Theses

How do I find:

How can I make copies from all or part of:

How do I search for theses using:

Where can I find full text theses online?

How do I find out about current research?

Oxford theses

Please use SOLO to find most Oxford theses. All non-science D.Phils, all non-science masters theses from 1994, all Law theses, all postgraduate science theses from 1995, and all science D.Phils from 1988, and many individual theses outside these categories, are catalogued on SOLO.

Oxford University libraries hold nearly all Oxford postgraduate theses in the humanities where a deposit requirement is stipulated by the University; all D.Phil. (doctoral) theses, all B.D. theses, all B.Litt./M.Litt. theses since Michaelmas Term 1953, and most B.Phil./M.Phil. theses since Michaelmas Term 1977 (many authors of B.Phil./M.Phil. theses fail to supply a deposit copy). Theses are mainly found in libraries that cover the subject of the thesis and are usually kept in a confined or stack area. Most postgraduate non-science theses (all those not held elsewhere) are kept in the central Bodleian stack and must be ordered from the stack to be read in Duke Humfrey’s Library. Those in the Radcliffe Science Library (postgraduate science theses), Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies (theses on sub-Saharan Africa, the Commonwealth excluding South Asia, and slavery after the classical period) and the Vere Harmsworth Library (United States Studies) are kept in their stack areas and in most cases can be ordered to the reading room using the automated stack request system function of OLIS. M.Phils in Social Anthropology are held at the Tylor Library, Material and Visual Anthropology and some older Prehistoric Archaeology theses at the Balfour Library, and some M.Phils in Classical Archaeology and European Archaeology at the Sackler Library. The Social Science Library holds a significant collection of taught-course graduate theses including: MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice; MPhil in Economics; MPhil in Development Studies (selected); MPhil and MSc in Comparative Social Policy; and the MPhil and MSc in Evidence Based Social Intervention.  In addition, a range of other social science theses are deposited in the SSL on a voluntary basis.  Theses are held on open-shelf and can be browsed by Dept / Course / year.  All theses for courses currently taught in Oxford are catalogued on SOLO, and work is in progress to catalogue older theses (particularly the archive received from the Department of Social Policy and Social Work).Theses submitted to the Faculty of Law are held at the Bodleian Law Library.

Use Index to Theses to find bibliographic details of Oxford theses not on SOLO. To find the shelfmarks of such theses, please use the card catalogues in the Radcliffe Science Library’s Lankester Room (Level 2) for science theses not on SOLO, and in Duke Humfrey’s Library in the Old Bodleian Library for non-science theses that are not on SOLO. Ask staff in these rooms how to order theses listed in the card catalogues.

Links to full or partial digital copies of a growing number of more recent Oxford theses are given on SOLO. These digital theses and some others can also be found in the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) via OxLIP+ (see below for how to search this resource). Please consult the Terms and Conditions of use on the record for each thesis. The Oxford eTheses pages give more information about this resource.

Please note that all those who consult an Oxford thesis, whether in Oxford or elsewhere, are required to sign a declaration recognising that the copyright of the thesis rests with the author and that no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior consent of the author. Some Oxford theses cannot be consulted without the author's permission.

Obtaining copies of or from an Oxford thesis

Copying of Oxford theses, even of a single page, may require the author's written permission. This, or a photocopy of it, must be submitted to reading room staff before such an order can be accepted. The annual successful candidates list, found in Duke Humfrey's Library, gives the college, and the respective college development office can generally forward the letter. Restrictions will apply to many items; please ask staff in the Special Collections Reading Room or Duke Humfrey's Library for guidance or email oxford.theses@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Digital copies of theses and copies made for library or institutional use always require the author's written permission.

Theses from other UK universities

The Bodleian has purchased copies of some UK theses. These can be found on SOLO and may be ordered up from the bookstack.

A number of early theses accepted for higher degrees and published before 1973 are held in the Bodleian but are not yet catalogued on SOLO. These holdings can be found in the Foreign Dissertations Catalogue card index. This catalogue is unfortunately not currently available to readers. Access to material in this catalogue is via staff at the Main Enquiry Desk in the Lower Reading Room of the Old Bodeian Library. Please email: reader.services@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Index to Theses can be used to locate theses accepted for higher degrees at Universities in Great Britain and Ireland since 1716. It also provides abstracts of these theses. This database can be found on OxLIP+.

Many theses from other UK universities are available to be downloaded for free from the British Library's EThOS service.

