australian thesis

Australian theses

Researchers at universities around Australia produce world-leading research in pursuit of new knowledge and educational qualifications. These theses, long essays or dissertations involving personal research, are shared with Trove by our partner universities. Some of them are in print form only, some are available online in digital format. Here’s how you can search for them in Trove.

How can I browse recently produced theses?

• Go to the Trove homepage and type your keyword into the search box
• Open the Categories drop-down and choose Research and Reports
• Select the green search button
• Select the ‘Thesis’ filter on the right-hand side of the screen
• Change the ‘Sort by’ option to Date (latest first) to view the most recently published theses.

How can I browse recent Australian theses?

Trove has rules under the hood that identify the Australian-ness of a thesis.

• Go to the Trove homepage 
• Select Advanced search and choose ‘Research and reports’
• Type your keyword into the first box
• Scroll down until you see Australian content and tick that box
• Change the ‘Sort by’ option to Date (latest first) to view the most recently Australian published theses.

How can I do a more advanced, specific search for theses?

The advanced search form provides options to create a more specific search. We’ve introduced you to the Australian content option, but you can also narrow your search with these filters:

• Place of publication
• Year of publication
• Access (freely available, not available online)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language
• Funder (Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council)

How can I find a particular institution’s theses only?

The Research and Reports advanced search form also contains a field that helps you find theses held at specific organisations. 

• Scroll down until you see Organisations
• Select the box and begin to type the name of the university 
• When the organisation you want turns green select it.
• Then select the green search button

All Australian National University theses are in digital form. You can search for them online through the  theses collection in ANU Open Research , and are also searchable via the  Library Catalogue .

The majority of ANU theses are openly accessible but a small number are restricted due to cultural sensitivities, copyright controls or other restrictions.

Digital theses

Digital theses can be searched online through the  theses collection in ANU Open Research .

The Australian National University Library’s theses collection holds the research output of the University’s academic community over the last 60 years. The first ANU thesis was awarded in 1953.

By digitising its print theses collection, ANU Library delivers the University’s unique and original research in a freely available, open access online collection. Digital delivery expands engagement with the Library’s collections, provides visibility to the university’s scholarship, and supports the careers of its academic community.

Restrictions

The majority of theses are openly accessible; however, some may not be available under open access conditions due to author or copyright restrictions.

If an author wishes to restrict access to their thesis (or part of it), they can elect to do so as part of the online submission process. If after 12 months an extension to that restriction is required, a new application must be completed.

In the case of a Higher Degree by Research thesis, approval is required from the Dean, Higher Degree Research and can be sought by filling out an  Extension of Thesis Restriction of Access Request Form  or emailing  [email protected] . If approved, the Open Research team will be notified and restrict access to the online version of your thesis in line with the decision made.

Read our  Restriction Infosheet  for more information about applying for restrictions on theses.

Hard copy theses

Hard copy theses can be requested  for reading within the Library, but cannot be borrowed.

The majority of theses are available for research or study, however some may not be available due to author or copyright restrictions.

To check whether access restrictions apply to a particular thesis, ask at the  Menzies Library  Information Desk or email the  ANU Library .

Non-ANU readers are advised to check in advance whether they will be granted access to a particular thesis.

Location of hard copy theses

• ANU Doctoral and Masters’ theses (1953-2018) –  Menzies Library
• Master of Law and International Law theses (pre-October 1987) –  Law Library
• ANU Honours theses – held by the  ANU Colleges
• ANU Law Honours theses (selected) – Law Library or online through  ANU Open Research
• Non-ANU theses (without access restrictions) are on the open shelves.
• Hard copy theses requests

Related links

• Finding theses
• Ask a librarian
•   Theses   +61 2 6125 2005   Send email

• Search all things Library

Finding UNSW theses

UNSW PhD or Masters by Research theses can be located via  UNSWorks . For honours theses, contact the UNSW faculty, school or the author directly.

For more information on rights of use and removing material in UNSWorks see  Copyright - UNSWorks .

Finding Australian and international theses

Australian theses.

To find Australian theses, search via:

Library collection To find UNSW Library’s collection of Australian and international theses in print, search  Library collection  for a title or keywords. Refine your results by selecting  Refine my results > Resource types > Dissertations  in the column on the left.

Trove - Australian print and digital theses Trove includes theses at all levels, including PhD, masters and honours. To limit your search to Australian theses only, use  Trove - Research & Reports  search. Tick the  Australian content  box. Next to  Format - select  Thesis  from the drop-down list.

International theses

To find international theses, search via:

BASE BASE academic search engine provides access to the repositories of 8,000 institutions. 60% of the full-text documents are open access.

CORE CORE aggregates open access research outputs from repositories and journals worldwide.

DART-Europe e-theses portal DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia working to improve global access to European research theses.

EBSCO open dissertations Includes the content from American Doctoral Dissertations in addition to theses and dissertations from around the world. Coverage from 1955.

Open access theses and dissertations OATD provides access to open access graduate theses from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions.

Theses Canada Theses and dissertations in the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collection.

Web of Science The Web of Science ProQuest Dissertations & Theses collection provides access to the citation information of theses form around the world. To search for thesis citations, change the search from Web of Science Core Collection to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index .

