Finding and obtaining theses and dissertations

Theses and dissertations are important sources of information to researchers. They are rich sources of primary information and original research. They may also give direction for research already undertaken and identify research 'gaps'. Staff and researchers at USQ may obtain theses and dissertations from anywhere in the world.

Finding USQ theses

USQ Library holds an historical, print collection of all USQ PhD, Masters (Research) and some Honours theses. These are held in a closed Stack collection at Toowoomba. Major Project dissertations were not collected and retained in the print collection. These theses were collected in print until approximately 2002. A minority of theses are still collected and retained in print format.

Each USQ thesis and project is individually listed on the Library Catalogue. If you know the author or title, you can do a basic search on these details. To browse through lists of theses and projects, keyword searching is recommended.
To access these theses within the Library, just note the call number and ask at the Loans Desk. Theses are retrieved from the Stack area on the hour, weekdays between 9am and 5pm. There may be limited retrieval on evenings and weekends depending on staff availability. Theses are not for loan to off-campus students, but sections can be copied and sent.

The majority of USQ theses and dissertations are now collected electronically and retained in the USQ ePrints repository. These theses are also automatically harvested into the Australian Digital Theses (ADT) collection. They are available in fulltext PDF format.

Finding Australian and overseas theses

Most Australian and New Zealand universities participate in the Australian Digital Theses (ADT) collection. You can browse or search this collection by keyword, author, institution, and/or year to identify relevant theses.
Older Australian and New Zealand theses may not be available in the ADT. For these, you may need to search individual university library catalogues and request copies of theses.
The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is a free website where a number of participating universities around the world provide access to their theses and dissertations in PDF format.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses is an authoritative index and abstract service for doctoral dissertations and masters' theses in North America and Europe. It includes dissertations from 1861 and theses from 1962 to the present. Titles published since 1997 have 24 page previews available.
The British Library Public Catalogue indexes more than 140,000 theses submitted for doctoral degrees from almost all UK universities.
Many other universities' theses in Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania are not indexed in any central repository or database. For these theses, it will be necessary to search individual university library catalogues. Alternatively, a search of Google Scholar may be useful, if the university's theses are indexed in their own digital repository.

Obtaining theses and dissertations

If a thesis or dissertation is not available in electronic fulltext (such as in USQ ePrints or ADT), you can still obtain the thesis via Interlibrary Loan. The Library will make every attempt to obtain a copy, either from ProQuest, or from the home institution's library.

Theses and dissertations can be very expensive for the Library to copy and obtain; up to hundreds of dollars. We will obtain a quote for the thesis, based on the number of pages, and advise you of the quoted cost.
- Staff and researchers can use their Faculty or Research Student interlibrary loan quotas - theses or dissertations will use four or more of the quota, depending on the cost to the Library
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses will supply electronic copies of theses. You can either buy these directly via this database or the Library can order the theses on your behalf if you submit an Interlibrary Loan Request indicating which ProQuest service (below) you would like us to use:
- Electronic (1997+) - Same day
- A4 (courier) - 2 weeks
- A4 (mail) - 4 weeks
Some institutions and vendors may supply theses and dissertations in print; others may supply an electronic copy in PDF; still others may supply microfiche copies. USQ Library can request print or electronic copies, but these may not be available in all cases. If the thesis or dissertation is supplied in electronic or microfiche format, print copying is at the individual researcher's expense.