how to find unpublished dissertations

Guide to Sources for Finding Unpublished Research

Unpublished research.

• Research Networks
• Conference Proceedings
• Clinical Research in Progress
• Grey Literature
• Institutional Repositories
• Preprint Servers
• Finding Theses

This guide takes you through the tools and resources for finding research in progress and unpublished research in Paramedicine. 

What do we mean by unpublished?  

Typically we mean anything that is publicly available on the internet that isn't published formally in a journal article or conference proceedings.  By their nature these  unpublications  are varied but might include things like: 

• Preprints, work in progress or an early version of an article intended for publication that is made available for comment by interested researchers, 
• Presentations, posters, conference papers  published on personal websites or research networks like  ResearchGate  or  Mendeley ,
• Theses and dissertations  published on the web or through repositories.

Unpublished research can be harder to find a number of reasons.  There is no one place to look. You have to dig a little deeper.  The tools you can use o do this are covered in this  Guide . Also, there isn't that much of it.  There are a number of reasons for this. Paramedic researchers are relatively few and widely dispersed geographically and across different organizations (academic and EMS/Ambulance Services).  Compared to similar areas Paramedic research is in the early stages of development.  To use an analogy, Paramedic research is till taxing up the runway while other areas are already up and flying. It's not impossible; it's just harder than in more established research areas.

Why would you want to look?

If you are wondering why you would want to search for  unpublished  material, there could be a number of reasons: 

• Completeness,   if you need to cover a complete topic including work in progress and projects and ideas that haven't made it to formal publication,
• Real- world  examples and case studies , not every project or every implementation will make it to formal publication but may be reported informally as a presentation, theses or dissertation,
• Currency,   the lengthy publication process encourages researchers to find alternative routes to promote research in progress to share ideas and inform current practice. Typically this would be preprints but there are other informal methods such as copies of posters and presentations. 
• Next: Research Networks >>
• Last Updated: Nov 9, 2023 10:51 PM
• URL: https://ambulance.libguides.com/unpublishedresearch

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

Thursday, April 18, 8:20am (EDT): Searching is temporarily offline. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to bring searching back up as quickly as possible.

Advanced research and scholarship. Theses and dissertations, free to find, free to use.

Advanced search options

Browse by author name (“Author name starts with…”).

Find ETDs with:

Written in any language English Portuguese French German Spanish Swedish Lithuanian Dutch Italian Chinese Finnish Greek Published in any country US or Canada Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile China Colombia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Italy Japan Latvia Lithuania Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Portugal Russia Singapore South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand UK US Earliest date Latest date

Sorted by Relevance Author University Date

Only ETDs with Creative Commons licenses

Results per page: 30 60 100

October 3, 2022. OATD is dealing with a number of misbehaved crawlers and robots, and is currently taking some steps to minimize their impact on the system. This may require you to click through some security screen. Our apologies for any inconvenience.

Recent Additions

See all of this week’s new additions.

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 7,225,126 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.

• Enroll & Pay

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.

Ask Yale Library

My Library Accounts

Find, Request, and Use

Help and Research Support

Visit and Study

Explore Collections

Resources to Find Dissertations: Home

Description.

This page provides links to databases and websites to find dissertations. This includes links to general databases to find dissertations, databases focused on the humanities, foreign dissertations, dissertations on religion, and dissertations hosted by other universities.

General Databases

Humanities dissertations, foreign dissertations, religion dissertations, dissertations of universities, yale divinity library.

Science Dissertations

• Last Updated: Aug 22, 2024 5:30 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.yale.edu/dissertations

Site Navigation

P.O. BOX 208240 New Haven, CT 06250-8240 (203) 432-1775

Yale's Libraries

Bass Library

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Classics Library

Cushing/Whitney Medical Library

Divinity Library

East Asia Library

Gilmore Music Library

Haas Family Arts Library

Lewis Walpole Library

Lillian Goldman Law Library

Marx Science and Social Science Library

Sterling Memorial Library

Yale Center for British Art

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

@YALELIBRARY

Yale Library Instagram

Accessibility       Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion      Giving       Privacy and Data Use      Contact Our Web Team    

© 2022 Yale University Library • All Rights Reserved

All virtual services are available and some libraries are open for in-person use, while others remain closed through January 23, 2022. Learn more .

• Ask a Librarian

How can I find theses and dissertations?

• COVID-19 Spring 2020
• FAS General
• Harvard Map Collection
• Houghton Library
• How to Do Research in...
• 2 African American Studies
• 1 Anthropology
• 1 Art in Harvard Libraries
• 2 Asian Studies
• 1 Audio Books
• 1 Biography
• 4 Borrow Direct
• 13 Borrowing
• 1 Calendars
• 6 Citation of Sources
• 1 Citation Tools
• 1 Computer Science
• 5 Computers
• 4 contemporary legends
• 1 Copyright
• 3 Crimson Cash
• 9 Databases
• 2 Digital Collections
• 2 Distance Learning
• 28 E-Resources
• 1 Economics
• 5 Electronic Books
• 1 Employment
• 1 Equipment
• 1 Extension School
• 1 Foreign Study
• 2 Genealogy
• 3 Government
• 2 Government Documents
• 1 Harvard Depository
• 3 Harvard Studies
• 3 Harvard University Archives
• 32 Harvardiana
• 5 HOLLIS help
• 5 Interlibrary Loan
• 1 Internet access
• 1 Language Resource Center
• 2 Languages
• 9 Libraries
• 3 Library History
• 1 Library science
• 3 Library services
• 1 Library student
• 1 Literature
• 2 Manuscripts
• 2 Microfilm
• 17 miscellaneous
• 17 Newspapers
• 4 Off-Campus
• 1 Permissions
• 1 Phillips Reading Room
• 3 Photographs
• 1 Plagiarism
• 4 Primary Sources
• 12 Privileges
• 1 Public Libraries
• 2 Purchase requests
• 4 Quotations
• 2 Rare Books
• 4 Reference
• 1 Reproduction Request
• 22 Research Assistance
• 1 Safari Books Online
• 1 Scan & Deliver
• 4 Special Borrowers
• 2 Special Collections
• 5 Statistics
• 1 Study Abroad
• 3 Study spaces
• 1 Summer School
• 2 technology
• 5 Theses, Dissertations & Prize Winners
• 3 Web of Science

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?" 

