Perhaps the most extensive source of information about ETDs. Virginia Tech. has led the academic community in the effort to implement electronic formats of theses and dissertations. This site contains:

• A digital library collection of all ETDs done at Va. Tech.

• A workshop for students attempting to use electronic formats to convert or submit their work.

• An extensive vision statement which describes ETDs and discusses their benefits.

• An ETD presentation designed for other universities which are interested in ETDs.

• Several press releases about their early efforts to successfully do ETDs.

• An extensive list of frequently asked questions about ETDs.

• A glossary of terms associated with ETDs.

This site should probably be your first stop if you are interested in ETDs. Often updated, Va. Tech. has created a user friendly webpage filled with information designed to inform students, educators, and universities how and why ETDs could and should be done.

A report which was submitted to and approved by (April 1996) the Graduate Assembly at the University of Texas at Austin. The report concerns the advocacy of Digital Dissertations based upon a student request to submit a dissertation in CD ROM format. The report contains a section on the advantages and cautions of digital dissertations--they list eight major issues that the committee addressed. The committee was nearly unanimous in recommending that U of Texas move forward with permitting and eventually requiring that all dissertations be deposited in some digital format. The report lists short term and long term goals, recommending a move towards electronic submission requirements by May 2001.

This site briefly describes a four month project completed in the spring of 1996 at Aalborg University in Denmark. The project was successful in most aspects. Most importantly, the group discovered that the best and most effective way to digitalize theses was to convert them into a PDF version. A minor site, but important in that it shows the global interest among universities in electronic theses and dissertations.

This site is designed to explore the governance issues and technical feasibility of submission, storage, and distribution of ETDs. The University of Waterloo is currently involved in an "Information Gathering Phase" concerning ETDs. This site contains a useful survey to further discussions about ETDs which might be of interest to scholars, students, and administrators concerned with ETDs projects.

Based at the University of Virginia, this site contains general information related to ETDs in the humanities. It is designed primarily as an aid for graduate students attempting to secure approval for their own ETDs. The site contains a directory of ETDs currently in progress, selected articles on scholarly electronic publishing, and other related sources.