Finding the full-text of dissertations can be tricky. Dissertations are indexed in many of the library databases, but when they provide the reference from dissertation abstracts, that’s the full-text. The abstract.
To obtain the full-text of a dissertation, here are some ideas.
- Submit an ILL request for a thesis or dissertation: http://catalog.llu.edu/screens/ill.html. To request an ILL is free, however, most institutions (the institution being the place where the author received PhD) do not lend dissertations. But, occasionally some will.
- Order the full-text from UMI - http://www.umi.com/products_umi/dissertations/. Prices range from $46-96
- Try to find the author on the web – see if the author has a faculty page at a university. Email and ask for the full-text of the dissertation. Surprisingly, many of the authors are happy to email you their entire dissertation.
