Main Page: EdD Program: Information Resources: Finding Dissertations

Finding Dissertations

There are numerous places to search for dissertations. Why should you consider looking at dissertations?

They may be a source of inspiration!
You can see what types of research methods have been utilized.
The literature review section of a dissertation may be a useful starting point.

The resources suggested on this page will help you locate dissertations.

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Proquest Dissertations & Theses is a database containing citations to U.S. doctoral dissertations and masters theses in the areas of Biological Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Health Services, Physical Sciences and Psychology. Access to full text disserations and theses is available beginning in 1997.
Sigma Repository
The Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e-Repository (Henderson Repository) is an open-access digital academic and clinical scholarship service that freely collects, preserves, and disseminates full-text nursing research and evidence-based practice materials. Note: As of 09/18/2018, the repository is upgrading to a new platform, so access may be limited. Click on the "Graduate Papers, Theses, and Dissertations" to view this type of scholarship.

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Includes: Covers over 1100 institutions, over 4.6 million theses and dissertations
Access: Open access, no login required
Best use: Locating full-text, open access theses and dissertations
Note: Includes American universities not participating in ProQuest

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

Includes: Over 5.2 million dissertations from around the world
Access: Open access, no login required
Best use: Searching the largest number of dissertations and theses
Note: Not all dissertations and theses are available full-text

Google Scholar

You may find links to dissertations in search results. Links may lead to: a record in the Proquest Dissertations & Theses database; a record and link to a PDF in an institutional repository, a record in the Virginia Henderson repository, or somewhere else!

Search tip: Use "Advanced Search". Use broad search terms and try limiting the search to "in the title of the article." You can also limit by date range. For this topic, limiting to the latest 2 years retrieves a number of citations to dissertations/final projects.

Screenshot of Advanced Search form in Google Scholar.

The following screenshot shows examples of items that are found in organizational or academic repositories. The first item is in the Virginia Henderson repository. The other items are in repositories at universities; note the domain, .edu, is included in the URL and shown directly below the title of the work. You will need to examine the items carefully. In the example below, only the first and second citations are for doctoral projects. The 3rd item is a journal article, and the last item is an undergraduate honors project.

Screenshot of Google Scholar search results described above.