Theses Information: Searching for a Thesis in the Catalogue

This guide provides information on finding UCD and other theses.

Title Search

Example: Locate details of a Ph.D. thesis entitled “Low back pain management by doctors” in the catalogue

Select Advanced Search
Type Low back pain management by doctors in the Title field
Select Thesis from the Format drop-down menu
Click on Search button

Search results:

Note: This Ph.D. (Medical Subject) is held at the Health Sciences Library.

School/Department Search

Example: Search for theses submitted to the School of Mathematical Sciences in the catalogue

Select Advanced Search
Type School of Mathematical Sciences in the Author field
Select Thesis from the Format drop-down menu
Click Search button

Advanced Search:

Search results:

Search tips:

Try also, the Department of Mathematics, a precursor to the School of Mathematical Sciences.
As a general rule, only post-1995 theses are searchable by School or Department.

Keyword/Subject Search

Example: Search for theses which cover the area of masculinity in the catalogue

Select Advanced Search
Type Masculinity in the Keyword field
Select Thesis from the Format drop-down menu
Click on Search button

Search results:

Search tip:

Not all theses records include subject headings. The JJL theses collection for example, includes detailed subject headings for post-1995 theses only. Pre-1995 theses are not subject indexed.

Additional Search Tips

- Use Boolean operators (And, Or, Not) for entering multiple search terms.

- Use Limiters to

Limit your search to theses held at a specific library site (Location), e.g. Medical theses held in the Health Sciences Library, Veterinary Science theses held in the Veterinary Library.

Note: A search term must be included when limiting your search by site.

Limit your search to year of award or a range of years.

Note: a search term must be included when limiting your search by year.

Author Search

Example: Locate details of a thesis written by Mary Catherine Reilly in the catalogue

Select Advanced Search
Type Mary Catherine Reilly in the Author field.
Select Thesis from the Format drop-down menu.
Click on Search.

Advanced Search:

Search results:

Note: This is an M.A. thesis held in the James Joyce Library.

Degree Type Search

Example: Search for Master of Agricultural Science theses in the catalogue

Select Advanced Search
Type the abbreviated form of the degree in the Keyword field, e.g. M.Agr.Sc.
Select Thesis from the Format drop-down menu.
Click on Search button.

Advanced Search:

Search results:

Search tip:

Other degree abbreviations include Ph.D., M.Eng.Sc., M.An.Sc, M.Sc., M.Litt., M.A., LL.M., M.V.M. etc.

Thesis Number Search

Example: Search for theses number 11376 in the catalogue

Select Advanced Search.
Select Class Number from the drop-down menu at the Choose What to Search box.
Enter thesis 11376.
Click on Search button.