JNTUH PhDs go online

Doctoral thesis submitted by the students of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH) can be accessed worldwide by researchers now as the work will be hosted on ‘Shodhganga', a portal being hosted by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous centre promoted by the University Grants Commission.

The JNTUH has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with INFLIBNET Centre recently in this regard.

“The first bunch of thesis has been sent to be uploaded on Shodhganga,” said Prof. K. Lal Kishore, Director, R&D, JNTUH. Before the Electronic Thesis Dissertations (ETDs) are sent for upload, they are run for anti-plagiarism through the special software acquired by the JNTUH last year,” he says.

The INFLIBNET, which is an Inter University Centre, as its mandate, promotes open access to scholarly content generated in Indian universities. The Centre has computers, network, software infrastructure and technical know-how required for hosting electronic versions of theses and dissertations in open access with interface to search, retrieve and access theses content. ‘Shodhganga' is a name coined by INFLIBNET Centre for referring to the repository of Indian Electronic Theses and Dissertations.

Prof. Lal Kishore says that Ph.Ds submitted since 2010 will only be available on ‘Shodhganga' as they have electronic copies of thesis submitted.

Since the JNTU's inception in 1972, not more than 1,000 Ph.D dissertations have been submitted. However, the number has picked up in the last five years and around 100 Ph.Ds are submitted per year.

“From now onwards it's mandatory for students to submit the thesis in electronic format also as they have to be uploaded,” he said.