how to find doctoral thesis

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

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About OATD.org

OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions . OATD currently indexes 7,202,573 theses and dissertations.

About OATD (our FAQ) .

Visual OATD.org

We’re happy to present several data visualizations to give an overall sense of the OATD.org collection by county of publication, language, and field of study.

You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses:

• Google Scholar
• NDLTD , the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not.
• Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published electronically or in print, and mostly available for purchase. Access to PQDT may be limited; consult your local library for access information.

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EBSCO Open Dissertations

EBSCO Open Dissertations makes electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) more accessible to researchers worldwide. The free portal is designed to benefit universities and their students and make ETDs more discoverable. 

Increasing Discovery & Usage of ETD Research

With EBSCO Open Dissertations, institutions are offered an innovative approach to driving additional traffic to ETDs in institutional repositories. Our goal is to help make their students’ theses and dissertations as widely visible and cited as possible.

EBSCO Open Dissertations extends the work started in 2014, when EBSCO and the H.W. Wilson Foundation created American Doctoral Dissertations which contained indexing from the H.W. Wilson print publication, Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. In 2015, the H.W. Wilson Foundation agreed to support the expansion of the scope of the American Doctoral Dissertations database to include records for dissertations and theses from 1955 to the present.

How Does EBSCO Open Dissertations Work?

Libraries can add theses and dissertations to the database, making them freely available to researchers everywhere while increasing traffic to their institutional repository.  ETD metadata is harvested via OAI and integrated into EBSCO’s platform, where pointers send traffic to the institution's IR.

EBSCO integrates this data into their current subscriber environments and makes the data available on the open web via opendissertations.org .

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Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

OATD.org provides open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 6,654,285 theses and dissertations.

How to find resources by format

Why use a dissertation or a thesis.

A dissertation is the final large research paper, based on original research, for many disciplines to be able to complete a PhD degree. The thesis is the same idea but for a masters degree.

They are often considered scholarly sources since they are closely supervised by a committee, are directed at an academic audience, are extensively researched, follow research methodology, and are cited in other scholarly work. Often the research is newer or answering questions that are more recent, and can help push scholarship in new directions. 

Search for dissertations and theses

Locating dissertations and theses.

The Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global database includes doctoral dissertations and selected masters theses from major universities worldwide.

• Searchable by subject, author, advisor, title, school, date, etc.
• More information about full text access and requesting through Interlibrary Loan

NDLTD – Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations provides free online access to a over a million theses and dissertations from all over the world.

WorldCat Dissertations and Theses searches library catalogs from across the U.S. and worldwide.

Locating University of Minnesota Dissertations and Theses

Use  Libraries search  and search by title or author and add the word "thesis" in the search box. Write down the library and call number and find it on the shelf. They can be checked out.

Check the  University Digital Conservancy  for online access to dissertations and theses from 2007 to present as well as historic, scanned theses from 1887-1923.

Other Sources for Dissertations and Theses

• Center for Research Libraries
• DART-Europe E-Thesis Portal
• Theses Canada
• Ethos (Great Britain)
• Australasian Digital Theses in Trove
• DiVA (Sweden)
• E-Thesis at the University of Helsinki
• DissOnline (Germany)
• List of libraries worldwide - to search for a thesis when you know the institution and cannot find in the larger collections
• ProQuest Dissertations Express  - to search for a digitized thesis (not a free resource but open to our guest users)

University of Minnesota Dissertations and Theses FAQs

What dissertations and theses are available.

With minor exceptions, all doctoral dissertations and all "Plan A" master's theses accepted by the University of Minnesota are available in the University Libraries system. In some cases (see below) only a non-circulating copy in University Archives exists, but for doctoral dissertations from 1940 to date, and for master's theses from 1925 to date, a circulating copy should almost always be available.

"Plan B" papers, accepted in the place of a thesis in many master's degree programs, are not received by the University Libraries and are generally not available. (The only real exceptions are a number of old library school Plan B papers on publishing history, which have been separately cataloged.) In a few cases individual departments may have maintained files of such papers.

In what libraries are U of M dissertations and theses located?

Circulating copies of doctoral dissertations:.

• Use Libraries Search to look for the author or title of the work desired to determine location and call number of a specific dissertation. Circulating copies of U of M doctoral dissertations can be in one of several locations in the library system, depending upon the date and the department for which the dissertation was done. The following are the general rules:
• Dissertations prior to 1940 Circulating copies of U of M dissertations prior to 1940 do not exist (with rare exceptions): for these, only the archival copy (see below) is available. Also, most dissertations prior to 1940 are not cataloged in MNCAT and can only be identified by the departmental listings described below.  
• Dissertations from 1940-1979 Circulating copies of U of M dissertations from 1940 to 1979 will in most cases be held within the Elmer L. Andersen Library, with three major classes of exceptions: dissertations accepted by biological, medical, and related departments are housed in the Health Science Library; science/engineering dissertations from 1970 to date will be located in the Science and Engineering Library (in Walter); and dissertations accepted by agricultural and related departments are available at the Magrath Library or one of the other libraries on the St. Paul campus (the Magrath Library maintains records of locations for such dissertations).  
• Dissertations from 1980-date Circulating copies of U of M dissertations from 1980 to date at present may be located either in Wilson Library (see below) or in storage; consult Libraries Search for location of specific items. Again, exceptions noted above apply here also; dissertations in their respective departments will instead be in Health Science Library or in one of the St. Paul campus libraries.

Circulating copies of master's theses:

• Theses prior to 1925 Circulating copies of U of M master's theses prior to 1925 do not exist (with rare exceptions); for these, only the archival copy (see below) is available.  
• Theses from 1925-1996 Circulating copies of U of M master's theses from 1925 to 1996 may be held in storage; consult Libraries search in specific instances. Once again, there are exceptions and theses in their respective departments will be housed in the Health Science Library or in one of the St. Paul campus libraries.  
• Theses from 1997-date Circulating copies of U of M master's theses from 1997 to date will be located in Wilson Library (see below), except for the same exceptions for Health Science  and St. Paul theses. There is also an exception to the exception: MHA (Masters in Health Administration) theses through 1998 are in the Health Science Library, but those from 1999 on are in Wilson Library.

Archival copies (non-circulating)

Archival (non-circulating) copies of virtually all U of M doctoral dissertations from 1888-1952, and of U of M master's theses from all years up to the present, are maintained by University Archives (located in the Elmer L. Andersen Library). These copies must be consulted on the premises, and it is highly recommended for the present that users make an appointment in advance to ensure that the desired works can be retrieved for them from storage. For dissertations accepted prior to 1940 and for master's theses accepted prior to 1925, University Archives is generally the only option (e.g., there usually will be no circulating copy). Archival copies of U of M doctoral dissertations from 1953 to the present are maintained by Bell and Howell Corporation (formerly University Microfilms Inc.), which produces print or filmed copies from our originals upon request. (There are a very few post-1952 U of M dissertations not available from Bell and Howell; these include such things as music manuscripts and works with color illustrations or extremely large pages that will not photocopy well; in these few cases, our archival copy is retained in University Archives.)

Where is a specific dissertation of thesis located?

To locate a specific dissertation or thesis it is necessary to have its call number. Use Libraries Search for the author or title of the item, just as you would for any other book. Depending on date of acceptance and cataloging, a typical call number for such materials should look something like one of the following:

Dissertations: Plan"A" Theses MnU-D or 378.7M66 MnU-M or 378.7M66 78-342 ODR7617 83-67 OL6156 Libraries Search will also tell the library location (MLAC, Health Science Library, Magrath or another St. Paul campus library, Science and Engineering, Business Reference, Wilson Annex or Wilson Library). Those doctoral dissertations still in Wilson Library (which in all cases should be 1980 or later and will have "MnU-D" numbers) are located in the central section of the third floor. Those master's theses in Wilson (which in all cases will be 1997 or later and will have "MnU-M" numbers) are also located in the central section of the third floor. Both dissertations and theses circulate and can be checked out, like any other books, at the Wilson Circulation desk on the first floor.

How can dissertations and theses accepted by a specific department be located?

Wilson Library contains a series of bound and loose-leaf notebooks, arranged by department and within each department by date, listing dissertations and theses. Information given for each entry includes name of author, title, and date (but not call number, which must be looked up individually). These notebooks are no longer current, but they do cover listings by department from the nineteenth century up to approximately 1992. Many pre-1940 U of M dissertations and pre-1925 U of M master's theses are not cataloged (and exist only as archival copies). Such dissertations can be identified only with these volumes. The books and notebooks are shelved in the general collection under these call numbers: Wilson Ref LD3337 .A5 and Wilson Ref quarto LD3337 .U9x. Major departments of individual degree candidates are also listed under their names in the GRADUATE SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT programs of the U of M, available in University Archives and (for recent years) also in Wilson stacks (LD3361 .U55x).

