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Researchers: Finding PhD Thesis

Thesis

A thesis is a published piece of written work embodying the results of original research for the award of a higher degree from an academic institution. 

Reasons for consulting a thesis include:

  • For use as an information resource relevant to your research topic, i.e. you may like to refer to and cite a thesis;
  • To ensure that your proposed topic of research has not already been substantially covered by somebody else;
  • To become acquainted with recent trends, methodologies and approaches in your subject;
  • To gain understanding about what is expected of you if you are undertaking a research degree, and to gain ideas for structure, tone, language, layout etc.

Aston University research theses have been deposited in electronic format in the University repository called Aston Publications Explorer.

Finding Thesis at Aston University

Aston University theses are indexed and discoverable on SmartSearch. Carry out a search on SmartSearch using your topic, or search for your school or department directly. Once you have generated some results, use the "Refine Results" filters in the left-hand side of the page and scroll down to "Material Type".  Select "Dissertations/Thesis" (you may need to click "Show more" to get this option).

SmartSearch will link you to British Library's EThOS service

Please note the following:

  • Occasionally an author may place an embargo on a thesis if any of its content is commercially valuable or confidential.

Finding UK Thesis

To search for research theses across the UK, the British Library's EThOS service is highly recommended. EThOS is the British Library’s e-theses service and provides access to over 500,000 doctoral theses.  Many are available for immediate download (registration is required, but this is free and straightforward to do), and for others you can request that the printed version be digitised. If you are requesting digitisation of a thesis, a scan fee may apply depending on whether the institution is a participating Higher Education Institution (HEI) – see the list of Participating Institutions for details of members.

Finding International Thesis

The business journal database, Proquest, provides access to dissertations that have been published as open access sources.  You can search by topic, author or University.  Once you have results, you can use the "Refine Results" option on the left-hand side to filter by "Source Type".  Then choose "Dissertations/Thesis" you may need to select the "Show More" option.  The database includes millions of searchable citations to theses from 1861 to the present day.  Each thesis published since July 1980 includes a 350-word abstract. Simple bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1637. 24-page previews of theses are provided where possible.

Another option when searching for theses globally is to consult e-theses repositories available from other countries. The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations contains a breakdown of e-theses repositories by country.