The movement towards the provision of evidence-based services has become increasingly important to psychological practice (CPA Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice of Psychological Treatments, 2012; Levant, 2005). One of the key components of this movement is the summarizing and dissemination of important findings to key stakeholders for interventions using techniques such as meta-analysis. Meta-analyses are typically based on reviews of the published literature on a particular topic, but increasingly researchers are acknowledging the importance of examining and including unpublished, grey literature in their reviews in presenting an accurate picture of a body of literature (Hopewell, McDonald, Clarke, & Egger, 2008; McAuley, Pham, Tugwell, & Moher, 2000). However, the inclusion of grey literature in meta-analyses and reviews remains controversial (Coad, Hardicre, & Devitt, 2006; Martin, Perez, Sacristan, & Alvarez, 2005; Seymour, 2010). A number of reviews of behavioural parenting interventions have been conducted. The body of literature in this area continues to grow quickly, and recent meta-analyses in this area have examined only subsets of the literature, thus necessitating an overall examination of all available literature in this area: published and unpublished. The present meta-analysis synthesized the results of 42 published and 6 unpublished behavioural parenting intervention studies conducted between 1966 and 2011. In the first manuscript, treatment efficacy was examined with respect to three different outcomes (parent behaviour, child behaviour, and parent adjustment). I also examined the differential effects of six moderator variables in two categories: child characteristics (child formal diagnostic status and child age) and methodological characteristics (overall quality, comparison group, experimenter allegiance, and publication status). In the second manuscript, I examined both the advantages and challenges of including grey literature in meta-analyses, and explored the use of an innovative search program. I also explored the influence of the inclusion of grey literature on outcomes, including whether effect sizes, sample homogeneity, and publication bias indices are affected by the inclusion of grey literature. Results of the present study confirm the efficacy of behavioural parenting interventions on parent behaviour, child behaviour, and parent adjustment outcomes. Further, I extend the knowledge base through the inclusion of recent reports, grey literature, searches of basic search engines such as Google and Yahoo, and the examination of previously unexplored moderator variables. My results underline the importance of consistent reporting practices in the field and their impact on the availability of evidence for policy-makers, administrators, researchers, clinicians and consumers. I also discuss the implications of these findings for the provision of evidence-based services for parents, knowledge translation, and grey literature.

The movement towards the provision of evidence-based services has become increasingly important to psychological practice (CPA Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice of Psychological Treatments, 2012; Levant, 2005). One of the key components of this movement is the summarizing and dissemination of important findings to key stakeholders for interventions using techniques such as meta-analysis. Meta-analyses are typically based on reviews of the published literature on a particular topic, but increasingly researchers are acknowledging the importance of examining and including unpublished, grey literature in their reviews in presenting an accurate picture of a body of literature (Hopewell, McDonald, Clarke, & Egger, 2008; McAuley, Pham, Tugwell, & Moher, 2000). However, the inclusion of grey literature in meta-analyses and reviews remains controversial (Coad, Hardicre, & Devitt, 2006; Martin, Perez, Sacristan, & Alvarez, 2005; Seymour, 2010). A number of reviews of behavioural parenting interventions have been conducted. The body of literature in this area continues to grow quickly, and recent meta-analyses in this area have examined only subsets of the literature, thus necessitating an overall examination of all available literature in this area: published and unpublished. The present meta-analysis synthesized the results of 42 published and 6 unpublished behavioural parenting intervention studies conducted between 1966 and 2011. In the first manuscript, treatment efficacy was examined with respect to three different outcomes (parent behaviour, child behaviour, and parent adjustment). I also examined the differential effects of six moderator variables in two categories: child characteristics (child formal diagnostic status and child age) and methodological characteristics (overall quality, comparison group, experimenter allegiance, and publication status). In the second manuscript, I examined both the advantages and challenges of including grey literature in meta-analyses, and explored the use of an innovative search program. I also explored the influence of the inclusion of grey literature on outcomes, including whether effect sizes, sample homogeneity, and publication bias indices are affected by the inclusion of grey literature. Results of the present study confirm the efficacy of behavioural parenting interventions on parent behaviour, child behaviour, and parent adjustment outcomes. Further, I extend the knowledge base through the inclusion of recent reports, grey literature, searches of basic search engines such as Google and Yahoo, and the examination of previously unexplored moderator variables. My results underline the importance of consistent reporting practices in the field and their impact on the availability of evidence for policy-makers, administrators, researchers, clinicians and consumers. I also discuss the implications of these findings for the provision of evidence-based services for parents, knowledge translation, and grey literature.

