DU signs MoU with UGC for uploading thesis on digital database

Delhi University will now be able to update thesis and dissertations of its research scholars on the UGC's digital database -'Shodhganga repository'.
DU has recently signed a MoU with the University Grants Commission (UGC) in this regard.
'Shodhganga', a digital repository of thesis and dissertations of research being conducted by scholars in Indian universities, is a project of the UGC-Infonet Digital Library Consortium.
It is aimed at promoting the use of electronic databases and full text access to journals by the research and academic community in the country. It also facilitates keeping a check on plagiarism in research.
"We have signed an MoU with the UGC in this regard according to which all the thesis and dissertations submitted at DU after December 2, 2014 will be added to the repository," Ajay Kumar, Dean Research, DU told PTI.

"We are setting up an Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) lab in the Central Library where all the thesis and dissertations will be digitised and their bibliographic records will be created for inclusion in UGC's Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) catalogue," he said.

According to the MoU, the students will be submitting their thesis to their respective departments with a 'certificate of originality' and 'student approval form'.
"The departments will then check the documents for originality using a plagiarism detection software. The report of the originality check will then be forwarded to the examination branch which in turn will send it to the ETD lab," Kumar said.

"Online availability of thesis through centrally-maintained digital repositories does not only ensure easy access and archiving of Indian doctoral thesis but will also help raise the standard and quality of research," he added.
The 'Shodhganga repository', launched by UGC in 2010 also offers grants to the universities for infrastructural development for the project's implementation.