Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations

Background: Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are a valuable resource for nurse scholars worldwide. ETDs and digital libraries offer the potential to radically change the nature and scope of the way in which doctoral research results are presented, disseminated and used. An exploratory stud...

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Main Authors: Goodfellow, L., Macduff, C., Leslie, Gavin, Copeland, S., Nolfi, D., Blackwood, Diana
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19058
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author Goodfellow, L.
Macduff, C.
Leslie, Gavin
Copeland, S.
Nolfi, D.
Blackwood, Diana
author_facet Goodfellow, L.
Macduff, C.
Leslie, Gavin
Copeland, S.
Nolfi, D.
Blackwood, Diana
author_sort Goodfellow, L.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are a valuable resource for nurse scholars worldwide. ETDs and digital libraries offer the potential to radically change the nature and scope of the way in which doctoral research results are presented, disseminated and used. An exploratory study was undertaken to better understand ETD usage and to address areas where there is a need and an opportunity for educational enhancement. Aims: The primary objective was to gain an initial understanding of the knowledge and use of ETDs and digital libraries by faculty, graduate students and alumni of graduate programs at schools of nursing. Design: A descriptive online survey design was used. Methods: Purposeful sampling of specific schools of nursing was used to identify institutional participants in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US. A total of 209 participants completed the online questionnaire. Results: Only 44% of participants reported knowing how to access ETDs in their institutions’ digital libraries and only 18% reported knowing how to do so through a national or international digital library. Only 27% had cited an ETD in a publication. The underuse of ETDs was found to be attributable to specific issues rather than general reluctance to use online resources. Conclusions: This is the first international study that has explored awareness and use of ETDs, and ETD digital libraries, with a focus on nursing and has set the stage for future research and development in this field. Results show that most nursing scholars do not use ETDs to their fullest potential.
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publishDate 2012
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-190582018-03-29T09:06:23Z Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations Goodfellow, L. Macduff, C. Leslie, Gavin Copeland, S. Nolfi, D. Blackwood, Diana electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) digital libraries graduate nursing education Background: Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are a valuable resource for nurse scholars worldwide. ETDs and digital libraries offer the potential to radically change the nature and scope of the way in which doctoral research results are presented, disseminated and used. An exploratory study was undertaken to better understand ETD usage and to address areas where there is a need and an opportunity for educational enhancement. Aims: The primary objective was to gain an initial understanding of the knowledge and use of ETDs and digital libraries by faculty, graduate students and alumni of graduate programs at schools of nursing. Design: A descriptive online survey design was used. Methods: Purposeful sampling of specific schools of nursing was used to identify institutional participants in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US. A total of 209 participants completed the online questionnaire. Results: Only 44% of participants reported knowing how to access ETDs in their institutions’ digital libraries and only 18% reported knowing how to do so through a national or international digital library. Only 27% had cited an ETD in a publication. The underuse of ETDs was found to be attributable to specific issues rather than general reluctance to use online resources. Conclusions: This is the first international study that has explored awareness and use of ETDs, and ETD digital libraries, with a focus on nursing and has set the stage for future research and development in this field. Results show that most nursing scholars do not use ETDs to their fullest potential. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19058 10.1111/j.1466-7657.2012.01008.x Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd restricted
spellingShingle electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs)
digital libraries
graduate nursing education
Goodfellow, L.
Macduff, C.
Leslie, Gavin
Copeland, S.
Nolfi, D.
Blackwood, Diana
Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations
title Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations
title_full Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations
title_fullStr Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations
title_full_unstemmed Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations
title_short Nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations
title_sort nurse scholars' knowledge and use of electronic theses and dissertations
topic electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs)
digital libraries
graduate nursing education
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19058