Gone are the days when theses were printed, even in several volumes. This in order to be archived in the different libraries of the University where the Bachelor’s Degree was obtained. And it is that the benefits of digitized theses are many. Printing is expensive and inconvenient, as it requires ink cartridges and printer paper, often expensive inputs. In the same way, you can not access the document when you are outside the library and if there is only one copy, the library may be without access, if something happens to it.
Printing was necessary when computers were large non-portable devices. Now we walk practically with computers in our pockets, with smartphones with access to all kinds of documents, tablets that can approximate the size of a sheet of paper, and cloud services that can back up and synchronize all documents on all your devices. In addition, there is now the facility that students from all over the world, through digitized these theses, can access these documents and they become an important means of disseminating research.
What is a
paperless
environment?
A paperless environment is a work environment (whether public or private) that uses physical paper at its minimum and instead uses mainly digital documents. Users of this environment have eliminated or greatly reduced the use of paper. It should also be noted that the process of converting paper files into electronic files is known as digitization.
Digitization, according to the Dictionary of the Spanish Language (2014), involves converting or encoding into digit numbers data or information of a continuous nature, such as a photographic image, or a document, or a book. This idea has been around since personal computers became the foundation of the modern workplace. This coupled with the prevalence of documents and emails. There are many benefits to stopping using paper, from saving resources to increasing security. However, even some brochures in universities and other documents still revolve around paper.
Benefits of
Digitalization on the Use of Paper
Save time
Time spent archiving, organizing, and searching paper documents is time that can be spent on more productive tasks. Scanned documents are stored in a central repository, which is basically a digital filing cabinet where all documents are located. Universities with digitized thesis libraries, archive them in addition to their corresponding search by title, with keywords to be used in the search.
With a digital document management system, you can take advantage of the same powerful search capabilities that Googleuses. This means that people can find files at the click of a button. Also, this process is much faster than the laborious manual search of a specific thesis, first in a file, then fill out the corresponding file and then the physical search of the document. This time can be used to expand the search in other libraries that use similar processes.
Space Saving
Paper takes up a lot of space, as do filing cabinets. The theses and shelves are bulky. Worse, documents continue to pile up and often pile up faster than can be sorted and organized.
According to Proakis and Manolakis (2007) file scanning allows all documents to be stored on a local server or in the cloud. Desktop computers and physical servers (if ever used) take up much less space than a physical log file.
Save money
Digitalization improves process efficiency and saves money. Paperless environments can process a much larger volume of paperwork compared to traditional environments in the same amount of time.
In addition, for the student, digitization reduces the money spent on paper, printers, ink and time to print. Time savings become especially valuable when it comes to repetitive tasks and the possibility of searching for more information.
Facilitates the transfer of information
Document management software offers a simple process. The software easily compiles digital documents by importing any type of file (.docx, .pdf, image files). Many commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat, integrate with document management systems and have native add-ins that allow you to archive the document with just one click.
Promotes the environment
The manufacture of paper products produces greenhouse gases, which causes deforestation and global warming. The paper recycling that many profess can offset some of the environmental impact, but not to a large extent. Most of the paper eventually ends up in a landfill. In addition, ink and toners contain volatile compounds and non-renewable substances that are harmful to the environment. It is much more sustainable to simply reduce paper use altogether by switching to a paperless environment.
Increase security
Physical documents can be lost, misfiled, or destroyed. It can also be difficult to control access, printing, and copying sensitive files. Document management software has advanced security capabilities that can address these challenges. System administrators can configure access rights that assign permissions at the document level, user level, or system level.
Implementing document management software also allows organizations to leverage electronic signatures, redact sensitive information, create audit trails, and more.
How not to print and elaborate the Digitized Theses
The Millennial Generation stopped printing unnecessarily long ago. But there are many people who still print emails and web pages regularly, because they do not know this a new way to save and organize information digitally. In this regard, it is recommended when the thesis is being carried out to replace the printing:
Create a digital cabinet
First, you have to decide where you’ll keep things instead of printing them out. It helps to have a separate location by chapter of the thesis. We recommend some kind of cloud service that syncs across all your devices so you can access them on your smartphone, tablets, as well as pc. You can choose to save to a cloud storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive. If you prefer local storage, you can save your files in multiple folders on the PC, but we need to make sure to back it up. It is also suggested to take notes the Evernote application
Print to PDF
Everything you want to print, whether it’s a receipt, document, email, or webpage, can be printed into a PDF file. You’ll get a file that you can store in Dropbox or Google Drive.
Email printing
Emails can be printed in PDF in the same way. You can also highlight them (if you use Gmail) or add them to a special folder or label where you can check them out later.
Printing of web pages
You can also print web pages in PDF. You can also mark them for later viewing (these bookmarks can sync across all your devices).
Map printing
You shouldn’t have to print maps if you have a smartphone with GPS. To use Google Maps, you can sign in to the app on your smartphone, tablet, or PC. You can also print the map in PDF, if you wish.
When someone insists on printed documents: Unfortunately, some tutor may insist on printed documents. If the advisor does not have internet access, we can deliver the files to a USB or CD-Rom device.
Environmental Benefits of Digitized Theses
By choosing to digitize. it is also chosen to be eco-friendly because of the environmental benefits that go hand in hand.
Digital printing reduces and prevents waste.
While digital printing still requires the use of paper materials, it generally uses much less paper than traditional printing. Changing printing techniques can eliminate up to 100% of paper waste.
Tests can be submitted and approved electronically.
Through Adobe and similar programs, the document looks the same way the final product would look without any printing. They also allow the insertion of corrections and comments. It is also easy to produce documents with a large number of colors without waste.
Digital printing uses fewer toxic chemicals.
In traditional printing, it takes a lot of toxic chemicals to produce a printed part. In addition to all this, it generates harmful by-products such as empty cartridges and used paper.
Conclusions
The paperless environment is a goal that more and more organizations are targeting. But beyond the obvious cost savings and contribution to reducing a company’s environmental impact, stopping paper has other advantages. The digital thesis positively impacts the environment by reducing much of the physical and chemical waste that prevailed in traditional printing. So if cost-effectiveness, high quality, and reliability are important to you and the university, add one more benefit to your list of reasons to choose the digital version: it’s a green solution. In Online-Tesis.com,we deliver the thesis in its digitized format in the version you need, so that it can be reviewed by the tutor and the jury in the most convenient way.
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Bibliographic References
Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Academies of the Spanish Language (2014). (23rd ed.). Madrid: Spasa.
Proakis, John G.; Manolakis, Dimitris G. (2007) Digital Signal Processing. Pearson Prentice Hall.
Rivas Vaciamadrid (2013). Digitization of documents. Madrid: Anroart.
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Benefits of Digitized Theses Development
