How to find a thesis

Undergraduate Dissertations

• To search for dissertations on the catalogue you can either:
• browse by department: do an author search for 'University of Stirling dept of xxx' eg 'University of Stirling dept of history'. This will display all theses for that department. Note: if this doesn't work, try 'University of Stirling department of xxx'
• do a keywordsearch for the qualification you are looking for
  • ba hons history
  • bsc mathematics

Taught Postgraduate Dissertations

See a list of all the theses in the library (from both taught courses and research work). (Use the modify search button to search within this list, e.g., for a student's name, course, thesis subject, or thesis title.)

Research Postgraduate Theses

STORRE: Stirling Online Research Repository contains electronic versions of research theses completed at the university. These can be viewed online instantly. Almost all research theses written after mid-2006 are available through this service, along with some older theses.

The Library should also have a paper copy of every University of Stirling research postgraduate thesis. See a list of all the theses in the library (taught and research). Use the modify search button to search within this list, e.g., for a student's name, course, thesis subject or thesis title.

Paper theses are kept in a store room. To view one of these theses you should click on the link in the library catalogue record. The thesis will be brought from the store for you to consult within the library (theses cannot be borrowed). Occasionally, a thesis may be "embargoed" because it contains confidential or commercially sensitive information. Embargoed theses are not available for consultation.

If you are from another institution and wish to read a Stirling University thesis you should check to see if it is available via the STORRE. If it is not available electronically you could visit Stirling University Library to view the paper copy, or request the thesis through your own library's Inter Library Loan department. (If you plan to visit the library, please check our Opening Hours, and remember to request that the thesis be brought from the store room in advance of your visit.) 

Non-Stirling theses

You could try one of the following services to locate theses by students from other institutions.

• EThOS (http://ethos.bl.uk) - Central hub for finding theses produced by UK Higher Education. Many theses are available in full-text for immediate download. Registration is free.

• Index to theses - Index to British and Irish higher degree theses. This is not a full text database (it contains abstracts or brief details only)

• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) which allows you to search for electronic theses from around the world

• Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD) aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world.  Currently indexes over 1.5 million theses and dissertations.