Large Central European flood events of the past have demonstrated that flooding can affect several river basins at the same time leading to catastrophic economic and humanitarian losses that can stretch emergency resources beyond planned levels of service. For Germany, the spatial coherence of flooding, the contributing processes and the role of trans-basin floods for a national risk assessment is largely unknown and analysis is limited by a lack of systematic data, information and knowledge on past events. This study investigates the frequency and intensity of trans-basin flood events in Germany. It evaluates the data and information basis on which knowledge about trans-basin floods can be generated in order to improve any future flood risk assessment. In particu-lar, the study assesses whether flood documentations and related reports can provide a valuable data source for understanding trans-basin floods. An adaptive algorithm was developed that systematically captures trans-basin floods using series of mean daily discharge at a large number of sites of even time series length (1952-2002). It identifies the simultaneous occurrence of flood peaks based on the exceedance of an initial threshold of a 10 year flood at one location and consecutively pools all causally related, spatially and temporally lagged peak recordings at the other locations. A weighted cumulative index was developed that accounts for the spatial extent and the individual flood magnitudes within an event and allows quantifying the overall event severity. The parameters of the method were tested in a sensitivity analysis. An intensive study on sources and ways of information dissemination of flood-relevant publications in Germany was conducted. Based on the method of systematic reviews a strategic search approach was developed to identify relevant documentations for each of the 40 strongest trans-basin flood events. A novel framework for assessing the quality of event specific flood reports from a user’s perspective was developed and validated by independent peers. The framework was designed to be generally applicable for any natural hazard type and assesses the quality of a document addressing accessibility as well as representational, contextual, and intrinsic dimensions of quality. The analysis of time-series of mean daily discharge resulted in the identification of 80 trans-basin flood events within the period 1952-2002 in Germany. The set is dominated by events that were recorded in the hydrological winter (64%); 36% occurred during the summer months. The occurrence of floods is characterised by a distinct clustering in time. Dividing the study period into two sub-periods, we find an increase in the percentage of winter events from 58% in the first to 70.5% in the second sub-period. Accordingly, we find a significant increase in the number of extreme trans-basin floods in the second sub-period. A large body of 186 flood relevant documentations was identified. For 87.5% of the 40 strongest trans-basin floods in Germany at least one report has been found and for the most severe floods a substantial amount of documentation could be obtained. 80% of the material can be considered grey literature (i.e. literature not controlled by commercial publishers). The results of the quality assessment show that the majority of flood event specific reports are of a good quality, i.e. they are well enough drafted, largely accurate and objective, and contain a substantial amount of information on the sources, pathways and receptors/consequences of the floods. The inclusion of this information in the process of knowledge building for flood risk assessment is recommended. Both the results as well as the data produced in this study are openly accessible and can be used for further research. The results of this study contribute to an improved spatial risk assessment in Germany. The identified set of trans-basin floods provides the basis for an assessment of the chance that flooding occurs simultaneously at a number of sites. The information obtained from flood event documentation can usefully supplement the analysis of the processes that govern flood risk. / Abschätzungen zum Hochwasserrisiko beschränken sich zumeist auf die Analyse innerhalb eines Einzugsgebietes bzw. eines bestimmten Ortes. Die Zusammenhänge in größeren Regionen und vor allem Korrelationen zwischen verschiedenen Einzugsgebieten werden nur selten betrachtet. Solche einzugsgebietsübergreifenden Analysen sind jedoch sowohl für die Versicherungswirtschaft, den Katastrophenschutz sowie für großräumige strategische Hochwasserplanungen notwendig. Allerdings stehen nur für eine geringe Auswahl historischer Ereignisse Daten zur Verfügung und systematische Ansätze zu ihrer Erfassung wurden für Deutschland bisher nicht entwickelt. