Influencing the Deposit of Electronic Theses in UK HE:
a sector-wide survey into thesis deposit and open access
This survey formed part of the ‘Influencing the Deposit of Electronic Theses in UK HE’ project commissioned by the JISC and led by UCL Library Services. The survey was designed to capture a snapshot of current and planned electronic theses policies and practices in UK HEIs, and to gather evidence about the main barriers to the electronic deposit of e-theses. The survey was conducted online during June 2010.
93% of research degree awarding HEIs responded to the survey. Some of the key findings include:
- Within five years electronic thesis deposit will be accepted in at least 125 of 155, or 81%, of research degree-awarding HEIs.
- Using HESA statistics, this indicates that within five years, copies of over 99% of the UK’s annual output of PhD theses will be held electronically by awarding institutions.
- 62 out of the 90 HEIs (69%) that currently accept e-theses make them openly accessible.
The survey found high levels of reported concern about the risks associated with:
- Third party copyright infringement
- Plagiarism
- Sensitive data within theses
- Open e-thesis deposit potentially hindering the author's future publication prospects
However, very few actual instances of copyright-driven ‘takedown’, plagiarism, issues arising from data sensitivity, or publication refusal were reported. In every case, HEIs are actively managing these risks.
Last modified 17 December 2010
|
