The Perceived Ease in Adoption of Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD)

Abstract

Thesis and dissertations are a unique and rich source of information and it is often the only classic research that always do not channel into publications. They are often an underutilized research asset leading to unnecessary repetition and duplication. Misuse and plagiarism of research work can be identified by maintaining robust ETD. On the perspective of academic pathway, registry and research assortment there are scores of issues, however using ETD to the best is an important strategy to empower knowledge. This article accentuates the usage pattern of ETD and its prospects. A survey was conducted to identify the ease in the adoption of ETD. The felt benefits and opportunities for improvements were identified. It was evident that many researchers have access to ETD. However, the prominent use of ETD was by the PhD research fellows to upload thesis and information search was done at a later stage. Increased efficiency was noted in uploading electronic thesis into the ETD system and it was cost saving. On the flip side to locate the thesis upload site was an intricate process. Information on service strategy that enabled expansion of electronic thesis was reconciled. There was a prominent need for detailed governing procedure to process the electronic thesis submission. To fully utilize the potential of ETD sufficient infra-structure and IT training must be provided for researchers, towards implementing an automated process. Clearly there is a need for administrative procedure to recognise an easy to use procedural pathway. Materialization of mandatory electronic thesis submission will gain useful insight on matters of electronic thesis development.