Sigma Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Project

Importance of Dissemination

If you hold a master's or doctorate degree in nursing, your electronic thesis or dissertation is likely housed in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (ProQuest)¹. Your ETD is an important part of the nursing profession. It deserves to be showcased with other nursing-centered works in the Sigma Repository². As the author and copyright holder you deserve to see the benefits of dissemination^{3, 4}.

If your ETD is not located in ProQuest⁵, don't worry. Feel free to attach the file where indicated in the online permission form (link below).

To assist you with making the decision, see the information and table below and note the important differences between static and dynamic dissemination.

How to Participate

Read all the information below so you can make an informed decision on participation.
Complete and submit this form: https://sigmanursing.formstack.com/forms/sr_etd_proxy_form, and let Sigma Repository staff submit your ETD on your behalf.
If you have questions not answered below, wish to submit your ETD on your own, or encounter problems with the form, contact us at Repository@SigmaNursing.org.

Older ETDs

An ETD is never too old to post in the Sigma Repository. Past and present works need to be shared and preserved to provide a foundation and direction for future research and evidence-based practice.

Don't have a digital file? Have your printed/bound version digitized using Optimal Character Recognition (OCR). Upload the digital file when prompted in the permission form (link above). Following are several scanning service options that should be available in your local area.

Staples
Kinkos FedEx
Iron Mountain
Minuteman Press

ETD Formatting Requirements

To qualify as an ETD submission the document must follow standard organization methods for theses and dissertations. It should be the same document submitted to your university in partial fulfillment of a graduate or doctoral degree and successfully defended.

Remove all signatures before submitting. This includes faculty/advisor signatures and signed letters in any appendices.
The Sigma Repository does not offer editing or proofing services.
For complete content requirements, see the Content page.

Title page
Approval page
Abstract
Table of contents
Body of paper
Bibliography/References
Appendix/appendices containing tables, figures, approval letters, questionnaires, surveys, etc.

DNP and DNAP capstones that conform to the above standards are acceptable submissions.
DNP and DNAP capstones and other graduate/doctoral projects in different formats may be submitted to the DNP Capstones and Student Works collection. Those submissions do not require completion of a permission form. Standard submission policies apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click the plus icon for details on each question.

As long as each database/website allows the author to retain copyright.

If you have posted your thesis/dissertation in multiple databases/websites, make sure that you have retained copyright in each instance.

To view all Sigma Repository policies, visit the Sigma Information Hub.

You should contact Sigma Repository staff to discuss an embargo, or complete this form: https://sigmanursing.formstack.com/forms/sigma_repository_embargo_request.

You should visit the Sigma Repository's page on prior publication.

Dynamic versus Static Dissemination

	ProQuest (Static Dissemination)	Sigma Repository (Dynamic Dissemination)
Copyright Retained by Author	Yes	Yes
Permanent URL	Yes	Yes
Global Reach	No¹	Yes³
Items Openly Available Upon Posting	No¹	Yes³
Focused on Nurses	No¹	Yes
Free to Participating Authors	No¹	Yes
Free to Patrons	No¹	Yes
Usage Data Abailable	No¹	Yes⁴
Online Discussion Tracking Available	No¹	Yes⁵

¹ ProQuest is a subscription-based service. It accepts final graduate works from many different graduate programs, physics, history, chemistry, journalism, to name but a few. The participating institution (e.g., university, college, hospital) subscribes to the database. The staff, students, and faculty of the subscribing institution may access the database while on campus or when using a VPN connection. Traditional citation data is made available to authors.

² Anyone with access to the Internet may view the items in the repository. The Sigma Repository is indexed in all of the major search engines in a way that pushes the repository records that match the user's search words/terms to the top of the list. Plus, it's full-text searchable. When someone enters a word or phrase into a search engine, every word of every item in the Sigma Repository is examined for a possible match.

³ The Sigma Repository features item level usage statistics that enable authors to view and track item record views and file downloads around the globe. This quantifiable data may be added to a tenure dossier and presented to administrators and funders as proof of impact and as evidence of a need for future funding.

⁴ The Sigma Repository offers Altmetric^© tracking which captures and collates digital conversations surrounding scholarly content from a range of online sources. Know what people are saying about your work. See if it is influencing policy or making news outlets. No more missed collaboration and funding opportunities. Address any misinterpretations about your work as they appear.

⁵ If your thesis/dissertation was written prior to 1997, or your university/college did not participate in the ProQuest database, there is a high probability that your work is not available in ProQuest.