• Ask a Librarian, including chat and email, will be suspended Thursday July 4 through Sunday, July 7, 2024, in observance of the holiday weekend. Any questions received during this period will be answered beginning Monday, July 8 .
• If If you're experiencing an ongoing technical issue when you attempt to access library materials with your HarvardKey during these times, please report it to Library Technology Services.

Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm

Friday-Saturday  9am-5pm

Sunday 12noon-7pm

Chat is intended for brief inquiries from the Harvard community.

Reach out to librarians and other reference specialists by email using our online form . We usually respond within 24 hours Monday through Friday.

Talk to a librarian for advice on defining your topic, developing your research strategy, and locating and using sources. Make an appointment now .

These services are intended primarily for Harvard University faculty, staff and students. If you are not affiliated with Harvard, please use these services only to request information about the Library and its collections.

• Email Us: [email protected]
• Call Us: 617-495-2411
• All Library Hours
• Library Guides
• Staff Login

Harvard Library Virtual Reference Policy Statement

Our chat reference and Research Appointment Request services are intended for Harvard affiliates. All others are welcome to submit questions using the form on this page.

We are happy to answer questions from all Harvard affiliates and from non-affiliates inquiring about the library's collections.

Unfortunately, we're unable to answer questions from the general public which are not directly related to Harvard Library services and collections.

Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy

Librarians/Admins

• EBSCOhost Collection Manager
• EBSCO Experience Manager
• EBSCO Connect
• Start your research
• EBSCO Mobile App

Clinical Decisions Users

• DynaMed Decisions
• Dynamic Health
• Waiting Rooms
• NoveList Blog

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 .

You might also be interested in:

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

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).

• << Previous: Dictionaries and encyclopedias
• Next: E-books >>

About Us arrow_drop_down expand_more

• News Releases

Our Values arrow_drop_down expand_more

• Diversity & Inclusion
• Accessibility
• Slavery Act Statement

Product Families arrow_drop_down expand_more

Content Solutions expand_more

• Books and Ebooks
• Dissertations
• News & Newspapers
• Primary Sources
• Streaming Video

Products by Subject expand_more

• Health & Medicine
• History & Social Change
• Interdisciplinary
• Science & Technology
• Social Sciences

Popular Products expand_more

Proquest one academic.

• ProQuest One Business
• ProQuest One Education
• ProQuest One Psychology
• ProQuest Black Studies
• Ebooks Offers for Libraries

Library Management expand_more

Discovery services expand_more, resource sharing expand_more, course resource lists expand_more, research management expand_more, mobile solutions expand_more.

• Innovative Mobile

Libraries We Serve expand_more

• Academic Solutions for universities, colleges, and community colleges of all sizes.
• Public Solutions for librarians supporting patrons of public libraries.
• K-12 Solutions for elementary schools, primary schools and high schools.
• Community College Solutions for community colleges, trade schools and two year programs.
• Government Solutions for governmental affairs offices, patent examiners, and grants administrators.
• Corporate Solutions for professionals in the pharmaceutical, legal industries and more.

Solutions For expand_more

• DEI E-Resources
• Print to Electronic
• Reclaiming Your Space
• Library Management
• Library Management – Public Libraries
• Community Engagement
• Content Discovery
• Research Repository
• Digital Preservation
• Resource Sharing
• Document Delivery
• Course Resources

Account Support expand_more

• Setup and Support
• Access Questions
• Renewing a Product
• Paying an Invoice
• Get Usage Data: ProQuest
• Get Usage Data: Alexander Street
• Submitting Dissertations
• Idea Exchange
• ProQuest Status Page

Tools & Resources expand_more

• Find a Title List
• Accessibility Documentation
• Open Access

Browse Collections by Subject expand_more

I want to expand_more.

• Start my Research
• Start Text & Data Mining
• Find Research Funding
• Keep up with Research News
• Showcase Research
• See Upcoming Webinars
• Contact Support

I’m Interested In expand_more

• Submitting a Dissertation
• Purchasing a Dissertation
• Assembling Course Materials
• Implementing a Mobile Campus App

Insights expand_more

How text and data mining enables digital literacy in the classroom.

Read about the University of Sydney’s journey to integrate text and data mining (TDM) into its undergraduate courses and incorporate it across disciplines

Meeting Your Needs expand_more

• Graduate Students
• Graduate Administrators

Products & Services expand_more

Etd dissemination.

• Dissertation & Theses Global
• ETD Dashboard

Resources expand_more

• eLearning Modules
• Expert Advice Articles

Dissertations News expand_more

• Top 25 Most-Accessed Dissertations
• Dissertations Award Winners

Are you a researcher looking for scholarly content? Try searching our platform here...

Language preference

Do you want set this as your default language ?

