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 PhD, Masters (Research) and some Honours theses are available from the Library.  Many final year Engineering project reports are also available. 

Theses produced prior to 2001: These are in print format and are held in a closed collection at Toowoomba.

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, note the call number and ask at the Loans Desk. 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.

Theses produced since 2001 and Engineering project reports since 2004:

These are mostly in electronic format and accessible from the USQ ePrints repository collection. They are available in fulltext PDF format.

• Search by keyword or author, selecting 'Thesis (_PhD/Research)' or 'USQ Project' as the Item Type
• Alternatively, a complete listing of these in title alphabetical order is available on the ePrints website
• A small number of post 2002 theses are only available in print format (they may have special access or format conditions) and can be located in the Library Catalogue.

Records of theses in electronic format are also automatically harvested into the National Library of Australia catalogue and are available on the NLA Trove Service.

Finding Australian and overseas theses

Almost all Australian and New Zealand universities contribute their thesis records to the National Library of Australia Trove Service.

• Search this collection for all Australian thesis (both digital and print) or
• Search only for digital Australian theses.
  
  NOTE: you need to keep the existing text in the search box and add your own keywords

Obtaining theses and dissertations

If a thesis or dissertation is not freely available in electronic full-text (such as in USQ ePrints or Trove), you can often still obtain the thesis via Interlibrary Loans.   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 - up to hundreds of dollars.  We will obtain a quote for the thesis and advise you of the quoted cost.
• It is possible to use your Interlibrary Loan quota to pay for theses - with your quota debited a certain number of requests equivalent to cost e.g. a standard thesis obtained from an Australian Library will usually debit your quota by four requests.
• 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.