The doctoral theses of Greek scientists, a valuable archive and an important source of knowledge, are gathered on a renewed website (https://www.didaktorika.gr), with new search, navigation and access to the full content. This is the electronic “home” of the National Archive of Doctoral Theses (EADD), whose establishment and maintenance is the responsibility of the National Documentation Center (EKT).
The EADD repository includes more than 29,000 bibliographic records of theses, systematically documented (with data such as title, abstract, author, scientific field, educational institution, committee members, year of award of the doctoral degree, keywords, country, language). Users can search for the material they are interested in, using multiple filters, and navigate easily in the individual fields: scientific field, institution, author, country, language, date.
For more than 20,500 theses, access to the full text of the thesis is provided – the EAP currently contains 4,500,000 digitized pages, a number that is constantly growing. In addition to the ability to browse and print per page, users can now save the thesis in pdf file format, after registering with the repository and accepting the relevant terms of use (for personal, non-commercial use or for educational/research purposes).
Registered users can also order a thesis online in hard copy or on CD/DVD, or express their interest in digitizing/posting the full text of a thesis that is not available online. Also, the new online environment features the EADD Electronic User Support Center (https://helpdesk.didaktorika.gr), which provides the ability to submit and respond to requests electronically, and access Frequently Asked Questions and Useful Files.
The National Archive of Doctoral Theses (EADD), a service of the National Documentation Center (EKT), collects doctoral theses that have been prepared in Greek universities by Greek and foreign doctoral candidates, and in universities abroad by Greek doctoral candidates (recognized by DOATAP).
The National Archive of Doctoral Dissertations (EKT) has been the body responsible for maintaining the National Archive of Doctoral Dissertations (EADD) since 1985. The largest percentage of theses included in the EADD has been prepared since 1985, while a small percentage of theses (approximately 6%) concern the period 1932 -1985. The printed archive of more than 30,000 doctoral theses is maintained in the EKT Science and Technology Library at the National Research Foundation.
The National Archive of Doctoral Theses constitutes an important repository of scientific knowledge and the National Research Council (EKT) exploits all the possibilities of new Information and Communication Technologies for its free availability to the scientific community and society. Specifically, the National Research Council (EKT) transferred the National Archive of Doctoral Theses, along with mass digitizations of older theses, to an electronic repository infrastructure, with increased functionality and services.
This ensures the search, retrieval and long-term preservation of theses, as well as interoperability with international repositories. At the same time, the ease of locating theses increases, since their integration into the EADD makes them searchable by search engines (e.g. Google). In addition, each thesis registered in the EADD repository acquires a permanent address (URL), while the long-term preservation of the digital object and the timeless presentation and promotion of the work are ensured.
The EKT actively participates in the international DART-Europe network, a collaboration between research libraries and library consortia across Europe, with the aim of improving access to European doctoral theses. Thus, it makes Greek doctoral theses available on the European DART portal (www.dart-europe.eu), which provides open access to more than 400,000 doctoral theses from 27 European countries, through a single search and navigation environment.
Empowering the researcher: Benefits of submitting a thesis to the EAP
Open access to scientific knowledge is a central pillar of the European Digital Agenda for 2020, a dominant trend in the international scientific community and a key condition for development in accordance with national and European policies for scientific and cultural knowledge and production.
The National Archive of Doctoral Theses (NADTH) is a key element of the NARD's work, fulfilling its institutional role. The NARD's policy on the availability of content is based on the following principles: the protection and promotion of open access to research knowledge and production, and the support of young researchers in their efforts to make their work known and accessible to the Greek and international scientific community, as well as to the general public.
The open availability of doctoral theses from the central, authoritative, reliable online service of the National Research Council of Greece (NRC) has undeniable benefits for the doctoral candidates themselves, the research community and the general public. The NRC is the gateway for the promotion of the results of original scientific research, as well as their exploitation and reuse. Thus, for the researcher who submits his thesis, the NRC is a point of continuous promotion and dissemination of the work, increasing its potential citations and international recognition.
Taking into account that each doctoral thesis is one of the first texts with which a researcher becomes known in the academic community, it is clear how important it is to properly submit, document and make the thesis available for the future development of the new researcher. At the same time, these procedures ensure transparency in the conduct of research, while contributing to the prevention of plagiarism. On the website of the Hellenic Academy of Sciences, one can find detailed information, both on the submission procedures and on the multiple benefits that arise from the thesis submission process.
The updated version of the National Doctoral Theses Archive Repository is being developed within the framework of the project “National Research and Technology Information System (NRTIS)-Social Networks and User-Generated Content”, (Operational Program “Digital Convergence”, NSRF, co-funded by Greece and the EU-European Regional Development Fund) (www.epset.gr), which is the main development project of the ESF.
Internet addresses
National Archive of Doctoral Theses
National Documentation Centre
National Research and Technology Information System
The Greek website for Open Access
Contact for journalists
National Documentation Centre
Margaritis Proedrou, tel.: 210 7273966, e-mail: mproed@ekt.gr
National Documentation Center: access to knowledge
The National Documentation Center (www.ekt.gr) is a scientific facility of national use within the National Research Foundation. As an infrastructure of national scope, the EKT has an institutional role in the collection, organization and dissemination of scientific and technological information, inside and outside the country. At the same time, it provides information on research and innovation issues, and supports participation in national and European programs and the exploitation of research results.
With a continuous presence in the Greek scientific community since 1980, EKT utilizes Information and Communication Technologies, combined with modern business methods, to develop innovative actions, oriented towards enhancing open access to digital content of science and culture. To this end, it collaborates with important bodies producing reputable content, such as libraries, archives, museums, research centers.
More than 5,300,000 digital pages of electronic repositories, scientific journals and digital libraries are already available from the website of the National Research and Technology Information System (www.epset.gr), which is the main development project of EKT.