Connect with ProQuest

Proquest dissertations & theses global, contact sales.

Thank you for contacting ProQuest. A member of our Sales team will respond to you within one business day.  For immediate assistance please call +1-877-779-6768

Privacy Policy

Uncover the Undiscovered

The ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT) ™ database is the world's most comprehensive curated collection of multi-disciplinary dissertations and theses from around the world, offering over 5 million citations and 3 million full-text works from thousands of universities.

Within dissertations and theses is a wealth of scholarship, yet it is often overlooked because most go unpublished. Uncover new ideas and innovations with more confidence and efficiency. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global delivers a focused path for researchers by tapping into a global network of connected research.

Dissertation references can be a treasure trove for obscure topics, here students discover shorter works like articles.

Scott Dennis, Librarian Core Electronic Resources, University of Michigan

Connecting Global Scholarship

Disseminating since 1939

Disseminating graduate works since 1939, and is the largest editorially curated repository of dissertations and theses.

5+ million works

A multi-disciplinary collection of over 5 million citations and 3 million full text works.

250,000 Annually

The database increases in size by 250,000 works each year.

4M Researchers

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is used by over 4 million researchers at 3,100+ institutions around the world.

Customer Resources

Find database content updates, popular training, troubleshooting and how-to resources

Find training and informational resources

Order a dissertation title

Use premade graphics, social media posts, posters, news releases and learning content to inform students, researchers, and faculty of the tools available in your subscription

Short Description

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) Global provides visibility of cutting-edge research from the world’s premier universities.

ProQuest’s vast collection of >5.5million post graduate dissertations and theses now discoverable on Web of Science

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global with the Web of Science™ enables researchers to seamlessly uncover early career, post-graduate research in the form of more than 5.5 million dissertations and theses from over 4,100 institutions from more than 60 countries, alongside journal articles, conference proceedings, research data, books, preprints and patents.

The integration and introduction of the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index , eliminates the need for researchers to search multiple databases, allowing them to streamline their workflow and focus more on their academic success and research advancements.

To further enhance accessibility, direct full text linking from the Web of Science to the ProQuest platform is available for joint subscribers of the Web of Science and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Navigating ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index

DISCOVER unique scholarship

• Provides credible research on unique, niche, and trending topics, often not published elsewhere
• Provides access to global and diverse perspectives, helping to close diversity gaps in mainstream publishing channels
• Removes friction and obstacles from the research process by making full text available in one location
• Retrieves equitable search results, which places equal value on quality scholarship no matter where it is from

UNCOVER the value of dissertations

• Introduces users to new source types
• Reaches more students, helps more users in a virtual environment
• Addresses user needs immediately when they need it
• Nurtures career aspirations in academia

FOCUS your research path

Citation Connections are the next step in the evolution of the ProQuest Platform, moving the recommender functionality beyond standard keyword lists towards technology that leverages citation data, bibliometrics, and knowledge graph technology. Focus your research path by finding the most relevant and influential works faster.

• Supports researchers to become more efficient and effective.
• Leads researchers of all levels quickly to the most relevant, credible sources.
• Provides a focused path to building comprehensive foundational knowledge in any research area.
• Integrates with other library resources, enhances the value of other ProQuest subscriptions by providing insights into how the research is connected.

Success Story

Progressing STEM Studies with a Critical Primary Research Source

Author, Technologist, and Doctoral Student, Ida Joiner shares her story on leveraging dissertations to engage with current trends, cite a comprehensive foundation and build towards her own research goals.

Avoiding Bias by Starting at the Source

Dr. Terri D. Pigott, Ph.D., of the School of Public Health at the College of Education, Georgia State University, on Avoiding Bias by Starting at the Source.

Testimonials

Professor Terri Pigott Ph.D. discusses the expectations she presents to her students on meta-analysis and unbiased research requirements and how the use of ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global helps to ensure that comprehensive data sets are included in new research outputs.

Using Dissertations as a Primary Source

Student researcher and published author Ida Joiner discusses how she uses ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global as a core resource that helps her to build towards her own research goals.

Improving Diversity in Curriculum by Uncovering Unheard Voices

Psychology Professors and Research Scientists come together to build a course and write a supplemental text for Psychology curriculum emphasizing the dissertations by women of color prior to 1980, filling research gaps in the early history of psychology.

The Erasure of Drag Contribution in Performance History

Dr. Lady J, Ph.D., documents the historical impact, influence, contributions that drag performers have made to politics, music, film, fashion, and popular culture in her dissertation. Her goal is to document and make this history available for broad educational outreach.

Text and Data Mining Projects

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is one of the most requested data-sets for text and data mining because of its broad historic to present-day coverage and deep and comprehensive data results found in the full-text records.  TDM Studio can be used alongside PQDT to easily and efficiently extract data and analyze it. See the list below for articles and projects published by scholars who used ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global data:

• TDM Studio ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Case Studies
• Mapping Research Trends with ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (Univ. North Carolina)
• Indiana University using Dissertations Data for Research
• ProQuest Dissertation Database Provides Critical Information for Research Projects Across the US
• City University of New York

Trends in the Evolution of Research and Doctoral Education

Bruce A. Weinberg, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Public Affairs from The Ohio State University shares how text and data mining of ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global allows researchers to understand doctoral career trajectory patterns.

Improving Graduate Student Outcomes

Dr. Jearl (Ken) Helvey, Assistant Professor of Education – Doctoral Program at Texas Wesleyan University on how incorporating dissertations into the curriculum improved the doctoral student success at Texas Wesleyan University.

