Finding theses and dissertations
- Theses accepted by UniSA, and theses held in the UniSA Library
- Using databases
- Using search engines
- Training
Theses accepted by UniSA, and theses held in the UniSA Library
You can find theses held in the UniSA Library by using the catalogue Quick Search option and searching for author or title.
You can also find theses by using one of the keyword searches in the catalogue, such as the Guided keyword search, and typing the word thesis and a keyword eg physics. You may find a few titles in your search that are not theses, but are about writing theses.
If you want to search by School, Research Centre or Institute, type in thesis,
and some keywords from the institution eg social work university south.
Caution: Schools change their names. Sometimes the name
of the School does not appear in the description. If it is not evident from
the work that the item is a thesis, the thesis note may not be included and
the work will not appear in your results.
You can also add the abbreviation for the award eg ma, hons, dba, phd? or ph.d.
Caution: the abbreviation for phd can appear as either phd or ph.d on
the catalogue:
- To find only UniSA theses add
the abbreviation phd? to any keyword search. (Using the ? truncation symbol with phd finds variations
such as PhDAppliedScience, PhDHealthSciences, PhDBusinessAdministration,
PhDArchitectureandDesign etc).
eg to find UniSA education theses at phd level type:education and thesis and phd?
- To find all theses in the catalogue
use the Keyword (using and, or, not) option in the Quick Search screen and add phd? as well as "ph.d" to your search. (Double quotes are needed around "ph.d" as the full stop makes the abbreviation into a phrase).
eg to find all education theses at phd level type:education and thesis and (phd? OR "ph.d")
You can sort your results by date to bring the most recent theses to the top of your list by using the Sort by window and selecting Publish date descending from the drop-down menu.
The catalogue will link to electronic versions of UniSA theses submitted as part of the Australasian Digital Theses Program. Digital theses are listed in the catalogue as part of the eThesis Collection. For example, see the catalogue record for:
-
Exploring what the doing does--: a poststructural analysis of nurses' subjectivity in relation to pain
Author: Price, Kay
All UniSA Higher Degree theses should be held in the DM (Deposit Materials) collection. Campus libraries may also hold theses accepted by the School, Institute or Research Centre located on that campus. Please note that in many instances they are for use in the Library only.
Using databases
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses is a source of information about doctoral dissertations and master's theses. The database represents the work of authors from over 1,000 North American graduate schools and European universities. Entries from 1997 onwards have a preview link, which allows you to view the first 24 pages of a thesis or dissertation.
If you find some references relevant to your research, you can order the thesis online using your own funds, or send your Academic Librarian the bibliographic details and a copy may be ordered for the Library, but please check with your supervisor first
Although most UK theses are available for loan through the British Library, we usually have to buy theses awarded in North America, at a cost of about US$60 each.
Australasian Digital Theses (ADT) Program
The ADT Program aims to create one central searchable database of digitised theses produced at Australian universities. The database provides access to PhD and Masters by Research theses only. UniSA is a participant in the program and our theses are gradually being added to this database.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
Under the auspices of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the NDLTD aims to provide a digital library of theses and dissertations. There are links to other sites with ETDs (Electronic Theses and Dissertations) throughout the world.
Index to Theses (Great Britain and Ireland) (opens in new window)
With abstracts accepted for higher degrees by the Universities of Great Britain and Ireland. This abstracting and indexing service covers higher degree theses published from 1970 onwards. These are usually available through interlibrary loan from the British Library, but often only in microfilm format.
Using search engines
By using a search engine you may discover students currently working on their thesis. You can search using keywords including the word theses or thesis or dissertation(s) and list or catalog or catalogue or collection.
Training
The Library provides a suite of face to face training and online workshops for UniSA staff and postgraduate students to assist in the development and updating of information skills necessary to undertake research.
For details of oncampus training, booking information and availability of sessions at each campus refer to Strategies for Successful Research (SSR). The Library also provides online training to support your learning and research.
For additional assistance with finding theses, contact your Divisional Academic Librarian