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht zum ersten die Häufigkeit und Intensität von flussgebietsübergreifenden Hochwasserereignissen in Deutschland anhand von gemessenen Abflüssen an einer Vielzahl von Stationen. Es können insgesamt 80 Hochwasserereignisse in Deutschland im Zeitraum von 1952-2002 nachgewiesen werden. Davon treten die meisten Ereignissen im hydrologischen Winterhalbjahr auf (64%). Wir können nachweisen, dass die Häufigkeit des Auftretens in verschiedenen Perioden unterschiedlich ist, und dass im Untersuchungszeitraum eine signifikante Zunahme von Winterereignissen und damit vor allem von sehr schweren flussgebietsübergreifenden Hochwasserereignissen zu verzeichnen ist. Die Studie hatte des Weiteren zum Ziel, die verfügbare Daten- und Informationsgrundlage zur Hochwasseranalyse zu erkunden. Im speziellen wird untersucht, inwieweit Hochwasserereignisdokumentationen und verwandte Berichte als eine weitere Datenquelle für ein verbessertes Prozessverständnis genutzt werden können. Im Rahmen einer systematischen Suche konnten für die 40 größten Hochwasserereignisse in Deutschland 186 relevante Berichte identifiziert werden. 80% des Materials kann als Grauliteratur eingestuft werden, d.h. als Veröffentlichungen welche nicht durch kommerzielle Verleger publiziert wird. Die sich daraus ergebende Frage nach der Qualität der Dokumente und ihres Informationsgehaltes wurde durch die Entwicklung und Anwendung eines Qualitätsbewertungsschemas beantwortet. Die Ergebnisse der Qualitätsbewertung zeigen, dass die Mehrheit der ereignisspezifischen Hochwasserberichte von guter Qualität ist, d.h. die Berichte sind in ausreichender Qualität verfasst, größtenteils korrekt und objektiv und beinhalten eine substantielle Menge an Informationen zu den Ursachen, Verläufen, betroffenen Objekten und Schäden eines Ereignisses. Es wird empfohlen diese Informationen in die Wissenssynthese für die Hochwasserrisikobewertung einfließen zu lassen. Sowohl Ergebnisse als auch Daten dieser Studie sind so publiziert, dass sie öffentlich zugänglich sind und für weitere Forschungsfragen genutzt werden können.

Through an examination of the processes and influences on the character of grey literature and its producers, this thesis explores the nature of archaeological investigation, how it is reported and the creation of archaeological data in England from 1990 to 2010 and the implications for future understanding of the English archaeological record. I intend to address broad research questions regarding grey literature and archaeology: What is grey literature? Who creates it and why? What is it meant for? Is it fit-for-purpose? My research objectives in studying grey literature reporting and archaeological fieldwork investigation in England are: •To explore the nature of archaeological grey literature reporting and its producers, the framework of its production and communication, and its impact on archaeological research and knowledge production; •To capture the developments and changes in English archaeological practice between 1990 and 2010 and their implications for the creation and understanding of the archaeological record; and •To consider potential future directions for archaeological fieldwork and reporting. I propose to achieve this using a combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches including spatial analysis techniques, comparative analysis at a range of scales from England-wide to individual case study areas, and detailed analysis of the nature and actual content of grey literature reports alongside a characterisation of the many creators of grey literature reporting. This study will illustrate and explore the process of producing grey literature reporting as well as examining the end product itself - grey literature reports. This European Research Council funded DPhil research was undertaken within the context of the English Landscapes and Identities Project, which analyses change and continuity in the English Landscape from the middle Bronze Age (c.1500 BC) to the Domesday survey (c. AD 1086).