Related Products

Empower researchers to uncover new connections and make new discoveries using TDM Studio, a new solution for text and data mining (TDM). From the initial idea to the final output, TDM Studio puts the power of text and data mining directly in the researcher’s hands.

ProQuest One Academic brings together four core multi-disciplinary products, allowing access to the world’s largest curated collection of journals, ebooks, dissertations, news and video.

Including dissertations and theses in ProQuest means amplifying your research by making it available in a unified repository

Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation: Where to Find

When you are writing your own dissertation, it is often the case that you are struggling in search for additional information. Seemingly, all possible sources have been found and thoroughly read through. And still you lack something innovatory that may give a new turn to your work.

In this case, unpublished doctoral dissertations may be the answer you are seeking. Read on and find out how to find and use unpublished doctoral dissertations that will provide you with the information you need!

Where to Look for Doctoral Dissertations:

• Traditionally, the place you would be looking for sources for your own research are university libraries. Along with the printed editions, students make wide use of online sources nowadays. However, the latter are mostly limited to research articles in peer-reviewed journals that are published online.
• In fact, the scope of your research may be dramatically enlarged if you look through the unpublished doctoral dissertations. Most typically, unpublished doctoral dissertations are stored in online databases, and some universities even have specialized online databases for unpublished doctoral dissertations.
• It is significant to know that most unpublished doctoral dissertations are represented by dissertation abstracts. Therefore, if you want to get full access to them, you might need to purchase them from the educational institution that hosts the unpublished doctoral dissertations database.
• In addition, you may turn directly to the library where the unpublished doctoral dissertation is filed. In this case you may get direct access to the unpublished doctoral dissertation of your interest.

Related Posts

Columbia university dissertations: general guidelines to consider.

A Thesis in APA Format: Useful Pointers for Beginners

Thesis analysis: essential questions to answer, a graduate thesis: where to begin, how to succeed, a thesis report: formatting rules to follow.

The Difference Between a Published & Unpublished Dissertation

How to Locate PhD Dissertations

A dissertation is the main element in completion of a Ph.D. The central element of a doctoral dissertation, and the quality that differentiates it from a master's thesis or an undergraduate thesis, is that it must make an original contribution to its field, usually using primary research. The structure and content of a completed doctoral dissertation is often very different from the structure required for articles or books that are based on it.

Unpublished Dissertations

When a Ph.D. candidate completes her dissertation, this usually results in three or four copies: one each for the candidate, the dissertation supervisor, the university library and sometimes an archive. Unless a dissertation is subsequently published, these are the only copies that are ever created. What this means in practical terms is that unpublished dissertations are almost never widely read. The vast majority of dissertations serve their purpose of gaining a Ph.D. for their author and then fade into obscurity. If you write a dissertation that you want to have an impact, you will need to revise it and publish it in some form.

One of the easiest options for getting your research into published form is to revise a single chapter into an article for a peer-reviewed journal in your field. The difference between this article and an unpublished dissertation is clear: The article is present in a journal that is printed in thousands of copies and distributed to influential academics around the world. In most cases, the editors of the journal will want the form of the dissertation chapter reworked to some extent to make it more accessible to readers who are probably not experts in that particular subject matter.

Motivated dissertation authors often seek to have their dissertations published in book form. As with journal articles, books that are based on dissertations need to be reworked. This usually takes the form of downplaying the methodology and literature-review sections, cutting down on the density of footnotes and references and generally making the text more readable to non-specialists. A published book can get your name out in your academic field and to the world in general. Having a book and some published articles in your field will be helpful to you in advancing your academic career. Within academia, an unpublished dissertation is really nothing more than a prerequisite.

Online Publishing

The Internet has opened up tremendous new opportunities for academic publishing. While having your work accessible online doesn't carry the same weight with hiring committees as an article in a peer-reviewed journal, or better yet a book, it is an effective way to make yourself and your work known, as long as you get it published in the right places. Making contacts through online publishing can be an effective stepping stone toward breaking into journals and book publishing. It's also a useful way to get feedback from other academics about your work.

Related Articles

Referencing Your Own Knowledge in APA Format

How to write a humanities paper

How to Write a Dissertation Summary

Difference Between College-Level and Casual Writing?

The Purpose of a PhD

How to Do a Summary of a News Article

How to find credible web sources for a research paper.

How to Write a Microbiology Research Proposal

• University of California Berkeley/Graduate Division: Publishing Your Dissertation

Jagg Xaxx has been writing since 1983. His primary areas of writing include surrealism, Buddhist iconography and environmental issues. Xaxx worked as a cabinetmaker for 12 years, as well as building and renovating several houses. Xaxx holds a Doctor of Philosophy in art history from the University of Manchester in the U.K.

Study at Cambridge

About the university, research at cambridge.

