ETD Guide/Introduction/Minimize duplication of effort

One benefit of ETDs is a reduction in the needless repetition of investigations that are carried out because people are unaware of the findings of other students who have completed a TD. Except in unusual cases, masters’ theses are rarely reported in databases (e.g., very few, except those from Canada, appear in UMI services like Dissertation Abstracts). Few dissertations prepared outside North America are reported either. With a globally accessible collection of ETDs, students can quickly search for works related to their interest from anywhere in the world, and in most cases examine and learn from those studies without incurring any cost.

---

Next Section: Improve visibility