WISER: Focus on…Theses and DissertationsThis session offers guidance on finding theses, both those held in Oxford University Libraries and those from other institutions in the UK and abroad. It will demonstrate how to exploit the main sources of information for theses and dissertations: OLIS; Index to Theses (UK and Ireland); Dissertations and Theses.

Mat Andrews

What will you learn in this session?

• How to use OLIS and other catalogues to find Oxford and other universities’ theses in Oxford University Libraries

• How to find theses relevant to your research held elsewhere in the world

• How to obtain copies of theses not held in Oxford

• How to undertake basic searches on Index to Theses and Dissertations and Theses

Finding a thesis or dissertation (in six points)

1. look it up using OLIS or SOLO - especially if you already have the thesis details

2. check for full-text online theses (mainly recent theses)

3. find details of the thesis you want using online union catalogues, thesis catalogues or bibliographic databases

4. check OLIS or SOLO (if you did not already have the thesis details)

5. check card catalogues for older theses held in Oxford

6. if it is not available in Oxford make an inter-library loan request or ask your subject librarian to purchase a copy

Finding Oxford theses

aw=thesis maas sw=robert barnes nw=d.phil

aw=theology thesis

aw=theology thesis nw=macculloch

Finding theses written at other universities and held in Oxford

1.Try SOLO (add thesis) or OLIS (add thesis as a notes keyword)

3. Bodleian card catalogue of pre-1973 foreign dissertations – ask in the Special Collections Reading Room. Includes:

l American PhD theses on film

l (Continental) European PhD print theses

2. Electronic dissertation collections and full-text resources (i.e. OAIster) via OxLIP+ or

http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/libraries/subjects/reference/theses

N.B: some theses may take up to three days to arrive

Finding British and Irish thesesIndex to Theses: via OXLIP or at:

http://www.theses.com/

Comprehensive and education and Wales "Comprehensive education" and Wales

Maltzahn; MiltonMilton; Cambridge

A2d (Christian religion – Individual Theologians – studies of 2007)

Fish; 2008

Finding British and Irish thesesIndex to Theses: via OXLIP+ or at:

http://www.theses.com/

Finding British and Irish thesesIndex to Theses: via OXLIP or at:

http://www.theses.com/

Inter-library loans:

Printout from Index to Theses, plus completed application form and Thesis Declaration Form

Finding British and Irish thesesIndex to Theses: via OXLIP+ or at:

http://www.theses.com/

Finding American (U.S.) theses

Dissertation and Theses via OXLIP+.

Comprehensive and education and Wales

"Comprehensive education" and Wales Sarah E. Lees; Commune Paris Commune; New York Atmosphere; Antarctic

Finding American (U.S.) theses

Dissertation and Theses via OXLIP+.

Inter-library loans:Printout from Dissertation and Theses, with your name

and email address

Or contact your subject librarian:http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/libraries/subjects/librarians

Finding other thesesl Dissertation and Theses:

Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden….

l Other theses – only databases: e.g. TESEO (Spanish)

Further links and information at:http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/libraries/subjects/reference/theses

l International union catalogues: WorldCat, Karlsruher Virtueller Katalog (can search many...) including national union and national library catalogues (find individual catalogues in the European Library via SOLO or OxLIP+)

l Subject bibliographical databases: RILM

l COPAC: British research libraries union catalogue

• All those consulting Oxford theses must sign a form at the front of the thesis recognising the author’s copyright.

Remember!

• If you are using a print copy of a thesis borrowed from another university, please check to see if you need to sign a form at the front of the thesis.

•Ask an Oxford Librarian: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/ask/ •oxford.theses@ouls.ox.ac.uk•Main Enquiry Desk (2)77162

Any questions?