Non-UNSW theses

To obtain a thesis that is not available via the resources listed above, contact the library of the holding/publishing institution directly. Conditions of access to a thesis are determined by the author and holding library, and is outside the control of UNSW Library.

Depositing your thesis

How to  deposit  your UNSW thesis.

• Open Scholarship

Open Access Theses

I have benefited greatly from being able to share my PhD dissertation as an open access publication – it has meant that more people have read and engaged with the research I spent so many years working on. I was glad to know there was an option to move to a Creative Commons license, so that it was clear to people what they can do with the work. Dr Lauren Gawne, PhD Graduate (School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, 2013)

Today, public access to graduate research theses is a common and valuable aspect of the open scholarship landscape. This is usually made possible by depositing the thesis in an institutional repository after final submission. To meet the best practices of open access , graduates may be encouraged to apply a Creative Commons licence to their thesis.

For candidates undertaking creative work as part of their thesis, or whose thesis includes Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) , other copyright and intellectual property considerations will apply, and full open access may not be possible. The advice on this page primarily concerns traditional text-based research theses.

Benefits of making theses open access

Until your thesis has been made open access, it is an untapped resource of original research. A thesis under embargo cannot be downloaded or read, significantly limiting the potential impact your research can have.

By making your thesis freely available to the public, you help to advance scholarly discourse in your field. You also make it available to other researchers, students, policy makers, and practitioners, all of whom could build on your research in significant and meaningful ways.

For University of Melbourne graduates, your thesis being open access in Minerva Access results in it being discoverable through Google, Google Scholar, the National Library of Australia’s Trove database, and other platforms.

Making your thesis open access means it can easily be provided as an example of your work and expertise in your chosen discipline, helping to raise your researcher profile. It can also help to build your impact narrative, spark conversations, and lead to exciting collaborations, both within and beyond the academy. Once open, your thesis can also start gathering views, downloads, shares, and citations – none of which are likely if your thesis remains inaccessible to most potential readers.

Researchers in low- and middle-income countries often face significant barriers when it comes to accessing research. Making theses open access increases the amount of high-quality research available to researchers of the Global South, whose institutions may struggle to afford expensive journal descriptions or costly books ( Tennant et al., 2016 ).

Open access theses at the University of Melbourne

The University’s institutional repository, Minerva Access , provides free public access to theses completed at the University of Melbourne.

Browse open access theses in Minerva Access

Open access is required for University of Melbourne PhD, Doctorate, and Masters Research theses in all but exceptional cases. It may also be required, or encouraged, for Honours and Masters Coursework theses, depending on the school or faculty. When required and approved, temporary embargoes and ongoing access restrictions are possible.

For more information, see the FAQ and deposit advice below, or visit the Graduate Research Hub’s “My thesis in the library” page. Current graduate researchers may also wish to join one of the “Open Access and Your Thesis” webinars, which run twice each year as part of our Researcher@Library program .

Publishing after your thesis is open access

Historically, publishers would not consider submissions that had been adapted from theses available online, just as, historically, many publishers would not accept submissions that had been shared as preprints . Today, however, it is increasingly rare for publishers to reject work for appearing in earlier forms as online theses or preprints, whether the submission is for a journal article, book chapter, or monograph.

That is, most publishers today do not consider theses available online as prior publications for the purposes of publishing. They are typically treated in a similar way to preprints: they are regarded as early versions of a work shared online prior to submission to a publisher.

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) states that online theses should not be considered prior publications that would prevent submission to a publisher: “Where a thesis (or chapter) contains otherwise unpublished work … it should not be considered prior publication. That is, it is acceptable for the work, or parts of the work … to be submitted … to a publisher for publication” ( COPE Best practice for theses publishing, 2017 ).

There do remain some publishers, journals, and individual editors who are resistant to publishing work previously available online as theses or preprints, so check websites for publisher policies prior to submission. It may be that an editor’s or journal’s resistance is out of step with their own publisher policies.

If an editor or publisher requests that a thesis be taken offline, embargoed, or placed under access restrictions for publishing reasons, graduate researchers must negotiate on the terms of publication. Any agreement entered into with a publisher must accommodate the University making the thesis publicly available in Minerva Access (see “Can I choose not to make my graduate research thesis open access?” in the FAQ below).

"> Deposit your thesis

Find out how to deposit your University of Melbourne thesis in Minerva Access.

Graduate Research Theses

PhD, Doctorate, and Masters Research candidates are required to submit a digital copy of their thesis to Minerva Access via the Thesis Examination System (TES). Detailed information is available on the "My thesis in the Library" page.

Honours and Masters Coursework Theses

Honours and Masters Coursework candidates are welcome to submit their completed thesis to the Minerva Access repository. This may be required by some schools or departments.

Most major scholarly journal publishers today have clear policies supporting the submission of articles derived from theses or dissertations that are publicly available. In doing so, they are following COPE best practice guidelines that recommend treating theses, like preprints, as not being prior publications for the purposes of publishing. The shift to accepting openly available theses as publications is ongoing, but in the University’s experience it is already very rare that an open access thesis is ultimately a barrier to publication.

