Registering student theses
There are two options for registering student theses in Pure, each designed for a different use case. You should select the one that best aligns with how student theses are treated at your institution, which may also be determined by your region. First ask yourself whether you consider a student thesis:
- the result of work undertaken by a student before they become a researcher, or
- one of a researcher's publications.
This will help you decide whether to use:
- the dedicated Student Thesis content type, or
- the Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type.
The differences between the two options are set out below. Whichever option you choose, you should disable the other one to avoid confusing your Users about where student theses should be registered in your Pure.
Options for registering student theses
Student Thesis content type
The dedicated Student Thesis content type keeps student thesis data separate from Research Outputs. It is used by institutions that consider theses the result of work undertaken by students before they become researchers.
The Student Thesis content type behaves like any other content type: it has a separate tab on the Pure Portal and a separate section on a Person's profile page; in the Reporting module it is added as a separate group of columns; and a validation workflow may be configured for it. A cover sheet can also be configured for documents stored on Student Thesis records.
The qualification level is registered as a type of the Student Thesis content type. There are two default types (Doctoral thesis and Master's thesis); both use the same template of metadata fields. Types may be removed and new ones added in the Types of Student Thesis classification scheme, though this will have consequences for integrations with online sources. See Remove a Research Output and Default Research Output types and templates.
The Student Thesis content type has limited metadata fields but more extensive controls for how students and supervisors interact with records when compared to the Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type. See Administrator > Student theses > Configuration.
Users with student affiliations (and therefore the role Personal User (Student)) can always create records of the Student Thesis content type.
By default, the Student Thesis content type is disabled and must be enabled by an Elsevier employee. Once enabled, it can be disabled again at Administrator > Student Theses > Configuration.
Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type
The Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type stores student thesis data alongside Research Outputs. It is used by institutions that consider theses researchers' first publications - this is common is some regions.
The Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type behaves like any other Research Output type: its subtypes appear as filters on the Research Output page of the Pure Portal and in the list of Research Outputs on a Person's profile page; in the Reporting module it (and its subtypes) may be used as filters in the Research Output group of columns; and it uses the same validation workflow and cover sheet configuration as all the other Research Output types.
The qualification level is registered as a subtype of the Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type. There are two default subtypes (Doctoral thesis and Master's thesis); these may be removed and new ones added at Administrator > Research Output > Types. All subtypes use the same template of metadata fields.
The Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type has extensive metadata fields when compared to the Student Thesis content type, but no specific controls for how students and supervisors interact with records - since such controls are determined at the level of the Research Output content type.
To allow Users with student affiliations (and therefore the role Personal User (Student)) to create records of the Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type, go to Administrator > System settings > Student users and toggle Should student users be allowed to create research output content? on.
By default, the Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type is disabled. It can be enabled by an Administrator at Administrator > Research Outputs > Types. Once enabled, it can be disabled again, but only if there are no records of that type.
Decision matrix
| Criteria | Student Thesis content type | Types of Thesis type of the Research Output content type |
|---|---|---|
| Show a separate tab and a separate section on Person profile pages for student theses on the Pure Portal | X | |
| Show student theses alongside other Research Outputs on the Pure Portal | X | |
| Analyse student thesis data in the Reporting module in a separate group of columns | X | |
| Analyse student thesis data in the Reporting module in Research Output columns | X | |
| Configure a validation workflow specifically for student thesis records | X | |
| Use the Research Output validation workflow for student thesis records | X | |
| Configure a cover sheet specifically for documents on student thesis records | X | |
| Use the Research Output cover sheet configuration for documents on student thesis records | X | |
| Add or remove qualification levels for student theses | X | X |
| Make use of extensive metadata fields for student theses | X | |
| Control how students and supervisors interact with student thesis records | X | |
| Allow student Users to create student thesis records | X | X |
| Prevent student Users from creating student thesis records | X |