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How to find a thesis |
What will I learn in this tutorial?In this tutorial you will learn:
What is a thesis?A thesis is a lengthy research work written to prove a theory or proposition. Theses are written by students wishing to obtain a higher qualification than an undergraduate degree. There are several different types of thesis. The plural of thesis is theses. Theses include substantial work in often tightly defined fields of study, and therefore they often contain material unavailable elsewhere. Often they are never published, so reading the original thesis may be the only way to obtain certain information. Theses can be written to obtain a Masters or Doctoral degree. These are known as a Major Thesis. Some (generally shorter ones) are written as part of a degree, and are known as a Minor Thesis. Others are also written as part of the requriements for obtaining an honours degree. Regardless of the length or name, any thesis must display a high level of scholarship and research to be accepted by a university. Finding Monash thesesThe Library receives one copy of each doctoral and masters thesis accepted by Monash University. There are exceptions, such as minor theses and final year projects completed in some departments. Most theses are listed in the library catalogue. Access to some theses submitted at Monash may be restricted by wishes of the author for a period of three years. During the embargo period, totally restricted theses cannot be consulted at all, and partially restricted theses may be consulted but not photocopied. Any exceptions to these usage restrictions must be with written permission of the author. To check if a thesis is totally or partially restricted, expand the catalogue record via the 'Show Detailed Record' button and look in the notes for a statement eg see the record for the Messenger thesis Abundance anomalies in globular cluster red giant stars, and the McKelvey thesis Application of innovative urban development standards. Original copies of Monash theses are held in the branch library serving the department in which the student was enrolled and depending on policy may, or may not, be available for consultation. They are not available for loan, and at some sites only microfiche copies are available for consultation. Microfiche copies of theses are freely available for consultation within the branch where held. At Matheson, these are held by Music and MultiMedia. Departmental libraries also hold a copy of all theses accepted by their department. Records for most Monash theses are in the library catalogue. To search for a specific thesis, use Basic Search. To search for theses in a particular area, type your subject (or author/keywords, etc) followed by monash then thes? (to find thesis and theses). For example: Note: Caulfield, Peninsula and Gippsland amalgamated with Monash in 1990. To find theses submitted prior to 1990 use chisholm (Caulfield/Peninsula) or gippsland in place of monash. Lists of Monash theses are also available:
Finding other Australian thesesFor theses completed since 1989 consult the research reports of the individual institutions granting the degrees (many of which are accessible via the internet), or search Libraries Australia, the search interface for Kinetica. In Kinetica just limit your search to 'Thesis' and put in your search keyword/s. Monash holds copies of some theses submitted to other universities. To check if Monash has the one you want, look it up by author or title in the library catalogue. There is no comprehensive current list of all theses submitted in Australia, but the Union List is quite comprehensive up to 1989.
Many online databases also index theses in their field. Check especially Australasian Digital Theses Program (ADT). Searching Libraries Australia for Australian thesesLibraries Australia is the search interface for Kinetica, the Australian national bibliographic database and it contains bibliographic records for most theses submitted to and accepted by Australian universities. Find Libraries Australia in the Monash Library Databases page under "L". For example If searching for an Australian thesis on 'inventory control':
Tips
Finding British thesesMonash holds copies of some theses submitted to other universities. To check if Monash has the one you want, look it up by author or title in the library catalogue. For a list of major theses accepted since 1950 use Index to Theses in either the paper or online form.
Finding North American thesesMonash holds copies of some theses submitted to other universities. To check if Monash has the one you want, look it up by author or title in the library catalogue. For a list of major theses accepted since 1861 use Digital dissertations either in the library, or on the world wide web.
Finding theses from other countriesMonash holds copies of some theses submitted to other universities. To check if Monash has the one you want, look it up by author or title in the library catalogue. There is no convenient list of all the theses published throughout the world. Often you will need to contact the institution at which the thesis was accepted or to check whether the university's library catalogue is available via the internet. Some Library provided online databases of international theses:
How can I borrow a copy of a thesis?Follow these steps to borrow or obtain a thesis:
How can I get a copy of a thesis for myself?Alternatively, you may purchase a copy of a thesis for yourself. DocDel can order a copy of a Monash thesis for an individual or a department that wishes to purchase one. Current Monash staff, students, and departments pay $20 plus GST if applicable for a microfiche copy. Printed copies are available and cost 50 cents per page plus GST if applicable. Monash University Library DocDel does NOT lend theses, but will provide a copy for retention for a fee. Students from other institutions, other libraries, members of the public etc. can order copies of theses through DocDel. Prices are $65 plus GST where applicable for microfiche copies, and 50 cents per page plus GST for printed copies. The copying of theses is done by an agency in South Melbourne, so there is some delay (approx one week for microfiche, and a little longer for print).
Some institutions make theses available for downloading from the WWW. Sources of theses available for downloading
SummaryThings to remember about finding and obtaining theses:
If you need more help contact the library. |