Theses
Find databases, specialist search engines and repositories to search for theses.
I've got a Phd! by Ed Brambley is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image cropped.
Library Search is not recommended for finding theses as part of a literature review as it only includes theses from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global and QUT Theses, and only where fulltext is available online.
Databases
For a general search of available theses, start with one of the following Library databases:
Search engines and repositories
The majority of recently published theses are freely available on open access repositories and many older theses are being digitised and made available online. Using a specialist search engine along with major repositories provides good coverage for a comprehensive theses search.
Recommended search engines:
- BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine) - Ensure only the Theses option is ticked. If a link to fulltext fails try the Google Scholar option in the record to see if an alternative source is available.
- Google Scholar - Although searches cannot be limited to theses, Google Scholar is an effective search tool for finding a specific thesis.
The following repositories aggregate thesis records from universities and other research institutions:
- Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) - A large thesis index with links to many fulltext records. Note: If you find a broken link on NDLTD try searching Google Scholar for the fulltext.
- DART-Europe E-theses Portal - Theses published in the European Union.
- British Library EThOS - Theses published by most UK universities. Registration is required to download.
- NZResearch.org.nz - The most comprehensive search of New Zealand theses. Change the Resources Type to Specific Types and tick Theses.
- Theses Canada - Theses published by most Canadian universities.
