ETD Guide/Introduction/Costs and benefits

ETD submission over networks has zero cost, which compares favorably with the charges of hundreds or thousands of dollars otherwise required to print, copy, or publish TDs using paper or other media forms. In many institutions, the networking, computing, and software resources available to students suffice so that students preparing ETDs need make no additional expenditure. Similarly, on many campuses, assistance is available to answer questions and train students regarding word processing and other skills valuable for authors of electronic documents and users of digital libraries. If students elect to use personal computers and acquire their own software to use in ETD creation, these will later be useful in other research and development work, for both professional and personal needs, with low marginal expense specifically required for ETDs. Thus, it is typical that the pros far outweigh the cons regarding students preparing ETDs.

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