Theses and dissertations are valuable records of completed research that are often sought by researchers, along with books and articles, when reviewing the literature on a given research question. Graduate students need to know what theses or dissertations have already been completed around their research topic of interest so that they do not repeat work done by others.
Traditionally, researchers combed through the many volumes of Dissertation Abstracts to check for theses and dissertations relevant to their interests. The online version of this listing has greatly simplified the search process, and the most recent interface for the database, Proquest Dissertations & Theses offers many improvements of value for researchers.
With more than 2 million entries, the Proquest Dissertations & Theses database is the one central, authoritative source for information about doctoral dissertations and master's theses. It includes citations for materials ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted (from the U.S., Canada, and other countries) as recently as last semester. The database represents the work of authors from over 1,000 North American graduate schools and European universities. Some 60,000 new dissertations and 12,000 new theses are added to the database each year. Dissertations published from 1980 forward include 350-word abstracts, written by the author. Citations for master's theses from 1988 forward include 150-word abstracts. It is possible to read the first 24 pages of any item from after 1996.
To search Proquest Dissertations & Theses, simply type “proquest dissertations” into the Title Quick Search box on the Libraries homepage and click on eRESOURCES. For assistance with the search interface, please consult the following webpages or ask a librarian:
If you would like to obtain a copy of a given dissertation or thesis, you have several options:
If you are a current York faculty member or student, you can download onto your computer the full text of any Canadian or U.S. dissertation or thesis from after 1996 and print it out if you like (note that a dissertation can run to several hundred pages, however!).
York University Ph.D. dissertations from the most recent seven years are generally available in hard copy on the shelves in Scott Library, and some older ones can be requested from storage. Most York dissertations are available on microfiche or microfilm in the Microtext room on the first floor of Scott Library. For paper or microformat copy of a York dissertation, please search by title or author in the Library Catalogue.
Please note that many recent York Masters’ theses are now available in the library in paper format (as well as electronic); the University department of origin will often have copies of older Masters’ theses produced in the department.
A thesis or dissertation that is not available through the sources above may be requested on interlibrary loan. Please note that most theses and dissertations are available for loan in microfilm or microfiche formats only. The Libraries will attempt to borrow theses from most countries, as below:
microfiche copies of Canadian theses from Library and Archives Canada
microfilm copies of British theses from the British Library
American dissertations that are not available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses or University Microfilms International (UMI) and all American masters theses
foreign theses, if available for loan
York University Libraries absorbs the charges for material obtained on loan; there is no cost to the borrower. We do not borrow American dissertations that are available in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses or from UMI. On request, for those American PhD dissertations not available full-text in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, we will purchase an unbound paper copy from UMI, and subsidize 75% of the cost. The requester pays the remaining $10.00, and keeps the copy.