Theses from other UK universities may be requested via interlibrary loan.  Please complete both sides of the standard interlibrary loan form, and hand this to staff at your library enquiry desk (for example, Main Enquiry Desk in the central Bodleian) with a completed Thesis Declaration Form, and printouts from Index to Theses or COPAC so that they have full details of what you need and where it can be found. Interlibrary loans staff will contact you by email when the item has arrived. Please note that it may not be possible to obtain some theses due to restrictions on lending placed by the author of the thesis or the institution at which it is held. Cambridge University theses are not available for interlibrary loan and must be consulted in Cambridge.

The standard subsidised fee will apply for applications for interlibrary loans of UK theses made by current members of Oxford University. Readers who are not current members of Oxford University will be charged differently; we recommend that such readers use the facilities provided by their own institution or their local public library.

Obtaining copies of or from UK university theses

Copying from theses obtained on microfilm via interlibrary loan is not permitted. Many theses from other UK universities are available to be downloaded for free from the British Library's EThOS service (http://ethos.bl.uk).

It may be possible to copy from a paper thesis obtained via interlibrary loan. Enquiry and reserve desk staff may be able to advise, but in the central Bodleian may direct you to the interlibrary loans section 01865 (2)77069 or docsupply@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Theses from universities in the United States

Oxford University Libraries have purchased copies of some US theses. These can be found on SOLO and may be ordered up from storage.

Some American theses accepted for higher degrees and published before 1973 are held in the Bodleian but are not yet catalogued on SOLO. These holdings can be found in the Foreign Dissertations Catalogue card index. This catalogue is unfortunately not currently available to readers. Access to material in this catalogue is via staff at the Main Enquiry Desk in the Lower Reading Room of the Old Bodeian Library. Please email: reader.services@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Dissertation and Theses is a useful tool for locating US theses. This is a comprehensive database for dissertations beyond Great Britain dating from 1861 to the present. 350 word abstracts are included for titles published since July 1980. More than 47,000 titles and 12,000 new theses are added each year.

This database can be accessed through OxLIP+. See information about using Dissertations and Theses. 

British Library Document Supply Services have a collection of American theses which begins in the 1950s and ends in 1999. Search for the thesis on Dissertations and Theses, and take a print-out of the citation to the central Bodleian's Main Enquiry Desk, where staff will then contact the British Library Document Supply Services to check whether there is a stock copy, and arrange for you to make an application if there is.

If the thesis is not held by the British Library it may be considered for purchase; enquiry desk staff will direct you to the relevant subject librarian.

It is also useful to check COPAC, which gives access to the online catalogues of some of the largest university research libraries in the UK, to see if the thesis has been purchased by another UK library. Such theses may be obtained by current members of Oxford University via interlibrary loan for the standard subsidised fee. Please ensure that both sides of the inter-library loan form are completed correctly as incomplete forms cannot be processed. All applications must be accompanied by a complete Thesis Declaration Form.  Interlibrary loans staff will contact you by email and letter when the item has arrived.

Readers who are not current members of Oxford University will be charged differently for interlibrary loans; we recommend that such readers use the facilities provided by their own institution or their local public library.

Obtaining copies of US university theses

Alternatively readers may purchase copies of filmed American theses (prices start at $41 for a digital download) via Dissertations and Theses via OxLIP+ .

Copying from theses obtained on microfilm via interlibrary loan is not permitted.

Readers may purchase copies of filmed American theses via Dissertations and Theses. For dissertations dating from 1997 onwards the first 24 pages are available free online, usually including the contents and all or part of the introduction.

Theses from universities elsewhere in the world

Oxford University Libraries hold copies of many theses. These can be found on SOLO and may be ordered up from the bookstack.

Many continental European theses accepted for higher degrees and published before 1973 are held in the Bodleian but are not yet catalogued on SOLO. These holdings can be found in the Foreign Dissertations Catalogue card index. This catalogue is unfortunately not currently available to readers. Access to material in this catalogue is via staff at the Main Enquiry Desk in the Lower Reading Room of the Old Bodeian Library. Please email: reader.services@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

It is also useful to check COPAC, which gives access to the online catalogues of some of the largest university and research libraries in the UK and Ireland, to see if the thesis has been purchased by one of these libraries. Such theses may be obtained by current members of Oxford University by interlibrary loan for a the standard subsidised fee. Please ensure that both sides of the interlibrary loan form are completed correctly as incomplete forms cannot be processed. All applications must be accompanied by a complete Thesis Declaration Form. Interlibrary loans staff will contact you by email and letter when the item has arrived.