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Open Access Theses and Dissertations

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Dissertations & theses: home, finding dissertations & theses.

The majority of print dissertations in the UC Berkeley Libraries are from UC Berkeley. The libraries have a nearly complete collection of Berkeley doctoral dissertations (wither online, in print, or both), and a large number of Berkeley master's theses.

UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley PhD Dissertations

Dissertations and Theses (Dissertation Abstracts)     UCB access only  1861-present 

Index and full text of graduate dissertations and theses from North American and European schools and universities, including the University of California, with full text of most doctoral dissertations from UC Berkeley and elsewhere from 1996 forward. Dissertations published prior to 2009 may not include information about the department from which the degree was granted. 

UC Berkeley Master's Theses

UC Berkeley Digital Collections   2011-present

Selected UC Berkeley master's theses freely available online. For theses published prior to 2020, check UC Library Search for print availability (see "At the Library" below). 

UC Berkeley dissertations may also be found in eScholarship , UC's online open access repository.

Please note that it may take time for a dissertation to appear in one of the above online resources. Embargoes and other issues affect the release timing.

At the Library:

Dissertations: From 2012 onwards, dissertations are only available online. See above links.

Master's theses : From 2020 onwards, theses are only available online. See above links. 

To locate older dissertations, master's theses, and master's projects in print, search UC Library Search by keyword, title or author. For publications prior to 2009 you may also include a specific UC Berkeley department in your search:  berkeley dissertations <department name> . 

Examples:  berkeley dissertations electrical engineering computer sciences  berkeley dissertations mechanical engineering

University of California - all campuses

Index and full text of graduate dissertations and theses from North American and European schools and universities, including the University of California.

WorldCatDissertations     UCB access only 

Covers all dissertations and theses cataloged in WorldCat, a catalog of materials owned by libraries worldwide. UC Berkeley faculty, staff, and students may use the interlibrary loan request form  for dissertations found in WorldCatDissertations. 

Worldwide - Open Access

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)

The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).

Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

An index of over 3.5 million electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). To the extent possible, the index is limited to records of graduate-level theses that are freely available online.

• Last Updated: Mar 11, 2024 2:47 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/dissertations_theses

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For Harvard theses, dissertations, and prize winning essays, see our How can I find a Harvard thesis or dissertation ? FAQ entry.

Beyond Harvard, ProQuest  Dissertations and Theses G lobal database (this link requires HarvardKey login) i s a good place to start:

• lists dissertations and theses from most North American graduate schools (including Harvard) and many from universities in Great Britain and Ireland, 1716-present
•  You can get full text from Proquest Dissertations and Theses through your own institutional library or you can often purchase directly from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Express.  

Other sources:

Databases beyond ProQuest Dissertations & Theses:

Some out of copyright works (pre-1924) are available via large digital libraries. Search online for the title.

Networked Digital Library of Electronic Theses and Dissertations ' Global Search scans participating international libraries

The Center for Research Libraries ' Dissertations database includes many non-US theses.

WorldCat  describes many masters' & PhD theses. Use "Advanced Search" and limit to subtype "thesis/dissertation." No full text; it just tells you what libraries have reported having copies.

There are several excellent guides out there with international search recommendations like  University College London's Institute of Education Theses and Dissertations LibGuide .

Institutions:

At the institution where the work originated or the national library of the country (if outside the US):

Online institutional repositories (like Harvard's DASH ): If the work was produced after the  school's repository was established, it may well be found here in full text. 

Libraries: Check the library catalog. There's often a reproductions service ($) for material that hasn't been digitized, but each school has its own policies. Most schools have some kind of "ask a librarian" service where you can ask what to do next.

At your own institution (where applicable) or public library: While many institutions will not lend theses and dissertations or send copies through Interlibrary loan, your Interlibrary Loan department may be able to help you acquire or pay for reproductions. 

• Current Harvard faculty, staff and students: Once you identify a reproduction source you can place a request with Harvard Library ILL  (in the notes field, ask for help with funding).

For Harvard theses and dissertations, see " How can I find a Harvard thesis or dissertation? "

If you're having trouble locating or acquiring a copy of/access to a dissertation, try " Why can't I find this thesis or dissertation?" 

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Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy

Dissertation Repositories, Open Access

How to find dissertations, open access repositories, selected university affiliated, open access repositories.

Use the websites listed below to find freely accessible (open access) dissertations from the United States and other countries.  While all repositories listed here include doctoral dissertations, Master's theses may be available in some cases as well.

Regis College maintains print copies of Regis student theses and dissertations in the Regis Library.  They are not digitized although individual students may have submitted their dissertation to a digital repository.

• American Doctoral Dissertations (EBSCO) A free resource, hosted by EBSCO, this database includes more than 172,000 theses and dissertations in total from 1902 to the present.
• British Library: EThOS, E-theses Online Service EThOS is the UK’s national thesis service. EThOS aims to hold a record for all doctoral theses awarded by all UK universities (institutions). Also available when using Regis Library discovery tool, PowerSearch.
• Digital Commons Network Free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work.
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). We support electronic publishing and open access to scholarship in order to enhance the sharing of knowledge worldwide.
• Open Access Theses and Dissertations OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 4,264,663 theses and dissertations.
• PQDT Open PQDT Open provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge. The authors of these dissertations and theses have opted to publish as open access.
• Theses Canada Theses Canada is a collaborative program between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and nearly 70 universities accredited by Universities Canada. It strives to: acquire and preserve theses and dissertations from participating universities; provide free access to Canadian electronic theses and dissertations in the collection.

These digital repositories maintained by various universities enable public access to theses and dissertations.  These are just a select sample; there are many other repositories associated with universities.

• Duke University: Duke Space, Theses and Dissertations
• Harvard University: Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) Also available when using Regis Library discovery tool, PowerSearch.
• Johns Hopkins University: DSpace Repository
• Northeastern University: Digital Reposity Service: Theses and Dissertations
• University of Washington: ResearchWorks
• Walden University Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
• Last Updated: Jul 12, 2023 8:18 AM
• URL: https://libguides.regiscollege.edu/open_access_dissertations

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How to search for Harvard dissertations

• DASH , Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard, is the university's central, open-access repository for the scholarly output of faculty and the broader research community at Harvard.  Most Ph.D. dissertations submitted from  March 2012 forward  are available online in DASH.
• Check HOLLIS, the Library Catalog, and refine your results by using the   Advanced Search   and limiting Resource  Type   to Dissertations
• Search the database  ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Don't hesitate to  Ask a Librarian  for assistance.

How to search for Non-Harvard dissertations

Library Database:

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

Free Resources:

• Many  universities  provide full-text access to their dissertations via a digital repository.  If you know the title of a particular dissertation or thesis, try doing a Google search.  

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Finding Theses and Dissertations

• International Theses
• Queen's University Theses
• Canadian Theses
• United States Theses
• Borrowing & Purchasing Copies of Theses

International Theses: Search Tools

Proquest dissertations and theses.

A comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world from 1861-present. Full text  since 1997. Abstracts  since 1980 for doctoral dissertations and 1988 for masters' theses. Citations  since 1861.

Citations are indexed in Web of Science in the  ProQuest ™ Dissertations & Theses Citation Index  collection. 

Center for Research Libraries

CRL holds more than 800,000 doctoral dissertations outside of the U.S. and Canada. Search dissertations in the dissertations section of the CRL catalogue. Digitized dissertations can be searched in the catalogue's e-resources section.

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

A collection of more than 800,000 international full text theses and dissertations.

Google Scholar

Try searching Google Scholar for theses posted on institutional digital repositories or on personal web pages.

ScienceDirect

A web search engine devoted to Science and Technology.

Search for dissertations, theses and published material based on theses catalogued in WorldCat by OCLC member libraries worldwide. In Advanced Search, you can search by author, title, subject, year, and keyword. Under Subtype Limits, select Theses/Dissertation from the Any Content menu

International Theses: By Country

Österreichische Dissertationsdatenbank

The Austrian dissertation database contains the bibliographical data of dissertations approved in Austria from 1990 on, and in most cases the relevant abstracts. (This website is hosted by the National Library of Austria).

National Library of Australia’s Trove Service

Search for full text digital theses from Australian universities.  On the Advanced search screen under Format, select Thesis.

DART-Europe :  Access to full text theses and dissertations from many countries in Europe.

Europeana : Additional electronic dissertations from other European libraries.

Système universitaire de documentation  (Sudoc): Provides access to records and some electronic theses and dissertations published at French research institutions.

