university of london library thesis

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Finding SOAS PhD Theses in the Library Catalogue

All SOAS PhD theses can be found through the  Library catalogue and this will tell you if there is a digital copy which can be viewed online.

• Search by author or title if you know the details of the particular thesis you would like to see
• To browse our PhD thesis collection enter ‘Thesis’ in the search box and select ‘Classmark’ in the drop-down menu
• To limit your search of theses to a particular subject then click on ‘Advanced’ select ‘Add Search Field’ and enter keywords into the new search box
• If a digital copy of the PhD thesis is available for you to view online there will either be a note in the catalogue record or a separate entry for the digital copy

Using Printed Copies of SOAS PhD Theses

• SOAS keeps printed copies of all PhD Theses and they can be consulted in our Special Collections Reading Room on Level F
• All printed PhD theses need to be ordered before you visit the Reading Room. Once you have found the PhD thesis you need you can fill in an online order form through the ‘Order archive material’ link from the catalogue record of the PhD thesis. Alternatively you can fill in an order form available from the Library Enquiry Desk or Special Collections Reading Room
• Before you consult any SOAS PhD thesis in the Special Collections Reading Room you will be asked to fill in a Data Protection Declaration
• You are permitted to photograph a maximum of 5% of a PhD thesis or one complete chapter (whichever is the greatest) for personal research purposes only
• Please note that some of our printed PhD theses are currently unavailable to consult in Special Collections because they are being digitized. If this is a case you will find a note on the Library Catalogue record for the PhD thesis
• If the printed thesis you need is affected please write to [email protected] for further assistance

Using Digital Copies of SOAS PhD Theses

• A significant number of SOAS PhD theses have been made available freely online (with permission from the author) through SOAS Research Online since 2011
• You can browse the latest PhD theses via SOAS Research Online or you can search by author or title if you know the details of the thesis you need
• Some PhD theses in SOAS Research Online are restricted for a period of time at the request of the author. They will only become available digitally once this restriction period has expired
• A number of our PhD theses (dated before 2011) are available via the British Library EThOS service. You can search the EThOS database to check if a PhD thesis is available
• SOAS will be making a significant proportion of our PhD thesis collection available online in 2018 due to our work with Proquest who are digitizing our backrun of PhD Theses. If you cannot find a digital copy through the SOAS Library catalogue then please check ProQuest’s Dissertations and Theses database

Finding PhD theses from Other Institutions

To find PhD theses produced at other institutions we recommend you use the following resources

• British Library EThOS Service
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection
• EBSCO Open Dissertations
• DART - Europe E-Theses Portal
• Shodhganga - Indian Theses
• Theses Canada Portal
• SOAS Interlibrary Loan Service
• Other Library Catalogues

SOAS PhD Digitization Project

SOAS is currently working with  Proquest to digitize our entire collection of PhD theses. The results of this project will mean that theses will be made available to anyone to read, without charge, via SOAS Research Online . In addition, a copy will be added to ProQuest’s Dissertations and Theses online database, a very well established database used by students and researchers internationally.

Please note that this may affect access to the printed library copy of some theses in 2018, if this is the case there will be a note in the catalogue records of the individual thesis. Once a PhD thesis is added to SOAS Research Online you will be able to find a link to the digital copy via the SOAS Library Catalogue.

We have written to our SOAS PhD graduates by letter and email to ask authors to opt-out of the project if they do not want their thesis to be digitized. If you are an author of a SOAS PhD thesis and did not receive this communication and do not want your thesis to be included in the project please let us know by writing to [email protected] Please note any thesis submitted from 2011 onwards is not included in this project as authors have already selected whether they wish to have their thesis digitized and these existing agreements will stand.

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If there is no PDF option for a dissertation, this means that the full-text of that dissertation is not available.

Dissertations (ProQuest: UK and Ireland‎)

This database is the most comprehensive available record of doctoral theses from the United Kingdom and Ireland, with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland, since 1716. There are no full-text dissertations in this database.

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This database was formerly known as LexisLibrary.

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Oxford Handbooks Online

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Contains full-text online editions of market-leading reference works and treatises published by Oxford University Press, such as Oppenheim, and the Oxford Commentaries on International Law.

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Scopus is a multidisciplinary abstract and citation database from Elsevier, with over 91 million records. 

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The Onlne Library's subscription covers two collections of journals: the Science and Technology Collection, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Collection.  

The Times Digital Archive 1785 - 1985

The complete digital edition of The Times (London) 1785 - 1985.

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PhD (doctoral) theses

Accessing our collection of Goldsmiths PhD (doctoral) theses.

Primary page content

On this page:

Print theses in the Library

Digital copies in gro and ethos, using library search to find theses, finding practice research theses on gro, finding creative writing theses on gro.

Until 2020, a single copy of all Goldsmiths PhD (doctoral) theses were deposited in the Library, in the same year that they were awarded. In the 2020-21 academic year, PhD candidates were asked to deposit their final thesis in digital format only as an interim adjustment due to Covid-19. Please see  the Graduate School guidance on thesis deposit formats .

All print copies of PhD theses held in the library are discoverable on Library Search .

Printed theses are for reference only and cannot be borrowed, because they are unique. Theses are not available for browsing on the open shelves and are instead held in our store.

Print theses can be consulted in the Library upon request by using the ‘Place a hold’ function on Library Search .  Guidance on using the ‘Place a hold’ function  is also available. Requested theses can be collected from the Library Help Desk during opening hours .

Most printed theses may be photocopied, but do check the coversheet inside as that will tell you what permission the author has given for copying. If no restrictions are specified then you can copy no more than 5% of the thesis, or one chapter, provided it is for research or private study. 

Please note that University of London theses were held at Senate House Library until 2010, but were then transferred back to the home institution so there are no print copies of Goldsmiths theses held at Senate House Library.

Digital copies of many Goldsmiths PhD (doctoral) theses are available from two sources:

• Goldsmiths Research Online (GRO)
• EThOS , the British Library's collection of UK theses

Theses completed on or after 1 June 2010 are collected in Goldsmiths Research Online (GRO) and also made available in the British Library's EThOS service.

Copyright restrictions mean that it is not possible to make all theses available in GRO or EThOS. In some cases, embargoes are requested by authors following the completion of their thesis. This means that the bibliographic details and abstract of the thesis is available on GRO but the full text cannot be downloaded. Embargoes are not permanent and it is rare that an embargo will extend beyond the standard length of 36 months.

Theses from before 2010, originally deposited in Senate House Library, which are not yet available digitally can usually be requested for digitisation from EThOS. You will need to register with EThOS to make a digitisation request, but there is no charge for requesting a digital copy of a Goldsmiths thesis, because Goldsmiths is an open access sponsor of EThOS.