Context: The Internet has become a vital channel for disseminating and accessing scientific literature for both the academic and industrial research needs. Nowadays, everyone has wide access to scientific literature repositories, which comprise of both “white” and “Grey” literature. The “Grey” literature, as opposed to “white” literature, is non-peer reviewed scientific information that is not available using commercial information sources such as IEEE or ACM. A large number of software engineering researchers are undertaking systematic literature reviews (SLRs) to investigate empirical evidence in software engineering. The key reason to include grey literature during information synthesis is to minimize the risk of any bias in the publication. Using the state of the art non-commercial databases that index information, the researchers can make the rigorous process of searching empirical studies in SLRs easier. This study explains the evidence of Grey literature while performing synthesis in Systematic Literature Reviews. Objectives: The goals of this thesis work are, 1. To identify the extent of usage of Grey Literature in synthesis during systematic literature reviews. 2. To investigate if non-commercial information sources primarily Google Scholar are sufficient for retrieving primary studies for SLRs. Methods: The work consists of a systematic literature review of SLRs and is a tertiary study and meta-analysis. The systematic literature review was conducted on 138 SLRs’ published through 2003 until 2012 (June). The article sources used are IEEEXplore, ACM Digital Library, Springer-Link and Science Direct. Results: For each of the selected article sources such as ACM, IEEEXplore, Springer-link and Science Direct, we have presented results, which describe the extent of the usage of Grey literature. The qualitative results discuss various strategies for systematic evaluation of the Grey literature during systematic literature review. The quantitative results comprise of charts and tables, showing the extent of Grey literature usage. The results from analysis of Google Scholar database describe the total number of primary studies that we are able to find using only Google Scholar database. Conclusion: From the analysis of 138 Systematic Literature Reviews (SLRs’), we conclude that the evidence of Grey literature in SLRs is around 9%. The percentage of Grey literature sources used in information synthesis sections of SLRs is around 93.2%. We were able to retrieve around 96 % of primary studies using Google Scholar database. We conclude that Google Scholar can be a choice for retrieving published studies however; it lacks detailed search options to target wider pool of articles. We also conclude that Grey literature is widely available in this age of information. We have provided guidelines in the form of strategies for systematic evaluation of Grey literature. / Sammanhang: Internet har blivit en viktig kanal för att sprida och få tillgång vetenskaplig litteratur för både akademiska och industriella forskningsbehov. Numera har alla bred tillgång till vetenskaplig litteratur förråd, som omfattar både "vit" och "grå" litteratur. Den "grå" litteratur, som motsats till "vita" litteratur, är icke-vetenskapligt granskad vetenskaplig information som inte är tillgänglig med kommersiella informationskällor såsom IEEE och ACM. Ett stort antal forskare software engineering genomför systematiska litteraturöversikter (systemkameror) för att undersöka empiriska bevis programvaruteknik. Den viktigaste orsaken till att omfatta grå litteratur under Information syntes är att minimera risken för att partiskhet i publikationen. Använda toppmoderna icke-kommersiella databaser som indexerar information kan forskarna göra rigorösa processen att söka empiriska studier i systemkameror lättare. Denna studie förklarar bevis på grå litteratur när de utför syntes i systematiska litteraturöversikter. Mål: Målen med detta examensarbete är, 1. För att identifiera omfattningen av användningen av Grey litteratur i syntes under systematisk litteratur recensioner. 2. För att undersöka om icke-kommersiella informationskällor främst Google Scholar är tillräckliga för att hämta primära studier för systemkameror. Metoder: Verket består av en systematisk litteraturgenomgång av systemkameror och är en tertiär studie och metaanalys. Den systematiska litteraturstudie genomfördes på 138 systemkameror "publiceras via 2003 till 2012 (juni). Artikeln används källorna är IEEEXplore, ACM Digital Library, Springer-Link och Science Direct. Resultat: För vart och ett av de utvalda artikeln källor såsom ACM, IEEEXplore, Springer-länk och Science Direct, har vi presenterat resultat, som beskriver omfattningen av användningen av grå litteratur. De kvalitativa resultaten diskuterar olika strategier för systematisk utvärdering av grå litteratur under systematisk litteraturöversikt. De kvantitativa resultaten består av diagram och tabeller, som visar omfattningen av Grey litteratur användning. Resultaten från analys av Google Scholar-databasen beskriver det