• Undergraduate courses
• Events and open days
• Fees and finance
• Postgraduate courses
• How to apply
• Postgraduate events
• Fees and funding
• International students
• Continuing education
• Executive and professional education
• Courses in education
• How the University and Colleges work
• Term dates and calendars
• Visiting the University
• Annual reports
• Equality and diversity
• A global university
• Public engagement
• Give to Cambridge
• For Cambridge students
• For our researchers
• Business and enterprise
• Colleges & departments
• Email & phone search
• Museums & collections

• Open Access Resources
• Publishing Open Access overview
• Accepted for Publication: What to do next
• Self-Archiving Policy Guidance overview
• Paying for Gold Open Access overview
• Accessing the University of Cambridge's block grants
• Accessing a Transitional Deal
• Accessing the University's Central Open Access Funding
• Discounts and Offsets
• Open access agreements
• Read & publish journals
• Funder Open Access Policies overview
• UK Open Access Policies overview
• REF overview
• OA and REF reporting
• Gold open access
• Policy exceptions
• Preprint servers overview
• Preprint server decision tree
• Preprint server-specific advice overview
• Preprint servers which allow accepted manuscripts to be uploaded
• Preprint servers which DO NOT allow accepted manuscripts to be uploaded
• Research Councils
• Wellcome Trust Monograph OA Policy
• Funder requirements for theses
• Other funders' Open Access policies
• Is my journal compliant?
• Open Access Policies for Books
• REF Support overview
• Navigating Symplectic Elements
• Elements metadata requirements for research outputs
• REF Open Access Reports From Elements
• REF Open Access Policy Requirements and Exceptions overview
• Deposit exceptions
• Access exceptions
• Technical exceptions
• Further exceptions
• Preprints metadata requirements for research outputs
• Eligibility definitions for research outputs overview
• Category: Books or parts of books
• Category: Journal articles
• Category: Physical artefacts
• Category: Exhibitions and performances
• Category: Other documents
• Category: Digital artefacts
• Category: Other
• REF Support FAQs
• Theses overview
• Preparing to deposit your thesis in Apollo
• Funder Open Access Requirements
• Guidance for choosing your access levels
• Who owns the copyright in your thesis?
• Advice on sensitive material
• Advice on copyright material
• Advice on redacting material from a thesis
• Submitting the electronic thesis
• Data and your thesis
• Masters theses
• Advice for Doctoral Alumni
• Finding and accessing theses
• University policies & guidance overview
• Cambridge Open Access Publications Policy Framework overview
• Self-Archiving Policy
• Cambridge funding guidelines
• Contact us overview
• The Open Access team
• Open Access
• Publishing Open Access
• Funder Open Access Policies
• REF Support
• University policies & guidance

How do I find a Cambridge thesis?

Ph.D., M.Litt., M.Sc., and Divinity M.Phil. theses approved after 1970 are catalogued in iDiscover, as are M.D. and M.Chir. theses approved after May 2006. Earlier theses are listed in a card catalogue in the Manuscripts Reading Room and are gradually being added to iDiscover.

Since 1 October 2017, all PhD theses are being deposited in electronic form to the University repository  Apollo . Many earlier theses are also in the repository, but if they are not yet in digital form it is possible to request access to these theses. There is more information on how to request a copy of a printed thesis further down this page.

Gaining access to electronic copies of a thesis

The author of a given thesis in Apollo can choose whether their thesis is available to be downloaded, available on request or unavailable. While many of the theses in Apollo are openly available for download, some theses in the repository are not open access because they have either been embargoed by the author or because they are unable to be made openly available for copyright or other reasons.

Requesting a copy of a printed thesis

Researchers can order a copy of an unpublished thesis which was deposited in print form through the Library’s  Digital Content Unit  via the  image request form . 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. The agreement used for access to theses at Cambridge has been drafted using the guidance by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

Theses are not available for borrowing or inter library loan. The copyright of theses remains with the author. The law does not allow us to provide a copy for inclusion in a general library collection or for wider distribution beyond the individual receiving the copy, without the explicit permission of the author or copyright holder. Where someone approaches us asking for a copy for their library or wider distribution, they must obtain the explicit permission of the author or copyright owner.

Please note any periods of access restriction requested by the author apply to both electronic and print copies.

© 2020 Office of Scholarly Communication , University of Cambridge

This project is a joint initiative of Cambridge University Library and the Research Strategy Office .

Follow us on Twitter

Privacy policy

© 2024 University of Cambridge

• Contact the University
• Accessibility
• Freedom of information
• Privacy policy and cookies
• Statement on Modern Slavery
• Terms and conditions
• University A-Z
• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• Research news
• About research at Cambridge
• Spotlight on...

Office of Scholarly Communication

University of California

• Campus Resources
• Why Publish Open Access?
• Deposit Your Scholarly Articles
• Open Access Policies FAQ
• OA Policy Waivers
• OA Publishing Agreements and Discounts
• OA Thesis & Dissertation Policies
• Publish Your Book OA
• Transition Your Journal to OA
• Collect and share your older publications
• Publishing Funds
• eScholarship Publishing
• University of California Press
• Copyright & Publication Contracts
• Data Sharing Policies & Tools

Home » For Authors & Researchers » Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Theses and dissertations produced by students as part of the completion of their degree requirements often represent unique and interesting scholarship. Universities are increasingly making this work available online, and UC is no exception. Find information related to open access theses and dissertations below.

UC has an open access policy for theses and dissertations, but procedures and specifics vary by campus

Several UC campuses have established policies requiring open access to the electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) written by their graduate students. As of March 25, 2020, there is now a systemwide Policy on Open Access for Theses and Dissertations , indicating that UC “requires theses or dissertations prepared at the University to be (1) deposited into an open access repository, and (2) freely and openly available to the public, subject to a requested delay of access (’embargo’) obtained by the student.”

In accordance with these policies, campuses must ensure that student ETDs are available open access via eScholarship (UC’s open access repository and publishing platform), at no cost to students. By contrast, ProQuest, the world’s largest commercial publisher of ETDs, charges a $95 fee to make an ETD open access. Institutions worldwide have moved toward open access ETD publication because it dramatically increases the visibility and reach of their graduate research.