Fichier central des thèses

DissOnline provides information on the subject of electronic university publications. It can be used to find out directly all about online dissertations and post-doctoral theses. Sample documents can be downloaded to provide help in the creation of electronic university publications. For more information about the portal, please go to  German National Library  website  (DNB) .

México

TESIUNAM: Tesis del Sistema Bibliotecario de la Unam

(Theses from the National University of Mexico / Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). To search for electronic theses, click on “tesis electrónicas (REDUNAM).”

Middle East

The Center for Research Libraries and the British Library have made available online 400 UK doctoral theses focusing on the Middle East, Islamic studies, and related subjects.  More information .

The Netherlands

Some Dutch e-theses are available through NARCIS.

South America 

• Some electronic theses from Bolivia, Brasil, Chile and Peru can be found at  Cybertesis.NET , a portal created by the University of Chile (Information Services & Library System) that provides an easily accessible tool to full text electronic theses published in different universities of the world.

For more university/national library catalogues, search for the word University/Universidad and the country (Argentina, Peru, etc.) in Google. Find the link to the library ( biblioteca ) and search the catalogue for theses ( tesis ). You may need to click on the advanced search function ( búsqueda guíada  or  búsqueda avanzada ) and select tesis as a format or type. ​

There are several portals/catalogues in Spain for theses and dissertations. Here are some examples listed on Spain’s  National Library  website:

Spain’s Ministry of Education thesis database (TESEO)

Biblioteca Virtual del Español (on the Biblioteca Virtual, Miguel de Cervantes website)

Universidad Complutense de Madrid’s catalogue

TDX (Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa)

This is a cooperative repository of digital theses from the University of Cataluña and other autonomous communities (such as Murcia, Cantabria, Barcelona, and Oviedo)

Switzerland

For print and electronic dissertations, please consult the  Swiss National Library  website.

• NDLTD: National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan is an open full-text permanent archive of scholarly research in Taiwan.

EThOS : Access to doctoral dissertations (paper and electronic) from UK institutions of higher education.

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• Last Updated: Aug 12, 2024 9:02 AM
• Subjects: Scholarly Publishing

Library Services

Here we explain how to access copies of research theses that UCL Library Services holds. There is also an increasing number of open access thesis repositories available online.

Theses held in UCL Library

Open access repositories containing the full text of selected research theses.

• Indexes of completed theses

Obtaining copies of research theses

• Open Access for Thesis: how to deposit

University of London theses

The Library holds a copy of most research degree theses completed by students registered at UCL and awarded by the UoL, including many from students at Schools and Institutes prior to merger with UCL. Theses are listed by author on the Library catalogue, Explore : they are shelved in our off-campus Store and may be retrieved for consultation (24-hour notice required) by completing the store request form or via the request link on Explore. Theses are not available for loan, either to individuals or via interlibrary loan.

Some UoL research degree theses submitted by UCL students in the areas of classical, Germanic, Latin American studies; history and law are not held: check the UoL School of Advanced Study catalogue for availability.

UCL started to award its own degrees to students registering from 2007/2008. Print copies of research theses are catalogued by author in Explore and shelved in Store; electronic versions are in many cases available on open access in UCL Discovery .

If you wish to access a thesis recorded in UCL Discovery for which the full text is subject to an access restriction or not present, it is best to contact the author directly to request a copy privately.  If this is not possible, please contact the UCL Open Access Team .

If a thesis is not available via UCL Discovery or EThOS (see below) then it might be possible to obtain a copy from our interlibrary loan service via your home university interlibrary loan department. Please contact your university library and ask them to enquire about this service with UCL's Interlibrary Loan service; e-mail [email protected] for more information.

The Library does not normally hold print copies of any theses in the following categories:

• MA, MSc, MRes, LLM theses.
• Diploma theses.
• Undergraduate dissertations.
• Theses submitted at other universities or colleges.

Further information is available in the Support for dissertations and research projects LibGuide .

A growing number of open access thesis repositories is becoming available including:

• ProQuest , holds many full text theses. You can search for dissertations and theses there.
• UCL Discovery , UCL's open access research repository, includes theses alongside other UCL publications. You can search for theses, or browse a list.
• EThOS , a database run by the British Library that aims to record all UK doctoral theses, with links to access an electronic version of the full text where available. The digitisation of theses that only exist in print form can often be requested, depending on the awarding institution and for a fee: UCL supports this process for UCL-held theses.
• The DART-Europe E-theses Portal , holds details of open access electronic theses stored in repositories across Europe.
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations , includes links to a number of international search tools and portals.

Video - Using PhD theses in research: EThOS 

YouTube Widget Placeholder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8X8ai6xN-4

Indexes of completed theses (access available to members of UCL only)

Proquest dissertations & theses global (pqdt global).

PQDT Global contains over a million full-text dissertations and theses from 1861 onwards that are available for download in PDF format. The collection includes PQDT UK and Ireland content.

Many UK universities now decline to lend research theses. You may visit the awarding university or, increasingly, obtain an electronic version either from the university itself or from EThOS (see above).

Theses awarded by universities worldwide may be requested via UCL Library Services Interlending and Document Supply service . The normal charge for this service applies. Please note that theses are never available for loan: they must be consulted on Library premises only.

Open access for theses: how to deposit

Candidates for UCL research degrees are required to deposit an electronic copy of their final thesis in UCL's Research Publications Service (RPS), to be made open access in UCL's institutional repository, UCL Discovery . Theses are amongst the most highly-downloaded items in UCL Discovery . Making your thesis open access will mean that it is accessible worldwide, to anyone who wants to read it.

It is also possible, but not mandatory, to submit a print copy of your thesis to the Library for storage and preservation if you wish. We recommend submitting the print copy in cases where the electronic copy cannot be made openly available online in UCL Discovery, but you wish the print copy to be accessible to members of the Library.

Please refer to our guidance on how to deposit  for further information on the submission procedures.

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Have you ever wondered which dissertations and theses are accessed most by researchers?

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global™ database is the world's most comprehensive curated collection of multi-disciplinary dissertations and theses from thousands of universities around the world.  Each month ProQuest posts the top 25 Most-Accessed Dissertations and Theses across all subjects, based upon total document views. Check out the current list of top titles (where a number is listed more than once, this indicates a tie in usage). View the Archives to see lists from previous months.

Dissertations    Theses

Dissertations - June 2024

Nothing left unfinished: a transcendental phenomenology on the persistence of black women in distance education doctoral programs.

Rogers, Sherrita Yolande, Liberty University, 2018, Ed.D. Subject: Higher education

Servant leadership: A theoretical model

Patterson, Kathleen Ann, Regent University, 2003, Ph.D. Subject: Management

Gender socialization in the family

Shearer, Cindy L., The Pennsylvania State University, 2007, Ph.D. Subject: Developmental psychology

Social Media and Self-Evaluation: The Examination of Social Media Use on Identity, Social Comparison, and Self-Esteem in Young Female Adults

Solomon, Michelle, William James College, 2016, Psy.D. Subject: Clinical psychology

Interpreting the culture of Ubuntu: The contribution of a representative indigenous African ethics to global bioethics

Chuwa, Leonard Tumaini, Duquesne University, 2012, Ph.D. Subject: Medical ethics

"A kind of construction in light and shade": An analytical dialogue with recording studio aesthetics in two songs by Led Zeppelin

Liu-Rosenbaum, Aaron, City University of New York, 2009, Ph.D. Subject: Music

Constructing the Zhonghua minzu: The frontier and national questions in early 20th century China

Leibold, James Patrick, University of Southern California, 2003, Ph.D. Subject: Asian history

Men's discipleship using the Gospel of John and the effect on spiritual well-being

Warren, Linda D., Nyack College, Alliance Theological Seminary, 2015, D.Min. Subject: Theology

Attractional Church: The Impact of the Inner Life of a Local Church on Corporate Mission in North America

Sliger, Joseph Matthew, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017, Ph.D. Subject: Theology

A Case Study of Apathy and its Effects in High School Learners

Bosserman, Loribeth, Northcentral University, 2018, Ph.D. Subject: Secondary education

Psychometric evaluation of the Degree Search Profile: An online multi-domain academic and career advising measure

Alderson, Gary W., Saint Louis University, 2014, Ph.D. Subject: Educational tests & measurements

Understanding hunger and developing indicators to assess it

Radimer, Kathy Lynn, Cornell University, 1990, PH.D. Subject: Nutrition

Leadership influence on student motivation: A case study of prospective military musicians in training

