Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are an evolving genre of graduate student research that is gaining widespread acceptance among universities in the international community. ETDs are also beginning to diffuse slowly among American universities; however, a number of issues continue to work against more rapid adoption among intitutions in the United States. This dissertation examines ETDs as an evolving electronic research genre by (1) historicizing the situated development of its predecessor, the traditional print dissertation, in nineteenth century German and American Universities; (2) reporting on the current state of the Networked Digital Library of Electronic Theses and Dissertations, an initiative of Virginia Polytechnic University; (3) analyzing ETDs as a technological innovation undergoing the diffusion process according to Emmet Roger's Diffusion of Innovation Theory; and (4) presenting the results of an ETD pilot project case study carried out at the University of South Florida.

Denna rapport beskriver hur dagens tekniska processer ser ut vid tillverkning av applikationer för interaktiva publikationer. En interaktiv publikation är en digitalt skapad tidning med ett extra lager av information som man kan interagera med. Exempel på interaktivitet är bildspel, video och informationsflöden i realtid som visas direkt i tidningen.  Rapporten fokuserar på vad det är som ger ett mervärde till en digital interaktiv publikation och vilka funktioner det är som kan ge upphov till detta. Genom en jämförande analys mellan digitala publikationer och papperstidningar tas fyra designaspekter fram för att användas som grund för hur interaktiva element bör hanteras i framställningen av digitala publikationer.  En prototyp av en interaktiv publikation har tagits fram för att visa hur designaspekterna kan tillämpas och för att visa hur information kan presenteras på ett mer interaktivt sätt. / This report describes how today's technological processes look like in the production of applications for interactive publications. An interactive publication is a digitally created magazine with an extra layer of information that you can interact with. Examples of interactivity is slideshows and video and data streams in real time that are displayed directly in the magazine. The report focuses on what it is that adds value to a digital interactive publication, and what functions which may provide cause to this. Through a comparative analysis of digital publications and the newspapers, four designaspects have been developed as an basis for how the interactive elements should be handled in the production of digital publications.  A prototype of an interactive publication was developed to show how the designaspects can be applied and to show how information can be presented in a more interactive way.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 215 pages. / Originally submitted in HTML and can be accessed at http://www.lib.usf.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-04102002-122814/unrestricted/default.htm / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are an evolving genre of graduate student research that is gaining widespread acceptance among universities in the international community. ETDs are also beginning to diffuse slowly among American universities; however, a number of issues continue to work against more rapid adoption among intitutions in the United States. / ABSTRACT: This dissertation examines ETDs as an evolving electronic research genre by (1) historicizing the situated development of its predecessor, the traditional print dissertation, in nineteenth century German and American Universities; (2) reporting on the current state of the Networked Digital Library of Electronic Theses and Dissertations, an initiative of Virginia Polytechnic University; (3) analyzing ETDs as a technological innovation undergoing the diffusion process according to Emmet Roger's Diffusion of Innovation Theory; and (4) presenting the results of an ETD pilot project case study carried out at the University of South Florida. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.