Consider the following publisher policy examples:

Elsevier’s policy on prior publication confirms that they do not consider online publication of an academic thesis as prior publication. Like preprints, they are considered prior uses of a work that can be considered for publication. They note, however, that Lancet journals, Cell Press journals, and some society-owned journals have their own policies on prior publication that can be found on the journal homepages.

Likewise, Springer’s journal author FAQ states: “Springer will consider submissions containing material that has previously formed part of a PhD or other academic thesis including those that have been made publicly available according to the requirements of the institution awarding the qualification.” Other Springer Nature imprints have similar policies, confirming that theses are not considered prior (or duplicate) publication – see BMC , SpringerOpen , Palgrave , and Nature .

Sage’s prior publication guidelines follow COPE guidelines and states: “Excerpts or material from your dissertation that have not been through peer review will generally be eligible for publication.”

Taylor & Francis’s Editorial Policies state that the publisher supports “the need for authors to share early versions of their work.” Although the policy does not mention theses or dissertations specifically, preprints and other Author’s Original Manuscript versions can be shared anywhere, without embargo.

Although Wiley’s overarching policies do not mention theses, their Preprints Policy confirms that the publisher will consider submissions already available online as preprints, and allows submitted manuscripts to be shared to preprint servers at any time. Individual journals’ author guidelines often confirm that theses do not count as prior publications. For example, “Articles submitted to Journal of Anatomy are done so on the following conditions: that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis)” ( Journal of Anatomy Author Guidelines ).

Major academic book publishers differ in their approaches to publishing monographs based on theses, but most are happy to consider book proposals based on theses that are available online. Some publishers have strong statements clarifying that open access theses do not present barriers to publication, while others consider matters on a case-by-case basis.

Palgrave Macmillan, for example, provides the following advice on their Early Career Researcher Hub : “Palgrave Macmillan will consider submissions containing material that has previously formed part of a PhD or other academic thesis including those that have been made publicly available according to the requirements of the institution awarding the qualification. Prospective authors should bear in mind that every PhD thesis will need to undergo rigorous revision in order to be published as a monograph with our press.”

Likewise, Cambridge University Press considers theses and dissertations to be preprints, as covered by their Green Open Access Policy . If a monograph is based on a thesis, the policy supports that thesis being shared in full, at any time, under any licence (including a Creative Commons licence).

Some other major publishers, such as Routledge, do not have blanket statements of this kind, but consider requirements on a case-by-case basis. Such publishers will usually take into account university expectations around theses being made open access.

Be aware that some publishers who do not accept open-access theses for consideration as monographs may also ask the author to assign rights that the author does not have, such as requiring the author to assign exclusive rights for all time. Embargoes are only for a limited period, after which the University will exercise its right to make the thesis available; this right cannot be removed by the author and thus cannot be assigned in a publication contract. Some publishers go further, for example requiring that the material has not and never will be used for academic assessment, which means that they cannot consider material such as a thesis that was used in award of a degree.

Creative Commons licences make it clear to authors and readers how a work can be shared and used. University of Melbourne graduates can apply a Creative Commons licence to their thesis in Minerva Access using the following process:

• Choose a Creative Commons licence that would be suitable for your thesis. See “ Selecting a licence for your work ” on our Copyright website for guidance.
• Receive written permission from your thesis supervisor to apply the chosen Creative Commons licence.
• Email [email protected] to request your chosen Creative Commons licence be applied to your thesis, attaching the supervisor’s permission.

Note that if your thesis includes publications, you may be restricted in what licence can be applied. Consult your publishing agreement or your publisher’s website for more information. For further advice, contact the University’s Copyright Office .

At the University of Melbourne, it is a requirement of all PhD, Doctorate, and Masters Research candidates that their final thesis is made open access in Minerva Access, unless exceptional circumstances mean that an embargo or ongoing access restrictions are required.

This requirement is outlined in the Graduate Research Training Policy (MPF1321) and the Intellectual Property Policy (MPF1320) . The latter policy reads:

4.19. Student theses must be made openly available to the public through the University’s Institutional Digital Repository, unless otherwise agreed with the University (for example where an embargo has been approved by the University). The University is deemed to have been granted by the Student a non-exclusive, royalty free, world-wide and irrevocable licence to use and reproduce the Student theses for non-commercial educational, teaching and research purposes, including making the thesis available to the public through the University’s Institutional Repository.

Students must retain all necessary rights to enable the University to publish and share the thesis and not grant exclusive copyright licence to a thesis to any other person or organisation.

Likewise, our Principles for Open Access to Research Outputs at Melbourne states:

10. Graduate researchers are expected to make their research thesis publicly available via the University’s institutional repository unless otherwise agreed with the University, and to make their thesis available within the University via the repository in all but exceptional cases. Note that the University’s right to publish and share a thesis is irrevocable and cannot be overridden by a private publication agreement.

For information on how to apply a temporary embargo or formally request permanent access restrictions, see the FAQ item below and consult the “My thesis in the library” page.

