Introducing electronic theses and dissertations in universities : an Indian perspective

Abstract

The changing electronic environment is forcing Indian Universities, to think about digitizing their theses and dissertations and introduce ETD Systems. A national level study was undertaken to analyze the present scenario in Indian Universities with focus on Ph D Research Scholars, Research Guides and University Librarians. The exact picture of doctoral theses collection, its usage, difficulties in access, academic and research community’s attitude towards digital archiving and electronic publishing are discussed. Few Universities have already started ETD Projects, and majority of them will be starting the projects soon. The need for an experienced national level agency for coordinating the work, national level policies from agencies like UGC, necessary financial and technical guidance etc are identified through the analysis. Most of the academics are supporting the idea of ETDs, but still a moderate majority is supporting its Global access through Internet.