Australian Digital Theses Program FAQ

What is the ADT Program?
The Australian Digital Theses Program is a national program aimed at providing access to, and promoting Australian research to the international academic community by developing a national database of online digital versions of theses produced by postgraduate research students at Australian universities. The theses will be available via the Internet.

All University of Newcastle postgraduate research students have the opportunity to deposit their theses electronically on the ADT database. For additional information on the ADT Program contact the ADT Administrator.

• you completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), or a Masters degree (by research) 
• you completed your degree at the University of Newcastle
• you have received your degree confirmation letter

How do I prepare my thesis for inclusion in the ADT Program?
Consult the Depositing Theses guide for details.

Why use Adobe Acrobat?
Adobe Acrobat was chosen as the format for thesis included in the ADT Program because:

• it allows easy conversion of files from many different formats
• it is cross platform
• it preserves the appearance of the original document
• it is readable by the freely available Acrobat reader software

I have used some nonstandard fonts in my thesis. Can Acrobat convert these correctly?
You will need to set up Acrobat Distiller to "embed all fonts".

I've completed my thesis using Latex. Is it possible to covert to Acrobat format?
Yes. You may use the Acrobat Distiller to convert Postscript files to PDF. A distiller is available for Macintosh, PC and most UNIX platforms. Note that you must substitute Postscript fonts for the DVI bitmap fonts when you convert the file.

How do I convert Pagemaker and Photoshop documents into a PDF file?
The latest versions of Adobe products all have native PDF support. From the "File" menu select "Save as PDF…" or "Print to PDF…".

For non-Adobe products, any file that can be printed from Windows/Macintosh can be printed to PostScript and then Distilled into PDF.

What do I do if my thesis contains multimedia items?
Items such as computer programs, art works, videos, etc., which have been submitted as part of a thesis, may be digitised and uploaded into the ADT database if possible. However, because of technical limitations this may not be possible. If you need more information, please contact the ADT Administrator.

I've used copyrighted material in my thesis. Is that OK?
While it is usually OK to include third party copyrighted material with appropriate referencing, in a print thesis with limited circulation, it is a different matter to digitise this material and make it generally available on the web. If you have this kind of material (images, diagrams, illustrations, maps, etc) in your thesis, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner to include it the online version of your thesis. You will need to provide the library with the permission documentation before your thesis can be made available online.

What if I can't get copyright permission?
If you can't get permission from the copyright owners, then the material must be removed from your thesis. Please contact the ADT Administrator for assistance with this, or if you are unsure whether you need to get copyright permission.

How do I deposit my thesis with the ADT Program?
Refer to the section on Depositing Theses.

I've moved interstate since completing my thesis at the University. Can I deposit it remotely?
Yes. Your thesis can be submitted from anywhere that has access to a computer with internet access, via the Thesis Deposit Form.

Do I still need to lodge a printed copy of my thesis with the Library?
Yes, a print copy is still required.

Can access to theses be restricted?
Yes. Access can be restricted to all or part of a thesis for a defined time period (up to 24 months) to allow for publishing, patent applications, etc.  You will need to have had permission to restrict publication approved.

Won't digitising my thesis make it easier to plagiarise?
Some researchers believe that making their work widely available via the Internet constitutes a form of protection. They argue that if more people are aware of the existence of their thesis and are able to access the full-text, then the possibility of another researcher successfully plagiarising their material is decreased.

They also argue that a hard copy thesis that may only be known to a few individuals and kept in the collection of one library is far more likely to be successfully plagiarised than one which is widely available on the Internet.

Incorporating your thesis into the ADT database will bring your work to the attention of a greater range of interested readers, will publicise your research and has the potential to enhance your professional reputation. It may make it a little easier for an unscrupulous researcher to plagiarise your work but remember that plagiarism has always happened even in the pre-electronic world.

How secure is the ADT database - could changes be made to my theses?
The standard for document security set for the ADT Program is to allow read and print only. This security is set by the local ADT administrator. However, PDF is not immune to hackers. There will always be a risk but the security settings will minimise such risk.

If I include the fulltext of my thesis in the ADT Program will I be able to publish it later?
Many research students hope to publish all or part of their thesis after it has been accepted. They are concerned that making the full-text of their thesis available on the Internet will be seen as "publishing" the work and may then make it ineligible for later publication.

In practice if a thesis is published it is rarely exactly the same as the thesis presented for examination. Journal articles are usually based on a chapter or section of a thesis.

Some major journal publishers such as Elsevier have already accepted electronic publication of theses and are quite happy to publish articles based on these theses. However, some publishers insist on first publication and may well reject an article based on a thesis made available on the Internet. To be totally sure about this issue it would be wise for you to check the policy of relevant journal publishers.

The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) site has some useful information on this issue, including:

• Publishers and the NDLTD
• Guidance for Students Curious about Placing ETDs in a Digital Library Available to the Web

You may like to use the following links to access publisher contact details:

• Australian Publishers and Booksellers
• International Directory of Email Addresses of Publishers, Vendors and Related Professional Associations, Organisations and Services

Who can access my thesis?
Unless all or part of your thesis has been restricted (see above), then anyone with access to the web may view and print your thesis.

Will I be charged to access a thesis?
Not at present. However, it is possible that a pay per download system may be implemented at some time in the future.

Can I find out how often my thesis is viewed, and by whom?
It is possible to provide statistics on how often a thesis is viewed. However, details concerning who accesses theses are not available.

Who can I ask If I need assistance?
Contact the ADT Administrator or your Faculty Librarian for more information.

How do I cite an electronic thesis?
Follow the same procedure as prescribed by the referencing style used, with the addition of the electronic address, similar to citing other electronic resources. The Referencing and Style Guides page may help.

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