Libraries lists Digital Commons' 2012 most downloaded UNL dissertations

The top 20 most downloaded UNL dissertations for 2012 come from six colleges: Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Arts and Sciences, Education and Human Sciences, Engineering, Journalism and Mass Communications, and the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.

This year’s list is marked with a new leader at the top. Courtney D. Blume’s dissertation, "RAP: A Reading Comprehension Strategy for Students with Learning Disabilities," accepted in April 2010 by the College of Education and Human Sciences, was downloaded 3,691 times. Eight graduates from Education and Human Sciences populated the list, the most of any of the other colleges, according to data from the Libraries. The former most downloaded dissertation for the last three years dropped to fourth, being downloaded only 2,886 times, which is still more downloads compared to 2011.

At least one-half of all graduate dissertations submitted each year have been made electronically available via the Libraries’ Digital Commons – an online repository to preserve and share research done by students and faculty at UNL. All documents available on the Digital Commons are accessible through Google searches, creating world-wide demand of UNL research with more than 4 million downloads in the past year, from people in 190 countries.

UNL’s Digital Commons is the second largest academic digital repository, containing almost 47,000 research article documents and more than 10,000 dissertations – only behind Big Ten peer University of Michigan’s Deep Blue (69,000+ documents). The Digital Commons can be accessed directly at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/.

Here is a list of the 20 most downloaded dissertations from highest to lowest with the date the dissertation was submitted:

Courtney D. Blume, College of Education and Human Sciences, April 2010 – 3,691 downloads. "RAP: A Reading Comprehension Strategy for Students with Learning Disabilities"

Adam John Wigington, College of Engineering, July 2010 – 3,674 downloads. "A Comparison of Induction Motor Starting Methods Being Powered by a Diesel-Generator Set"

Mary C. Moler, College of Education and Human Sciences, July 2008 – 3,111 downloads. "The Relationship between the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Provided by Wyoming High School Mathematics Teachers and the Performance of Wyoming 11th Grade Students on the Adequate Yearly Progress of Wyoming Schools"

Julio César Sánchez Rondón, Department of Modern Languages and Literature, May 2006 – 2,886 downloads. "Poética de lo Soez: Luis Rafael Sánchez: Identidad y Cultura en América Latina y en el Caribe"

Nicholas W. Scott, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, June 2011 – 2,836 downloads. "Study of Cellular Phone Detection Techniques."

Brenden Rensink, Department of History, April 2006 – 2,723 downloads. "Native American History, Comparative Genocide and the Holocaust: Historiography, Debate and Critical Analysis"

Marina Fabrikant, School of Music, May 2006 – 2,390 downloads. "Bach-Busoni Chaconne: A Piano Transcription Analysis"

Jami E. Givens, College of Education and Human Sciences, December 2009 – 2,354 downloads. "Does Theory of Mind Mediate Aggression and Bullying in Middle School Males and Females?"

Howard Lester Rose, College of Journalism and Mass Communications, March 2010 – 2,294 downloads. "Edward R. Murrow: His Life, Legacy and Ethical Influence"

Steven Edward Moellering, School of Music, June 2007 – 2,158 downloads. "Visions Fugitives: Insights into Prokofiev's Compositional Vision"

Kurt Kinbacher, Department of History, March 2006 – 2,092 downloads. "Immigration, the American West, and the Twentieth Century: German from Russia, Omaha Indian, and Vietnamese-Urban Villagers in Lincoln, Nebraska"

Andrew Hoppe, Department of Food Science and Technology, December 2010 – 2,066 downloads. "Examination of Egg White Proteins and Effects of High Pressure on Select Physical and Functional Properties"

Sarah A. Hall, College of Education and Human Sciences, Spring 2010 – 1,940 downloads. "The Social Inclusion of Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: A Phenomenology of Their Experiences"

Yulie Edith Meneses, Department of Food Science and Technology, November 2010 – 1,911 downloads. "Identification and Characterization of Salmonella Serotypes Isolated from Pork and Poultry from Commercial Sources"

Linda L. Petroff, College of Education and Human Sciences, November 2008 – 1,889 downloads. "Stress, Adult Attachment, and Academic Success among Community College Students"

Steven Riccio, College of Education and Human Sciences, August 2010 – 1,835 downloads. "Talent Management in Higher Education: Developing Emerging Leaders within the Administration at Private Colleges and Universities"

Matthew A. Morehouse, College of Arts and Sciences, May 2011 – 1,768 downloads. "Hellfire and Grey Drones: An Empirical Examination of the Effectiveness of Targeted Killings"

Daniel H. Abbott, College of Education and Human Sciences, May 2010 – 1,761 downloads. "Constructing a creative Self-Efficacy Inventory: A Mixed Methods Inquiry"

Valli Kannan, Department of Food Science and Technology, May 2011 – 1,707 downloads. "Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Whole Red Cabbage and Beetroot using Pulsed Electric Fields and Evaluation of their Functionality"

Scott E. Hovater, College of Education and Human Sciences, September 2007 – 1,671 downloads. "Developing Cultural Awareness: A Grounded Theory Study of Pre-Service Teachers’ Field Experiences in Taiwan."

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/f3b