Evolving in Collaboration: Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Workflows in North Carolina

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Mary Early, Assistant Director, Dissertation/Thesis Reviewer (Creator)
Anne Marie Taber, Former Electronic Resources and Metadata Cataloger (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Thirty-seven colleges and universities in North Carolina offer advanced degrees, and most require a thesis or dissertation. The websites of thirteen (35%) indicate they accept or require electronic submission of dissertations and/or theses (ETD). How do these institutions handle the interdepartmental communication and collaboration needs of ETD programs? To begin answering this question, this study examines current practices among ETD administrators in North Carolina and in current national literature, paying special attention to communication, collaboration, workflows, and divisions of labor. The literature review surveys current (since 2003) library and higher education articles on topics related to collaboration, workflows, and divisions of labor in ETD programs. Then the authors use a brief web survey (sixteen questions) that was emailed to twenty-three individuals identified on institutional websites as being involved in the ETD pro-gram. Fifty percent of recipients completed the survey, and the results tend to support common themes found in the literature: ETD depositories require a great variety of skill sets and thus will involve multiple departments; libraries and graduate schools are primary players, but not exclu-sively, in ETD workflows; and communication and collaboration between departments are im-portant from start to finish.

Additional Information

Publication
Collaborative Librarianship 2(1): 4-18 (2010)
Language: English
Date: 2010
Keywords
ETD administrators, North Carolina colleges, North Carolina universities, dissertations, theses, electronic submission, communication, collaboration, workflows

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