Sciarini, Michael J., Regent University, 2003, Ph.D. Subject: Music education

Mental Health Outcomes for Adult Children of Narcissistic Parents

Leggio, John Nicholas, Adler University, 2018, Psy.D. Subject: Clinical psychology

School uniforms and sense of school as a community: Perceptions of belonging, safety, and caring relationships in urban middle school settings

Fosseen, Linda Lee Abel, University of Houston, 2002, Ph.D. Subject: Social psychology

Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction at a Fast Food Hamburger Chain: The Relationship Between Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty

Kabir, Jahangir M., Wilmington University (Delaware), 2016, D.B.A. Subject: Business administration

The relationship of school uniforms to student attendance, achievement, and discipline

Sowell, Russell Edward, Liberty University, 2012, Ed.D. Subject: Educational administration

Content Analysis of the Theory Base Used in the Conference Proceedings of the Association of Educational Communications and Technologies

Flynt, Peggy R., Nova Southeastern University, 2014, Ed.D. Subject: Education

Healing America's health care education system: An early intervention program for future health care workers

Marfuggi, Richard Anthony, Drew University, 2003, D.M.H. Subject: Health Sciences, Education

Early childhood educators' beliefs about inclusion and perceived supports

Verne, Lisa Marire Wadors, University of California, Berkeley, 2013, Ph.D. Subject: Special education

Anatolia in the Gap: Phrygia, Lydia, and Orientalizing Reconsidered

Tanaka, Kurtis T., University of Pennsylvania, 2018, Ph.D. Subject: Archaeology

Malleable Mara: Buddhism's "Evil One" in conversation and contestation with Vedic religion, Brahmanism, and Hinduism

Nichols, Michael David, Northwestern University, 2010, Ph.D. Subject: Religious history

The Impact of Emotional Intelligence and Affective Behavior on Paramedic Student Field Internship Success

Lambert, Jim, Brandman University, 2018, Ed.D. Subject: Behavioral psychology

An assessment of dropout rates of former youth ministry participants in conservative Southern Baptist megachurches

Shields, James Brandon, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008, Ph.D. Subject: Social sciences education

Improving decision making in healthcare operations

Dean, Matthew D., University of Connecticut, 2010, Ph.D. Subject: Management

A qualitative examination of the Relationship Attachment Model (RAM) with married individuals

Van Epp Cutlip, Morgan C., The University of Akron, 2013, Ph.D. Subject: Counseling Psychology

The effectiveness of the Sequential Oral Sensory Approach group feeding program

Boyd, Kim L., Colorado School of Professional Psychology, 2007, Psy.D. Subject: Clinical psychology

A Correlational Study of the Communication Styles and Use of Power among Lead Pastors

Grusendorf, Stephen Aaron, Lancaster Bible College, 2016, Ph.D. Subject: Organizational behavior

Voting rights, corporate control, and firm performance

Zhang, Yi, Michigan State University, 2002, Ph.D. Subject: Finance

Retaining K--12 teachers in education: A study on teacher job satisfaction and teacher retention

Zhang, Zhijuan, University of Virginia, 2006, Ph.D. Subject: Educational administration

The effects of solid modeling and visualization on technical problem solving

Koch, Douglas Spencer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2006, Ph.D. Subject: Vocational education

Congressional oversight of intelligence: 9/11 and the Iraq war

McCarthy, Gregory C., The Catholic University of America, 2009, Ph.D. Subject: Political science

TRANSFORMATIONAL ANALYSIS

CHOMSKY, AVRAM NOAM, University of Pennsylvania, 1955, Ph.D. Subject: Linguistics

Associations between Control of Glucose, Diabetes Support Services, New Insulin Initiation and 30 day Hospital Readmission in Diabetes Patients

Pembridge, Richard Louis, Jr., Grand Canyon University, 2017, Ed.D. Subject: Health care management

Effects of explicit reading comprehension strategy instruction for English learners with specific learning disabilities

Jozwik, Sara L., Illinois State University, 2015, Ed.D. Subject: Special education

The role of team effectiveness in construction project teams and project performance

Azmy, Nurhidayah, Iowa State University, 2012, Ph.D. Subject: Civil engineering

Exploring Online Community Among Rural Medical Education Students: A Case Study

Palmer, Ryan Tyler, Portland State University, 2013, Ed.D. Subject: Health education

Examining the Relationship Between Group Cohesion and Group Performance in Tuckman's (1965) Group Life Cycle Model on an Individual-Level Basis

Hall, Troy B., Regent University, 2015, Ph.D. Subject: Organizational behavior

Music in medieval and Renaissance astrological imagery

Blazekovic, Zdravko, City University of New York, 1997, Ph.D. Subject: Music

Movements in Chicano music: Performing culture, performing politics, 1965--1979

Azcona, Stevan Cesar, The University of Texas at Austin, 2008, Ph.D. Subject: Music

Validation of the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised for students with autism spectrum disorder using an expert review panel

Usry, Jennifer Nicole Threatt, Liberty University, 2015, Ed.D. Subject: Education

• Cambridge Libraries

Physical & Digital Collections

Theses & dissertations: home, access to theses and dissertations from other institutions and from the university of cambridge.

This guide provides information on searching for theses of Cambridge PhDs and for theses of UK universities and universities abroad. 

For information and guidance on depositing your thesis as a cambridge phd, visit the cambridge office of scholarly communication pages on theses here ., this guide gives essential information on how to obtain theses using the british library's ethos service. .

On the last weekend of October, the British Library became the victim of a major cyber-attack. Essential digital services including the BL catalogue, website and online learning resources went dark, with research services like the EThOS collection of more than 600,000 doctoral theses suddenly unavailable. The BL state that they anticipate restoring more services in the next few weeks, but disruption to certain services is now expected to persist for several months. For the latest news on the attack and information on the restoration of services, please follow the BL blog here:  Knowledge Matters blog  and access the LibGuide page here:  British Library Outage Update - Electronic Legal Deposit - LibGuides at University of Cambridge Subject Libraries

A full list of resources for searching theses online is provided by the Cambridge A-Z, available here .

University of Cambridge theses

Finding a cambridge phd thesis online via the institutional repository.

The University's institutional repository, Apollo , holds full-text digital versions of over 11,000 Cambridge PhD theses and is a rapidly growing collection deposited by Cambridge Ph.D. graduates. Theses in Apollo can be browsed via this link . More information on how to access theses by University of Cambridge students can be found on the access to Cambridge theses webpage.   The requirement for impending PhD graduates to deposit a digital version in order to graduate means the repository will be increasing at a rate of approximately 1,000 per year from this source.   About 200 theses are added annually through requests to make theses Open Access or via requests to digitize a thesis in printed format.

Locating and obtaining a copy of a Cambridge PhD thesis (not yet available via the repository)

Theses can be searched in iDiscover .  Guidance on searching for theses in iDiscover can be found here .   Requests for consultation of printed theses, not available online, should be made at the Manuscripts Reading Room (Email:  [email protected] Telephone: +44 (0)1223 333143).   Further information on the University Library's theses, dissertations and prize essays collections can be consulted at this link .

Researchers can order a copy of an unpublished thesis which was deposited in print form either through the Library’s  Digital Content Unit via the image request form , or, if the thesis has been digitised, it may be available in the Apollo repository. Copies of theses may be provided to researchers in accordance with the  law  and in a manner that is common across UK libraries.  The law allows us to provide whole copies of unpublished theses to individuals as long as they sign a declaration saying that it is for non-commercial research or private study.

How to make your thesis available online through Cambridge's institutional repository

Are you a Cambridge alumni and wish to make your Ph.D. thesis available online? You can do this by depositing it in Apollo the University's institutional repository. Click here for further information on how to proceed.    Current Ph.D students at the University of Cambridge can find further information about the requirements to deposit theses on the Office of Scholarly Communication theses webpages.

UK Theses and Dissertations

Electronic copies of Ph.D. theses submitted at over 100 UK universities are obtainable from EThOS , a service set up to provide access to all theses from participating institutions. It achieves this by harvesting e-theses from Institutional Repositories and by digitising print theses as they are ordered by researchers using the system. Over 250,000 theses are already available in this way. Please note that it does not supply theses submitted at the universities of Cambridge or Oxford although they are listed on EThOS.

Registration with EThOS is not required to search for a thesis but is necessary to download or order one unless it is stored in the university repository rather than the British Library (in which case a link to the repository will be displayed). Many theses are available without charge on an Open Access basis but in all other cases, if you are requesting a thesis that has not yet been digitised you will be asked to meet the cost. Once a thesis has been digitised it is available for free download thereafter.

When you order a thesis it will either be immediately available for download or writing to hard copy or it will need to be digitised. If you order a thesis for digitisation, the system will manage the process and you will be informed when the thesis is available for download/preparation to hard copy.

