Dissertations and Theses

Theses and Dissertations are terms used to describe major research papers prepared by senior university students, as a degree requirement.

Theses are usually:

lengthy, formal papers usually written by candidates for a master's or doctoral degree at academic institutions (and sometimes by 4th year students);
papers containing original research on a specific topic;
also referred to as dissertations, particularly when written for a doctorate (PhD).

Theses and dissertations are extended scholarly essays that incorporate original research on a specific topic. When it is successfully completed, a copy is kept at the institution and a copy is sent to the National Library (in most countries).

Every University keeps a copy of theses successfully completed by its students. Sometimes these theses might also be available on loan (ILL), or online from the home institution or another service. Usually a copy of a thesis can be purchased.

Trent Theses

A thesis written by a Trent University student should be available in the Trent University Archives. When a thesis is complete, a print copy is sent to the Archives for preservation. These theses are available for viewing only in the Archives Reading Room and cannot be signed out. All available Trent theses are listed in TOPCAT. There is a lag time between the completion of the thesis and its availability in the Archives.

Some Trent theses are available from other sources, such as the National Library's Theses Canada (1998-August 2002) or ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - Full Text.

Trent theses are only loaned to other libraries (ILL) on microform, if available.

Access to Theses

The following sources can be used to obtain a thesis. Some theses might be available in full text online, while others might only be purchased or borrowed in print or on microform.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - Full Text	The Trent Library subscribes to this database, which provides access to world-wide dissertations and theses, many in full text. It includes over 2.7 million dissertation and theses citations from 1861 to the present day, and 1 million full text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full text coverage for older graduate works.
TOPCAT	All Trent University theses are available in the Trent University Archives and are listed in TOPCAT when they become available. Any thesis purchased by the library is also listed in TOPCAT.
RACER (Interlibrary Loans)	Place an order for a thesis and we'll try to borrow a copy for you. Many institutions, like Trent, do not loan original copies of theses, but a microform version may be available. You can use microform in the readers at our library. You must know the correct title and author to request the item. Use sources such as existing bibliographies or databases listed here to find this information, then place an order through RACER.
Theses Canada	This is your central access point for Canadian theses and information about the Theses Canada program. From here you will be able to: Search AMICUS, Canada's national online catalogue, for bibliographic records of all theses in Library and Archives Canada's theses collection, which was established in 1965; Access and search the full text electronic versions of numerous Canadian theses and dissertations (1998-August 2002); Find out everything you need to know about Theses Canada, including how to find a thesis, how our program works, information on copyright and much more. (from the website) This is a free website, available to the public. You can search for a particular thesis by title or author, or you can search for theses on a topic.
Scirus	Scirus is the most comprehensive science-specific search engine on the Internet. Use an Advanced Search and limit to "Theses and Dissertations". Use for scientific topics. Search for titles, authors, or subjects.
Google Scholar	Many theses are available online free of charge. Use this search engine to find them. To view the GetIt @ Trent link go to Google Scholar Preferences, search library links, select Trent University and save preferences. (See our webpage on Using Google.)
Specific Canadian University Sites	Some universities make theses available to the public online. Search the website to find information. Here are some Canadian University theses sites: Concoria University: SPECTRUM Research Repository McGill University: eScholarship@McGill McMaster University: DigitalCommons@McMaster Ryerson University: Digital Commons Simon Fraser University: Institutional Repository Queen's University: QSpace Université de Montréal: Papyrus Université du Québec à Montréal: Archipel Université Laval: Mémoires et thèses électroniques University of Alberta: ERA (Education and Research Archive) University of British Columbia: cIRcle University of Calgary: DSpace University of Guelph: Atrium University of Manitoba: MSpace University of Ottawa: uO Research University of Regina: oURspace University of Saskatchewan: ETD Project University of Victoria: DSpace University of Waterloo: UWSpace University of Western Ontario: Scholarship@Western University of Winnipeg: WinnSpace York University: YorkSpace
EThOS (British Library)	Search engine for UK theses. Some are available online for free and others can be purchased directly from the site.
UMI	If the thesis you want is not available from another source, you may be able purchase a copy directly from University Microfilms International (UMI), an American institution. The Trent Library does not subsidize this purchase. To order from UMI, go to the site to search for the dissertation/thesis you want and follow the instructions for ordering. The cost (about $40.00 US) is provided before you purchase. Usually there is a choice between paper or .pdf format. Delivery of a .pdf purchase made by credit card is typically 1 day. Cheques and print copies take longer. See the site for more details.
WorldCat	WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information. WorldCat is useful for identifying the titles and authors of dissertations/theses. Select Thesis/Dissertation from the Subtype limits (Content) menu to narrow your WorldCat search results. Once identified, you can order a thesis through RACER.
Center for Research Libraries	Trent is a member of the Center for Research Libraries. This institution makes available more than 4.5 million publications, archives, and collections and one million digital resources to its member libraries to supplement their own humanities, science, and social science holdings. Included in their holdings are over 800,000 international dissertations. Use RACER to order items on loan.

Obtaining a Thesis

Some of the resources listed above provide the full text of the thesis. If the thesis you need is not available online, submit a request through RACER and we'll look for a copy available on loan. A thesis on loan is likely to arrive in microform format, which can only be used in the library.

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Last Modified: August 31, 2011
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