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Library DIY

Navigating UWG library resources and research

Theses & dissertations

What are theses and dissertations?

A thesis (plural: theses) is a lengthy scholarly paper completed by master's degree students as a culmination of their studies. A dissertation is a lengthy (often book-length) scholarly paper completed by a doctoral student as a culmination of their studies.

 

Finding theses and dissertations from UWG students

More recent UWG theses and dissertations may not yet be available in the catalog, in which case try the resources listed below. To find a thesis or dissertation on a topic, search the UWG Library Catalog using keywords and add the words thesis and "West Georgia."*  

* If you put "University of West Georgia" you will not get the theses written by students when UWG's name was "West Georgia College."

If you want to find a thesis or dissertation by specific UWG alumni, do an author search with their name(s). 

 

Finding theses and dissertations from other University System of Georgia (USG) students

Use the USG Universal Catalog to find theses and dissertations written by students from Georgia Tech, Georgia State, UGA, and other USG institutions. This search will also bring back dissertations or theses that other USG libraries own. To do this, search by your topic and then limit by format to "Dissertations." 

 

When you find a thesis or dissertation referenced in another database

Many databases will include references to theses or dissertations but do not have the full-text of those in the database. When you see a reference for a thesis or dissertation that interests you, try the following strategies to get your hands on the content:

  • If the thesis or dissertation was completed less than 5 years ago, look up the author in article databases to see if the author has published articles about the same research or topic
  • If the thesis or dissertation was completed more than 5 years ago, in addition to looking for articles by the author, search to see if the author has published the dissertation as a book. Search by the author's last name since the book's title might not be the same as the dissertation
  • If the above suggestions do not work or if you want to read the original dissertation or thesis, request it through Interlibrary Loan.