If you are a University of Melbourne graduate researcher, you may apply a temporary embargo to your thesis or formally request permanent access restrictions when certain criteria are met. Embargoes and access restrictions can also be applied to portions of your thesis, whether this is through the redaction of third-party copyright material or through the embargo or restriction of certain chapters or appendices.

When summitting your final thesis in the Thesis Examination System (TES), you can request a two-year embargo, which will be granted if you meet the required criteria. This can be either an external embargo, where access is limited to interlibrary loans and University of Melbourne staff and students, or a full embargo, where the thesis not available by any means. Full embargo is only granted in highly exceptional circumstances. The two-year embargo period can be shortened, or extended to four years, with the support of your supervisor. Further information on embargoes and embargo criteria can be found on the “My thesis in the library” page.

As covered in the Graduate Research Training Policy (MPF1321) , ongoing restricted access arrangements must be approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate & International Research) in consultation with the relevant Dean. Further information, and the restricted access request form, can be found on the “My thesis in the library” page.

Note that applications to have embargoes extended purely for publishing reasons are only granted when extenuating circumstances apply. Requests for permanent access restrictions that are sought to comply with publisher contracts are never granted. In most cases, however, these are not required, as most publishers today understand the requirements for theses to be freely available in institutional repositories.

Yes. Any University of Melbourne graduate who opted to embargo their thesis can choose to release it from embargo early. To end an embargo before its original end date:

• Check to make sure that ending the embargo early would not conflict with any agreements made with third parties (for example, publishers).
• Receive written permission from your thesis supervisor to shorten the embargo period.
• Email [email protected] to request a change to embargo end date, attaching your supervisor’s permission.

When preparing a thesis with publications, candidates should follow the guidelines on the “Incorporating your published work in your thesis” and “Submitting my thesis” pages, as well as the “Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Rules.”

If your publication is still in review and has not yet been formally accepted for publication, you should include the submitted manuscript in your thesis.

Once accepted for publication, or published, you should use the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) – the final manuscript accepted for publication after peer review and revisions.

Final published versions can only be included when you have explicit permission to do so and when it does not conflict with your publishing agreement. Final PDFs can be always used for open access publications carrying Creative Commons licences.

It is important to check publisher policies to determine which version can be shared and whether an embargo is required. In the absence of policies pertaining specifically to inclusion in online theses, candidates should follow policies governing what can be shared in institutional repositories. These policies should be available on journal or publisher websites and may be referred to as open access policies, sharing policies, or self-archiving policies. For journal articles, the Sherpa Romeo deposit policy register can be used to determine sharing policies and embargo requirements.

Also note that some publishers offer specific permissions to include Author Accepted Manuscripts (AAMs) or final published versions in theses. For example, the publisher Sage allows the final PDF of a candidate’s article to be included in their thesis and made available online. Their Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines states: “You may use the Final Published PDF (or Original Submission or Accepted Manuscript, if preferred) … in your dissertation or thesis, including where the dissertation or thesis will be posted in any electronic Institutional Repository or database.”

For more information, see the “My thesis in the library” page, along with the advice contained on the Copyright Office’s “Copyright and your thesis” page. The “Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis” form can be found on the “Submitting my thesis” page.

Some theses contain information that cannot be made public, such as confidential or private data, or third-party copyright material where permission to publish has not been obtained. In these cases, it may be necessary to submit a redacted version of your thesis with third-party copyright content removed. You would then be submitting two copies:

• The original, examined thesis, which will be archived (not available for online public access).
• A redacted “public access” copy, with non-compliant material removed (ensure you maintain page number integrity).

Guidelines on how and when to seek permissions, recording copyright statuses, and redacting copyright material can be found on the “Copyright and your thesis” and the “My thesis in the library” pages. For more information, please consult the Copyright Office .

Further Support

For enquiries relating to open access and scholarly publishing, please contact your Faculty or Subject Liaison Librarians .

If you require assistance using Minerva Access, or have requests relating to existing Minerva Access thesis records, please email [email protected] .

Copyright enquiries should be directed to the Copyright Office at [email protected] .

For all other enquiries relating to thesis preparation and submission, please email your faculty or school’s graduate research contact .

Page last updated 1 February 2024.

Return to Open Scholarship

Institutional repository

Repositories hosted by institutions to collect the research outputs of that institution. They often collect a broad range of digital items including articles, papers, books, book chapters, reports, data, and creative outputs.

The University of Melbourne has two institutional repositories:  Minerva Access for research outputs, and Melbourne Figshare for research data, reports, supplementary research materials, and non-traditional research outputs (NTROs). You can find out more about Minerva Access and Melbourne Figshare on our Repository Open Access page .

Open access

Open access refers to the availability of research outputs via the internet, such that any user can find, freely access, read, and download the output without charge. Best practice in open access is to use open licences, such as Creative Commons licences, that permit users to copy, distribute, print, search, link, crawl, mine, and otherwise use and reuse the research output, as long as proper attribution is provided. Find out more on our What Is Open Access? page.

Creative Commons licences

Open licences that have become best practice in open access publishing. They are built using a combination of elements: BY (Attribution), SA (Share-Alike), NC (Non-Commercial), and ND (No Derivatives). All licences are detailed on the Creative Commons website .