totala antalet primära studier som vi kan hitta med enbart Google Scholar databas. Slutsats: Av analysen av 138 systematiska litteraturöversikter (systemkameror) kan vi dra slutsatsen att bevisen för grå litteratur i systemkameror är cirka 9%. Den procentuella andelen Grey litteraturkällor som används i avsnitt informations syntes av systemkameror är cirka 93,2%. Vi kunde hämta omkring 96% av primära studier med Google Scholar databas. Vi drar slutsatsen att Google Scholar kan vara ett val för hämta publicerade studier dock, det saknar detaljerade sökalternativ för att rikta större pool av artiklar. Vi avslutar också att grå litteratur är allmänt tillgänglig i denna tid av information. Vi har försett riktlinjer i form av strategier för systematisk utvärdering av Grey litteratur. / Affan Yasin : Skype id (affan.yasin) Ijlal Hasnain: Skype id (bluesols)

Submitted by Frederico Azevedo (fazevedo@cdts.fiocruz.br) on 2010-11-10T16:35:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 machado_rejane.pdf: 594330 bytes, checksum: ab847ef9c798dbbce4f7dfc6f8ecbc55 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2010-11-10T16:35:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 machado_rejane.pdf: 594330 bytes, checksum: ab847ef9c798dbbce4f7dfc6f8ecbc55 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Este trabalho tem como objetivo fornecer orientações metodológicas que possibilitem a ampliação do acesso aos relatórios de pesquisas gerados na Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), tomando a Unidade CICT como modelo. Para conhecer que valor o relatório de pesquisa tem para o pesquisador foram realizadas entrevistas abordando as questões de produção, representação e acesso a esses documentos. O panorama que se obteve a partir das opiniões apresentadas pelos entrevistados permitiu entender melhor o valor que esse documento produzido tem para a comunicação científica. A partir da análise documentária feita nos relatórios produzidos na Unidade foi possível identificar como esses documentos estão sendo elaborados, e a partir daí propor critérios para a padronização e inclusão de elementos em sua estrutura. Além disso, constatou-se que a dificuldade de acesso a documentos desta natureza é perene. A expectativa dos pesquisadores com respeito à gestão dos relatórios de pesquisa na Unidade reforça a necessidade de orientações metodológicas para a produção desses documentos. O relatório produzido a partir de critérios estabelecidos facilitará a sua representação e registro. Os relatórios ─ por conterem informações referentes aos métodos e resultados de pesquisas de forma detalhada ─ oferecem condições de informar de forma mais ágil uma comunidade científica, ainda que não formalmente publicados. / This work discusses methodological parameters aiming to improve the access to reports from studies carried out at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), taking the output of one of its units (CICT) Unit as a model and source of information. To assess research reports’s relevance for researchers working at CICT, in-depth interviews were carried out, addressing issues related to scientific reports production, representation and retrieval. The picture emerging from the interviewees’ opinions and concepts fostered a better understanding of the value ascribed to the scientific reports and their meanings for scientific communication. The comprehensive analysis of the documents produced in the Unit permitted to disclose how scientific reports have been elaborated, and then to establish criteria for the standardization of such documents, with the inclusion of key elements in their structure. The study conclusions realized access to such documents constitutes a permanent challenge. The researchers' expectation with regard to the management of the Unit’s reports reinforces the need of clear and well-defined methodological parameters to be used in the elaboration of such documents. Standard reports, with sound criteria, will be easily represented and registered. Most reports contain detailed information on results and methodological approaches and procedures and as such constitute an invaluable source of information for the scientific community, even if not formally

Submitted by Priscilla Araujo (priscilla@ibict.br) on 2018-10-03T18:03:20Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) TESE-ANA CARVALHO-DEFESA 31-07-2018.pdf: 7901731 bytes, checksum: 64a166ef3c083d877b4d5084bdfa03d2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-03T18:03:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) TESE-ANA CARVALHO-DEFESA 31-07-2018.pdf: 7901731 bytes, checksum: 64a166ef3c083d877b4d5084bdfa03d2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-31 / Esta pesquisa objetiva analisar, à luz dos pressupostos do acesso aberto e da estratégia Acesso Aberto Verde, o uso do conteúdo disponível em repositórios institucionais de instituições de ensino superior ibero-americanas e seu impacto na produção de novos conhecimentos. Tem como corpus a base de dados científica Scopus e como limite