What are Dissertations?
- A dissertation is a research thesis written for completion of a masters or doctoral degree.
- It represents academic research, however, it is not a published source, and may not be an appropriate resource for undergraduate research.
What are Dissertation Abstracts?
- Dissertation Abstracts are summaries of a dissertation, not the entire work.
- As summaries, Dissertation Abstracts should not be cited for academic research.
- Dissertation Abstracts may be found through searches in library databases and may appear to be citations for full-length academic articles; they are not!
How do I know if I should request a Dissertation or Dissertation Abstract?
- Undergraduate students should consult with their instructor. Students will likely find more suitable research resources elsewhere.
- Faculty may wish to read a dissertation's abstract to remain current in a field of study, and determine if it is necessary to obtain the full-length dissertation.
Requesting a Dissertation via Interlibrary Loan
- It <may> be possible to borrow a dissertation via I-Share, our consortium of libraries. Please search the I-Share catalog first, and request if available. (more information on using I-Share)
- Open a Book interlibrary loan request
- Fill in as much information as possible, and please acknowledge in the Special Instructions field that you are requesting a dissertation.
- Click Submit Request.
- If there are any questions, a library staff member will contact you.
- Faculty: If a thesis is NOT available to borrow, the library will contact you about purchasing a copy using your department's acquisition allocation funds. If purchased, the dissertation will be cataloged and housed at the library.
- Faculty: If you wish to obtain a dissertation abstract, request it via an Article interlibrary loan request. Please make a note that you DO want the abstract.
Questions? Email: ill@monmouthcollege.edu