Policies and procedures for ETD filing, including how to delay public release of an ETD and how long such a delay can last, vary by campus. Learn more about the requirements and procedures for ETDs at each UC campus:

• UC Berkeley: Dissertation Filing Guidelines (for Doctoral Students) and Thesis Filing Guidelines (for Master’s Students)
• UC Davis: Preparing and Filing Your Thesis or Dissertation
• UC Irvine: Thesis/Dissertation Electronic Submission
• UCLA: File Your Thesis or Dissertation
• UC Merced: Dissertation/Thesis Submission
• UC Riverside: Dissertation and Thesis Submission
• UC San Diego:  Preparing to Graduate
• UCSF: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines
• UC Santa Barbara:  Filing Your Thesis, Dissertation, or DMA Supporting Document
• UC Santa Cruz: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines (PDF) from the Graduate Division’s Accessing Forms Online page

Open access can be delayed in certain circumstances

Some campuses allow students to elect an embargo period before the public release of their thesis/dissertation; others require approval from graduate advisors or administrators. Visit your local graduate division’s website (linked above) for more information.

Common copyright concerns of students writing theses and dissertations

Students writing theses/dissertations most commonly have questions about their own copyright ownership or the use of other people’s copyrighted materials in their own work.

You automatically own the copyright in your thesis/dissertation  as soon as you create it, regardless of whether you register it or include a copyright page or copyright notice (see this FAQ from the U.S. Copyright Office for more information). Most students choose not to register their copyrights, though some choose to do so because they value having their copyright ownership officially and publicly recorded. Getting a copyright registered is required before you can sue someone for infringement.

If you decide to register your copyright, you can do so

• directly, through the Copyright Office website , for $35
• by having ProQuest/UMI contact the Copyright Office on your behalf, for $65.

It is common to incorporate 1) writing you have done for journal articles as part of your dissertation, and 2) parts of your dissertation into articles or books . See, for example, these articles from Wiley and Taylor & Francis giving authors tips on how to successfully turn dissertations into articles, or these pages at Sage , Springer , and Elsevier listing reuse in a thesis or dissertation as a common right of authors. Because this is a well-known practice, and often explicitly allowed in publishers’ contracts with authors, it rarely raises copyright concerns. eScholarship , which hosts over 55,000 UC ETDs, has never received a takedown notice from a publisher based on a complaint that the author’s ETD was too similar to the author’s published work.

Incorporating the works of others in your thesis/dissertation – such as quotations or illustrative images – is often allowed by copyright law. This is the case when the original work isn’t protected by copyright, or if the way you’re using the work would be considered fair use. In some circumstances, however, you will need permission from the copyright holder.  For more information, please consult the Berkeley Library’s guide to Copyright and Publishing Your Dissertation .

How to find UC Dissertations and Theses online

All ten UC campuses make their electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) openly accessible to readers around the world. You can view over 55,000 UC ETDs in eScholarship , UC’s open access repository. View ETDs from each campus:

• Santa Barbara

Sign up to receive OSC blog post updates

Email address:

Recent Posts

• UC leaders remain steadfast in advancing open scholarship and protecting the rights of scholars and readers
• Next Generation Library Publishing + Big Ten Academic Alliance Announce the Launch of a Pilot Project
• Follow up from The Right to Deposit webinar: statement and early signatories
• Better together: BTAA Libraries, CDL, and Lyrasis commit to strengthen Diamond Open Access in the United States
• Upcoming webinar: “The Right To Deposit – Uniform Guidance to Ensure Author Compliance and Public Access”

WordPress Theme by WPZOOM

• Dartmouth Libraries

Q. How can I get a copy of a dissertation that I need for my research?

• 6 Alumni Services
• 28 Baker-Berry Library
• 2 Biomedical Libraries
• 13 Borrow From Other Libraries
• 22 Business
• 4 Collections
• 16 Course Reserves
• 5 Dartmouth History
• 1 Dartmouth Library Depository
• 7 Economics
• 5 Engineering
• 3 Film & Video
• 1 Geography
• 6 Jones Media Center
• 1 Kresge Physical Sciences Library
• 11 Library Hours
• 12 Preservation
• 1 Psychological & Brain Sciences
• 4 Rauner Special Collections Library
• 5 Records Management
• 20 Scholarly Communication, Copyright, and Publishing
• 40 Search and Find
• 17 Services
• 1 Sherman Art Library
• 4 Study Space
• 27 Technical Support
• 11 Writing Your Paper

Answered By: Dartmouth Libraries Last Updated: Jun 19, 2024     Views: 14538

Try to find the dissertation online:

First, check the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database to see if it is available in full text. Dissertations from 1997 to present are available in full text from ProQuest. In addition, most Dartmouth dissertations from 1993 to the present will be available online in ProQuest.  You may find some pre-1997 dissertations in ProQuest as well.

Dissertations may also be available at no cost from the issuing institution's website. In addition to checking their web site, try using search tools such as Google Scholar or the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations .

If you still haven't found the dissertation, try checking ROAR to see if the university where the dissertation was written has a digital repository. If it does, try searching the repository for the thesis or dissertation.

Find out if the dissertation was published:

Some dissertations are subsequently published by academic presses. A quick way to find out is by searching for the author in WorldCat . Remember, the title of the published book may be different than the dissertation.

Requesting Dissertations:

If the dissertation was submitted to one of the Ivies, try requesting it through Borrow Direct .

Foreign dissertations are often available at the Center for Research Libraries. If you find the dissertation you need in the CRL Dissertation Catalog , you can request it through Interlibrary Loan .

All other requests for dissertations should be made through Interlibrary Loan .

