Sharing Knowledge: Scientific Communication - SSOAR

Online-Hochschulschriften für die Praxis
Nikola Korb
Die Deutsche Bibliothek
Online Dissertations in Practise
The advantages of electronic publications towards printed documents, i.e. an effective
retrieval, are well known. The requirements for exploiting the surplus value
seem to be rather unknown, i.e. in structure and semantics. To enable the specific
search for quotations, head lines etc., those structural elements need to be
appropriately labelled and not just put in italics or bold as it is usual in printed
publications. Authoring electronic documents demands more discipline, but the
readiness for that is missing. In particular missing is the insight into the necessity
for the disciplined use of structural elements.
A possibility to raise the popularity of electronic publications, i.e. online dissertations,
is a change of attitude in defining the original document. At present,
the top priority is in creating a well readable layout on paper. That priority will
last as long as the printed version counts as the original document and the electronic
document as a copy. The priorities will change as soon as the electronic
version becomes the original, too.
Suggestions for authoring high class electronic publications were being
made in the DFG-project „Dissertationen Online“ initiated by the IuK-Initiative
and in the „Elektronisches Publizieren an Hochschulen“ –Proposals- by DINI.
Those suggestions „only“ need to be put into practice.
The Co-ordination Agency DissOnline has been part of Die Deutsche Bibliothek
since February 2001. It is to provide reference in questions concerning online
dissertations and post-doctoral theses, to propagandise their spread of use
and to coordinate and stimulate the further development of the results of the project
„Dissertationen online“.
Mittlerweile werden fast alle Dissertationen am PC erstellt, deshalb bietet es
sich an, sie auch online zur Verfügung zustellen. Die Online-Publikation bietet
für Autoren, Wissenschaftler und Bibliothekare einen Mehrwert, z.B. durch:
� die mögliche Integration vielfältiger Darstellungsmöglichkeiten wie 3D- und
Farbdarstellungen, Simulationen, Animationen, Video- und Audio-Sequenzen
u.a.m.,