See the Search results section of the  help page for full information on interpreting search results in EThOS.

EThOS is managed by the British Library and can be found at http://ethos.bl.uk . For more information see About EThOS .

World-wide (incl. UK) theses and dissertations

Electronic versions of non-UK theses may be available from the institution at which they were submitted, sometimes on an open access basis from the institutional repository. A good starting point for discovering freely available electronic theses and dissertations beyond the UK is the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) , which facilitates searching across institutions. Information can also usually be found on the library web pages of the relevant institution.

The DART Europe etheses portal lists several thousand full-text theses from a group of European universities.

The University Library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses  (PQDT) database which from August 31 2023 is accessed on the Web of Science platform.  To search this index select it from the Web of Science "Search in" drop-down list of databases (available on the Documents tab on WoS home page)

PQDT includes 2.4 million dissertation and theses citations, representing 700 leading academic institutions worldwide from 1861 to the present day. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full text coverage for older graduate works. Each dissertation published since July 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The University Library only subscribes to the abstracting & indexing version of the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database and NOT the full text version.  A fee is payable for ordering a dissertation from this source.   To obtain the full text of a dissertation as a downloadable PDF you can submit your request via the University Library Inter-Library Loans department (see contact details below). NB this service is only available to full and current members of the University of Cambridge.

Alternatively you can pay yourself for the dissertation PDF on the PQDT platform. Link from Web of Science record display of any thesis to PQDT by clicking on "View Details on ProQuest".  On the "Preview" page you will see an option "Order a copy" top right.  This will allow you to order your own copy from ProQuest directly.

Dissertations and theses submitted at non-UK universities may also be requested on Inter-Library Loan through the Inter-Library Loans department (01223 333039 or 333080, [email protected] )

• Last Updated: Dec 20, 2023 9:47 AM
• URL: https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/theses

© Cambridge University Libraries | Accessibility | Privacy policy | Log into LibApps

EBSCO Open Dissertations

Search millions of electronic theses and dissertations (etds).

With EBSCO Open Dissertations, institutions and students are offered an innovative approach to driving additional traffic to ETDs in institutional repositories. Our goal is to help make their students’ theses and dissertations as widely visible and cited as possible.

This approach extends the work started in 2014, when EBSCO and the H.W. Wilson Foundation created American Doctoral Dissertations which contained indexing from the H.W. Wilson print publication, Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. In 2015, the H.W. Wilson Foundation agreed to support the expansion of the scope of the American Doctoral Dissertations database to include records for dissertations and theses from 1955 to the present.

Get involved in the EBSCO Open Dissertations project and make your electronic theses and dissertations freely available to researchers everywhere. Please contact Margaret Richter for more information.

Oxford theses

The Bodleian Libraries’ thesis collection holds every DPhil thesis deposited at the University of Oxford since the degree began in its present form in 1917. Our oldest theses date from the early 1920s. We also have substantial holdings of MLitt theses, for which deposit became compulsory in 1953, and MPhil theses.

Since 2007 it has been a mandatory requirement for students to deposit an electronic copy of their DPhil thesis in the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) , in addition to the deposit of a paper copy – the copy of record. Since the COVID pandemic, the requirement of a paper copy has been removed and the ORA copy has become the copy of record. Hardcopy theses are now only deposited under exceptional circumstances. 

ORA provides full-text PDF copies of most recent DPhil theses, and some earlier BLitt/MLitt theses. Find out more about Oxford Digital Theses, and depositing with ORA .

Finding Oxford theses

The following theses are catalogued on SOLO (the University libraries’ resource discovery tool) :

• DPhil and BLitt and MLitt theses
• BPhil and MPhil theses 
• Science theses

SOLO collates search results from several sources.

How to search for Oxford theses on SOLO

To search for theses in the Oxford collections on SOLO :

• navigate to the SOLO homepage
• click on the 'Advanced Search' button
• click the 'Material Type' menu and choose the 'Dissertations' option
• type in the title or author of the thesis you are looking for and click the 'Search' button.

Also try an “Any field” search for “Thesis Oxford” along with the author’s name under “creator” and any further “Any field” keywords such as department or subject. 

Searching by shelfmarks

If you are searching using the shelfmark, please make sure you include the dots in your search (e.g. D.Phil.). Records will not be returned if they are left out.

Oxford University Research Archive (ORA)

ORA was established in 2007 as a permanent and secure online archive of research produced by members of the University of Oxford. It is now mandatory for students completing a research degree at the University to deposit an electronic copy of their thesis in this archive. 

Authors can select immediate release on ORA, or apply a 1-year or 3-year embargo period. The embargo period would enable them to publish all or part of their research elsewhere if they wish. 

Theses held in ORA are searchable via  SOLO , as well as external services such as EThOS and Google Scholar. For more information, visit the Oxford digital theses guide , and see below for guidance on searching in ORA.

Search for Oxford theses on ORA

Type your keywords (title, name) into the main search box, and use quotes (“) to search for an exact phrase.

Refine your search results using the drop-downs on the left-hand side. These include:

• item type (thesis, journal article, book section, etc.)
• thesis type (DPhil, MSc, MLitt, etc.)
• subject area (History, Economics, Biochemistry, etc.)
• item date (as a range)
• file availability (whether a full text is available to download or not)

You can also increase the number of search results shown per page, and sort by relevance, date and file availability. You can select and export records to csv or email. 

Select hyperlinked text within the record details, such as “More by this author”, to run a secondary search on an author’s name. You can also select a hyperlinked keyword or subject. 

Other catalogues

Card catalogue  .

The Rare Books department of the Weston Library keeps an author card index of Oxford theses. This includes all non-scientific theses deposited between 1922 and 2016. Please ask Weston Library staff for assistance.

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

You can use ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global  to find bibliographic details of Oxford theses not listed on SOLO. Ask staff in the Weston Library’s Charles Wendall David Reading Room for help finding these theses. 

Search for Oxford theses on ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

Basic search.

The default Basic search page allows for general keyword searches across all indexes using "and", "and not", "and or" to link the keywords as appropriate. Click on the More Search Options tab for specific title, author, subject and institution (school) searches, and to browse indexes of authors, institutions and subjects. These indexes allow you to add the word or phrase recognised by the database to your search (ie University of Oxford (United Kingdom), not Oxford University).

Advanced search

The Advanced search tab (at the top of the page) enables keyword searching in specific indexes, including author, title, institution, department, adviser and language. If you are unsure of the exact details of thesis, you can use the search boxes on this page to find it by combining the key information you do have.

Search tools

In both the Basic and Advanced search pages you can also limit the search by date by using the boxes at the bottom. Use the Search Tools advice in both the Basic and Advanced pages to undertake more complex and specific searches. Within the list of results, once you have found the record that you are interested in, you can click on the link to obtain a full citation and abstract. You can use the back button on your browser to return to your list of citations.

The Browse search tab allows you to search by subject or by location (ie institution). These are given in an alphabetical list. You can click on a top-level subject to show subdivisions of the subject. You can click on a country location to show lists of institutions in that country. At each level, you can click on View Documents to show lists of individual theses for that subject division or from that location.

In Browse search, locations and subject divisions are automatically added to a basic search at the bottom of the page. You can search within a subject or location by title, author, institution, subject, date etc, by clicking on Refine Search at the top of the page or More Search Options at the bottom of the page.

Where are physical Oxford theses held?

The Bodleian Libraries hold all doctoral theses and most postgraduate (non-doctoral) theses for which a deposit requirement is stipulated by the University:

• DPhil (doctoral) theses (1922 – 2021)
• Bachelor of Divinity (BD) theses
• BLitt/MLitt theses (Michaelmas Term 1953 – 2021)
• BPhil and MPhil theses (Michaelmas Term 1977 – 2021)

Most Oxford theses are held in Bodleian Offsite Storage. Some theses are available in the libraries; these are listed below.

Law Library

Theses submitted to the Faculty of Law are held at the Bodleian Law Library .

Vere Harmsworth Library

Theses on the United States are held at the Vere Harmsworth Library .

Social Science Library

The Social Science Library holds dissertations and theses selected by the departments it supports. 

The list of departments and further information are available in the Dissertations and Theses section of the SSL webpages. 

Locations for Anthropology and Archaeology theses

The Balfour Library holds theses for the MPhil in Material and Visual Anthropology and some older theses in Prehistoric Archaeology.

The Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library holds theses for MPhil in Classical Archaeology and MPhil in European Archaeology.

Ordering Oxford theses

Theses held in Bodleian Offsite Storage are consulted in the Weston Library. The preferred location is the Charles Wendell David Reading Room ; they can also be ordered to the Sir Charles Mackerras Reading Room .

