs
3.8.3 Open Source Software (OSS) Packages used for Repository
3.8.3.1 Concept of OSS
3.8.3.2 Various OSS Packages
3.9 Open Access and Copyright
4. E- THESIS REPOSITORIES: AN OVERVIEW
4.1 Introduction
4.2 History of ETD
4.3 Definition of ETD
4.4 Benefits of ETD
4.5 Risks of ETD
4.6 ETD-MS: Interoperability Metadata Standard for ETDs
4.7 Standards for Metadata Harvesting
4.8 File Formats for ETDs
4.9 Digital Preservation Strategies of ETDs
4.9.1 Definition
4.9.2 Need
4.9.3 What does ‘Long Term’ Digital Preservation mean?
4.9.4 Criteria for Selecting a Digital Preservation Strategy
4.9.5 Digital Preservation Strategies
4.10 Copyright & ETDs
4.11 Types of Access Provided for ETDs
4.12 ETD Initiatives at International Level
4.12.1 NDLTD
4.12.2 DART Europe
4.12.3 DIVA
4.12.4 ProQuest Digital Theses
4.13 ETD Initiatives-Country Specific
4.13.1 EThOS
4.13.2 Theses Canada
4.13.3 Australasian Digital Theses Program
4.13.4 DissOnline& Online Dissertations at the Germany National Library
4.13.5 NARCIS
4.13.6 South African Theses and Dissertations
4.13.7 China Doctoral/ Master Dissertation Database
4.13.8 DATAD
4.14 ETD Initiatives in India (Full-Text)
4.14.1 Shodhganga
4.14.2 Vidyanidhi
4.14.3 CSIR Explorations
4.14.4 KrishiPrabha
4.14.5 Librarians’ Digital Library
4.14.6 DELNET Database of Theses and Dissertations
4.14.7 NASSDOC Database of Ph.D Dissertations
4.15 ETD Directories/Registries
4.15.1 ROAR
4.15.2 OpenDOAR
4.15.3 OAIster
4.15.4 BASE
4.15.5 ScientificCommons
4.16 UNESCO’s Contribution Towards ETD
4.17 How to Set up an ETD Program
4.18 ETD Terms & Definitions
5. DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
5.1 E-theses Repository Development & Management
6. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
6.1 Findings, Conclusions & Suggestions
6.2 Prospective Areas of Research
Research Goals and Core Themes
The primary research objective of this thesis is to perform a critical analysis of E-theses repositories worldwide to understand their development, management, and current status. The researcher aims to identify key trends, technical standards, and institutional challenges—ranging from software selection and metadata interoperability to preservation policies and copyright management—that influence the effectiveness of these digital archives in disseminating academic research.
- The role of Institutional Repositories in global Open Access movements.
- Technical and operational requirements for successfully building and maintaining ETD programs.
- Comparative analysis of ETD initiatives at both international and national levels, with a focus on India.
- Challenges related to copyright, plagiarism, and long-term digital preservation of electronic theses.
- Strategies for repository management, including metadata standards, software selection, and user accessibility.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Introduction:
The present age of information has changed the traditional library concept. Nowadays, the concepts of digital library, electronic library are being popularized. Application and development of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) brought a revolution in collection and services provided by libraries. The knowledge that was traditionally kept closed in a book, journal, conference proceedings, research reports, thesis or dissertation etc. has now got an opportunity to break the barriers and reach out to maximum users in minimum time. ‘Open Access’ has expedited the process of dissemination of information to anyone, anytime and anywhere.
The Open Access movement led to development of Institutional Repositories that emerged as a new strategy in 2002. The leadership of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the development and deployment of the DSpace institutional repository system http://www.dspace.org/, created in collaboration with the Hewlett Packard Corporation, has been a model pointing the way forward for many other universities.
Information explosion, lack of library budget, space problem, high information demand, increasing subscription amount of journals, have forced the libraries to seek different ways by which one can collect, store and disseminate information among the users. To solve such problems, the concept of Institutional Repositories is developed among the academic institutions all over the world. Institutional repositories contain digitized assets of the institute like books, journals, conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, research reports, datasets, newspaper clippings, datasets etc.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter provides the foundational context of the study, covering the evolution of digital libraries, the role of institutional repositories, and the specific objectives and methodology used to analyze global ETD programs.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE: This chapter offers a comprehensive survey of global and national literature related to Electronic Theses and Dissertations, covering themes like open access, technical standards, and research trends in the field.
3. OPEN ACCESS REPOSITORIES: A HISTORICAL REVIEW: This chapter traces the history and definitions of Open Access, detailing international and national policy guidelines and the role of open source software in repository management.
4. E- THESIS REPOSITORIES: AN OVERVIEW: This chapter focuses on ETDs as a specific form of grey literature, discussing their history, benefits, metadata standards, file formats, and digital preservation strategies.
5. DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION: This chapter presents the empirical findings gathered from the web survey of repository administrators across 43 countries, providing detailed statistics on development, management, and technical configuration.
6. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS: This chapter synthesizes the research results, providing a summary of conclusions based on the original objectives and offering recommendations for future development in the field.
Keywords
Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD), Open Access, Institutional Repositories, Digital Preservation, Metadata Standards, OAI-PMH, DSpace, Scholarly Communication, Grey Literature, Library Science, Research Management, Copyright, Plagiarism, Information Dissemination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research provides a critical analysis of E-theses repositories worldwide, investigating how academic institutions manage, preserve, and provide access to digital doctoral and master's theses.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The study covers open access policies, technical repository infrastructure, metadata standards, preservation strategies, copyright/IPR issues, and the overall management of digital academic outputs.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to assess the status of E-theses repositories globally and to create a comprehensive, evidence-based understanding of how these repositories facilitate the dissemination of academic research.
Which methodology does the research employ?
The research uses a descriptive survey methodology, collecting primary data from repository administrators across 43 countries through a web-based questionnaire.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body examines the historical context of Open Access, the technical and legal requirements of establishing ETD programs, and detailed statistical analysis of institutional data regarding software, funding, and copyright policies.
What defines the core keyword set for this study?
The work is characterized by terms such as Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD), Open Access, Institutional Repositories, Digital Preservation, and Metadata Standards.
How do institutional repositories handle copyright issues?
The study reveals that while most institutions recognize that the researcher retains copyright, they often implement disclaimers and restrictive access measures (like disabling printing/copying) to protect the intellectual property.
What role does software play in these repositories?
Software is critical; the study finds that DSpace is the most widely implemented open-source platform, valued for its active developer community, functionality, and open-source nature.
How is the frequency of ETD usage monitored?
Monitoring is largely done through statistical counts of views (abstract/full-text) and downloads, with many institutions utilizing tools like AWStats or built-in repository statistics packages.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Shantashree Sengupta (Autor:in), 2014, E-thesis repositories in the world, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/455807
