iPad: Integrated Paperless Document Checking and Template-Based Editor for Electronic Thesis Compilation

Handling a research documentation process can be a very tedious job; from writing, checking and revising the documents. Moreover, problems regarding communication between a thesis writer and his adviser can also occur because of conflicting schedules between the two. In addition to that, compiling these manuscripts in flat files can cause security problems. Those problems became the catalysts for the creation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). But ETDs are only concerned with submission, publication and storing of graduate theses and dissertations, which are the latter part of writing a thesis; the rest of the steps are not given enough attention as to how it can be done in a simpler manner. Paperless document revisions came to view when a need for an enhanced thesis writing and revision aroused. The idea also consisted of a repository for completed research documents just like what ETDs do. Thus, the integrated paperless document checking and template-based editor (iPad) was developed. In this paper, we discussed the evolution of a new way to accomplish research papers using a portal with complete database for research documents that is the iPad. Moreover, the paper also discussed the framework and architectural design of the iPad system as compared to the conventional way of research documentation and how iPad can give an alternative route for researchers in completing their research documents.