Readers who are not current members of Oxford University will be charged differently; we recommend that such readers use the facilities provided by their own institution or their local public library.

Dissertations and Theses is a useful tool for locating theses from beyond Great Britain dating from 1861 to the present. Although the majority are US theses, Dissertations and Theses also includes many European, Canadian and Mexican theses.

This database can be accessed through OxLIP+ . See information about using Dissertations and Theses. 

More specific bibliographic resources for finding theses and dissertations:

Australia: Australasian Digital Theses Program

Canada: Theses Canada allows you to find theses in Library and Archives Canada's theses collection, which was established in 1965. Many Canadian theses dating from 1990 onwards can also be found on Dissertation and Theses.

Europe: DART-Europe E-theses Portal is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses. The DART-Europe partners help to provide researchers with a single European Potal for the discovery of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs), and they participate in advocacy to influence future European e-theses developments. This resources is a search interface for thesis across Europe, containing over 220,200 full text thesis.

France: The Sudoc catalogue lets you search bibliographic information on all types of documents, including theses, held by French academic libraries, as well as other higher educational establishments. Instructions on searching are available in English as well as French.

Germany: All German doctoral theses have to be published (even if in limited runs), and should therefore be more widely available than their British counterparts.

The Deutsche Bibliothek is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany, serving the function of a national library. The ordinary catalogue/hochschulschriften option can be used to search for all German theses. This database can also be searched via Google.

Karlsruhe University hosts a meta search interface or “supra-catalogue” which allows you to simultaneously search across a number of library and book trade catalogues via the web. It is especially useful for searching for German theses, embracing a number of German resources, but also covers Austria, Switzerland and other countries to some extent. Information about searching is also available in English.

The following are commercial sites for German dissertations, but like Dissertations and Theses can be used as bibliographies. Only the first has an English language option:

Ireland: All Irish theses can be found using Index to Theses.

Spain: Bases de Datos de Tesis Doctorales (TESEO) is a Spanish bibliography. There is no English translation available. Some Spanish theses can also be found on Dissertations and Theses.

Alternatively, the catalogues of national libraries may help in tracking down theses from their countries. See:

www.ifla.org/VI/2/p2/national-libraries.htm

Find other libraries through BUBL.

It may be possible for current members of Oxford University to obtain an interlibrary loan of a foreign dissertation from outside the UK. Please ensure that both sides of the interlibrary loan request form is completed correctly as incomplete forms cannot be processed. There is a standard subsidised charge for international interlibrary loans. Interlibrary loans staff will contact you by email when the item has arrived although considerable time may elapse before the thesis arrives.

Readers who are not current members of Oxford University will be charged differently for interlibrary loans; we recommend that such readers use the facilities provided by their own institution or their local public library.

Obtaining copies from other theses

Printed dissertations may be copied up to the normal limits, although some 19th century theses may be subject to conservation restrictions. Please see the photocopying page for more details.

Copying from paper theses obtained through interlibrary loans from international libraries will depend on restrictions imposed by the library lending the item.

Using SOLO to find theses

If the actual title or author of a thesis is known, it may be easy to use a standard keyword search using combined title/author details. However, if the author has a common name, has written many works, the full details of the thesis are not known, or you are looking for theses on a particular subject, a other keyword searches may be useful.

In SOLO you can limit your search to a specific type e.g. Author, Title, Subject using the dropdown menues offered.

Oxford theses

Oxford theses have the word “thesis” in the author field, and therefore can be found using an author keyword search. Example: smith thesis. 

Additional details of theses are also given, usually in the notes field, most importantly the type of degree, and supervisor’s name (post-2000) and these details can also therefore be used in keyword searching. Example: d.phil smith.

These can be combined with normal author, title or subject keywords as required in an anywhere in the record keyword search.
Example: thesis smith Constantinople d.phil

The name of the Oxford faculty can also be used, can the division, faculty/sub-faculty/department, or college (for post-2000 theses).

Theses from other universities

Adding the word thesis as a keyword may help; not all theses from other universities held in Oxford may be catalogued in a uniform way and may not be found by such a search, and this search may well find published works based upon theses, not just unpublished theses.