The most open of the licences is the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence. This licence allows authors to retain their copyright while granting others permission to distribute, use, adapt, remix, and build upon the material, so long as attribution is given to the creator. This is the preferred, and sometimes required, licence of the Australian Research Council (ARC) and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), as well as many international research funders.

The most restrictive is the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. This licence does not allow for any commercial uses or the creation and sharing of any adaptations or derivative versions. It greatly restricts how others can use the work and, when adopted as part of an exclusive licence to publish with a publisher, can result in a significant loss of author rights.

In the context of open access publishing and sharing, embargoes are a restriction imposed by publishers on the public release of an output. Most scholarly publishers will allow the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) of a journal article or book chapter to be made open access in a repository after an embargo of between 12 and 36 months.

Staff at our institutional repository, Minerva Access , will determine and manage embargoes before making any version of a research output publicly available.

A version of an article or paper that is shared openly prior to formal peer review or publication. Preprints are typically shared on preprint servers, such as arXiv.org , bioRxiv , OSF Preprints , SSRN , or Zenodo .

Find out more on our Preprints page.

Submitted manuscript

The submitted manuscript is the version of a research output originally submitted to a venue, such as a journal or book publisher. This version typically undergoes editorial review and may subsequently be sent on for peer review.

In the past, submitted manuscripts were sometimes called preprints , although this term now has a different meaning: early versions of article or papers shared prior to peer review on preprint servers.

Find out more about article versions on the Minerva Access website .

Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) / Accepted version

The version of an article, paper, book, or book chapter that has been accepted for publication. It is the author’s final manuscript version after peer review and revisions, but prior to the publisher’s copyediting, typesetting, and formatting results in a proof.

Version of Record (VoR)

The final published version of a research output – usually the publisher’s final PDF.

Unless the work is published open access under a Creative Commons licence, this version cannot generally be shared or made open access in a repository.

Non-Traditional Research Output (NTRO)

A broad term encompassing research outputs that do not take the form of typical peer-reviewed scholarly publications (journal articles, books and book chapters, conference publications).

Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) include visual artworks, creative writing, films, performances, recordings, music composition, building and design projects, curated exhibitions, and portfolios. They may also be referred to as Artistic and Practice Based Research Outputs (APROs).

To be considered a research output for reporting purposes, an NTRO must meet the definition of research established in the Australian Research Council's  2018-19 ERA report :

Research is defined as the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies, inventions and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it is new and creative.

University of Melbourne researchers can find out more about reporting their NTROs on our Research Gateway: Add Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) to Find an Expert .

Finding theses

University of sydney theses, higher degree by research theses.

We hold theses written by the University’s Higher Degree by Research (PhD or Masters by Research) students in our collections.

You can find a University of Sydney thesis by searching the  Library catalogue . Select the “Advanced search” and then select “USYD Theses” from the “Material type” dropdown menu.

You can also find digital theses by searching directly in the Sydney eScholarship repository .

Access a digital or digitised thesis

Many of the University’s digital and digitised theses are openly available for download through the Sydney eScholarship repository .

Theses marked “University of Sydney Access” are only available to current University staff and students. Libraries and private researchers can request to purchase a copy of a University of Sydney Access only thesis for AUD$18.50 (incl. GST, within Australia) or AUD$40.00 (international requests).

To purchase a digital thesis, you need to complete one of the relevant request forms below and submit it to [email protected] :

• Individuals requesting a thesis, or library requesting on behalf of an individual
• Libraries requesting a copy to be included in their collection

All requests for copies of material held at the University of Sydney Library must comply with the  Copyright Act of 1968 .

Access a hard copy thesis

Theses that are only available in printed format can be viewed in the Rare Books and Special Collections Library , Level 1, Fisher Library.

We are currently running a project to digitise hardcopy theses. You can request an update to find out where a particular thesis is in our digitisation queue by emailing [email protected] .

We don’t digitise theses on request.

Honours or postgraduate coursework theses

Search for an honours or postgraduate coursework thesis in the repository , then use the filters on the left side of the results page to narrow by “Type”.

You can also search the Honours and Postgraduate Coursework theses collection for a faculty, school or discipline (if available).

There are limited numbers of honours theses in the Sydney eScholarship repository as we have strict requirements for submission of honours theses . If you can't find the thesis you're looking for, we suggest contacting the relevant faculty office.

Theses from other Australian and New Zealand universities

Find a thesis from other Australian or New Zealand universities by searching:

• Australian theses via Trove
• Libraries Australia for Higher Degree theses awarded from 1989 onwards
• Education Research Theses for citations and abstracts from theses submitted from 1919 onwards.

If you’re interested in a thesis that isn't available online, you can request the item through our Resource Sharing Service .

International theses

For theses written and submitted at universities outside of Australia, try the following resources:

• Open Access Theses and Dissertations
• DART-Europe E-theses Portal
• British Library Electronic Digital Thesis Online Service (EThOS)
• EBSCO open dissertations
• French Thesis-On-Line Repository
• History Online – postgraduate theses in History submitted in the UK since 1995
• Index to Theses – listing of theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in Great Britain and Ireland since 1716
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations – North American theses
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

Related information

For more help finding and accessing theses, speak to our friendly library staff.

