UAL: Unit for Academic Literacy: Theses and Dissertations

UPeTD (Electronic theses and dissertations) may be accessed via the library catalogue, or via UPSPace, the institutional repository.

UP theses and dissertations in physical format may be listed in the library catalogue, and may be available to borrow from the open collection, or, older theses and dissertations may be kept in the in Less-Used Collection (Level 2). These older items do not circulate. Request them from the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) section on Level 5, to view or photocopy them. Email: interlending@up.ac.za; tel +27 (12) 420-3229.

Firstsearch (including Worldcat)

Nexus - choose Current and Completed Research Projects Database (NRF database). [Nexus provides information on approximately 170 000 South African current and completed research projects including theses and dissertations. This source now provides information on all fields of science since 1919. It also includes abstracts and English titles for projects not in English.]

NDLTD Global ETD Search: Global ETD Search is based on a growing collection of approximately 4 million ETDs from more than 200 universities on all continents. Records are collected daily from individual institutions and consortia. These records form the basis of the search service. Once researchers have located the ETDs of interest, they are able to access the original documents from the originating institutions.

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses - "(...)the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, spanning from 1743 to the present day and offering full text for graduate works added since 1997, along with selected full text for works written prior to 1997. It contains a significant amount of new international dissertations and theses both in citations and in full text."

Sabinet Discover - South African portal including various theses and dissertation databases, among others.

• Always ascertain first what has been written in your field by finding out which theses and dissertations are listed in the various theses and dissertation databases. (See box on this page). This allows you to make an informed decision about the focus of your study.
• Request tables of content of theses or dissertations that seem relevant to your work, and which you cannot easily obtain. Use Inter-Library Loans (ILL). You could also request copies of their bibliographies, as sources they've used may be relevant for you.

The library Research Support page contains various useful links for post-graduate students and researchers. Find links to the Research Commons page, advice on Where to publish, Financial support, Library support (including the use of other libraries), the Research Software and Tools page, support with regard to Ethics, Statistics, and Language and Editing.