Find out more about requesting a digitised copy, copyright restrictions and copying from Oxford theses .

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Searching for PhD theses in google scholar

It seems like PhD theses are way more rare in the Google Scholar index than globally done.

If my assumption is correct they get published as well, is there a primary search engine for that?

Specifically I am interested in comp. science and information systems mgmt topics.

• publications

• 1 "PhD" is a title, not a piece of scholarly work. Are you talking about dissertations/theses? Many if not most of these do not get published. –  Matteo Commented Mar 13, 2018 at 23:47
• 1 As Matteo points out, PhD theses are rarely published online unless the awarding University uploads it to their own digital archives. Typically you will have to go to the library and get the physical printed version of it if you wish to read. –  Eppicurt Commented Mar 13, 2018 at 23:53
• Is there a good reason for that actually? –  J. Doe Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 0:22
• 1 @J.Doe many theses are not much more than a collection of published papers, there is no need to invest into publishing such theses –  Mark Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 1:35

2 Answers 2

Aside from a university's own digital archives, you have several options to get copies of dissertations or theses.

A large fraction of the world's libraries list their holdings on WorldCat , and it's one of the first places I check for dissertations and theses. Ask your librarian if you want to get a copy of something on there via loan or look on your library website for interlibrary loan. I have received many dissertations via interlibrary loan.

You can also find many dissertations and theses listed on Google Books or HathiTrust , but they rarely can be downloaded. Google Books does not seem to have more than Google Scholar, but it provides links to WorldCat on the left side for each item. I often use both Google Books and WorldCat to do full text searches of books, and I sometimes find dissertations this way.

ProQuest is also a good source of digitized dissertations and theses. The service requires a subscription, but if you're affiliated with a US university then they probably have one.

Usually it's easier to find journal articles based on dissertations than the dissertation itself. So keep that in mind. I usually try to get both if the journal article is important as the dissertation often has extra details or tabulated data (compared against the plots in the journal article).

Few Russian libraries are on WorldCat. So, for Russian dissertations, I've found most I've wanted to be at the Russian State Library , but from what I understand you have to be present to read them, or have a library card to download more than the preview for the digitized ones. My university's interlibrary loan service has been able to get abstracts of these after many months of waiting, however.

One last option is to contact the author. I've done this many times and have received everything from no response at all, apologies that they are not able to provide a copy for technical reasons (old document format), to a copy of the dissertation or thesis in question.

Here are some related questions with other answers:

• Is there a smarter way to search for PhD theses for a specific topic?
• Worldwide Dissertation Database? or French, German, Italian ones?
• Search all Theses online

Searching for PhD theses on Google platforms is very simple. Check these tricks:

"in partial fulfillment" -sample -handbook "doctor of philosophy“ filetype:pdf Check the results (125,000)

inurl:etd "doctor of philosophy“ -sample -handbook filetype:pdf Check the results (19,300)

Visit https://www.netvibes.com/ircnigeria#FREE_Virtual_Libraries for links to open repositories of theses worldwide.

Listed on the page are - Global ETD Search. http://search.ndltd.org/ ; - ProQuest's open access ETDs. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com - Open Access Theses http://oatd.org - Openthesis http://www.openthesis.org/ - ETHOS http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do

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Return to research navi, 04. 博士論文を探す／find doctoral dissertations: english, description.

This page is a guide to finding doctoral dissertations in Japan including Waseda, and overseas.

What is Doctoral Dissertation?

Doctoral dissertation is an academic thesis submitted and accepted to obtain a doctorate degree.

According to a revision of the Degree Regulations by MEXT, Japanese doctoral dissertations after April 1st, 2013 are supposed to be published on the internet as a general rule (Doctoral dissertations before them are also available online, if they have permission of the authors).

In principle, doctoral dissertations are stored and made available as follows:

• Held by libraries at the university where the thesis was submitted
• Held by a national library in each country (e.g. National Diet Library in Japan)
• Available on the university's WEB site (institutional repository), where the thesis was submitted
• Available as a book which is sold generally
• Available sold by specialized vendors (mainly in North America)

Doctoral Dissertations at Waseda

Doctoral dissertations submitted to Waseda University can be searched by WINE .

［In general, all doctoral dissertations after 2013, and  those with author's permission after 2002］

PDF format are available at  Waseda University Repository .

［Doctoral dissertations which are not published on the Internet with extenuating circumstances］

Electronic files are available in the Microforms/ Photographic Services Room on the 4th Floor of Central Library.

○Book form （ Doctoral dissertations submitted before March 2013 and a part of them after 2013 ）

Doctoral dissertations in print forms must be sent to Central Library or other campus libraries to use from Honjo Deposit Library.

○A list of title/ abstract

Please consult at the office of each graduate school.

Please refer to the instruction page for the details.

• How to Find Waseda University Thesis & Dissertation

Doctoral Dissertations at Other Universities in Japan

You can search them on WINE by title of single doctoral dissertation. Please select "Articles" for the search profile, after you enter search words in the search window on WINE.

Online Search

Check whether the full text is available on institutional repositories and following databases.

• IRDB（Institutional Repositories Database） [National Institute of Informatics] (Public Web site) A service for searching academic information (journal articles, theses or dissertations, departmental bulletin papers, research reports, etc.) accumulated in Japanese institutional repositories.
• Current IRs [National Institute of Informatics] (Public Web site) List of institutional repositories in Japan and abroad that NII provides.

A database service that lets you search for information on dissertations written for doctoral degrees in Japan conferred by Japanese Universities and the National Institute for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation.

Other University Libraries

If you cannot use a full text of the doctoral dissertation on internet, check each university's collection catalogs or doctoral dissertation search system to know how to use it. You may consider visiting other university libraries or making requests for photocopies via Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service.

• Using non-Waseda Libraries  (Library Web site) In this web site, you will get information about how to visit other libraries with a letter of introduction, and how to use libraries which has cooperative agreements with Waseda University Library.
• Interlibrary Loans  (Library Web site) In general, you cannot order actual materials of doctoral dissertations, and a request for photocopy must be less than half of the total number of pages due to Japanese Copyright Law. For requests exceeding the regulation, you need to obtain permission from the copyright holder by yourself.

National Diet Library

National Diet Library holds doctoral dissertations in Japan after September 1923.

　　 Domestic Doctoral Dissertations | Reserch Navi  [National Diet Library] (Public Web site) *In Japanese only 　　This site is a guide for using Japanese doctoral dissertations provided by National Diet Library.

Following WEB sites are searching tools for doctoral dissertations held by National Diet Library and other libraries.

• NDL SEARCH [National Diet Library] (Public Web site) NDL Search is an integrated service of catalogs and digital archives held by public libraries, archives, museums, academic institutions and National Diet Library in Japan. You can search for doctoral dissertations in both printed and electronic form from “Refiners> Doctoral Dissertations”.
• National Diet Library Digital Collections  [National Diet Library] (Public Web site) You can search for doctoral dissertations in electronic form from “Advanced Search> Doctoral Dissertations”.

You may consider visiting National Diet library or making a request of photocopy via Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Services.

• User Registration  [National Diet Library] (Public Web site) Doctoral Dissertations are mainly held in Kansai-kan (in Kyoto) of NDL. So if you need to use them in Tokyo Mail Library, it must be transferred from Kyoto to Tokyo.  It takes some days, and you will be required for User Registration.
• Interlibrary Loans  (Library Web site) In general, you cannot order actual materials of doctoral dissertations, and a request for photocopy must be less than half of the total number of pages due to Japanese Copyright Law. For the request exceeding the regulation, you need to obtain permission from the copyright holder directory by yourself.

Doctoral Dissertations Overseas

When searching for overseas doctoral dissertations, it is important to check web based theses and holding institutions as well as for domestic. In addition to that it might be effective measures to purchase by databases or vendors. The following information are also useful for searching.

　　 Overseas Doctoral Dissertations (General Information) | Reserch Navi [National Diet Library] (Public Web site) *in Japanese only 　　The characteristic of this site is substantial links to regional guides around the world.

• NDL SEARCH [National Diet Library] (Public Web site) National Diet Library also collects overseas doctoral dissertations from the late 1950's. Kansai-kan (in Kyoto) holds European and North American doctoral dissertations mainly in the field of science and technology. On the other hand, Tokyo Main Library hold some of humanities and social sciences related to Japan.

Check whether the full text is available on internet. The following information are also useful for searching.

