Ordering theses
UK PhD. theses are now available to search, order and download using the British Library 's Electronic Thesis Online Service (EThOS), which has a large number of participating institutions.
You do not need to register or login to search the database, but if you want to order material you will need to register and create a username and password.
Some theses are available to download immediately, if the thesis you require has not yet been digitised you can request it to be digitised as long as it is from a participating institution. Once a thesis is requested it is taking the British Library approximately 30 days to make it available electronically.
Most theses are available free of charge to the end user as the majority of institutions participating in EThOS have agreed to pay for digitisation of their theses in support of the Open Access initiative. However, some institutions may not have the budget to fund the digitisation and have set charges which appear on EThOS.
If the thesis you want does not appear on EThOS you can complete an EThOS request form available on the EThOS site. Please remember to check that the thesis you require is from a participating institution and that it is listed on that university's library catalogue before you complete the form.
If a you want to consult a thesis from a university that is not participating in EThOS please contact us.
US theses can be obtained direct by requestors from a service entitled UMI Dissertation express. This service can provide copies of theses for you to keep but it costs between £28-£45 and can take up to 7 weeks for hard copy delivery. However, a growing number are available to download electronically from the site. For further information please see the Dissertation express website.
Over 98,000 European theses are available digitally free of charge from the Dart Europe E-theses Portal.
Theses not available from either of the above sites can sometimes be obtained from abroad but this can be costly and can take in excess of 6 weeks.