Enhancing Discoverability: A Metadata Framework for Empirical Research in Theses

Despite the significant volume of empirical research found in student-authored academic theses—particularly in the social sciences—these works are often poorly documented and difficult to discover within institutional repositories. A key reason for this is the lack of appropriate metadata frameworks that balance descriptive richness with usability. General standards such as Dublin Core are too simplistic to capture critical research details, while more robust models like the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) are too complex for non-specialist users and not designed for use with student theses. This paper presents the design and validation of a lightweight, web-based metadata framework specifically tailored to document empirical research in academic theses. We are the first to adapt existing hybrid Dublin Core–DDI approaches specifically for thesis documentation, with a novel focus on cross-methodological research and non-expert usability. The model was developed through a structured analysis of actual student theses and refined to support intuitive, structured metadata entry without requiring technical expertise. The resulting system enhances the discoverability, classification, and reuse of empirical theses within institutional repositories, offering a scalable solution to elevate the visibility of the gray literature in higher education.