• Subject guides
• Australian theses

Theses: Australian theses

• Monash theses
• International theses
• Finding theses in Search
• Writing / Submission

Requesting theses

Some theses from other universities may be available at Monash. Use Search to check for availability.

Theses that are not available at one of the Monash libraries, or in full text via Trove or another online repository, may be requested via Document Delivery .

• More information about Document Delivery

Finding Australian Theses

Trove includes doctoral, masters and some honours theses from all Australian and New Zealand universities. Trove also includes theses awarded elsewhere but held by Australian institutions.

Tips: To search for theses type in the title, author and/or keywords. Then on the results page refine your search to 'thesis' using the facets on the left. Refine further by decade or language if necessary.

Alternatively use the Advanced search and either include "thesis" as a keyword or limit your result to format = thesis.

• Help on finding theses in TROVE
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Locate Australian, New Zealand and International Theses

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Trove - Australian Theses  

Search the National Library of Australia's discovery service Trove for print and digital theses held in collecting institutions across Australia.

• Tip: Choose Advanced Search.  Select Research & Reports from the the drop down menu. Enter search terms then refine the results by selecting Thesis under the Format heading.

Union list of higher degree theses in Australian university libraries: cumulative edition to 1965  

Find theses submitted for a higher degree at Australian universities between 1959 and 1978 by searching this text.

• Tip: The link goes to the catalogue record for the cumulative edition to 1965 but there are also supplements at the same location.

New Zealand Libraries (Te Puna)  

Use this web-based search service to search for theses in New Zealand libraries and/or worldwide.

• Tip: Select Thesis/Dissertation under the Format filter to narrow your results.

nzresearch.org.nz  

Search open-access research documents produced at universities, polytechnics, and other institutions in New Zealand at this site.

• Tip: Select Thesis from the Browse by Type menu on the search page.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - GLOBAL 

Search this comprehensive online collection to find doctoral theses from universities in the UK and Ireland dating back to 1716.

British Library - EThOS Electronic Thesis Online Service  

Search this site for doctoral theses from the United Kingdom, including many with free full text access.

DART - Europe E-theses Portal  

Search this extensive collection to locate research theses from European countries.

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

Find an extensive list of international sites for locating free, electronic theses and dissertations at this site.

OpenDOAR  

Search and browse this authoritative directory of open-access repositories worldwide.

Theses Canada  

Find theses and dissertations from universities across Canada, covering the 1960s to the present, via this searchable collection.

WorldCat  

Search the world's most comprehensive database of information about library collections by performing a search then selecting  the Thesis/Dissertation option from the format list.

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Find UNSW theses

UNSW theses can be found using the institutional repository  UNSWorks.

Some Australian and international theses/dissertations can be found using the Academy Library collection .

• Carry out a search on your topic, author, or thesis title. 
• Refine your results by selecting the tick box next to Dissertations under the Resource Types heading. 

eBooks on Thesis Writing

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• Last Updated: Nov 27, 2023 5:46 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.unsw.adfa.edu.au/theses

Theses and Dissertations: Find Australian theses

• Find University of Newcastle theses
• Find Australian theses
• Find International theses
• Referencing a thesis
• Help with thesis writing
• Submit your Thesis This link opens in a new window

Find Australian theses (electronic)

Search  TROVE  to find links to all theses from Australian Universities.

• On the Research & Reports page in TROVE enter your keywords, title, author (creator) or subject
• Then select 'Thesis' in the 'Format' dropdown

TROVE have created a Quick search guide to help you locate theses on their site.

The National Library of Australia  holds a selection of theses presented to Australian universities.  

• Australian Education Research Theses A comprehensive source of research found in doctoral and masters research theses accepted by all Australian universities in the field of education. It also includes some overseas theses on Australian education topics.
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new window Abstracts and indexes of doctoral dissertations and master's theses in all subjects completed at accredited Australian, North American and selected European colleges and universities from 1743 to the present day.

You can also search for digital theses through an institution's digital repository.

Help and Information

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• Last Updated: Mar 6, 2024 11:32 AM
• URL: https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/theses

• Find theses for your research

Find via Trove

• International theses
• Further help

You can access theses from Australian universities using  Trove  from the National Library of Australia. 

• Click on Advanced Search
• Type your search terms
• Go to Limit your results to , and check Australian content
• At the Format box select Thesis
• Click Search

The theses will be displayed under the Books heading in the search results.

You can Refine your results to display only online items.

If a particular thesis is not available online, you may submit a  Document Delivery Request  to the Library.

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• Last Updated: Dec 6, 2023 2:35 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/how-to-find/theses

Finding theses

University of melbourne theses, australian theses,   international theses, referencing theses, further help, find theses online and in print.

This guide shows you how to find Masters and PhD theses, online and in print, from:

• The University of Melbourne
• Other Australian universities
• Outside Australia

Why use theses?

Theses can be a valuable source of information, especially for topics where there are fewer published works available., the references or works cited in a thesis can also be useful to find further published sources on a topic..

