Dissertations contain some great research, not to mention extensive reviews of the literature.
You will find references to dissertations in databases such as
Social Work Abstracts, PsycINFO, and, of course, the literature itself. Getting your hands
on these dissertations, however, can often be tricky. Here are some general guidelines for locating
and retrieving dissertations.
The Harris Library collection includes Master's and Ph.D. theses from graduates of MSASS
programs. Other Case libraries collect dissertations from a variety of Case departments. You can
check to see if a particular dissertation is in a Case library by doing a search for the title or
author in the online catalog. You can also search by keyword (topic) and then limit your search to
material type of
"Thesis/Diss." In most cases, dissertations are for "In Library Use" only.
University Microfilms, Inc. (UMI) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the most complete repository for
doctoral dissertations. Their database of titles is known as
ProQuest Digital Dissertations and Theses or
Dissertation Abstracts
. It is available to Case affiliated students, faculty and staff through
the Library Catalog's
Research Databases
(click on "Dissertations").
You can search in the dissertation database by author, title, keyword, advisor, school, degree
date and other fields. Each entry will allow you to view the complete citation and abstract for
that title. In addition, Case's subscription to ProQuest Digital Dissertations allows you to
preview the first twenty-four pages of dissertations with a publication date of 1997 or later.
Titles can be marked by clicking on the "Marked Folder" button and then exported later in the
search. Items that you wish to purchase can be added to the "Shopping Cart."
Another database that you can try for dissertations from Ohio universities is the
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertation Center. It began in 2001,
but there are also some dissertations from the 1990s as well. Most dissertations in this
database are available in free electronic full-text.
Actually getting your hands on the dissertation once you have identified titles can be
problematic (unless money is no object). Usually the degree-granting institution only owns one copy
of a student's dissertation and will not allow it to circulate. The Harris Library will try to
obtain a copy through
Interlibrary Loan
, but the success rate (especially from libraries outside of Ohio) is slim. Questions
about Interlibrary Loan can be addressed to
harrisill@case.edu or phone (216) 368-2302.
If you just have to have a dissertation, you can order it through UMI/Proquest directly through
the Dissertation Abstracts database. Prices for direct ordering from UMI/Proquest range
from free for some direct access online (PDF) to $66 for a hardbound copy. To get direct
access online, you need to register or "checkout" even if it is free. An e-mail will then be
sent to you when the dissertation is ready with instructions on how to download it. The
process for printing can be lengthy depending on the size of the dissertation.
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