Ask a Librarian
Authors
Kristina Bradley-Khan, Nickoal Eichmann, Emily Okada, Keila DuBois, Alyssa Denneler.
Based on a document created by Sarah Mitchell in 2010
Created: February 2013
Welcome
A Guide to Finding Dissertations
Dissertations are book-length works based on a PhD candidate's original research that are written as requirements for the doctoral degree. Theses are similar but shorter texts that are written by students working towards Master's and sometimes Bachelor's degrees. Both dissertations and theses offer researchers valuable insights and analysis of all subjects. They can also be useful in leading to other resources as part of your own research.
Click on the tabs at the top of this page for information about specific resources and useful search techniques for finding dissertations. You can also navigate using the "Guide Contents" links on the left side of the page.
If you encounter difficulties in obtaining full-texts of dissertations or theses, consult a librarian. The "Ask A Librarian" instant message widget is located on the left of every page underneath the tabs.
Getting Started
Know what you're looking for (mostly)?
When looking for a specific dissertation, you need some or all of the following:
| • | Author |
| • | Title |
| • | Institution |
| • | Department/University |
| • | Year |
| • | Topic |
Just looking for a certain subject area?
When looking for dissertations in a specific subject area, you may need a variety of search terms and limiters. For example:
| • | Broad: | Psychology |
| • | Focused: | Violence, causes, prevention, attitude, behavior, etc. |
| • | Date: | 1969-1980; after 2001 |
| • | Institution: | Indiana University; University of Oxford |
| • | Department: | Psychology; education |
Where to Search
In general, start your search in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. If you are looking for an IU dissertation and cannot find it in ProQuest, search ScholarWorks. If it is not in ScholarWorks, search IUCAT.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new windowComprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, including millions of works from thousands of universities. 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. Simple bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1637.
- IUScholarWorks RepositoryAn open access repository that organizes and preserves the work of IU scholars, including published and unpublished materials, supplementary files, and gray literature.
