TWU Libraries

Theses & Disserations

As a graduate student, you may find it necessary to search for theses and dissertations relevant to a particular research project, especially in preparation for your own thesis or dissertation proposal. The major difficulty encountered with thesis and dissertation searching is the absence of comprehensive bibliographic control of this literature. Scattered lists of masters theses and doctoral dissertations abound in journals, books, pamphlets, and indexing services. Some extensive registries of doctoral studies have been developed in this century, but you will not find a comprehensive registry for masters theses. To identify theses and dissertations, you will use several resources:

• (1) The TWU Libraries Online Catalog
• (2) The Dissertations database in FirstSearch
• (3) General thesis and dissertation bibliographies
• (4) Lists of theses and dissertations completed at particular institutions
• (5) Specialized subject bibliographies
• (6) References in books and articles
• (7) Abstracting and indexing services and databases

Usually, your primary concern will be to identify theses and dissertations completed at American universities. The thoroughness with which you have to search may vary with the topic and the requirements of your research project. In all searches, you must pay close attention to the stated limitations of bibliographies and indexes you use. These limitations usually will be mentioned in prefaces, introductions, or guides to use. The terms "THESIS" and "DISSERTATION" often are used interchangeably for both masters and doctoral studies.

TWU Theses and Dissertations

• Theses and dissertations completed at TWU are listed under authors, titles, and subjects in the TWU Libraries Online Catalog.


• A Basic Search subject search in the TWU Libraries Online Catalog using "Dept. of _______" will identify theses and dissertations completed in particular TWU academic departments.


• Choosing the Quick Limit "Thesis/Dissertations" will limit a subject search to TWU theses and dissertations only.


• In Advanced Search, setting limits to location "Thesis/Dissertations" and searching "M.A." or "M.S." or "M.L.S." as a phrase keyword anywhere will retrieve only TWU masters theses.


• Setting the same limits and searching "Ph.D." or "Ed.D." as a phrase keyword anywhere will retrieve only TWU doctoral dissertations.


• The library has copies (bound, microform, or both) of most theses and dissertions completed at TWU.


• Second copies of all TWU theses and dissertations are circulating copies, shelved according to thesis number (e.g., T1984 A546b) at the start of the Library of Congress "T" class on Level 1.


• When the thesis needed is already checked out or does not have a circulating second copy, non-circulating archival preservation copies are available for use in the Rare Book Reading Room of the Woman's Collections area on Level 2.


• Some microform copies are filed alphabetically by author or under "Texas Woman's University" in the Reference Microforms area on Level 1.

Guides to Bibliographies of Theses and Dissertations

Reynolds, Michael M.
A Guide to Theses and Dissertations: An International Bibliography of Bibliographies. 1985 ed.
MAIN REFERENCE Z 5053 .A1 R49 1985
Identifies bibliographies of theses and dissertations produced through 1984. Subject arrangement. Excludes general lists for single institutions, but does include their subject lists. Books, serials, and journal bibliographies are registered.

Black, Dorothy M.
Guide to Lists of Master's Theses.
MAIN REFERENCE Z 5055 .U49 B55
MAIN Z 5055 .U49 B55
Identifies bibliographies of masters theses from U.S. and Canadian universities through 1964. Includes institutional, subject, and general lists.

Guide to Reference Books. 11th ed.
MAIN REFERENCE Z 1035.1 .G89 1996
See index entry "Dissertations" to locate bibliographies for selected subject areas. Includes masters theses.

Bibliographic Index , 1937-
Abstracts and Indexes Area (Level 1)

DISS (Comprehensive Dissertation Index)

• Diss is the only cumulated author and key word subject index to the major general and institutional bibliographies of American doctoral dissertations.


• The Diss database available on FirstSearch2 covers the period from 1861 to the present.


• It serves particularly as a cumulated index to Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI).


• Full bibliographic information is given for each dissertation (title, author, degree, year, institution, number of pages) with a reference to the original list from which the entry was taken.


• Diss includes the entire entry, including the abstract, for items which appeared in the print copies of Dissertation Abstracts International .

Major Lists of American Dissertations

All of the following sources in the Abstracts and Indexes area are analyzed by Diss. They all provide very general subject classification of the dissertations listed.

• U.S. Library of Congress. Catalog Division. A List of American Doctoral Dissertations Printed in 1912-1938


• Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Univerities , 1934-1955


• Index to American Doctoral Dissertations , 1955-1963


• American Doctoral Dissertations , 1963-1994

Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI)

DAI is a valuable bibliography of doctoral dissertations available for sale from University Microfilms International in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is NOT a comprehensive list of dissertations: some universities and graduates do not allow the commercial sale of their dissertations. DAI prints abstracts (summaries) of all dissertations listed to provide you with more information about a dissertation than you are likely to get from other sources. Diss serves as its cumulated index. DAI has changed titles and format since its inception:

• Microfilm Abstracts , 1938-1951


• Dissertation Abstracts , 1952-1969
  Beginning in 1966, issued in two parts:
     -A: Humanities and Social Sciences
     -B: Sciences and Engineering


• Dissertation Abstracts International , 1969-
  Beginning in 1977, a third section was added:
     -C: European Abstracts (dissertations in English completed at universities in Europe)
  

The information in DAI is included in the Diss database, so the TWU Library does not have paper copies. Issues for 1938-1960 are available on microfilm in the Microforms area. Dissertations in DAI often are not available through Interlibrary Loan service.

Masters Abstracts International (MAI)

Begun in 1962, this companion to DAI lists and summarizes masters theses available for sale from University Microfilms International. Relatively few of the masters theses produced annually are listed. Issues of MAI from 1976-1995 are shelved in the Abstracts and Indexes area; issues from 1962-1975 are available on microfilm in the Microforms area. Diss serves as its only cumulated index.

Availability

• The library purchases selected theses and dissertations completed at other universities (identified in the TWU Libraries Online Catalog under authors, titles, and subjects).


• Using a "Student Book and Dissertation Request" form available at the Information Desk, TWU masters and doctoral candidates may request the TWU Libraries to purchase dissertations needed for current graduate research.


• Theses and dissertations listed in DAI or Masters Abstracts may be purchased directly as well, using ordering instructions found on the UMI web site (http://www.umi.com/hp/Support/DServices/order/).


• Theses and some dissertations occasionally may be borrowed from other universities through the Interlibrary Loan Service if they are not registered in DAI or Masters Abstracts.