• The Library will first try to borrow the dissertation directly from the holding institution.
• If it is unavailable for loan, the Library will try to purchase an electronic copy from a commercial supplier, such as ProQuest.
• The average cost for a dissertation is $32.  Any costs exceeding $35 will be chargeable to you, provided that you agree to move forward with the purchase and pay the additional charges.

See also the Library's Research Guide for Dissertations & Theses.

Links & Files

• Research Guide: Dissertations & Theses
• Share on Facebook

Was this helpful? Yes 5 No 1

Comments (0)

Related topics.

• Writing Your Paper

Ask Us Now!

• UNC Libraries
• Subject Research
• Finding Theses and Dissertations
• Finding UNC Theses & Dissertations

Finding Theses and Dissertations: Finding UNC Theses & Dissertations

Dissertations, master's papers, undergraduate honors theses.

• Finding Other Theses & Dissertations
• Borrowing & Purchasing

The North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library has paper copies of MOST UNC Chapel Hill theses and dissertations, including many of those from Health Affairs, and also the only copies of some pre-1930 dissertations and theses. The NCC's copies do not circulate and are not in an area open for browsing. You can assume that the NCC will probably have a copy of a UNC-Chapel Hill dissertation or thesis even if the catalogs do not reveal this.

Davis Library has circulating copies of many theses and dissertations completed at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Health Sciences Library has copies of the theses and dissertations completed in Health Affairs departments. Some dissertations and theses are also located in the Library Service Center and can be requested through the Carolina BLU Campus Delivery Service . Most UNC-Chapel Hill theses and dissertations can be found in the online catalog .

• Dissertation - Presents original research and is written as part of the requirements for obtaining a doctorate.
• Thesis - Presents original research and is written as part of the requirements for obtaining a master's degree.
• Master's Paper - Some master's programs at UNC do not have an official "thesis" but rather require a major paper or report.
• Undergraduate Honors Thesis - Written and defended by Honors Carolina undergraduate students in order to graduate with Honors or Highest Honors.

The Carolina Digital Repository also provides access to digital copies of theses and dissertations completed at UNC-Chapel Hill. It is an open-access source that houses user-submitted theses and dissertations and also other works by instructors and researchers affiliated with UND-Chapel Hill. However, as it houses works besides theses and dissertation and is relatively new, it may not pull up older works.

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Indexes US dissertations from 1861 with full text available from 1997; masters theses covered selectively including some full text. Citations for dissertations from 1980 include 350-word abstracts, while masters' theses from 1988 have 150-word abstracts. Selectively covers dissertations from Great Britain and other European universities for recent years. In addition to this database, the full text of the majority of UNC theses and dissertations from 2006, and all beginning in 2008, are freely available electronically from the UNC Library: Dissertations | Theses more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1861 to present
• Dissertations & Theses @ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Dissertations & Theses@University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides indexing and some full text access to dissertations completed here at Chapel Hill and submitted to the Dissertations Abstracts database. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1920s to present

Most UNC dissertations are in the UNC-CH catalog. If searching for a known author or title, searching the  online catalog  is the most efficient way to search: A sample search: title =  "Chaucer's relative constructions"

You can also use the  Boolean Search  feature of the  Advanced UNC-CH Catalog  to perform Keyword Searches for UNC dissertations.

Conducting a Keyword Search for Dissertations

Although most dissertations are in the online catalog, dissertations before 1964 have no subject headings. Searching for key words in the titles will help get at "subjects" for these items. Do not use ONLY standard LC Subject Headings. Be creative with appropriate key words, synonyms, and variants as well.

You will be searching for "thesis phd or thesis ph d" , which will appear as a note in the catalog record. You can use subject headings, title words, an author's last name, etc., and add "and thesis phd or thesis ph d". It is advisable to enter the "phd" both ways because of spacing variations. A sample search:

shakespeare and (thesis phd or thesis ph d) and "north carolina"

However, as noted above, Dissertations & Theses is the most efficient way to search for dissertations on a topic. If you do search for dissertations in the online catalog, you should add  "and north carolina" to try and weed out dissertations from other schools, but this can lead to false drops and omissions.

Finding Theses

While some theses may be found in Dissertations & Theses , thesis coverage is not nearly as comprehensive as dissertation coverage in that database.

Most UNC theses are in the UNC-CH catalog. If searching for a known author or title, searching the online catalog is the most efficient way to search. A sample search: title = Spenser and the diction of allegory : some uses of wordplay in the Faerie Queene

The online catalog does not offer an easy way to limit a subject search to master's theses. There is no group subject heading or subheading like "theses" for them. You can also use the Boolean Search feature of the Advanced UNC-CH Catalog to perform Keyword Searches for UNC theses.

Conducting a Keyword Search for Theses

Although most theses are in the online catalog, theses both before 1967 and after around 1990 have no subject headings. Searching for key words in the titles will help get at "subjects" for these items. Do not use ONLY standard LC Subject Headings. Be creative with appropriate key words, synonyms, and variants as well.

You will be searching for "thesis ma" or "thesis m a," which will appear as a note in the catalog record. You can use subject headings, title words, an author's last name, etc., and add "and thesis ma or thesis m a". It is advisable to enter the "ma" both ways because of spacing variations. A sample search:

shakespeare and (thesis ma or thesis m a) and "north carolina"

Finding Master's Papers

Some departments do not have an official thesis but instead require a major paper or report. These papers and reports are not in Davis Library or, for the most part, in the North Carolina Collection or the Libraries' online catalog. Some departments and departmental libraries have online lists. Contact the department, or, if there is one, the departmental library for information.

