ABSTRACT
There are three general types of electronic theses and dissertations (ETD): (1) those that use little or no electronic enhancement and are, effectively, print texts stored electronically; (2) those that incorporate links to material on the WorldWide Web or multimedia elements as illustrations, footnotes, or appendices; and (3) those that are full-blown innovative hypermedia documents including text integrated with sounds, movies, or simulations (Young, 1998). Innovative hypermedia ETDs are the most different from conventional print theses and dissertations. These innovative documents receive different degrees of acceptance in different professions and academic disciplines. At one end of the spectrum are high-tech industries and academic fields that are immersed in computer technology (e.g., computer science, engineering, multimedia production, etc.). Employers in these fields will have a greater interest in hiring and retaining new Ph.D.s who can show their proficiency with computer technology by producing innovative hypermedia ETDs. At the other end of the spectrum, however, are the core disciplines of the humanities (e.g., English, philosophy, history, etc.), whose members largely remain resistant to the new technologies. Students who produce ETDs are likely still to find their work undervalued by established members of these latter disciplines, even if their work is little more than a plain vanilla text with a few multimedia add-ons, and especially if they attempt something so bold as an innovative hypermedia ETD.