temporal os 15 anos do Movimento de Acesso Aberto (2002-2016). Destacam-se os repositórios institucionais de instituições de ensino superior no Brasil e em Portugal, analisando com mais detalhes as teses e dissertações. Justifica-se no papel fundamental dos repositórios institucionais como fonte de informação em acesso aberto para produção de novos conhecimentos e o avanço do Movimento de Acesso Aberto. Ainda, por considerar a comemoração dos 15 anos do Movimento momento oportuno para avaliar o impacto deste recurso para a produção científica. Do ponto de vista da Ciência da Informação, a pesquisa está contextualizada no campo dos estudos métricos da informação, mais especificamente nos estudos cientométricos. Os procedimentos metodológicos utilizados foram de caráter empírico, com abordagem quantitativa e de natureza descritiva. Os dados para realização desta pesquisa foram coletados nos diretórios OpenDOAR e ROAR e na base Scopus, considerando o período entre os anos 2002 a 2016. Os resultados confirmam o sucesso do Movimento de Acesso Aberto no que se referente à expansão do número de repositórios institucionais, mas também ratificam seu baixo povoamento. Durante os 15 anos do Movimento de Acesso Aberto, o uso dos conteúdos dos repositórios institucionais de instituições de ensino superior ibero-americanas apresentou expressivo crescimento médio anual, ressaltando que os repositórios brasileiros apresentaram os melhores índices. Os resultados mostram que o maior reconhecimento pelos conteúdos desses repositórios vem de suas próprias instituições, que concentram o maior número de citantes. Os citantes são, em maioria, filiados a universidades, desenvolvem pesquisa na área das Ciências Sociais, em colaboração principalmente com autores espanhóis, brasileiros e portugueses, dentro do bloco ibero-americano e, fora do bloco, com autores norte-americanos e ingleses. Observa-se significativo engajamento pelos citantes aos princípios do Movimento de Acesso Aberto, uma vez que utilizam fontes de acesso aberto para obtenção de informação e publicam os resultados de sua pesquisa também em fontes de acesso aberto. No Brasil, a Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da USP e as teses e dissertações se destacaram em relação ao interesse da comunidade científica. Em Portugal, o RepositoriUM da Universidade do Minho se destacou em número de citantes, mas as teses e dissertações não foram as publicações de maior interesse, outros tipos documentais receberam mais citações no período. O indicador Impact Factor of Repository proposto nesta pesquisa mostrou que a Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da USP e o RepositoriUM da Universidade do Minho foram os repositórios que exercem maior influência e demonstram maior utilidade para a comunidade científica, promovendo, portanto, maior impacto em suas produções. Por fim, destacam-se os desafios que ainda precisam ser superados em relação ao povoamento e a utilidade dos repositórios institucionais para a comunidade científica, evidenciando ações e projetos que visam ao desenvolvimento de uma nova geração de repositórios institucionais. / This research aims to analyze the use of available content in institutional repositories of Ibero- American higher education institutions and their impact on the production of new knowledge, considering the assumptions of the Open Access and Green Open Access strategy. It has as corpus the Scopus scientific database and time frame the 15 years of the Open Access Movement (2002-2016). The institutional repositories of higher education institutions in Brazil and Portugal are highlighted, analyzing theses and dissertations in more detail. It is justified in the fundamental role of institutional repositories as a source of information in open access for the production of new knowledge and for the advancement of the Open Access Movement. Also considering the commemoration of the 15 years of the Movement, it is time to evaluate the impact of this resource for scientific production. From the point of view of Information Science, the research is contextualized in the field of information metric studies, more specifically in scientometric studies. The methodological procedures used were empirical, with a quantitative approach and descriptive nature. The data for this research were collected in the OpenDOAR and ROAR directories and in the Scopus database, considering the period from 2002 to 2016. The results confirm the success of the Open Access Movement in the expansion of the number of repositories institutions, but also ratify their low population. During the 15 years of the Open Access Movement, the use of the contents of the institutional repositories of Ibero-American higher education institutions showed significant annual growth, emphasizing that Brazilian repositories presented the best indexes. The results show that the greatest recognition for the contents of these repositories comes from their own institutions that concentrate the largest number of citations. The majority of the cites are affiliated to universities, they