The identification of critical success factors in the development of national ETDs programs: A literature review

National Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) programs have been recognized as one of the most effective channels through which Theses and Dissertations (TDs) can be made available to academic communities. However, to establish a national ETDs developers need to be aware of the Critical Success Factors (CSFs). CSFs are the few key areas where “things must go right” for the program to flourish and without them the organization’s efforts for the period will be less than desired. This paper aims to identify CSFs deemed crucial for the implementation of national ETDs through review the existing body of knowledge related to this topic. Based on categorizing and thematizing data, this paper conceptualizes a generic framework comprised of five broad dimensions (management and organization, involvement, service, content, and technicalities) in order to make a national ETDs program successful. With knowledge about CSFs, stakeholders and managers would be more able to achieve organizational goals, make critical decisions, and allocate resources that are required to make national ETDs implementation programs successful.