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Buena Vista University

Library DIY

Welcome to the Library DIY, created to help you walk through some of the most commonly asked research and library questions!

Theses & dissertations

What are theses and dissertations?

A thesis (plural: theses) is a lengthy scholarly paper completed by master's degree students as a culmination of their studies. A dissertation is a lengthy (often book-length) scholarly paper completed by a doctoral student as a culmination of their studies.

 

Searching for theses and dissertations

Our catalog lists most dissertations for most colleges and universities in the United States and Canada and a great many from around the world.  Be sure the "Libraries Worldwide" option is check marked so that you are browsing outside the holdings of our own library.  Although dissertations and theses are difficult to obtain, you may try requesting through Interlibrary Loan. Often only the institution which granted the degree will own a copy of the thesis or dissertation. The fastest method to make a request for a dissertation or thesis is by searching our catalog for the dissertation or thesis and using the ILL function to submit the request. If an institution will not loan their theses/dissertations, ILL will notify you and cancel the request. 


Finding Other Dissertations

  • Dissertations and Theses Open (PQDT Open) This repository holds the full text of open access dissertations and theses. The authors of these dissertations and theses have chosen open access publication of their works, thus providing free access from the Internet.
  • NDLTD – Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Provides free online access to over a million theses and dissertations from all over the world.
  • EBSCO's Open Dissertations Database  Includes the content from American Doctoral Dissertations. It is a free database with records for more than 1.4 million electronic theses and dissertations from more than 320 universities around the world.