carry out research in the Social Sciences, in collaboration with Spanish, Brazilian and Portuguese authors within the Ibero-American bloc and, outside the bloc, with American and English authors. There is a significant commitment by the citers to the principles of the Open Access Movement, since they use open access sources to obtain information and publish the results of their research also in open access sources. In Brazil, USP Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations and theses and dissertations stand out in relation to the interest of the scientific community. In Portugal, the RepositoriUM of the University of Minho excelled in number of citations, but theses and dissertations were not the most interesting publications, other documentary types received more citations in the period. The Repository Impact Factor indicator proposed in this research showed that the USP Digital Theses and Dissertations Library and the RepositoriUM of the University of Minho were the most influential repositories and demonstrate greater utility for the scientific community, thus promoting greater impact in their productions. Finally, the challenges that still need to be overcome in relation to the settlement and utility of the institutional repositories for the scientific community, actions and projects that aim at the development of a new generation of institutional repositories are highlighting.

The aim of this study is to investigate how employees at the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) and librarians at SGU and Uppsala university library (UUB) experience challenges and changes in the information provision for geologists at SGU after an organizational change of the library function at the survey. After the closure of the library at SGU in 2015 the survey buys some of their needed library service from UUB, while most of the SGU library collections are left at the survey. To investigate the experiences I conducted interviews with current and former geologists and former librarians at SGU and a librarian at UUB. I also investigated some key documents to provide a framework to the interviewee’s experiences, to compare this with the goals of the coordination between SGU and UUB, and to try and shed light on the role of the library within the survey. The study was based on a constructivist point of view where the interviewee’s experiences of the changes is in focus, giving a deeper understanding of their information needs and how they have been affected by the changes of the library function. I have looked at the changes in information provision for the employees at SGU as a result of changes in SGU’s library activities, that is, changes in the organization of SGU. The results were therefore analyzed using a combination of organizational theories on public administration and business concept approaches, which is motivated by how public administration has changed in recent decades. The results show that geologists at SGU rely heavily on old publications, grey literature and publications about Swedish conditions. This is opposed to what UUB offers in terms of ”hot science” and international literature to meet the needs of the researchers and students at Uppsala university. Also, since UUB only took over a small part of the collections from the SGU library as part of the agreement, the SGU employees have a significant need for help obtaining literature that is left at the former SGU library. As a result of the changes in information provision, the interviewed geologists at SGU feel that the closure of the library at SGU has had a negative impact on their work performance. Because of this they also feel that there is a contradiction between the regulation of the survey, which states that the main focus for SGU is to collect, manage and disseminate information, and the decision to close the library. The conclusions are that although the libraries at SGU and UUB both offer literature in the field of geology there are big differences in the kind of geological literature that the users need and what the different libraries can or could offer. In a larger perspective, this study can contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of special libraries and what can happen to the information provision when a library closes. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The diploma thesis focuses on subject description unification methods in records aggregated from different sources in digital repositories, using the example of the National Repository of Grey Literature (NRGL). After presenting experiences with systems BASE and LASSO abroad, I describe the current situation in NRGL, where the automatic indexing is used to assign each record a unified subject heading from the Polythematic Structured Subject Heading System (PSSHS). The thesis then presents how the MeSH thesaurus and Conspectus categorization scheme were mapped to PSSHS. These mappings were then applied to records from the National Medical Library. The aim of the experiment was to compare the subject description consisting of PSSHS subject headings created by automatic indexing, and the subject description created by mapping. In addition to that I explore the possibilities of mapping author keywords in records of academic theses. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

