Q. How do I access a thesis?

Theses submitted in fulfilment of a research degree at the University of Liverpool are available either in print in the Library or electronically via the University Repository - and sometimes in both formats. 

Theses were submitted in print by research postgraduates who registered before 1st August 2008. They are held in the Brunswick Library Store. To search for them use Library Search. If you know the name of the thesis you want, simply type it in the search box to see if the Library holds a copy of it. Otherwise, go to Advanced Search, select Dissertation under Material Type then using the search filters select Title, Author/Creator or Subject, or type in the word Thesis in the any field box. You can then complete the Brunswick request form to request them. If you have any difficulty filling in the form, please contact us.

The University Repository holds records on theses held in electronic format, mainly those deposited by research postgraduates who registered on or after 1st August 2008. To limit your search to theses, under Browse the Repository select  Thesis  and search by Year. 

The British Library in association with higher education institutions in the UK will provide online access to the full-text of UK doctoral theses through EThOS (Electronic Theses Online). The University of Liverpool is a contributor to this service. Some institutions lend their Masters theses within the UK. For these please contact Inter-Library Loans  (interlib@liverpool.ac.uk / [tel://+441517945414] (0151 794 9500).

Please note some University of Liverpool Masters level dissertations are also available in the Library but not from EThOS. If you are searching for a Masters dissertation please see our FAQ How do I access dissertations from the Library? or enquire at the appropriate academic department.

For more information about using EThOS see How can I access a thesis through EThOS?

If you wish to access a University of Liverpool thesis you need to check if it is available to access from the British Library service EThOS.

In line with the lending policy of many other UK universities, if a University of Liverpool doctoral thesis is not available to either download or request for digitisation you will not be able to borrow, as the Library does not lend to libraries either in the UK or overseas. The Library does lend Masters theses within the UK, but not overseas.

If you require any further information please contact Inter-Library Loans  (interlib@liverpool.ac.uk / [tel://+441517945414] (0151 794 9500).

Links to worldwide University theses are available via OAister / CORE.

European theses can be accessed via DART, also Tel (French language) and North American theses via Proquest and Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD).

In addition Cogprints is a specialist service providing access to Health, Science and Technology theses.

Unfortunately, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge do not lend their theses, so we are unable to request them via Inter-Library Loans, and they are unavailable via the British Library's EThOS service.

However, Cambridge University have an open access repository called Apollo, and Oxford University offers a similar facility via Ora. Both offer access to a range of freely available items including some of their theses; but not all of them; although you can see which are locked and which aren’t.

If you need further information about obtaining a thesis from Oxford or Cambridge, you will need to contact their libraries.