The aim of the proposal is to establish a distributed database of digital versions of theses produced by the postgraduate research students at the participating institutions. The theses will be available via the web. Approximately 4,000 degrees are awarded each year in Australia with about half of these coming from the 7 participating institutions. Postgraduate theses represent a significant proportion of Australia's research activity. However, lack of easy access to this information means other researchers can wait months or years before papers or books describing aspects of the research are published.
Theses are an underutilised information resource.
A thesis by its very nature is produced in very limited quantities and normally the only copy available is the archival copy deposited in the Library. It is estimated that copies of fewer than 1,500 per year are requested from the participating libraries, even fewer are supplied as the cost and delay factors are a significant deterrent. These tools also provide them with the opportunity to include multimedia components. However, use of these technologies is limited by the requirements for theses to be submitted in paper format. By changing the procedures for creating and submitting theses, the deposit of theses can be made more efficient and less costly to the student in terms of cost of making multiple paperbound copies.