The study aims to assess performance of Technical Reports as a channel of information for development in the Lesotho context. It concurrently evaluates how a specialized information unit of the Institute of Southern African Studies (lSAS) has performed in its obligation to devise adequate mechanisms for managing the report literature and meeting the development-related needs of users. In order to achieve that aim, the study contextualized development as a process, state, and condition and highlighted some development indicators for Lesotho. Agriculture and gender were selected as sectors of development. Global conferences, as one of the many development strategies that generate technical reports heavily, were used as a benchmark. In the performance and impact assessment methodologies, case study techniques were applied with ISAS as a site and one unit ofanalysis. Technical Reports (TRs) on Lesotho were studied. Triangulation approaches were applied in sourcing data. The academics, information workers, government officials, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and aid agencies based in Lesotho were surveyed. Research questions that guided the study centred on the productivity, distribution of technical reports, their management by intermediaries, use, non-use and the effects thereon. Seven types ofTechnical Reports feature in the development process, namely Academic, Project, Conference, Survey, Enquiry, Official and Special Committee Reports. Technical Reports are produced at varying levels depending on needs and approaches to development by producers or commissioning bodies. Academic Reports are authored mostly by the academics. The Government, Aid agencies and NGOs produce widely through external consultants/experts, who utilize centres such as ISAS where commissioning bodies do not have information services. TRs productivity is high and diverse in Lesotho, but capacity to manage the output is seemingly low, and hence under-utilization results; ISAS's out-dated mission, lack of, or limited resources and dejure national support in the form of acts and statutes affect the Institute's Technical Reports' services. Production is gender biased, thus making for imbalance in reporting on development. Agriculture as a sector is heavily researched and reported about, but the benefits to the populace are either few or non-existent. Restricted materials are estimated at 30%, but most ofthe TRs are unaccounted for. Hoarding and poor records or information management leave a vacuum that leads to a duplication of previous studies and production. The study confirmed that technical reports are required by all the surveyed groups. Technical Reports are not ofa transient nature even though they reach a peak oftopicality and use at certain periods. Where the channel conveys factual data timeously, there are developmental benefits. Low or non-use is common where there are no specialized information services especially within the civil service. Such negative factors cause delays and infrequent currency, inadequate reporting and erroneous budgetary allocations, for example. Seeminglythere is no clarity on what restricted, secret and limited materials mean. Major recommendations were made. One concerned an integrated approach to managing the channel. This would involve preparing a Manual for the production of Technical Reports which would clarify how to prepare them; for instance, the caliber of personneVexperts who should author reports, the conditions to be observed, the timeliness production, reliability of data used, and centres that would be acknowledged to then qualify for commensurate financial and other support. The other proposes that the envisaged National Research Council be given the powers to enforce the guidelines ofthe manual and related functions. The last recommends assigning to the documentalistsfor classified Technical Reports, the role of managing classified items. Consideration should also be given to important issues raised in the study, being the role of Information, Communication and Technologies (lCTs), sectors of development to be attended to, training and networking in technical report\s. Further studies are also recommended mainly for the causes and effects of the closures of information services that managed technical reports' in southern Africa; longitudinal studies on the impact of non-use oftechnical reports in major sectors ofdevelopment like Agriculture; comparative studies on the impact of specialized centres in the developed and developing countries. Further action is urged under the aegis ofbodies like the Standing Conference ofEastem, Central and Southern African Librarians (SCECSAL), Standing Conference of National and University Librarians. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.