1. A French-German Survey of Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Access and Restrictions
- Author
-
Thomas Severiens, Marjorie Piotrowski, Joachim Schöpfel, Eberhard R. Hilf, Paul Grabbe, Hélène Prost, Groupe d'Études et de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Information et COmmunication - ULR 4073 (GERIICO ), Université de Lille, Institute for Science Networking Oldenburg GmbH (ISN OLDENBURG), Carl Von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, This paper was prepared with funding support from the European Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities (MESHS—USR 3185), Lille, France, and Carl Von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg = Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (OFFIS)
- Subjects
business.industry ,[SHS.INFO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Library and information sciences ,Library science ,Sample (statistics) ,Open access ,Library and Information Sciences ,language.human_language ,Variety (cybernetics) ,World Wide Web ,German ,Publishing ,Institutional repositories ,Political science ,language ,Confidentiality ,business ,Electronic theses and dissertations ,Embargoes - Abstract
International audience; As a French-German research team we conducted a survey with a sample of academic libraries and graduate schools in France and Germany to determine the current situation and trends in the publishing of electronic PhD theses and dissertations (ETDs) under Open Access (OA). The percentage of OA theses varies depending on the country, the research field, and the institution. Not all ETDs are available in OA for a variety of reasons, including confidentiality, embargoes, author-imposed restrictions, and a lack of encouragement and/or requirement by libraries and graduate schools. The survey reveals qualitative and structural differences between France and Germany in this area. Here we discuss the survey findings, the methodologies used in the survey, and the various policies (or lack thereof) and their impact on ETDs and OA. A strategy is outlined for moving towards ensuring that publishing ETDs under OA becomes routine, and an electronic version becomes the only manifestation of a thesis.
- Published
- 2015