Some theses completed before 2010 have been digitised and are available in GRO and ETHoS. If you completed your thesis at Goldsmiths before 2010, we would encourage you to make a digital copy of your thesis available. Please contact the Goldsmiths Research Online team on gro (@gold.ac.uk) , if you would like to know more about making a digital copy of your thesis available.

How to find theses on Library Search

All print copies of PhD theses held in the Library are on Library Search . Theses with access to the full text on GRO can also be found on Library Search. Some theses from other UK universities that are available on the British Library EThOS service can also be found on Library Search (you will need to register for a free EThOS account in order to download theses through the service).

To find a specific PhD thesis, you can search for the author or title on Library Search .

The results may include both print and digital copies of the thesis.

Digital copies will have an ‘Online access’ or ‘Full text available’ link. For Goldsmiths theses, the ‘Online access’ link will take you to the copy of the full text thesis on Goldsmiths Research Online . For theses from other institutions, the link will take you to the record held on the British Library EThOS service.

Print copies will list the Dewey classmark.

To find theses on a particular subject area or discipline, you can perform a keyword search on Library Search and then use the ‘Refine my results’ options on the right of the results page to filter your results to ‘Theses’.

You can also use the ‘Advanced Search’ function to search for theses only by selecting ‘Theses’ in the ‘Material Type’ field.

How to find theses on GRO

GRO offers some search options that are not available on Library Search and it is recommended if you wish to find theses produced by a specific department or find theses which make use of practice research or creative writing methods.

Please note that some theses listed on GRO are under embargo and full text is not currently accessible.

Finding theses on GRO for a specific department

Navigate to  GRO . From the landing page, use the drop-down menu on the right hand side to select "Advanced Search". In "Advanced Search" select "Thesis" as the item type.

In the "Departments, Centres and Research Units" field, select the appropriate department. To select more than one department, hold down the "Ctrl" (PC) or "Cmd" (Mac) key while clicking on the relevant departments.

In the “Full Text Status” field select “Public” to search for theses with full text availability. If you want to see all theses held on GRO for the department regardless of full text status leave all the boxes unticked.

Hit the “Search” button at the bottom of the page.

Navigate to  GRO . From the landing page, use the drop-down menu on the right-hand side to select "Advanced Search". In "Advanced Search" select "Thesis" as the item type.

In the keywords field enter the word "Practice". Although alternative terms are used to describe this type of research, entering the term “Practice” will retrieve the fullest range of results in GRO.

In the keywords field enter word "Creative Writing".

If you need further help accessing our doctoral thesis collection please contact gro (@gold.ac.uk) .

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UCL dissertations and theses

The Library holds a copy of most research degree theses completed by students registered at UCL. Print copies of research theses are catalogued by author in  Explore ; electronic versions are in many cases available on open access in  UCL Discovery .

The Library does not normally have copies of UCL:

• MA, MSc, MRes, LLM theses
• Diploma theses
• Undergraduate dissertations

However the following libraries have small local theses collections covering their own subject areas, please contact the relevant library directly for more information:

• Bartlett Library : select exemplars of Masters dissertations are available through UCL's Open Educational Repository .
• Ophthalmology Library  has a very small collection of PhD, MD and MSc dissertations.
• Institute of Orthopaedics Library  has BSc and MSc theses.
• School of Pharmacy Library  has a small collection of MRes theses which date from 2011 – 2014  for reference use in the library. 
• UCL Institute of Education Library  has selected masters dissertations, which are findable in  Explore . Those published after 2000 are openly accessible in the library. All others must be requested in advance. 
• Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Library has examples of past MSc and MRes dissertations.
• The UCL Institute of Archaeology make some available on the dissertation module page in their Moodle.

Some departments may also maintain their own collections. For further details, please contact your departmental administrators. 

• Theses Further Information on repositories and databases for accessing theses held by other institutions.
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Format, bind and submit your thesis: general guidance

You no longer need to submit a physical copy of your thesis. Please refer directly to the “Submit Your Thesis” section below.

This information is for research students submitting a thesis for assessment. It tells you how to:

• format your thesis
• submit your thesis
• bind your thesis (if applicable) 
• submit the final copy of your thesis

There are different requirements for students of fine arts, design, architecture or town planning.

Find out more about these requirements

Format your thesis

UCL theses should be submitted in a specific format, this applies to both the viva and final copies of your thesis. 

View the thesis checklist

Presentation

In the electronic version of your thesis, hyperlinks (including DOIs) should be functional and resolve to the correct webpage.

We would recommend using Arial or Helvetica fonts, at a size of no less than 12.

Find out more about the accessibility guidelines

If printed, please present your thesis in a permanent and legible format.

Illustrations should be permanently mounted on A4 size paper and bound in with the thesis; you may not use sellotape or similar materials.

A4 size paper (210 x 297 mm) should be used. Plain white paper must be used, of good quality and of sufficient opacity for normal reading. Both sides of the paper may be used.

Both sides of the paper may be used.

Margins at the binding edge must not be less than 40 mm (1.5 inches) and other margins not less than 20 mm (.75 inches). Double or one-and-a-half spacing should be used in typescripts, except for indented quotations or footnotes where single spacing may be used.

All pages must be numbered in one continuous sequence, i.e. from the title page of the first volume to the last page of type, in Arabic numerals from 1 onwards. This sequence must include everything bound in the volume, including maps, diagrams, blank pages, etc. Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis (see Illustrative material ).

The title page must bear the following:

• the officially-approved title of the thesis
• the candidates full name as registered
• the institution name 'UCL'
• the degree for which the thesis is submitted

The title page should be followed by a signed declaration that the work presented in the thesis is the candidate’s own e.g.

‘I, [full name] confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis.'

Please see the section below entitled ‘Inclusion of published works in doctoral theses’ for more information about how to indicate when you have re-used material that you have previously published.

The signed declaration should be followed by an abstract consisting of no more than 300 words.

Impact Statement

The abstract should be followed by an impact statement consisting of no more than 500 words. For further information on the content of the Impact Statement, please see the Impact Statement Guidance Notes for Research Students and Supervisors on the Doctoral School's website. 

Find out more about the Impact Statement

Inclusion of published works in doctoral theses

If you have included any work in your thesis that you have published (e.g. in a journal) previously, then you will need to insert a completed copy of the UCL Research Paper Declaration Form into your thesis after the Impact Statement. The form, and information about how to complete it is available on the Doctoral School’s website.

Find out more about the UCL Research Paper Declaration Form

Table of contents

In each copy of the thesis the abstract should be followed by a full table of contents (including any material not bound in) and a list of tables, photographs and any other materials. It is good practice to use bookmarking within the PDF of the thesis in electronic form to allow readers to jump to the relevant section, figure, table etc. from the table of contents.

Illustrative material

Illustrative material may be submitted on a CD-ROM. If you wish to submit material in any other form, your supervisor must contact Research Degrees well in advance of submission of the thesis.

Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed either in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis. If it is separate from the bound volume it must be clearly labelled with the same information as on the title page. Each copy of the thesis submitted must be accompanied by a full set of this material.

Submit your thesis

Viva copies.

You must submit an electronic version of your thesis to via the UCL OneDrive . You no longer need to submit a printed copy unless your examiners ask for this. 

Find out more on how to submit via the UCL OneDrive

We will check your status and if your examiners have been appointed we will forward the thesis directly to them. They will then be able to download the copy of your thesis to prepare for your exam. 

If, following your submission, an examiner requests a hard copy of the thesis, you or your supervisor will need to arrange for this to be printed. Your supervisor or department can arrange for this to be sent directly to the examiner at their preferred postal address, or it can be handed to the  Student Enquiries Centre  during their walk-in operational hours. If submitted to the Student Enquiries Centre, the research degrees team will collect your thesis and post it on to the examiners, but please be aware that collections take place once per week and we cannot guarantee the physical copies will be posted within less than 8-10 working days    UCL’s standard submission of a thesis is electronic, in line with UCL’s sustainability strategy . If an examiner requests a physical thesis copy (this may be due to accessibility requirements of the examiner), you are responsible for making sure that your thesis is correctly printed and bound by the company you select. 

If your examiners have not been appointed, your thesis will be held securely until your examiners have been formally appointed by UCL.

Covid-19 Impact Form

We have developed a form for you to submit with your thesis if you wish to declare an impact on your research.   The form is optional and your choice to complete it or not will have no bearing on the outcome of your examination. It is intended to set the context of examination and is not a plea for leniency. Your examiners will continue to apply the standard criteria as set out in UCL’s Academic Manual and the joint examiners’ form. Please see the publication from the QAA on Advice on Doctoral Standards for Research Students and Supervisors for further support.

You must submit this form as a separate Word document or PDF when you submit your thesis via the UCL Dropbox as detailed in our guidance above.   We will only accept the form if you submit it at the same time that you submit your thesis.  This will apply if you are making an initial submission or a resubmission.

Download the Covid-19 Impact Form

Find out more about the Student Enquiries Centre

Your examination entry form must be received and logged by Research Degrees before you submit your thesis.

Find out more about examination entry

Re-submission

If you need to re-submit you must:

• submit a new examination entry form to the Research Degrees office at least 4 weeks prior to the expected submission of the thesis
• you must submit an electronic version of your thesis to via the UCL OneDrive . You no longer need to submit a printed copy unless your examiners ask for this.  Find out more on how to submit via the UCL OneDrive

We will check your status and confirm that your examiners are willing to review your revised thesis. We will then forward the thesis directly to them. They will be able to download the copy of your thesis for assessment. 

If an external examiner requests a hard copy of the thesis you will need to arrange for this to be printed and submitted to the Student Enquiries Centre during their walk-in operational hours. We will collect your thesis and post it on to the examiners.

Submitting as a Non-Registered Student

If you do not submit your thesis by the end of your period of Completing Research Status, your registration as a student will end at that point. Your supervisor will then need to apply for permission for you to submit your thesis in writing to the Research Degrees section, at least 3 weeks before your expected submission date. You will be charged a submission extension fee at the point you submit your thesis.

Bind your thesis

You no longer need to submit a printed copy unless your examiners specifically request this.

The thesis must be bound securely.  Both sides of the paper may be used.   Illustrations should be permanently mounted and bound in with the thesis.  Illustrative material may be submitted on a separate electronic storage device. If you wish to submit material in any other form, your supervisor must contact Research Degrees well in advance of submission of the thesis.   Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed either in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis. If it is separate from the bound volume it must be clearly labelled with the same information as on the title page. Each copy of the thesis submitted must be accompanied by a full set of this material.  

You are responsible for making sure that your thesis is correctly bound by the company you select.

Final copies

UCL no longer requires a printed copy of your final thesis and we will award your degree once you have met the academic conditions and the Library have confirmed receipt of your e-thesis, the Deposit Agreement form, and you have cleared any outstanding fees.

You will need to deposit an electronic copy of your final thesis (and a completed E-Thesis Deposit Agreement form) via UCL's Research Publications Service (RPS). Please ensure that you remove, or blank out, all personal identifiers such as signatures, addresses and telephone numbers from the e-thesis (this does not include your own name on the title page).    Any photographs that you have taken should not show identifiable individuals without their permission and any you have taken of children should mask their faces.

If you do wish to deposit a hard copy you can do so by sending it directly to the Cataloguing & Metadata department of Library Services by post, or in person at the Main Library help desk.  You will find more information about the process on the existing webpage for e-thesis submission. 

Find out more about depositing an electronic and printed copy of your thesis

Related content

• Research degrees: examination entry
• Format, bind and submit your thesis: fine art, design, architecture and town planning
• Viva examinations: guidance

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The Library has a full set of Imperial PhD theses.

The majority of Imperial PhD theses are available on open access, while some are restricted to 'Imperial users only', in  Spiral .

We also provide access, to Imperial students and staff, to some Imperial Master's dissertations and online theses from other universities in the UK and worldwide.

Access to theses

Imperial phd theses.

• Check if an electronic copy of the thesis is available in the Spiral repository . If the thesis has been digitised you can access and download it.

Imperial College London PhD theses

Information for imperial students and staff.

• If the thesis has not been digitised, you can visit the Abdus Salam Library to consult it - complete a  Thesis request form prior to your visit.
• You can also place a Document Delivery request for an electronic copy of the thesis using “ORDER A BOOK OR ARTICLE” tab in  Library Search . The time scale for digitisation is 4 weeks.

Information for external users and alumni

• Most of the electronic copies of Imperial PhD theses are available on open access in the Spiral repository . Some theses are closed access, for copyright reasons, and are unavailable to external users.
• You can visit the Abdus Salam Library to consult any print theses, including theses unavailable in Spiral - complete a  Thesis request form and, if you do not have a current membership card, complete the online library membership application form prior to your visit.
• If you are unable to visit the library or wish to receive an electronic copy of a thesis, please contact the Document Delivery Service by email at [email protected] . Full details will be given upon application.

Imperial Master's dissertations

Library Services provides access to the Master's dissertations of some departments - check the table below for details. If your department is not listed there are no Master's dissertations available. 

Please contact Your librarian if you would like to deposit your department's Master's dissertations in Spiral.

Master's dissertations

Theses from other universities

UK theses are available online via the British Library EThOS service . To obtain a copy of a thesis:

• first register for the service
• if a thesis has already been digitised it will be available for immediate download
• if a thesis has not been digitised and there is no charge , place your order to digitise it. You will receive a notification from EThOS by email when the thesis is ready to download.
• if a thesis has not been digitised and there is a charge , make a request through the Document Delivery Service via Library Search . You will either receive a copy on loan or, if this is not possible, the Library will order a digital copy and notify you when it is available for download - this will take 4-5 weeks.

Overseas theses

Most overseas theses are now available online via Library Search . If the thesis you are interested in is not available request it using Document Delivery.

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Research Repository

Uk doctoral thesis metadata from ethos.

The datasets in this collection comprise snapshots in time of metadata descriptions of hundreds of thousands of PhD theses awarded by UK Higher Education institutions aggregated by the British Library's EThOS service. The data is estimated to cover around 98% of all PhDs ever awarded by UK Higher Education institutions, dating back to 1787.

Previous versions of the datasets are restricted to ensure the most accurate version of metadata is available for download. Please contact [email protected] if you require access to an older version.

Collection Details

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Where can I find University of London theses?

Most University of London theses are held by the libraries of the colleges through which the theses were awarded. The Library only holds historic theses from central University of London institutions, such as the External Programme (now UOLIA) and the Schools of Advanced Study (SAS). These are held in the Library’s Offsite Store. You can run a specifc thesis search via the  catalogue .

Many theses are also available to download via the British Library  ETHOS service . [NOTE: Due to the BL's cyberattack, Ethos is currently offline. As of Feb 2024, there is no date set when it might return.]

You may like to consult our  Theses webpage  for further information.

• Last Updated Feb 21, 2024
• Answered By Charlotte McDonaugh

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All SOAS PhD theses can be found through the Library catalogue and this will tell you if there is a digital copy which can be viewed online.

• Search by author or title if you know the details of the particular thesis you would like to see
• To browse our PhD thesis collection enter ‘Thesis’ in the search box and select ‘Classmark’ in the drop-down menu
• To limit your search of theses to a particular subject then click on ‘Advanced’ select ‘Add Search Field’ and enter keywords into the new search box
• If a digital copy of the PhD thesis is available for you to view online there will either be a note in the catalogue record or a separate entry for the digital copy

Using Printed Copies of SOAS PhD Theses

• SOAS keeps printed copies of all PhD Theses and they can be consulted in our Special Collections Reading Room on Level F
• All printed PhD theses need to be ordered before you visit the Reading Room. Once you have found the PhD thesis you need you can fill in an online order form through the ‘Order archive material’ link from the catalogue record of the PhD thesis. Alternatively you can fill in an order form available from the Library Enquiry Desk or Special Collections Reading Room
• Before you consult any SOAS PhD thesis in the Special Collections Reading Room you will be asked to fill in a Data Protection Declaration
• You are permitted to photograph a maximum of 5% of a PhD thesis or one complete chapter (whichever is the greatest) for personal research purposes only

Using Digital Copies of SOAS PhD Theses

• A significant number of SOAS PhD theses have been made available freely online (with permission from the author) through SOAS Research Online since 2011
• You can browse the latest PhD theses via SOAS Research Online or you can search by author or title if you know the details of the thesis you need
• Some PhD theses in SOAS Research Online are restricted for a period of time at the request of the author. They will only become available digitally once this restriction period has expired
• A number of our PhD theses (dated before 2011) are available via the British Library EThOS service. You can search the EThOS database to check if a PhD thesis is available

Finding PhD theses from Other Institutions

To find PhD theses produced at other institutions we recommend you use the following resources

• British Library EThOS Service
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: Global (access via Senate House Library)
• EBSCO Open Dissertations
• DART - Europe E-Theses Portal
• Shodhganga - Indian Theses
• Theses Canada Portal
• SOAS Interlibrary Loan Service
• Other Library Catalogues

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Library guides

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CityLibrary Search

Your thesis and city research online, what are the benefits of adding my thesis to city research online, which version of my thesis should i submit, redacting copyrighted and sensitive material, how to request embargoes and redactions, requirements for ukri funded theses, your digital repository librarian.

David McTaggart

[email protected]

Based at: Northampton Square Library

Congratulations on the successful completion of your PhD.

When you have uploaded the final PDF copy of your thesis to the Research Manager system, it will then be downloaded by the Copyright and Digitisation Team in Library Services. If your thesis has redactions you should indicate this in the embargo application form, and also upload an unredacted copy to Research Manager. The thesis will undergo some checks and then be made publicly available in our open access repository, City Research Online , and in EThOS , the British Library's thesis discovery service. We will also retain the unredacted digital copy of your thesis (if there is one), as part of our record of research at City.

City, University of London normally expects that all successful PhD theses will be made available in City Research Online - this is included in City's Open Access policy , and also in Senate Regulation 25: Submission Format and Retention of Theses .

• Theses Deposit Agreement (PDF, 218 KB) A signed copy of this agreement is required for your thesis to be deposited in City Research Online.
• To allow anyone to access it. Theses made openly accessible in City Research Online and EThOS can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection. This means theses are accessed, read, and built upon by people outside of traditional UK higher education circles, as well as more widely disseminated to those within UK HE;
• To increase its visibility. Theses placed in repositories such as City Research Online have high rankings in search engines such as Google, Bing and Google Scholar, meaning your work is found more often and more easily;
• To increase its citation count. Studies have shown that research made openly accessible is read, and hence cited more, than research that remains closed;
• To showcase research produced by PhD students at City, University of London. The repository forms a valuable archive of the doctoral research undertaken at City;
• To preserve it for the future. City Research Online uses technology which ensures the long term preservation of City's research outputs, for access and use by future generations.

Diagram illustrating the benefits of open access. CC BY Danny Kingsley and Sarah Brown.

We require you to submit the version of the thesis as finally examined, i.e. the final version of the thesis including any corrections that have been applied to it post-viva.

The exception is where the thesis contains any copyrighted material, sensitive material or clinical findings. If you need to redact such material, please submit a PDF copy for the original version, and a PDF copy for the redacted version that will be made available in City Research Online.

The University takes good stewardship of its research seriously, particularly when that research contains information that might be inappropriate for open release on the web. Many theses submitted for examination contain such material - it can include:

• Theses containing third party copyright material, i.e. material with copyrighted content that resides with someone other than the author. Examples can include: musical scores, reproductions of large amounts of copyrighted text, and graphical images including photographs and figures;
• Commercially sensitive material, for example information or data arising from an industrially-sponsored studentship;
• Sensitive personal data, for example clinical findings. These need not even be personally identifiable if the context gives an indication of their possible identity.

Candidates are expected to apply any necessary redactions to their thesis before submitting to Library Services. Guidance is available from the Copyright Library Guide , particularly the page on making theses available on City Research Online , and by contacting the Copyright and digitisation team at [email protected] . In rare cases authors might choose to apply for an embargo or waiver for their thesis due to the quantity of redactions needed.

If redactions and/or an embargo are necessary, these should be applied for on Research Manager. A number of different types of embargo are available:

• Redaction : Areas of text should be redacted (blacked out) if they should never be seen by someone viewing or downloading your thesis from City Research Online. This might be the case if there were copyright issues, or personal data that must be kept confidential. The redacted version should be uploaded to Research Manager when requesting the embargo.
• Publication : An embargo of three years can be requested if publications based on the thesis are planned, such as a book, monograph, article or book chapter.
• Commercial sensitivity/patent application : If the thesis has been written as the result of commercial sponsorship, and contains sensitive information that should not be released until an agreed date, an embargo can be requested for that period of time. You should discuss this with your supervisor and the Research and Enterprise Department .
• Ten-year embargo : under exceptional and rare circumstances, such as particularly sensitive commercial or personal information contained in the thesis, a ten-year embargo is available. After ten years the author will be contacted, by Library Services, to ascertain whether an embargo is still necessary. If the author is not contactable, the thesis will remain embargoed.

If you are unsure what kind of embargo to apply for, you should discuss with your supervisor. The Copyright and Digitisation Team may also be able to offer guidance.

If an embargo is granted, metadata about the thesis will normally be publicly available in City Research Online, but the thesis won’t be viewable or downloadable from either CRO or EThOS for the duration of the embargo period.

Embargoes are subject to the approval of your supervisor, Department Research Programme Committee, and the Director of Library Services.

If an embargo request is declined, you will be informed. The request will be returned to the Research Programme Committee on Research Manager. You have the right to refer the request to the Chair of the Doctoral College Board of Studies, as stated in Senate Regulation 25: Submission Format and Retention of Theses (section 1i).

If you have any questions relating to embargos, please contact the Copyright and Digitisation Team .

PhD students funded by  UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) research councils must make their research publications available in line with the UKRI open access policy .

Any PhD thesis arising from UKRI training grant funding must meet the terms and conditions outlined in the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions Guidance . Key points are:

• Metadata describing the thesis should be made available in City Research Online (CRO) as soon as possible after award
• The full text version of the thesis should be free to view and download in CRO within a maximum of 12 months following the award. A longer embargo is not normally permitted in this case
• The name of the sponsor and of the funding council should be included in your thesis and in CRO.

If you are seeking a longer embargo period for your work please contact the Copyright and Digitisation Team for further advice.

• Last Updated: Nov 24, 2023 1:09 PM
• URL: https://libguides.city.ac.uk/oa-theses

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MPhil/PhD theses

You can access print and digital copies of MPhil/PhD theses written by research students at Birkbeck and at other universities in the UK and further afield.   

Birkbeck print theses 

• Pre-1995 theses : check the national Index to Theses  for details. 
• Post-1995 theses : search the Birkbeck Library catalogue  for details. 
• Requests are usually fulfilled within 3 hours during library opening times .
• I f you want to search for only theses in the Library catalogue, on the advanced search page put the word 'theses' into a shelfmark search and then add any other search terms you want.
• Birkbeck Library does not hold some theses in classics, German, history, and law. You may be able to find these in the  British Library's Electronic Theses Online System (EThOS)  or the libraries of relevant institutes within the University of London's School of Advanced Study . 

Birkbeck Digital theses (2012-present) 

• You can search for and view digital copies of theses submitted after 2012 in the Birkbeck Institutional Repository Online (BIROn) . 
• If you want to upload a thesis to BIROn, you can find  FAQs on the BIROn site . 

Accessing MPhil/PhD theses at other universities 

• For digital, downloadable copies of MPhil/PhD theses awarded by other UK universities, search the British Library's Electronic Theses Online System (EThOS) .  
• For hard copies of MPhil/PhD awarded by overseas universities, you can submit an interlibrary loan .
• Access theses in Australia - Trove  
• Access theses in Europe - DART- Europe  
• Access theses in France - theses.fr 
• Access theses in South Africa - TD Portal  
• Access (Catalan) theses in Spain - Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa  
• Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)  

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Thesis Collection

Queen mary university of london thesis collections.

Library Services holds copies of theses awarded by Queen Mary University of London and its historically affiliated institutions. The collection is held in print form 1910-2012 and electronic only from 2013-.

Print copies can be searched for using   Library Search , electronic copies are held in the institutional repository   QMRO (Queen Mary Research Online) . A significant number of pre 2013 awarded theses have been digitised, these are also available in the institutional repository.

If you would like to view a thesis from the collection please fill in our Thesis Request Form with details of the thesis author, title and year awarded. We will then provide information on its availability and conditions for grating access.

Historical institutions:

• Queen Mary and Westfield College
• Queen Mary College
• Westfield College
• Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry
• London Hospital Medical College
• St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College
• East London College

If you have an enquiry relating to a theses awarded by Queen Mary University of London please contact   Open Research Services .

PhD theses: Home

You can search for records of LBS theses via LBS Research Online, our library catalogue and EThOS. NB: LBS doctoral theses are subject to a ten year embargo .

LBS Research Online

LBS Research Online is the London Business School institutional repository. As well as theses, it contains research produced by our faculty.

Search LBS Research Online

Library catalogue

In the advanced search mode, select type = thesis from the first drop-down box. For print copies of theses, you will need to request access by email.

Search the catalogue

EThOS is the UK's online national thesis service, run by the British Library. It contains approximately 500,000 records.

Search EThOS

Ethos is down at the moment while the BL recovers from a cyber attack.

Need help? Please email [email protected]

• Last Updated: Aug 2, 2024 12:42 PM
• URL: https://library.london.edu/theses

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University of Edinburgh theses full-text online

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Bookable sessions and online self-help in Word for theses, literature review resources, reference management, poster production...

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Contact your Academic Support Librarian for help finding references for your literature review

This article was published on 2024-08-21

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We estimate that this process will complete on or before Mon 06-Jul-2020. Until then, reported statistics will be incomplete.

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Thesis and dissertation filing guidelines

Students who have enrolled in dissertation or thesis credits will prepare a manuscript to publish through ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing. You own and retain the copyright to your manuscript. The Graduate School collects the manuscript via electronic submissions only. All manuscripts are made available through ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (PQDT), in ProQuest/UMI’s Dissertation Abstracts International, and through the University’s institutional repository, ScholarWorks.

Getting started with campus resources:

• Office of Human Research Protection
• Campus computer Help Desk @One : (775) 682-5000
• ProQuest Help Line: (877) 408-5027 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET, or 5 a.m. - 2 p.m. PT)
• For specific questions, call the Graduate School Graduation staff at (775) 784-6869

Jump to a section

• Important dates and milestones for graduating students
• Electronic manuscript submission
• Checklist to complete your electronic submission
• Instructions for completing thesis/dissertation committee approval page
• Formatting your dissertation or thesis
• Templates, samples and forms for filing

1. Important dates and milestones for graduating students

• Contact your advisor to discuss department considerations and potential dates for your defense.
• Contact the Graduate School to ensure your progression paperwork has been approved.
• View important dates and purchase a graduation application through MyNevada for your graduation semester.
• Doctoral students must submit their dissertation title for the commencement program.
• Schedule defense date with the entire advisory committee in accordance with graduation deadlines.
• Submit all forms and final manuscripts to the Graduate School by established deadlines.

2. Electronic Manuscript submission

ProQuest electronic submission site

Set up an account with ProQuest and wait for a password sent via email. ProQuest offers email and phone support,   1-877-408-5027 , frequently asked questions, etc. Visit the site early to familiarize yourself with the submission process.

3. Checklist to complete your electronic submission

• Master's  Notice of Completion and Doctoral Notice of Completion Form  - This form includes all committee signatures AND the Graduate Program Director’s signature.
• Master's Final Review Approval and Doctoral Final Review Approval   Form - This form serves as the final approval from your advisor. The Graduate School will accept the dissertation/thesis after the date listed on the form. The approval date on the form indicates the student’s submission can be accepted.
• Committee Approval Page   - Use the online Word document template (NO SIGNATURES and no page number). This page will be merged into your manuscript to acknowledge committee members.
• Filing for Copyright Registration   (optional) - Students have the opportunity to register a copyright of their graduate work with the U.S. Copyright Office. It is strictly optional, and there is a $75.00 fee associated with the service, which is paid online with student submission.
• Processing fee  - $85 thesis / $95 dissertation.  Log into your Student Center in MyNEVADA . Under the Finances section, click on the link “Purchase Miscellaneous Items.” Select the applicable processing fee to pay (Dissertation or Thesis) and complete the transaction. You will receive a receipt that generates overnight.  Please keep this item as proof of payment for your records. Our office will automatically check for payment posted.
• NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates  – For  doctoral students only.

4. Instructions for completing thesis/dissertation committee approval page

• The Committee Approval Page (see forms links at bottom of page ): This interactive template has established borders.
• Use the accompanying template on page two of this handout to complete the Committee Approval form. Check spelling carefully and make sure that case (upper-case/capital and lower-case letters) and font style (regular or bold) follow the template. Spacing between lines will depend on how long your thesis/dissertation title is and how many committee members you have.
• Type the words as they appear on the template, i.e., on the first line “We recommend that the thesis/dissertation”, followed by the second line “prepared under our supervision by.”
• At brackets [1] enter your full name in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and BOLD-FACED.
• Type the word “entitled” all in lowercase letters.
• At brackets [2] enter the complete title of your thesis/dissertation. The title should be in both CAPITAL and lower-case letters and must be Bold-Faced. If the title is long, use two or more lines, breaking the lines at appropriate words in the title. Do not hyphenate between lines.
• Type the words “be accepted in partial fulfillment of the,” and then, on the next line, “requirements for the degree of.”
• At brackets [3] enter the name of the degree being awarded, e.g., for Ph.D. enter “Doctor of Philosophy,” for Ed.D. enter “Doctor of Education”. The degree should be in all CAPITAL LETTERS and Bold-Faced. DO NOT enter the name of the graduate program, such as anthropology or economics.
• At brackets [4] type the full name of your thesis/dissertation advisor followed by his/her degree, followed by the word “Advisor”. For example, “Sonia A. Skakich, Ph.D., Advisor”. Use both capital and lowercase letters.
• Enter the subsequent committee members and type the full names of the rest of your committee members followed by their degrees and their roles in the committee (Committee Member or Graduate School Rep.) under each one. Use one line for each member. The Graduate School Representative should be the last committee member listed. Use both capital and lowercase letters.
• The last entry is reserved for the Dean of the Graduate School (which is already entered on the form).
• At brackets [5] enter the month and year of official graduation. The month must be May, August, or December. Enter the appropriate four-digit designation of the year (e.g., 2018).

5. Formatting your dissertation or thesis

The Graduate School requires standardized formatting for the dissertation and thesis documents. Students will follow a style guide (APA, MLA, etc.) to prepare their document; however, the document must comply with University formatting requirements listed below.

Margins and spacing

• Left margin: 1.5” from the left edge of the page.
• Right margin: 1.0” from the right edge of the page.
• Top margin: 1.0” from the top edge of the page.
• Bottom margin: 1.25” from the bottom edge of the page.
• All text should be double-spaced with the exception of captions, footnotes, long quotations, bibliographic entries of more than one line, and materials in tables and appendices.

Recommended fonts

Fonts should be easy to read. Times New Roman, Arial, or a similarly clear font is preferred; type size must be 10, 11, or 12 points. Script and italic typefaces are not acceptable except where absolutely necessary i.e. in Latin designations of species, etc.

In preparing your dissertation or thesis for electronic submission, you must embed all fonts. In Microsoft Word 2013, this is done by accessing the FILE menu; selecting OPTIONS, select SAVE. From the SAVE menu check the box labeled, ”Embed fonts in the file.” If the file size is a concern, check the box next to “Do NOT embed common system fonts."

Large tables, charts, etc., may be reduced to conform to page size, but the print must remain clear enough to be readable. You can also attach a PDF for electronic submissions.

Page numbering

Every page, with the exception of the title page, the copyright page, and the committee approval page is numbered in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top of the page and one inch from the right edge of the page. Do not underline or place a period after the number. Do not use a running header.

• The prefatory materials (abstract, acknowledgments, table of contents, etc.) are numbered in lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv…). Insert a section break after the Roman numerals to create different page numbering styles.
• The first page of the main text and all subsequent pages are continuously numbered in Arabic numerals beginning with one until the final page number (1, 2, 3, 4…)
• Do NOT number appendices or pages of additional material with numbers such as 4a or A-1.

Tables and appendices

Tables and appendices are part of the document and must conform to the same margin and page numbering requirements.

Format and sequence of pages

Assemble pages in the following order:

• Title page *no page number* (create according to the example provided)
• Copyright Notice *no page number* (optional - see example)
• Committee Approval Page *no page number* (use the online template available on our   forms page – NO SIGNATURES on this page)
• Abstract (begins lowercase Roman numerals i, ii, iii…)
• Dedication (optional)
• Acknowledgments (optional)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Body of Manuscript (begins Arabic numbering 1, 2, 3…)
• Back Matter (appendices, notes, bibliography, etc.)
• Do not number the title page
• Center each line of type
• Use BOLD text type for the manuscript title
• The date listed is the month and year in which you will graduate. The only acceptable months are May, August, and December (graduation cycles).

Copyright page

No page number on this page. Although not required, we strongly recommend you insert a copyright notice in your manuscript following the title page. Essential components of the copyright notice include the copyright symbol, full legal name of the author, and year of first publication. Follow the format of the sample provided below.

Committee approval page

• No page number on this page
• Use the electronic PDF template provided below. This page will list the advisory committee members and graduate dean but will NOT include committee signatures.   Combine the PDF into your manuscript to form a single PDF file.  To do this in Adobe Pro, select "Organize pages," "Insert," and "From file."   
• A window will open and you can drag your separate PDF files into this window to combine them into a single file.
• Choose the PDF documents in order of page sequencing (title page, committee page, main manuscript) and then combine files into a single PDF.

(Lower case Roman numeral “i” page number)

Abstracts are required for all theses and dissertations. ProQuest no longer has a word limit on the abstract, “as this constrains your ability to describe your research in a section that is accessible to search engines, and therefore would constrain potential exposure of your work.” ProQuest does publish print indices that include citations and abstracts of all dissertations and theses published by ProQuest/UMI. These print indices require word limits of 350 words for doctoral dissertations and 150 words for master’s theses (only text will be included in the abstract). You may wish to limit the length of your abstract if this concerns you. The abstracts as you submit them will NOT be altered in your published manuscript.

Processing note

Each copy of your thesis or dissertation will be checked for margins, clarity of copy, and pagination. The Graduate School will run the manuscript through the Turn It In plagiarism tool.

Electronically submitted theses/dissertations are available in electronic format only; no hard copies will be produced. Students are responsible for binding any copies for personal use or for distribution to their advisor, department, or committee members.

Dissertation & Thesis Processing Fee

Mandatory processing fees are required for all theses ($85.00) and all dissertations ($95.00). Log into your Student Center in MyNEVADA. Under the Finances section, click on the link “Purchase Miscellaneous Items.” Select the applicable processing fee to pay (Dissertation or Thesis) and complete the transaction. You will receive a receipt that generates overnight.  Please keep this item as proof of payment for your records. Our office will automatically check for payment posted.

Using copyrighted materials

You must certify in ProQuest that any copyrighted material used in your work, beyond brief excerpts, is with the written permission of the copyright owner. Attach copies of permission letters to the agreement form.

Copyright registration (optional)

Students have the opportunity to register a copyright on their graduate work with the U.S. Copyright Office. It is strictly optional, and there is a $75.00 fee associated with the service. Students submitting electronically pay online. Paying for the claim to copyright is a voluntary action, which allows a court of law to award monetary damages if the copyright is infringed. You may file a Registration of Copyright yourself by sending a properly completed application form, a nonrefundable filing fee of $45.00 and a nonreturnable copy of your thesis or dissertation to the United States Copyright Office. Application materials and instructions are available from:

Register of Copyrights Copyright Office Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20559-6000 Information is also available at the Copyright Office’s website:   lcweb.loc.gov/copyright

ScholarWorks repository

ScholarWorks - the University's institutional repository - assists in collecting, preserving, and distributing the university's intellectual output accessible to end-users on local and global levels with few if any barriers. The repository will provide long-term access to the items deposited and can accept works from all the University faculty/staff/students. A wide variety of items including Articles, Datasets, Presentations, Technical Reports, Thesis and Dissertations, Posters, Conference Papers, etc. in all file formats can be deposited into the repository. The repository supports creative commons licensing and open-access publishing without any cost.

The discovery services and search engine optimizations ensure that major search engines easily discover the uploaded content. This increases the visibility, citations, and overall impact of the research. All items deposited in the repository receive a persistent URL that can be used for citations. Various statistics are collected with the built-in statistics module and Google Analytics modules. Information on monthly/yearly views, number of downloads, demographic information, etc. is available for each deposited item upon request.

All the ETDs uploaded into ProQuest are automatically deposited into the University's ScholarWorks repository. The embargo period set in ProQuest during deposit is carried over to the ScholarWorks repository. Any changes to the embargo period after deposit can be made by contacting ProQuest at 1-800-521-0600 as well as the ScholarWorks administrator at [email protected] .

Scholarworks FAQ

Do I need to upload my ETD into the ScholarWorks repository?

• No, ProQuest will automatically upload the ETD into ScholarWorks on approval from the Graduate School.

Can I extend the embargo period on my Thesis/Dissertation after uploading it to ProQuest?

• Yes, to change or extend the embargo period of your ETD you need to contact ProQuest at 1-800-521-0600 and the ScholarWorks administrator at [email protected] .

Can I make my ETD open access in the ScholarWorks repository?

• Yes, ScholarWorks supports open access with creative commons licensing. It is available as a free service to all the faculty/staff/students.

Alternative formatting for thesis or dissertation

These guidelines apply to those theses or dissertations which consist of a number of papers either previously published or being published concurrently with the submission of the thesis or dissertation. Acceptance and publication of the articles are not criteria for this alternative. Each of the papers should constitute a separate chapter of the overall work. Preceding the papers should be an introductory section. This section may be one or more chapters but should include:

• an overall introduction to the thesis/dissertation,
• a review of the appropriate literature, and
• a description of the methodology used in the study.

The student’s advisory committee should determine the format and specific content of this introductory section.

The number of individual papers constituting chapters of the thesis/dissertation is determined by the student’s advisory committee. These chapters may be formatted in the same style required by the journals to which they are to be submitted. However, the margins must conform to those of the overall thesis, i.e. left margin = 1.5"; right margin = 1"; top margin = 1"; bottom margin = 1.25". In addition, each page must be numbered consistent with the rest of the thesis/dissertation, that is, the first page of text is numbered 1 with each subsequent page numbered consecutively until the end, to include all appendices, indexes, etc.

Following the chapters consisting of individual papers, there must follow a summary, conclusions and recommendations section. This section may be formatted as one or more chapters.

Work reported in the articles should represent a major contribution by the student that is the review of the literature, the conceptual framework and/or research design for the reported work. The statistical analyses, summaries, conclusions, and recommendations should represent the student’s own work.

For publication purposes, other researchers may be named as additional authors. This would be especially appropriate when publication is dependent upon extensive revision of the initial manuscript submitted and the faculty involved assumes responsibility for the revisions, or when the student is using an existing database.

When a student chooses this option, the articles will be submitted to the journals agreed upon by the concerned academic unit. Responsibility for follow-up, revisions, etc., should be identified in a written document and agreed upon by the student and faculty member(s) involved.

6. Templates, samples and forms

Please be sure to read the above instructions before proceeding with documents.

Forms for filing a master's thesis   Forms for filing a doctoral dissertation

Thesis filing templates and samples

• Committee Approval page for 3-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page for 3-member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page for 4-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page for 4-member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)

Sample pages

• Thesis Title page (SAMPLE)
• Thesis Copyright page (SAMPLE)
• Thesis Committee approval page (SAMPLE)

Dissertation filing templates, samples and Survey of Earned Doctorates

• Committee Approval page  for 5-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page  for  5-member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page  for 6-member committee (TEMPLATE)
• Committee Approval page  for 6 -member committee with co-advisor (TEMPLATE)
• Dissertation Title page (SAMPLE)
• Dissertation Copyright page (SAMPLE)
• Dissertation Committee approval page (SAMPLE)

Survey of Earned Doctorates

• Survey of Earned Doctorates  - The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is an annual census conducted since 1957 of all individuals receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. institution in a given academic year. The SED is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and by three other federal agencies: the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and National Endowment for the Humanities. The SED collects information on the doctoral recipient's educational history, demographic characteristics, and postgraduation plans. Results are used to assess characteristics of the doctoral population and trends in doctoral education and degrees. Read more about the purpose and methods of the SED .

Dissertation and Thesis

Thesis & dissertation formatting process.

To complete your format check submission, you must complete every registration step and fully submit your thesis or dissertation to the website listed below.

Dissertations and theses turned in as a part of the graduation requirements at Loyola University Chicago must be formatted according to the rules laid out in the Format Manual for Theses and Dissertations created by the Graduate School.

Format Check Submission

To ensure that theses/dissertations are formatted correctly, each thesis/dissertation must undergo a format check by the staff of the Graduate School prior to the submission of final copies. You must  electronically  submit your manuscript for a format check to the Graduate School's  ProQuest ETD Administrator  website ON OR BEFORE the published format check deadline for the term in which you expect to receive your degree.

• May degree conferral format check deadline:  March 1st
• August degree conferral format check deadline:  June 1st
• December degree conferral format check deadline:  October 1st

On or before the format check deadline, please also submit the following items as supplemental pdf files to  ProQuest ETD Administrator  (do not submit them by email):

• One electronic copy of your completed, formatted manuscript
• Formatted approval sheet, with your director's name and space for their signature. You will ultimately replace this file with a scanned copy that's been signed by the director after the defense and after all final edits have been made. This form acts as confirmation that your director has read and approved the final copy.
• Extra title page, formatted as described in the Manual
• One extra abstract, formatted as described in the Manual

Final Copy Submission

Once your dissertation has been defended, formatted correctly, and approved by your committee, you will need to electronically submit your final copy to the Graduate School for approval. You will also need to replace the Approval Sheet with a scanned copy that has been signed by your director.

Your final electronic submission must be uploaded ON OR BEFORE the published final electronic copy deadline for the term in which you expect to receive your degree. The final electronic copy deadlines are as follows:

• May degree conferral final electronic copy deadline:  April 1st
• August degree conferral final electronic copy deadline:  July 1st
• December degree conferral final electronic copy deadline:  November 1st

If your materials are complete or inaccurate, the Graduate School will contact you with a list of required corrections. If required corrections are too extensive or take too long to complete, you may not graduate and the Graduate School will not confer your degree. For this reason, please make every effort to format your manuscript correctly, include all of the materials listed above, and to meet the published deadlines. Also, please keep in mind that a dissertation or thesis is only one of your degree requirements, and that the Graduate School will not confer your degree unless you meet all of these requirements.

Students must submit final copies with approved revisions within one semester of a successful defense (e.g., if a student’s defense falls within a Fall semester, their final copies must meet the Spring semester submission deadlines). After one full semester a student may be discontinued and be required to apply for reinstatement (Approved 4 May 2021)

Visit the  for answers to new questions about the electronic submission process.

• Format Manual for Theses and Dissertations -  Note: The Formatting Manual was updated in September 2022. If you have any questions about the formatting guidelines, or if you need a copy of the former manual, please  email the formatting assistant , Danielle Richards.
• Format Checklist Copy (Clean)
• Formatting Examples

Questions regarding the format check and the final copy submission process should be directed  here .

Information Sessions

The Graduate School hosts two info-sessions each semester about the thesis and dissertation formatting process. Make sure to follow weekly Graduate School Announcements emails for more information.

Publishing Your Work: Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Workshop (Recorded January 14, 2021)

• Instructions for Thesis and Dissertation
• Approval Ballot for Text and Oral Defense

The Thesis/Dissertation Committee Form, Thesis/Dissertation Proposal Ballot, and the Request for Change in Degree-Seeking Status are located in the Graduate Student Progress System at  GSPS . Please log in to submit these forms. Medical Center Biomedical Science Students MUST Use LUHS Forms.

Publication

Before publication:.

LUC's University Libraries:  If relevant articles, book chapters, and books are not accessible through the library's online catalogue, they can be requested through InterLibrary Loan.

Zotero:  No matter what citation format you use, this free citation software can help save and format citations for use in your article.

Scimago Journal & Country Rank:  To find out the ranking of peer-reviewed journals in your particular discipline before you submit, go to this website.

LUC's Writing Center : Make an appointment with a graduate tutor to have your work reviewed at any stage of the writing or revision process. Often an article will be accepted for publication but an editor requires various corrections. An extra pair of eyes can be useful.

After publication:

GSPS:  Make sure to update publications through this LUC site; submitted entries will be reviewed, approved, and recorded by your GPD.

Google Scholar:  Various peer-reviewed articles and publications found on the internet will be linked to the student's account, which can be created by going to this site and clicking on "My Profile."

ORCiD:  Creating a free ORCiD ID will allow peer-reviewed publications to be linked across digital platforms with this persistent signifier.

Publishing conventions vary widely across disciplines; some graduate students may publish as single authors while others, particularly in the sciences, may be one of several authors collaborating on a project and its resulting published study. When seeking peer-reviewed publication opportunities, one of the best methods is to consult with professors in your department about how to publish and locate journals reputable in your field of study.

Besides helping you avoid scams and predatory publishing through their advice, faculty can also provide you with useful information about the publishing process and direct you to discipline-specific online listservs hosting frequent Calls for Papers.

Please contact the University Library for additional resources.