Dissertations and Theses Guide

Identify Dissertations on Your Topic


Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) Indexes virtually all doctoral dissertations and many masters theses produced in the U.S. since 1860 and many from foreign schools as well. Abstracts available from 1980. Full text for most dissertations available from 1997. Some authors choose to not make their dissertations available. Print and microfilm copies are offered for a fee, but check out Interlibrary Loan before paying for a copy.

  • RefWorks Info: Dissertations and Theses (Proquest) will export marked citations directly into your RefWorks account. (You will be prompted to login.)

Advanced Search in Library Catalog To search for WMU dissertations on your topic use the Advanced Search and enter your topic on one line and the word "thesis" on another.

Index to theses (in Great Britain and Ireland) This indexes theses accepted for higher degrees by universities in Great Britain and Ireland since 1716, with abstracts since 1970. Full text of a theses may be requested through interlibrary loan, but may take a while and may be expensive. Please check the CRL catalog first, as they purchase some international theses.

Obtain a Copy of the Dissertation or Thesis

If the full text of a dissertation or thesis is not available from Dissertations and Theses above, try the following options.

WMU libraries may have a copy WMU libraries own most of the dissertations completed at WMU, but few others. Some dissertations may eventually get published as a book. Use the Basic Search in the catalog.

Borrow a copy through Interlibrary Loan You may want to look the dissertation up in WorldCat Dissertations and click on the ILL link there.

There are several issues to be aware of when requesting dissertations through interlibrary loan:

  • Many institutions do not lend their dissertations and theses through interlibrary loan. Because dissertations are unique some institutions choose not to send them off campus.
  • Some institutions that do lend their dissertations specify that they are "in library use only". This means that you will not be allowed to take the material out of the library.
  • The copy of the dissertation you get through interlibrary loan may be in microfilm or microfiche format. You will have to locate a microfilm reader in the library to use the material.
  • Interlibrary loan takes time. It can take two to three weeks for the lending library to process the request and send it out. Please plan ahead.

Purchase a copy When all else fails, print and microfiche copies are available for sale from Dissertations and Theses above.

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Ask A Librarian

Maira Bundza
maira.bundza@wmich.edu
269-387-5207
Last updated: July 2006