If you are currently writing a thesis (Honours, Masters or PhD) you may want to:

• check if anyone has recently completed a PhD thesis in your area of research internationally
• look at PhD theses from your faculty (or supervised by your supervisor) to get an idea of how to format your thesis.

Most recent theses are available through Minerva Access , the University's institutional repository. 

Minerva includes PhD and Masters Research theses, as well as a smaller number of Honours and Masters Coursework theses.

Accessing Full-Text in Minerva Access

Open access theses.

• Many theses are open access, which means anyone is able to read the full text online, and no subscription or login is required.
• Use the download link on the left to access a PDF of the thesis.

Restricted access theses

Some theses are currently only available to university of melbourne staff/students.

Use the login link and access with your unimelb username and password

Embargoed theses

If a thesis is under full embargo , full-text is not available for internal or external access (including inter-library loan requests). It a thesis is under an external embargo , it can be requested by University staff and students for research purposes via Minerva Access .

You will be able to view an abstract 

Finding theses from your faculty or school in Minerva Access

You can limit your results in minerva access to view only theses from your faculty..

1. Select your faculty from the list of Communities on the Minerva Access homepage. You may need to also choose your school on the next page. 

2. Select the option that includes Theses  (rather than Research Publications) 

3.To further refine the list (ie. to only PhD theses) scroll down to use the Type menu on the far left menu bar.

Finding University of Melbourne print theses

University of Melbourne theses not available online are held in the Cultural Collections Reading Room on level 3 of the Baillieu Library, or in offsite storage. While you cannot physically browse the thesis collection, you can submit a request to view a thesis using the online form .

You can search the Library Catalogue  to find our print collection of University of Melbourne theses

• To restrict your search to just theses, select University of Melbourne Theses from the drop-down menu to the right of the search bar

For more information on requesting to view print theses see the Special Collections website . ( Note : Use the request form for Rare Books)

Australian theses from other universities can be found via Trove .

1. Select Advanced search on the Trove homepage, and choose Research and reports

2. Type your search terms into the first box (Keyword search box)

3. Check the box next to Australian content

4. Click the green Search button

5. On the results page, select the Show more  option under Format

6. Select Thesis  to limit your results to theses

7.  To access, check the purple link at the bottom of each record. Theses available online will either:

• have a link to where they are held

• have an Access conditions apply  link

8. Click on the title of the thesis to view the record, and select the  Read  button to access the full text

•  If the thesis is not available online through Trove, please complete a Thesis request form on the  Request Forms page . We will then try to obtain a copy of the thesis for you via inter-library loan. 
• For more information on using the Advanced Search to create more specific searches, see Trove's Australian theses page. 

These are the top four international theses databases that include full-text:

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global The most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world. Spans 1743 to the present day, offering full text for most dissertations added since 1997.
• British Library EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) Search for UK theses and access or request full text. See FAQs for more information.
• DART-Europe E-theses Portal Access to digitised theses from European universities.
• OATD: Open Access Theses and Dissertations Indexes more than 1.5 million theses and dissertations. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from 600+ colleges, universities, and research institutions.

Other useful theses databases ​

• American Doctoral Dissertations
• China Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses full-text Database This database is a comprehensive, high quality database of dissertations and theses in China. The dissertations and theses are from hundreds of institutions located across China. Coverage is 1984 onwards and is updated daily. It covers a wide range of subjects such as fundamental sciences, engineering technology, agriculture, medical science, history, philosophy, education, law, economics and more.
• CNKI China Academic Journals Most comprehensive, full-text database of Chinese journals. To narrow your searching select section (G) Politics/ Military Affairs/ Law to search across the database.
• KRIS - Kiwi Research Information Service NZ open access research document portal.
• TEL (thèses-en-ligne) French theses
• Theses Canada Portal

Need help with referencing theses?

Visit the Re:cite guide to referencing

Contact us , or ask a question on Library chat

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• Last Updated: May 2, 2024 2:46 PM
• URL: https://unimelb.libguides.com/findingtheses

Research essentials

• Reviewing the literature
• Manage your references
• Working with research data
• Explore text mining and data visualisation
• Get noticed: manage your research profile
• Get published: strategic publishing for success
• Investigate copyright
• Get attention: Promote your research

Finding theses

Uploading your thesis to research bank, finding acu theses.

Theses of ACU’s Higher Degree by Research students are available through  Research Bank . The Theses Collection includes PhD and Masters theses of ACU students. Where possible and permissible, a full-text version of a research output is available as open access.

Finding Australian theses

Theses from Australian universities can be found by searching Trove . See Australian theses for more information.

Finding international theses

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global can be searched via ProQuest One Academic . 

You can also search for theses through an institution's digital repository.

Higher Degree by Research students must upload the final version of their thesis to Research Bank and complete a layperson’s summary in accordance with the Appointment of Examiners and Examination Procedures .

Details on how to upload your thesis and layperson’s summary are available through Higher Degree Research Forms and Guides (Orion) , under Completion of Examination Process .

Contact [email protected] if you have any questions regarding the Theses Collection.

