LibGuides: History: Theses

Finding Theses

A thesis is a substantial document presenting the author's research and findings, submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree. You may wish to find relevant theses:

to read about research in more detail than the word-limit of a journal article allows
when your topic is not well covered by the journal article literature
to see an example of what is required for your own submission
where you have a reference to a thesis

Ethos This link opens in a new window ***You will need to register to use the system and login before you can order theses, though you will be able to search without registering.*** EThOS offers free access to the full text of UK theses. The service will digitise theses on request into pdf format rather than on microfilm to ensure a clearer copy is produced from the original.
Information on requesting a thesis
DART: Europe E-theses Portal This link opens in a new window The DART-Europe E-theses Portal is a searchable database of electronic research theses held in European repositories. The theses listed are open access - publicly available, in full, without charge. The DART-Europe Portal does not store theses, but it provides a link to at least one electronic copy of every thesis listed in its database.

Using PhD theses in research: EThOS

Understanding references for theses

The reference for a thesis looks like this:

Author surname, initial. (year). Title of thesis. Type of degree/thesis. University: Country.

For example:

Morris-Adams, M. (2008). Coherence and understanding in informal conversations between native and non-native speakers of English. PhD thesis. Aston University: UK.

History: Theses

Finding Theses

Using PhD theses in research: EThOS

Understanding references for theses

Aston Research Explorer