A thesis is a lengthy research paper that presents original research and findings. It is typically required for the completion of a postgraduate degree, such as a Master's or Doctorate (PhD). Theses are often hundreds of pages long and represent a significant contribution to knowledge in a particular field of study.
As a university student, you might need to search for and consult PhD theses at various stages of your academic journey.
For undergraduate students, theses can provide in-depth insights and advanced research methodologies for final year projects or dissertations.
At postgraduate level, master's students often review doctoral-level studies to understand current research and position their own work, while PhD students conduct comprehensive literature reviews to guide their research direction and ensure originality.
Regardless of your level of study, consulting PhD theses can elevate your research, expose you to scholarly writing standards, and deepen your subject expertise.
There are several online repositories where you can search for and access PhD theses:
Abertay University's Research Portal: lists all Abertay PhD theses and some Masters by Research (MbR) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil )theses. To find a thesis, simply visit the Research Portal and search by title, author, or keywords. Many of the theses are freely available for you to read and download. However, please note that some theses may be under a temporary embargo.
If you have a query about a particular thesis on the research portal that you are unable to access, email repository@abertay.ac.uk.
Masters by Research (MbR) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) theses published from 2016 onwards are also available on the research portal. Older MbR and MPhil theses are available in print in the Library and are discoverable using LibrarySearch. if you are unable to find a thesis email: library@abertay.ac.uk.
EThOS: A British Library service providing full text access (where available) to theses from UK institutions. Please note that EThOS is still unavailable after a serious ransomware attack on the British Library in late 2023
It is free of charge to join, but you need to register for an account in order to download theses. Theses that are not currently available full text can be requested, but may incur a fee.
Not all UK universities take part in EThOS (notably Oxford and Cambridge), but most universities have their own repositories to store/disseminate research at their institution. Many are freely available to access. If you require a doctoral thesis from another institution please contact interlibrary@abertay.ac.uk
A growing number of open access thesis repositories is becoming available including:
DART-Europe E-Theses Portal: Access to over 1.3 million electronic research theses from hundreds of universities across Europe. The theses listed are open access and available in full, without charge.
Open Access Theses and Dissertations: Indexes over 7 million theses and dissertations from more than 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions worldwide.
EBSCO Open Dissertations: Open access to 1.5 million electronic theses and dissertations from 320 worldwide universities.
PQDT Open: Provides free, open access to mainly U.S. dissertations and theses.
NDLTD (Networked Library of Theses and Dissertations: An Open Access Initiative union catalogue of theses and dissertations from many countries, which are all immediately available electronically via links to institutional repositories.
If you need more help finding specific theses and dissertations, please contact us at library@abertay.ac.uk
Last modified by Library Services