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• URL: https://libguides.acu.edu.au/research-essentials

• Finding theses

Bond University Theses

The full text of Bond University higher degree theses are available in Bond University Research Portal .

Find Student theses

To search for Australian and International theses:

• Click on  Advanced Search, Books & Libraries
• Select  Thesis  in the Format  field, and tick the Australian content box.
• Enter your terms in the search box and click search

Trove contains all of the thesis records that were previously accessible via the now discontinued Australasian Digital Theses Program.

Dissertations & Theses: Full Text

Other Sources

• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Search over 4.5 million electronic theses and dissertations records.
• Many electronic databases, such as  PsycINFO  and  AEI  (Australian Education Index) include records for dissertations
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• Writing your thesis
• Managing copyright material in your thesis
• Reproducing your own published articles in your thesis
• Submitting your thesis - A stepped process
• Creative Commons licences
• Faculty Help & Support

• Directories

In Australia the thesis is an extended written piece which reports on the results of a three to four year programme of research (in other countries the writing component is called a 'dissertation'). The thesis should incorporate a summary of the research undertaken during the program.

At ANU we do not usually require an oral defence or 'viva'. Your thesis will be sent to at least two examiners for evaluation . For more information about how examiners make a judgement on a thesis, read this paper by Mullins and Kiley called " It's a PhD, not a Nobel Prize ".

Types of thesis

There are three common types of thesis documents allowed in the ANU research award rules: a standard thesis of up to 100,000 words in length for a PhD (or 60,000 words for an M.Phil); a thesis by compilation (sometimes called a thesis by publication) and a thesis by creative works.

A thesis by compilation may include works that are solo or joint authored and accepted for publication. The compilation can include works which have been explicitly prepared for publication but not yet accepted, however these should not make up the majority of the text. It is expected that a thesis by compilation has linking text and a foreword to each chapter.

A thesis by creative works can include a multimedia or digital work, a film, an exhibition, a performance, a musical composition, a novel, a play, a series of poems, creative art work or other works as agreed by the candidate and the university. This work can be accompanied by an exegesis (commentary and interpretation of the work) or a dissertation (on a topic related to the work). Any written work accompanying a thesis by creative works must be substantial; between 30,000 and 60,000 words for a PhD and between 15,000 and 30,000 for an M.Phil. The final presentation of the work will be a public presentation; an exhibition, recital, lecture or some other form as agreed with the supervisor and the university.

Preparing the thesis

The Research Training team run a variety of workshops, seminars and courses aimed at helping you prepare your thesis as well as guidance on working with your supervisor to achieve a successful submission.

Writing the thesis

The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offer individual appointments to discuss thesis drafts and other issues such as managing your project. Their site also has a range of resources about writing a thesis to support you during your programme.

Reviewing the thesis

Writing about the impact of covid-19 in your thesis.

COVID-19 has changed the course of many research projects in ways that would not have been predicted at the outset you your PhD program. Research can always take unexpected turns and being able to take advantage of opportunities that arise, and be able to switch directions when necessary are useful skills to demonstrate. It is up to you to decide if you want to write about how your research has changed due to COVID-19. You are encouraged to talk with your supervisory panel to seek advice about what might be appropriate for your thesis.

The types of impact you might like to discuss include

• changes to research sites or populations due to travel or access restrictions,
• changes to research scope due to inability to access archival material,
• changes in access to labs, or experimental equipment,
• including theoretical instead of experimental content,

There is no right place to mention impacts, it will depend on the type of thesis and the type of research. It will also depend on how large the impact has been. For many the impact can be explained in a few sentences. For some projects a whole section of the thesis may be required. Some suggestions include

• in the introduction when setting the scene for the research that follows
• in the methodology section if changes to method was made part way through the research.
• where discussing limitations of the research
• where discussing ideas for future research

You should not include statements in your thesis that outline the impact of remote working, your physical or mental health or that of your family. While it is acknowledged that we have all been impacted in some way, these are not appropriate statements in your examined thesis and would not be assessed by an examiner.

Submitting the thesis and the examination process

It's good to know the regulations, processes and requirements around thesis submission and examination. Check out the information on finishing your degree for some inspiration!

ANU Thesis library

A great way to get your head around the expectations of a thesis is to read some! Check out the ANU Digital Thesis Library and find past successful theses in your discipline. 

Advisory information

• Submitting a thesis
• Policy: Glossary - student policies and procedures
• 135 ANU (135 268)

University of Tasmania, Australia

• University of Tasmania Theses
• Find Theses
• International Theses
• Requesting Theses
• Preparing Your Thesis
• Submitting your Electronic Thesis

Australian Theses

• Trove - All theses All Australian theses. Select 'Thesis' from the 'Format' drop-down list to search Australian theses by keyword, title or creator. more... less... Trove provides access to more than 380 million multi-disciplinary resources produced by Australians, about Australians or of interest to the Australian community. Includes collections from Libraries Australia, Music Australia, Universities and other collecting institutions. Resources include: sheet music, sound recordings, interviews, images and newspaper articles.

Finds full-text research articles and theses from Australian institutional repositories.

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• Last Updated: Feb 22, 2024 2:43 PM
• URL: https://utas.libguides.com/theses

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