By supporting student creation of PDF-based ETDs, colleges and universities can create a reliable and universal method for archiving and accessing graduate research.
Several university including Ohio State University and the University of Waterloo are moving to requiring that student theses and dissertations be published in Acrobat. Please let us know if your institution is also thinking about going in this direction. The following is taken from an Adobe publication on the topic. Additional information can be found at [url=http://www.adobe.com/education/etd/]Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) with Adobe Acrobat[/url]. Academic research continues to move toward Internet-based publication schemes, digital collaboration, and publishing theses and dissertations in digital formats. With advanced PDF creation, media incorporation, accessibility, security, and archiving capabilities, Acrobat is the most powerful software for creating searchable, universally available electronic theses and dissertations (ETD). When you use Acrobat as a foundation for PDF-based ETD creation and archiving, you can:
* Reach a new, broader audience with your research
* Easily distribute your ETD through electronic means
* Create a fully searchable document tailored to Internet search engines and digital catalogs.
* Participate in the movement toward greater accessibility to research results
* Create media rich dissertations
Just think of the possibilities if all theses and dissertation were available as searchable pdfs.
Bob Leneway