Academic dissertations contain valuable research, but they often remain inaccessible after submission, locked away in university archives or personal collections. This creates a gap in knowledge sharing, as students and researchers struggle to discover and reference these works. A centralized, user-friendly platform dedicated to dissertations could help solve this problem by making them easier to share, find, and build upon.

How the Platform Could Work

One way to address this gap is by creating a web-based platform designed specifically for sharing and accessing dissertations. Users—students, researchers, or institutions—could upload their work with structured metadata (title, author, keywords, etc.) to ensure discoverability. The platform might include:

Version control for works in progress, allowing updates and tracking changes.
Collaboration tools like comments and annotations for feedback.
Citation tracking to measure how often a dissertation is referenced.
Access controls to share publicly, with select groups, or keep private.

Open access could be prioritized while respecting copyright, with options for embargoed or restricted sharing where needed.

Potential Benefits and Stakeholders

Such a platform could serve multiple groups:

Students, especially graduate researchers, could share their work and find inspiration from others.
Universities might use it to showcase student research and foster collaboration.
Librarians could streamline thesis management and distribution.

Incentives for participation could include increased visibility for student work, institutional reputation building, and easier access to niche research.

Execution and Differentiation

A minimal version could start with basic upload and search functions, then expand based on user feedback. Partnering with universities for initial content could help validate demand.

Unlike general academic platforms (e.g., ResearchGate) or commercial databases (e.g., ProQuest), this idea focuses specifically on dissertations with tailored collaboration tools. By emphasizing open access and interactive features, it could fill a gap left by existing services that prioritize either paywalled archives or broader paper-sharing networks.

While challenges like copyright and quality control exist, moderation features and clear sharing policies could help address them. The platform's specialization and focus on collaboration might give it an edge over more generalized alternatives.