Dissertations - Tips in Finding Dissertations



Dissertations

What is the difference between a thesis and a dissertation?

A thesis is the culminating requirement for a master's degree. Not all master's degrees, however, require theses. In some countries, especially Great Britain, a thesis means the culminating requirement for either a master's degree or a doctoral degree, so it may be called either a master's thesis or a doctoral thesis.  A doctoral thesis in Great Britain is called a dissertation or doctoral dissertation in Canada and in the United States. Dissertations usually happen to be longer than theses.

How can I find dissertations that were written at Purdue?

See the page at http://www.lib.purdue.edu/access/ill/td/

How can I find theses or dissertations from U.S. institutions?

Go to Dissertations and Theses (PQDT). It offers a comprehensive listing of bibliographic entries for theses and dissertations in the Dissertation Abstracts database. Theses and dissertations listed since 1997 are available in PDF digital format for users affiliated with Purdue University with access to theses and dissertations from CIC institutions. For those entries not full-text, 24-page previews are available. For non full-text entries and possible borrowing of non-Purdue titles, consult Interlibrary Loan.

How can I find dissertations that are free?

  • From Center for Research Libraries search for available paper-bound titles, consult their database here. CRL has more than 750,000 uncataloged foreign [non-U.S. or Canadian] doctoral dissertations, of which approximately 20,000 are presently in this database. Please consult with CRL if you are unable to find a dissertation that you may require.
  • Cybertheses permits access to selected French dissertations from 1972 to the present. This database can provide access to another index where full-text provision for selected dissertations [thèses in French] may be provided.