Searching for Dissertations and Theses
- Dissertation Abstracts (via Proquest's Digital Dissertations) Citations (1861-present), abstracts (1980-present), and full-text (1997-present) for doctoral dissertations from accredited American and Canadian universities, as well as selected British and European universities.
- Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology An international database of bibliographic records for completed dissertations and new dissertation topics in the fields of musicology, music theory, and ethnomusicology, as well as in related musical, scientific, and humanistic disciplines.
- Music Theory Online Dissertation Index Author, title, institution, and completion date (1993-present). [As of 2/09 this site is not working.]
- The Royal Musical Association's Register of Research Students' Dissertation Topics Dissertation topics in music registered by students at UK and Ireland's universities.
- Dissertationsmeldestelle der Gesellschaft für Musikforschung (DMS) German language music dissertations; covers Austria, Switzerland, and Germany
- Dissertations from Outside the U.S. and Canada (CRL)
The collection includes doctoral dissertations submitted to institutions outside the U.S. and Canada. The range of years includes mid-19th century through the present, with the greatest concentration in the late 19th, early 20th centuries. - Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations A collection of over 200,000 theses and dissertations from around the world. Many items, including those dating back to the early 1900s, are available in full text for free.
- British and Irish theses (dissertations) A comprehensive listing of theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in Great Britain and Ireland since 1716.
- Theses Canada Portal A searchable catalog of all Canadian theses published since 1965, many of which are available in full-text electronic versions which can be downloaded free by students, scholars, and the public.
- WorldCat WorldCat contains all formats of materials cataloged by libraries across the country and around the world, including dissertations. Use the subtype limit Any Content > "thesis/dissertation" to limit to dissertations.
- TEL (thèses-EN-ligne) Access to the full text of mostly French dissertations.
Obtaining Dissertations & Theses
UIUC Online Catalog
The UIUC Library should have at least one copy of all theses and dissertations granted at UIUC. The UIUC Library may also have selected theses and dissertations from other institutions, so the online catalog is a good place to look first. Copies of dissertations deposited at UIUC from 1978 to the present are accessible by author and title through the I-Share Catalog. Beginning with 1983, archival copies can also be searched by department and year.
Interlibrary Loan
UIUC's Interlibrary Loan Office can help you obtain theses and dissertations not owned by the UIUC and not available in pdf format through Dissertation Abstracts. They provide 2 options:
- Place a standard online ILL request using the "Request a Book" form. If they can't find a free copy, they will email you and give you the option of placing an order through the Dissertation Express service (via the Interlibrary Loan Office), described immediately below.
- Dissertation Express (via the Interlibrary Loan Office) is a fee-based service that obtains dissertations in 4-5 business days. The Library will pay for the item, but you are responsible for a $15 shipping charge. For more information on this service, see the Interlibrary Loan Office's Dissertation Express FAQ entry.
Dissertation Express (direct via ProQuest)
If you quickly need a print copy of a dissertation that is not available for download and don't mind paying the full cost yourself, you can order it directly from Proquest's Dissertation Express as an individual. Otherwise, use one of the Interlibrary loan options described above.
Subject Guide |
Kirstin DouganMusic and Performing Arts Library
2146E Music Building
217.244.4072
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Subjects:
Music, Dance, Theatre
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