Using Index to Theses

  • Quick Search takes you to the basic search screen.  This enables you to enter keywords, combined with the boolean operators and, and not, or to search for theses. Example: Comprehensive and education and wales searches for theses with all these words in the thesis details; the phrase search "Comprehensive education" and wales searches for theses with both the phrase "Comprehensive education" and wales in the thesis details. The latter will find more theses specifically about comprehensive education.
  • Simple search allows you to search by keyword for title, author, or within an abstract.
    - it also allows you to limit the results by year or institution.
    - there is also the option to search by subject – scroll through the class list and click to select your chosen area.
  • Standard search allows more advanced searching, combining any of the fields of author, title, year, university, with the boolean operators and and or to further refine the search.

Using Dissertations and Theses

The default Basic search page allows for general keyword searches across all indexes using and, and not, and or to link the keywords as appropriate. Click on the More Search Options tab for specific title, author, subject, and institution (school) searches, and to browse indexes of authors, institutions and subjects. These indexes allow you to add the word or phrase recognised by the database to your search (i.e. University of Oxford (United Kingdom) not Oxford University).

  • The Advanced search tab (at the top of the page) enables keyword searching in specific indexes, including author, title, institution, department, adviser, and language. If you are unsure of the exact details of thesis, you can use the search boxes on this page to find it by combining the key information you do have.
  • In both the Basic and Advanced search pages you can also limit the search by date, by using the boxes at the bottom.
  • Use the Search Tools advice in both the Basic and Advanced pages to undertake more complex and specific searches.
  • Within the list of results, once you have found the record that you are interested in, you can click on the link to obtain a full citation and abstract
  • You can read a 24 page PDF file preview of all theses published since 1997.
  • You also have the option to purchase a copy of the thesis.
  • You can use the back button on your browser to return to your list of citations.
  • The Browse search tab allows searching by subject or by location (i.e. institution). These are given in an alphabetical list. Clicking on a top-level subject reveals subdivisions of the subject. Clicking on a country location reveals lists of institutions in that country. At each level, lists of individual theses for that subject division or from that location are revealed by clicking on View Documents.
  • In Browse search, locations and subject divisions are automatically added to a basic search at the bottom of the page, so you can search within a subject or location by title, author, institution, subject, date, etc, by clicking on Refine Search at the top of the page, or More Search Options at the bottom of the page.

Searching the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA)

Browse in Collections for a list of Oxford Theses.

Use Detailed Search to search by author, title, subject, supervisor, in other record fields, and in the abstract. For example, all theses supervised by a supervisor with the surname Houlsby may be found with the search "supervisor:houlsby". Sort the search by Collection (tick the box)for a link to search results from the theses collection.

Link to this search to obtain the URL to re-run your search in future and RSS feed feature.

Where can I find full text theses online?

Links to full or partial digital copies of a growing number of more recent Oxford theses are given on OLIS. These digital theses and some others can also be found in the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) via OxLIP (see above for how to search this resource). Please consult the Terms and Conditions of use on the record for each thesis. The Oxford eTheses pages give more information about this resource.

Many theses from other UK universities are available to be downloaded for free from the British Library's EThOS service (http://ethos.bl.uk).

The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organisation that promotes electronic theses. It provides a searching facility across many Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) collections. This site can also be found at www.theses.org

OAIster is a union catalogue of digital resources from universities and other institutions from all over the world, and includes many recent theses.

Australia: The Australasian Digital Theses Program provides full-text access to a wide range of Australian (plus some New Zealand) higher degree theses.

Canada: Theses Canada Portal provides full-text access to theses submitted to the Theses Canada programme between 1998 and 31st August 2002.

Europe: DART-Europe E-theses Portal is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses. The DART-Europe partners help to provide researchers with a single European Portal for the discovery of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs), and they participate in advocacy to influence future European e-theses developments. This resources is a search interface for thesis across Europe, containing over 220,200 full text thesis.

France: Cyber-theses was established to enable the diffusion of French electronic theses. An English version of the site is coming soon.

Germany: Open Access to Scientific Literature enables searching of bibliographical data held on various document servers in Germany and abroad. This includes scientific theses, some of which are full-text.

Spain: Virtual Library Miguel de Cervantes makes available a selection of Spanish theses, with the addition of some theses from American universities written in Spanish. The catalogue is not available in English.

Sweden:

  • Lund University Dissertations provides information on doctoral theses presented at the university since 1996 containing citations with abstracts and a growing number of full-text theses.
  • Karolinska Institutet has information on its doctoral theses from 1995 onwards. Full text is available for some theses.

How do I find out about current research?

Information about current historical research and recently completed theses can be found at the Institute of Historical Research.

Thesa provides information about doctoral theses on aspects of engineering and management currently being researched at accredited higher education establishments in France.