Theses are underutilised information resources, due to limitations on information about their content and restrictions on access to them.

This paper describes current developments of a pilot project that has the potential to enhance knowledge about, and access to, Australian theses via the web. The Australian Digital Theses Project (ADT) develops a local model based on work originally carried out in the U.S.A. The model is for the creation of a database of digitised theses, accessible via the web using locally modified software for the self-submission of theses directly into this database.

This Australian project, a collaborative effort by seven Universities, further extends the original concept to develop a prototype nationally distributed database of theses.

 

There are approximately 4,000 research degrees awarded each year in Australia. This means postgraduate theses represent a significant proportion of Australia's research activity.

However, lack of easy access renders theses as an underutilised information resource. Lack of access and subsequent lack of use can be attributed to a number of factors: lack of knowledge that the thesis exists; lack of information about the contents of the thesis; lack of ready availability.

The question arises then as how to ‘unlock’ the valuable information contained in theses and make it easily available to researchers everywhere. A possible solution would be to create a searchable database and deliver the theses in digital format via the web. This is the aim of the Australian Digital Theses (ADT) Project.

This pilot project is a collaborative effort involving 7 institutions: The University of New South Wales (lead institution), Australian National University, Curtin University of Technology, Griffith University, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland and University of Sydney. The project is being funded by an ARC-RIEFP grant and the initial stage of the work is being carried out in 1998/1999.

The central aim of the ADT Project is to establish a distributed database of digital theses produced by postgraduate research students at the participating institutions with the theses delivered across the web. Approximately half the of the research theses awarded in Australia come from the partner institutions in the ADT Project.

The project has 3 primary objectives:

The model adopted for the ADT Project is the one developed by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (commonly known as Virginia Tech or VT) and State University. This US based initiative is centred around the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) with VT being the leader. All Australian ADT partners are members of the NDLTD initiative.

See: http://www.ndltd.org/

The Virginia Tech model is based on self submission of theses in digital format using a web-based form, the whole process being automated with the theses ultimately being accessible via the web. This self submission process is seen as the key to increasing efficiency and to be cost effective for both the student and the institution concerned. The model parallels the traditional ‘paper trail’. VT has developed this model over the past 15 years with electronic self submission being made compulsory 2 years ago. See: http://etd.vt.edu/

Whilst the local ADT model is a modified version of the VT one, there are significant differences that had to be thought about and thought out, and ultimately factored into the process and software for the purposes of the project at hand.

The VT model, now compulsory, has been developed for that institution specifically and is based exclusively on self submission. There are also cultural and semantic differences between the 2 countries that needed transcribing.

The significant differences that the ADT pilot had to deal with and find solutions for where:

The team at UNSW commenced work on the project mid 1998. Virginia Tech agreed to release a mirror of their site, which included the submission form and software. When all the necessary changes had been made and the modified software rigorously tested the ADT site and software was released to the project partners – April 1999. The collaborative ADT site at UNSW is at: http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/thesis/thesis.html This site will be also maintained as the archive of information on the project’s history and development.

The next phase is for each of the partners to install the ADT software locally and begin putting theses through the process and to collectively develop a body of digitised theses. The creation of a body of theses and the testing and development of the distributed database and search engine will take place during the latter part of 1999.

During the software testing and modification phase the UNSW team proposed a set of draft standards which where ratified, after further augmentation and amendment, at a workshop including all representatives from the partners involved.

The core standards are:

Further details on issues and standards can be obtained from the ADT site at UNSW: http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/thesis/etd.html

 

While there are many issues and concerns specifically relating to digitising theses and their subsequent archiving, that are not canvassed in this paper, the ADT project has demonstrated, and will further demonstrate as it develops, that a successful local model has been established. This model is also flexible, scalable and could become a prototype for a truly national database of electronic theses. As the project further develops, with the possibility of including other interested institutions, more work and research will need to be done on issues such as document integrity, copyright and plagiarism, and the long term archiving of electronic theses.

The project team is aware that not all theses can be easily converted into digital format, or into PDF specifically. However, the team is confident that most could be, and for those that cannot be, there is enough scope within the model by way of the metadata and front.pdf files to at least find their existence, and some information about them. To this end, the project team has always focussed on what has been realistically achievable and tried to work ways around obvious, and probably unsolvable problems. To follow developments on the project keep an eye on the ADT site - see the address in the beneath the title.