Environmental Sciences and Engineering Master's level students in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering can opt for one of four tracks: a Master of Science degree, which requires a thesis; and the Master of Science in Public Health, Master of Public Health, and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, which require a technical report. Theses are uploaded as digital copies to the Graduate School, and technical reports are uploaded to the Carolina Digital Repository.

Public Administration Copies of the Master of Public Administration papers from 1976-1994 are in the North Carolina Collection . For copies of papers completed since 1994, contact the Manager of the Master of Public Administration Program (Knapp-Sanders Bldg., CB# 3330, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330, Phone: 919-966-5381, Fax: 919-962-0654, Email Contact Form ).

UNC-Chapel Hill Master's Paper Collection Full-text copies of master's papers can be found:

• UNC-Chapel Hill Master's Paper Collection more... less... Access: No restrictions.

This database contains papers completed for the following departments:

• City & Regional Planning: Coverage from May 2002 - present
• Information & Library Science: Coverage from May 1999 - present*
• Maternal & Child Health: Coverage from December 2010 - present
• Public Health & Public Health Leadership: Coverage from August 2011 - present

*Print copies from 1963 - present are available in the  SILS Library .

Finding Undergraduate Honors Theses

Undergraduate Honors Theses (through 2012) are in the North Carolina Collection. They can be found using the card catalog located in that collection or the online catalog. They do not have subject headings unless they are about North Carolina. They do not circulate. Some departmental libraries also have copies but these are also non-circulating. To determine if a copy of an honors thesis can be obtained, contact the North Carolina Collection .

Electronic Submission of Senior Honors Theses:

Beginning in Fall 2013, students will no longer submit paper copies of their senior honors theses for archiving in the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library. Instead, they will submit theses electronically via the Carolina Digital Repository (CDR). Submissions are due by the last day of class in the semester in which students complete their theses. The University Library will catalog electronic theses and make them available to the public.

To find Undergraduate Honors Theses in the catalog you can also use the Boolean Search feature of the Advanced UNC-CH Catalog to perform Keyword Searches. Do a keyword search for "honors essay" (with quotation marks) and then limit your search results to "North Carolina Collection" using the "Location" category in the left-hand column. A sample search: shakespeare and "honors essay" – then limit to North Carolina Collection Remember that Honors Theses lack subject indexing, so Keyword principally searches title and author fields. A thesis about Shakespeare may not have Shakespeare in the title. You can also do a catalog search for a specific title or author if known. A sample search: title = Broken emblems : allusion, irony, and utility in David Jones' In parenthesis

• << Previous: Overview
• Next: Finding Other Theses & Dissertations >>
• Last Updated: May 16, 2023 12:44 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/disthesis

University Library

How to Find Dissertations and Theses

• Finding Dissertations and Theses
• University of Illinois Dissertations
• Non-Illinois Dissertations

Keep Track of Dissertations in Your Field

Ask a librarian.

Dissertation Tracking in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses adds thousands of titles every year. If you don't want to keep having to repeat your search to find new dissertations and theses in your field, you can track them by creating either an email alert or an RSS feed.

Create and complete a search.

When in the results page, click on "Save search/alert."

From there you can choose whether you would like to create an alert that will be sent to your email or an RSS feed that you can sync up with whatever RSS reader you use. You will be able to customize the search, how often it will send you an alert, and when you would like the alerts to cease.

• << Previous: Non-Illinois Dissertations
• Last Updated: May 9, 2024 2:48 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinois.edu/finddissertationstheses

Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis References

This page contains a reference example for an unpublished dissertation or thesis.

Harris, L. (2014). Instructional leadership perceptions and practices of elementary school leaders [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Virginia.

• Parenthetical citation : (Harris, 2014)
• Narrative citation : Harris (2014)
• When a dissertation or thesis is unpublished, include the description “[Unpublished doctoral dissertation]” or “[Unpublished master’s thesis]” in square brackets after the dissertation or thesis title.
• In the source element of the reference, provide the name of the institution that awarded the degree.
• The same format can be adapted for other unpublished theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate.
• If you find the dissertation or thesis in a database or in a repository or archive, follow the published dissertation or thesis reference examples .

Unpublished dissertation or thesis references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.6 and the Concise Guide Section 10.5

• 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

APA 7th Edition Style Guide: Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)

• About In-text Citations
• In-Text Examples
• What to Include
• Volume/Issue
• Bracketed Descriptions
• URLs and DOIs
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with No Author
• Book with Organization as Author
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Chapters and Parts of Books
• Classical Works
• Course Materials
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Multi-Volume Works
• Newspaper Article
• Patents & Laws
• Personal Communication
• Physicians' Desk Reference
• Social Media

Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)

• Formatting Your Paper
• Formatting Your References
• Annotated Bibliography
• Headings in APA
• APA Quick Guide
• Submit your Paper for APA Review

Formatting your References

Once you type your references on the reference page, you will need to put in a hanging indent and double-space the entire reference list. In Microsoft Word, highlight the references from A to Z, then find the paragraph function in the Word ribbon. Select Hanging under Indentation and Double under spacing. See the Formatting your References tab for instructions on doing this on a Mac or in Google Docs.

Abbas, D. D. F. (2020). Manipulating of audio-visual aids in the educational processes in Al-Hilla University College. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24 (3), 1248-1263. https://doi.org.db12.linccweb.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i3/pr200875

• << Previous: Social Media
• Next: Websites >>
• Last Updated: Sep 3, 2024 11:32 AM
• URL: https://irsc.libguides.com/APA