UGC makes it must to submit MPhil, PhD dissertation to online depository

Universities and colleges will have to submit an electronic copy of their students’ MPhil dissertation and PhD thesis to an online repository before awarding them degrees.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made it mandatory for all the higher educational institutions under its revised regulations for award of MPhil and PhD degrees for making all dissertations and thesis accessible at the Information and Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET)

“Following the successful completion of the evaluation process and before the announcement of the award of the MPhil/PhD degree(s), the institution concerned shall submit an electronic copy of the MPhil dissertation/PhD thesis to the INFLIBNET, for hosting the same so as to make it accessible to all Institutions or colleges,” the higher education regulator stipulated.

The revised regulations were notified by the commission in an official gazette recently.

The INFLIBNET is an autonomous inter-university centre set up by the UGC at Gujarat University Campus, Gandhinagar, in 1991, with an objective to provide effective and efficient access to knowledge through virtual network of people and resources in academic institutions.

Many of the universities and colleges submit thesis and dissertation of their research scholars, but it was not mandatory for them so far.

“With the mandatory submission of academic works of the research schools, the INFLIBNET would be able to achieve its objectives, which include facilitating academic communication among researchers, faculties and students through the use of the ICT,” a UGC official said.

An enriched knowledge depository of the INFLIBNET would also create opportunity for the centre to generate revenues to create a robust network of virtual library by connecting all institutions in order to provide a seamless, reliable and ubiquitous access to scholarly, peer-reviewed electronic resources to the academic community, he added.
DH News Service