Procedure for Digitizing Retrospective Theses, Dissertations and Major Papers
Background
Starting in 2013, the Library has begun digitizing theses, dissertations and major papers from the URI Archives and Special Collections. This will be an ongoing project that can be kept on the back burner if more high-priority projects come up.
Digitization
Setup
1) Press the gray power button to turn on the Epson GT-20000 scanner.
2) Press the green button next to the "Ready" light once the light stops flashing. This will bring up the EPSON Scan software.
Scanning Theses and Dissertations
Before you start scanning, create a new folder on the shared server for the files. Go to public --> Digitized_Archives_SpecialCollections --> Digitized Theses and Dissertations. In this folder, create a new folder named either 'dissertation_lastname_firstname_YYYY' or 'thesis_lastname_firstname_YYYY'.
In EPSON Scan, make sure “Professional Mode” is selected in the top right hand corner.
In Document Source, select "Document Table".
In Auto Exposure Type, select "Document".
In Image Type, select either "8-bit grayscale" or "24-bit color depending on the original document.
Set the Resolution to 300 dpi. For general guidelines on bit depth, color space, and resolution, see Digitization Specifications.
All of the Adjustments can be left de-selected.
Next to the scan button, click the folder icon to go to the File Save Settings.
In Location select the folder you just created.
Enter the file as 'last name_firstname_YYYY' and the Start Number as 001. Make sure each successive page is saved as 002, 003, 004 etc.
In Image Format set the “Type” to “TIFF (*.tif)” and click OK.
Click "Preview" to create a preview of the scan. Select the page area and hit "Scan". Repeat for each page.
Creating a PDF from Scanned TIFFs
In Adobe Acrobat select “Combine Files into a Single PDF” and drag the TIFF files into the “Combine Files” window. Make sure the pages are in order, and click “Combine Files” button.
Save the PDF with the same file naming scheme, 'dissertation_lastname_firstname_YYYY' or 'thesis_lastname_firstname_YYYY'. If the file name is too long you can abbreviate dissertation as 'diss' and/or the first name as first initial.
Select "Tools" and then "Action Wizard". From the Action Wizard drop-down, select "Optimize Scanned Document". This will straighten out the pages, create searchable text (OCR), and reduce the file size. Under "Files to be processed," double check that the correct file name appears. Then click "Start".
A Description box will pop up. Enter the file name, title, author, and other fields if appropriate. (This will attach some basic descriptive metadata to the document and help with Google searchability)
Uploading to DigitalCommons@URI
Dissertations should be deposited in the series: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/
Theses should be deposited in the series: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/
Uploading a Single Dissertation or Thesis
Go to http://digitalcommons.uri.edu and log in with the Digital Initiatives student login by clicking on "My Account"
Go to the appropriate section of the repository -- either Open Access Dissertations or Open Access Theses. You can also find these sections by going to the DigitalCommons@URI home page and clicking on "Research unit, center, or department" under Browse Research and Scholarship. This will bring up a list of *all* sections of the repository.
From the drop-down menu at the top, click on "Manage Theses/Dissertations". This will bring you to the administrative back end of the site.
Then click on the "Upload Thesis/Dissertations" tab. This will bring you to the submission form.
Enter metadata in the following fields:
Titles: Some will have words in italics or numbers in subscript/superscript and these need to be reflected in the titles.
To make a word in italics, add <em> and </em> around the word. For example: "The Potential of Indonesian Microalgal Strains to Support Eastern White Shrimp (<em>Litopenaeous vannamei</em>) Aquaculture" will show up as "The Potential of Indonesian Microalgal Strains to Support Eastern White Shrimp (Litopenaeous vannamei) Aquaculture"
To add numbers in subscript or superscript, place <sub> and </sub> for subscript or <sup> and </sup> for superscript. For example: "Dynamic Response of TI<sub>2</sub>ALC Under Radial Confinement at High Temperature" shows as "Dynamic Response of TI2ALC Under Radial Confinement at High Temperature".
Degree Names and Departments:
To make the theses/dissertations as accurate as possible, we need the full degree name and the department it was offered through at the time of graduation. For example, the Master of Science in Statistics thesis written in 1990 would be in the "Computer Science and Experimental Statistics" department. Whereas the same degree written in 2017 would be in the "Computer Science and Statistics" department.
In addition, some students have written their specialization as their degree name and the proper degree name has to be displayed on Digital Commons. For example, Master of Science in Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences written in 2017 has never been offered as a degree, but a Master of Science in Biological and Environmental Sciences written in 2017 had "Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences" offered as a specialization (and some students have written it like that on their title page).
If there is any doubt whether a degree or department was ever offered, consult the "Dept_DegreeNames_List.xlsx" spreadsheet attached at the bottom of this page for help. You can see all of the graduate degrees offered, the departments offered through (including year range) and the available specializations. If there is one missing from the DigitalCommons@URI submission page drop down lists, contact bepress (dc-support@bepress.com) to have it added.
It is important to note that this spreadsheet is still being edited as some program descriptions were not clear and if there is any doubt or questions you should consult the program catalogs.
Pay close attention to interdepartmental/interdisciplinary programs as that is where most degree name errors will come from and adding the specialization (if available) or keywords to the submission page will be important.
Abstracts:
For special characters (such as Greek letters, mathematical symbols, etc.) consult "CharactersForETDs.docx" attached to this page and copy and paste the symbol from there. Many times if you copy and paste from the PDF they will not display correctly.
For complex equations, add this note instead of trying to type out the equation: [Mathematical equations cannot be displayed here, refer to PDF]
DO NOT include the signature page in the final PDF that is uploaded.
Before submitting, PROOFREAD the sections to make sure all symbols and punctuation marks are correct (especially if you copy and pasted the text from the PDF. Older papers may have marks on them and will add random symbols to the text.).
Attach the file to the submission
Click "Submit". After submission, you will be prompted to update the site. Click on "update".
Done!
Batch Uploading
Preparing the metadata spreadsheet:
Once logged in, go to the appropriate series (either Theses or Dissertations) and click on "Manage Theses/Dissertations". Then click on "Batch Upload Excel" from the left sidebar.
As the on-screen directions state, download the spreadsheet. This is a spreadsheet you can complete with all the metadata to be uploaded to the repository.
Enter the following metadata for each thesis or dissertation: