Where To Find Free Phd Dissertations: 5 Helpful Suggestions

If you are confused as to where to begin work on your PhD dissertation, start with a search for free examples – they can give you an idea of how to produce a winning paper. Free full-text theses are available on a variety of resources, including the following:

  1. Your advisor’s archive.
  2. Professors often store the best examples of academic papers they receive from students. However, considering dissertations, your supervisor might have no necessity to store them - as they are transferred by faculty members to a digital archive, or another dedicated place. In response to your question your advisor might either; allow you to have a look at the examples he or she has on file, or recommend you a place to get such examples from.

  3. Your university’s database.
  4. Your university library might be a real treasury, by providing free access to all the dissertations ever submitted there. Refine your search by topic and subject to discover the most relevant examples. Also, consider limiting results by publication year – you probably don’t want anything defended more than ten years ago. The only exception might be if your topic is a rare one – then you might benefit from all examples of similar papers, regardless of their date.

  5. Databases of other universities.
  6. After you have obtained several examples of dissertations submitted at your university, proceed to the libraries of other academic institutions. If you confine your search to the place where you study, you can miss lots of other relevant examples. Many universities provide free access to their thesis databases, not only to their students but also to the general public as well. Read the terms of use on the university’s website to make sure it’s the case. You might be allowed to browse a catalogue for the names of dissertations you would like to read. Next, you will have to request the full texts of these papers by email, leaving your contact data - such as phone number or student ID.

  7. Inter-library loans.
  8. Use your inter-library loan to access a database of dissertations submitted in your state or country. You will probably be able to view and download any of them for free. See your university library’s website for specific details.

  9. Governmental resources.
  10. Public dissertation databases are your last resort – and a great source of papers. Run a search engine to discover them, introducing a website type limitation (“site:.gov”). You will get free access to all the theses from a particular state or country, and not necessarily just your own.

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