　　 Overseas Doctoral Dissertations (Internet Resources) | Reserch Navi [National Diet Library] (Public Web site) *in Japanese only

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT Global)  [ProQuest] (Library subscription database) The database of record for graduate research both at the PhD and MA level.
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations（NDLTD）  [NDLTD] (Public Web site) Search and browse electronic theses and dissertstions from over 70 institutions - mostly US, but some other countries.
• WorldCat.org   [OCLC] (Public Web site)]  WorldCat.org lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world..

If the full-text of overseas doctoral dissertations you need is not available on internet, it might be effective measures to purchase by databases or vendors. You may use the thesis much faster and with low costs than ILL or visiting the holding library.

• Dissertation Express   [Proquest,via Sunmedia Co.,Ltd] (Public Web site) *in Japanese only A dissertation search and sales service provided by Proquest.You can use this service from the website of Sunmedia, an authorized distributor, and you can also request Sunmedia to obtain your thesis by e-mail or fax after searching (application by individuals).
• 丸善雄松堂　米国学位論文  ／ MARUZEN-YUSHODO Dissertation Service Center [MARUZEN-YUSHODO Co.,Ltd.] (Public Web site) *in Japanese only This site allows you to search and purchase mainly US dissertations.

Holding Libraries

If the overseas doctoral dissertation is not available neither to use on internet nor to purchase through databases/ vendor, the next step is to search the actual holding library such as an university library or a national library of the country. But please consider the time and costs for making a request via ILL service, and visiting the institution.

• Interlibrary Loans  (Library Web site) In addition to photocopy, sometimes the actual material (books form, microfilms, etc.) is available for overseas ILL.  But please be noted the shipping cost depends on the weight, the parcel,  and the delivery fee on one way/ both ways .
• Using non-Waseda Libraries  (Library Web site) Depending on the circumstances, a letter of introduction is required to use the library you are planning to visit. So please check the WEB site of the institution in advance.
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• Last Updated: Jan 31, 2024 3:23 PM
• URL: https://waseda-jp.libguides.com/research-navi/find_theses

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About DissOnline

The German National Library houses the largest national collection of online dissertations in Europe. We have been collecting online dissertations and theses since 1998. Since then, the collection has grown to more than 284,000 documents (as of November 2020).

Since these activities began under the aegis of DissOnline more than 20 years ago, electronic publishing has become a part of everyday university life. This is due to the close cooperation between universities, their libraries and computer centres, and representatives of academia as well as the long-standing support provided through projects funded by the German Research Foundation ( DFG ).

The DissOnline project was brought to a successful, sustainable conclusion. Stakeholders whose initiative had supported DissOnline then became free to transfer their commitment to other areas. In June 2012, the DissOnline advisory committee therefore decided to integrate the functions and information on the website www.dissonline.de into the German National Library’s services. This is particularly relevant in terms of the deposit of works with the German National Library. The extended metadata format XMetaDissPlus enables all types of publications and documents available in subject-specific and institutional repositories and on university servers to be deposited in just one fully automated transaction.

Deposit information

The DissOnline portal is also integrated into the German National Library's catalogue as a search option. This means that online dissertations are listed as a component of the German National Library’s collection alongside traditional printed dissertations, other online university publications and academic literature. Our catalogue offers a wide variety of search options that are constantly being developed and optimised further. You will find an explanation of all the available search options here:

Guide to searching dissertations and theses in the German National Library’s catalogue (only available in German)

In order to enhance the international visibility of the collection, the metadata for all German online dissertations is continually delivered to DART , the European portal for online dissertations. NDLTD : Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations is committed to the promotion of electronic publishing in the academic sector beyond Europe. The International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) takes place every year.

Statistical information

Online university publications have been collected, catalogued and archived at the German National Library since 1998. The illustration shows how the percentage of online publications has developed over the years since this work began. Here it must be considered that although dissertations are subject to a mandatory publication obligation and an obligation to be placed on deposit with the German National Library, only an approximate impression of doctoral and publication activities in Germany can be given.

As the statistics refer to the year in which the publication was released rather than the year in which it was deposited, it is quite possible that figures may rise in succeeding years. This applies in particular to the most recent full year.

The DissOnline projects

• 1998–2000 Dissertations Online
• 2003–2004 Establishment of a coordinating body for online university publications
• 2005–2007 DissOnline Tutor
• 2005–2008 Establishment of a portal for online university publications

The intensive cooperation between all partners and sponsors also made it possible to start collecting dissertations and theses on a voluntary basis in 1998, eight years before the amendment to the Law Regarding the German National Library and the provision stipulating the mandatory deposit of online publications.

Last changes: 08.03.2021 Short-URL: https://www.dnb.de/dissonline

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Doctoral Dissertation Checklist

Dissertations must be documents submitted electronically and prepared according to the specific requirements for ETDs using the institutional repository  D-Scholarship@Pitt . To help students meet these requirements, templates are available to help:

• Microsoft Word  (v1.9.3 updated 10/14/2020)

These templates offer many shortcuts and automatic features that allow you to quickly format your paper according to Pitt's guidelines. The templates are not self-explanatory, however, so understanding how they work before using them is necessary. Ready to get started?  Click here  for ETD format guidelines, template instructions, citation management, video tutorials, and more. Be sure to also review the Detailed Essay, Thesis, and Dissertation Rules which are summarized in the School’s  Academic Handbook .

Dissertation Checklist:

• Follow the  Submissions Steps . For additional guidance see the  Dissertation D-Scholarship Account Info PDF .
• Make sure all pages are presented in correct numerical order and the proper size and orientation; that all tables and figures are present; that all references cited in the text are listed in the Bibliography; that the Table of Contents lists correct page numbers and titles; that  bookmarks  are created in the PDF; and that all hyperlinks and multimedia objects function properly.
• Email a copy of your Title Page and Abstract to  [email protected] .
• Email your completed and signed  ETD Approval Form  to  [email protected] .
• Email your processing fee receipt to  [email protected] . First, send  [email protected]  an email and provide your Student ID, the academic term, and the amount due ($50). The Student Payment Center will post the fee to your account and will then notify you by your Pitt email when it is added. The charge will appear in PittPAY on the Account Activity tab and you can process the payment on the Payment tab.
• Email your completed and signed Report on Requirements Form to your departmental student services liaison. RR forms are located on the Pitt Public Health  Forms page .
• Complete  Survey of Earned Doctorate  and email certificate to  [email protected] .
• Complete the  Pitt Public Health Exit Survey .
• Complete  AAUDE Doctoral Exit Survey . The link to the survey has been added to the "Paperwork specific for Dissertations" section of the ETD website. You will receive confirmation once completed. Please forward confirmation to  [email protected] . 

PhD Dissertations

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Whether you're thinking about pursuing an advanced degree in education or are already in such a program, one thing you will need to be prepared for...

Writing a winning thesis or dissertation: guidance for an education graduate student.

Posted on July 31, 2024 on Graduate School , Seahawk Nation

Quick Contact

Whether you’re thinking about pursuing an advanced degree in education or are already in such a program, one thing you will need to be prepared for is writing a thesis or dissertation. In most graduate-level education programs, a thesis or dissertation is the culmination of years of challenging work, serving as your own independent research that marks the final step before earning your graduate degree.

If writing a dissertation or thesis sounds like a daunting task, it does not have to be. With a little preparation and some best practices in mind, you can approach writing a thesis or dissertation with confidence.

Understanding the Thesis and Dissertation Process

Before writing a thesis or dissertation, it’s important to understand their general scope and purpose, along with some key differences between a thesis and a dissertation. After all, while there are some similarities between the two, a dissertation and a thesis are not the same thing.

Defining the Scope and Purpose

The primary purpose of a thesis or dissertation in an education graduate program is for students to demonstrate what they have learned in their respective programs while applying their own research, theory, analysis and synthesis. Ultimately, the author of a thesis or dissertation should successfully contribute something new to the existing topic. In dissertations specifically, students may also be required to articulate, discuss and defend their research orally in front of professors or other faculty members. This oral defense is not required for a master’s thesis.

Differences Between Thesis and Dissertation

When it comes to writing a thesis or a dissertation, the terms “dissertation” and “thesis” are sometimes used interchangeably. That said, it is crucial to understand that these are two different things. Generally, a dissertation is primarily focused on filling a gap in existing literature or extending upon current research regarding a specific topic. The goal is to analyze literature to the point of saturation and determine where there is a need for further research. In a dissertation, a doctoral student will then explain where the problem exists given current research and develop a research study to explore or evaluate the problem, thus filling the gap and contributing meaningfully to the field.

On the other hand, a thesis is more of a presentation of information that’s already out there with no obligation to conduct additional research.

Choosing the Right Topic

One of the most important aspects of drafting a great thesis or dissertation begins with choosing the right topic. Here, it is paramount to select a topic that not only interests you but is relevant to your future professional goals and aspirations. After all, there’s a good chance you may use your thesis or dissertation as a basis for future work or further research.

