Transcript Document
WISER: Focus on…
Theses and Dissertations
This session offers guidance on finding theses, both those held
in Oxford University Libraries and those from other institutions
in the UK and abroad. It will demonstrate how to exploit the
main sources of information for theses and dissertations: OLIS;
Index to Theses (UK and Ireland); Dissertation Abstracts
International (America).
Rob Wilkes & Mat Andrews
What will you learn in this session?
• How to use OLIS and other catalogues to find Oxford and
other universities’ theses in Oxford University Libraries
• How to find theses relevant to your research held
elsewhere in the world
• How to undertake basic searches on Index to Theses and
Dissertation Abstracts International
• How to obtain copies of theses not held in Oxford
Oxford theses in Oxford University
Libraries
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Radcliffe Science Library: science theses (D.Phil. and M.Sc.)
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Central Bodleian: non-science theses (D.Phil., M.Litt./B.Litt., M.Phil./
B.Phil. and B.D.). Consulted in Duke Humfrey’s Library, and music
theses also in the Music Reading Room
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Law Library: Law
Commonwealth and African Studies (Rhodes House) Library:
Sub-Saharan Africa and Commonwealth (except south Asia)
Vere Harmsworth Library: United States
Social Science Library: Economics M.Phils 2000 -
Oxford theses: catalogues
OLIS: all non-science D.Phils, all non-science masters theses
from 1994, all Law theses, all postgraduate science theses
from 1995, all science D.Phils from 1988.
Card catalogues: RSL entrance hall (postgraduate science);
Duke Humfrey (postgraduate nonscience)
Index to Theses via OxLIP: for bibliographic details of theses
not on OLIS
Lists in Duke Humfrey: details of theses in progress;
full titles of accepted theses.
Finding Oxford University theses
on OLIS by author or faculty
Author keyword search (aw=):
Main entry (the author):
Maas, Korey.
Added entries (the corporate body):
University of Oxford. Faculty of Theology. Thesis.
- pre-2000, a single entry (Faculty);
- post-2000, three entries (Division,
Faculty/Sub-Faculty/Department, and College)
Finding Oxford University theses
on OLIS by title
Title keyword search (tw=):
Main entry (the title):
Robert Barnes (1495-1540) as historical theologian
Note: will also find keywords in Uniform Title (for works of which a
thesis is an edition under a variant title), and in
Added Title Entry (where title page differs from
Official Title given in published University lists)
Finding Oxford University theses
on OLIS by subject
Subject keyword search (sw=):
Barnes, Robert, 1495-1540.
Theology, Doctrinal -- History.
(Library of Congress Subject Headings)
Note: Subject entries gather under one heading works whose titles
may express the subject under many different terms.
A subject heading must represent at least 20 per
cent of the catalogued work.
Finding Oxford University theses
on OLIS by type of degree
Notes keyword search nw=:
Supervisor: Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch.
Thesis (D.Phil.)--University of Oxford, 2005.
Bibliography: leaves 264-274.
Note: For post-2000 theses, find here the supervisor’s name.
For all theses, find here the degree given.
Undertaking a combined search:
Author keyword = thesis and maas and Subject keywords robert
barnes and Notes keyword d.phil. would find this thesis.
aw=thesis maas sw=robert barnes nw=d.phil
Sometimes, it is necessary to use all these search terms but, in this
case, the author keywords thesis and maas would be sufficient
Finding theses written at other
universities and held in Oxford
• Try OLIS! (nw=thesis may help)
• Electronic dissertation collections via OxLIP or
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/readerserv/reference/theses.html
• Bodleian card catalogue of pre-1973 foreign dissertations –
Theology Room of the Old Bodleian Lower Reading Room
includes
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American PhD theses on film
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(Continental) European PhD print theses
N.B: some theses may take up to a week to arrive
Bodleian Dissertation Bingo
• 23175 e.19
• 12085 d.1
• Diss. C C. 3 (5)
• Films 365
• Diss. Films 180
• 1970 Hels 50
N.B: some theses may take up to a week to arrive
Finding British and Irish theses
Index to Theses: via OXLIP or at:
http://www.theses.com/
Inter-library loans:
Printout from Index to Theses, plus completed
application form and Thesis Declaration Form
Copies from:
http://www.bl.uk/services/document/brittheses.html
Finding American (U.S.) theses
Dissertation Abstracts International: via OXLIP or at:
http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/
A 24-page preview is available for American dissertations from
1997 onwards.
Inter-library loans:
Printout from Dissertation Abstracts International, with
your name and email address
Copies from:
http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/
Or contact your subject consultant:
http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/collections/librarians
Finding other theses
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Dissertation Abstracts International:
Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden….
Other theses – only databases: e.g. TESEO (Spanish)
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International union catalogues: WorldCat, RLG (Eureka),
Francis, Karlsruher Virtueller Katalog (can search many...)
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National union and national library catalogues:
e.g. France’s BN catalogue and Sudoc
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Subject bibliographical databases: RILM (Eureka)
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COPAC: British research libraries union catalogue
Further links and information at:
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/readerserv/reference/theses.html
Index to Theses
Gareth Stedman Jones labour
Liberation Theology
Dissertation Abstracts International
John S. North Tennyson
Liberation Theology
Index to Theses
Nicholas von Maltzahn Milton
European Union and Bulgaria
Dissertation Abstracts International
Lees Paris Commune
European Union and Bulgaria
Remember!
• All those consulting Oxford theses must sign a form at
the front of the thesis recognising the author’s
copyright.
• If you are using a print copy of a thesis borrowed from
another university, please check to see if you need to
sign a form at the front of the thesis.
Any questions?
• Modern Papers Room (2)77045
[email protected]
• Main Enquiry Desk (2)77162
[email protected]