A dissertation (also called thesis or disquisition) is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification. Theses have been published at Virginia Tech since 1903. Theses and dissertations have been submitted electronically since 1996, with most of these freely available online. The Virginia Tech Libraries owns few theses or dissertations published at other colleges and universities; expect to obtain most of these documents via interlibrary loan. In addition to the search tools referenced below, most subject specific databases (like PsycInfo, Sociological Abstracts, and Engineering Village) will provide citations for theses and dissertations in their covered fields.
Discovery Search includes all Virginia Tech theses and dissertations (print and electronic), all of NDLTD and other open access repositories, and all the international dissertations from CRL. It does not include content from ProQuest Theses and Dissertations Global, so you must search that in addition to Discovery Search (you'll find a button on Discovery Search result pages to repeat your search in PQTDG).
To limit searches to just Virginia Tech published theses or dissertations, include the phrase "Virginia Polytechnic Institute" with quotes in your search. To limit to documents from particular departments, include the department name in quotes. Note that many departments have changed their names over the years, so you will need to search each variation of name.
Theses and dissertations published outside the United States will be more difficult to obtain. Interlibrary Loan will not borrow from libraries outside North America. Recently published documents may be available online. Use these tools to search for international theses and dissertations:
If you need to obtain a thesis or dissertation from an institution that will not lend through interlibrary loan, you can purchase an unbound copy from ProQuest's Dissertation Express using a credit card or by faxing payment information. Look up theses or dissertations by title, author, or UMI publication number. Orders are shipped directly to you. Since you will bear the cost of this order, verify using the tools listed above that the document is not otherwise available to you free before ordering.
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