Considering Current Research Trends

In selecting a topic, you will also want to consider current research trends in your field. What is trending in the realm of education and what could you contribute to existing research? There are research gaps or questions that remain unanswered about certain educational topics that could be addressed through your research.

Research and Proposal Development

In most graduate programs, you will need to write and present a research proposal before you can really get started on your thesis or dissertation. Most research proposals are reviewed and approved by a professor or other faculty.

Conducting a Literature Review

A literature review is to discover the research available on your research topic. This review should detail each source you plan to use in your own research with plenty of detail. More specifically, a literature review is a comprehensive summary of the current literature on a given topic that demonstrates the need for additional research to be conducted. Literature reviews comprise a major portion of a proposal, including a summary of each source as it relates to the need for additional research.

Finding Reliable Sources

Quality is vital when it comes to selecting literature for your research or literature review. Ideally, your literature review should include plenty of recent and reputable sources that come from academic journals, books, articles and even other dissertations.

Developing a Research Proposal

Once you have a better understanding for what is already out there, you can craft a research proposal that discusses your specific research topic, the current problem, the purpose behind your research, the methodology you plan to use and the relevant literature that further defends a need for your topic to be investigated.

Methodology Selection

An important part of your research proposal will be your methodology selection, which will explain exactly how you plan to go about your research. For example, will your research be qualitative, quantitative or a mix of both and why? How will the methodology you choose answer your research questions?

Writing and Structuring Your Thesis or Dissertation

After your research proposal is approved, you will have the green light to begin working on your thesis or dissertation. You will receive feedback or thesis guidance from the faculty member who reviewed your proposal. It is important to reflect on the feedback and make revisions as needed.

Creating an Outline

One of the most helpful things you can do as you get started with your dissertation or thesis is to create an outline. This allows you to develop the most critical aspects of your final project that include your thesis, your main points and other key details to ensure that they flow logically.

For reference, an outline for a dissertation will typically include the following:

• Introduction of existing research
• Review of literature
• Conceptual framework
• Methodology
• Results or findings
• Interpretations, conclusions or recommendations for future research

Structuring Arguments

In creating an outline, include designated sections for each of your main points with specific research, statistics, or other data to support it. This will ensure that your arguments are made clearly and that your thought process is clear.

Writing Tips and Strategies

Even if writing is not necessarily your strong suit, you will need to be able to put together a cohesive document for your thesis or dissertation. There are some basic strategies worth keeping in mind to help you get started.

First, it can be helpful to write your introduction and conclusion paragraphs last once you have completed all your research. While it might seem counterintuitive to do it this way, it can help set the tone for the rest of your writing. Likewise, this strategy ensures that you include your main points while preparing your readers for the information to come.

Additionally, meet with your advisor or faculty sponsor regularly to gain valuable feedback and keep your project on track.

Data Collection and Analysis

Whether you are writing a thesis or dissertation, you will need to do a fair amount of your own qualitative or quantitative research. It’s important to understand the various data collection methods available to you, plus the best practices for analyzing and interpreting data.

Choosing Data Collection Methods

There are two main types of data collection:

• Quantitative data  - Refers to hard data that is numerical in nature, such as statistics and percentages.
• Qualitative data  - Refers to information that is non-numerical, such as interviews and focus groups.
• Mixed methods – Refer to a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Once you have all the data you need to write your thesis or dissertation, the challenging part is often analyzing and interpreting the data to apply to your own research. The most important thing to keep in mind when looking at hard data is how it relates back to your research and specific research questions.

When working with quantitative data, it can also be helpful to look for specific trends and correlations that you can share in your research.

Reviewing and Editing Your Work

Once you have completed the first draft of your thesis or dissertation, the process of reviewing, revising and editing your work before submission is important to ensure that the document is free of errors and that it effectively communicates your main points to the reader.

Peer Review and Feedback

One of the best ways to improve upon the first draft of your dissertation or thesis is through peer review and feedback. By having others read your draft and provide feedback, you can gain some valuable insights into how your arguments are being interpreted. Even if the person you ask to read your draft is not familiar with the subject matter, they can still provide useful feedback on the organization of the information, structure and grammar/spelling.

Proofreading and Final Edits

It may take several rounds of revisions before your dissertation or thesis is approved. Even when you feel like the entire thing is ready to submit, it is important to complete another round of proofreading and editing to be sure that the entire document is polished and in the best shape possible. This includes not just running a basic spell check but taking the time to read your paper word for word.

Formatting Guidelines

In most education programs, you will be instructed to use the  American Psychological Association (APA) style when writing and formatting your thesis or dissertation. It is important to follow all formatting guidelines here, especially as they relate to citations or references.

Preparing for the Defense

In many doctorate programs and some graduate programs, students will also be expected to defend their dissertations in front of other scholars, usually professors or other faculty from the department. This process can be daunting, even for those who know their research well and have crafted thoughtful dissertations.

Crafting Your Presentation

In preparing for a dissertation defense, it is imperative to craft a presentation that covers the basics of your dissertation topic, how you researched it and what your findings were. Following your presentation, you can expect to be asked questions by those in attendance about your topic and other aspects of your research.

Practicing Your Defense

The best way to prepare for a dissertation defense is to practice as much as possible. This way, you will be prepared for the kinds of questions that may be asked, and you will feel a little more confident when completing your defense.

Mock Sessions

Mock defense sessions can be especially helpful for practicing your presentation and answering questions from a real crowd. Do not hesitate to ask your fellow students or even some trusted professors to practice with you to provide feedback or ask questions.

Handling Questions

One of the most difficult aspects of defending a dissertation is often answering questions from the audience. One important tip to keep in mind here is to prepare some answers in advance to some of the questions you think might be asked during your dissertation defense. This way, you will be completely prepared to knock these out of the park.

Ready to Pursue an Advanced Degree?

As you can see, there is a lot that goes into writing a dissertation or thesis as part of your graduate education program. With this dissertation guidance in mind, you will be prepared to craft and even defend your thesis or dissertation with success.

Still looking for the right graduate education program to suit your interests and professional goals? Keiser University is proud to offer a number of advanced degrees in education, including our  Master of Science in Education, Teaching and Learning  program. If you’re interested in earning your doctorate degree, we also offer a  Doctor of Education  and a  Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership .

Learn more about any of the graduate programs offered at Keiser University by  contacting a graduate admissions counselor today, or get started with your online application  for enrollment.

Jessica Kircher

CERN Accelerating science

LHCb announces its 2024 PhD Thesis Awards winners

12 August, 2024

By LHCb collaboration

The 2024 LHCb Thesis Awards winners, Shunan Zhang (2nd from the left), Sara Celani (on screen) and Alessandro Scarabotto (2nd from the right) at the June LHCb Week in Glasgow, with Patrick Robbe (LHCb deputy spokesperson, far left) and Johannes Albrecht (member of the LHCb Thesis Award Committee, far right). (Image: LHCb collaboration)

The 2024 LHCb Thesis Awards took place on 7 June 2024 at the University of Glasgow. The committee comprised Johannes Albrecht, Miriam Calvo Gomez, Wenbin Qian, Patrick Robbe (deputy spokesperson) and Lesya Shchutska (chair).

The LHCb Thesis Awards recognise excellent PhD theses and additional work that have made an exceptional contribution to LHCb.

This year’s winners are Shunan Zhang (Peking University, China), Alessandro Scarabotto (Sorbonne University, France) and Sara Celani (EPFL, Switzerland).

Find out more about the LHCb Thesis Awards on the LHCb website .

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By day, her research interests include “dance, gender politics, and the dynamics between theoretical and practical methodologies.” But on the world’s stage in Paris, wearing green track pants and a green polo shirt instead of the street-style outfits of her much younger fellow breakers, she competed against the 21-year-old Logan Edra of the United States, known as Logistx.

During the round robin, as Raygun and Logistx faced off, Raygun laid on her side, reached for her toes, spun around, and threw in a kangaroo hop — a nod to her homeland. She performed a move that looked something like swimming and another that could best be described as duckwalking. The high-speed back and head spins that other breakers would demonstrate were mostly absent.

The crowd cheered Raygun politely. The judges weren’t as kind. All nine voted for Logistx in both rounds of the competition; Logistx won, 18-0.

Online, Raygun’s performance quickly became a sensation, not necessarily in a flattering way.

“The more I watch the videos of Raygun, the Aussie breaker, the more I get annoyed,” one viewer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “There’s 27.7 million Australians in the world and that’s who they send to the Olympics for this inaugural event??? C’mon now!”

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