Research Tip #2: Finding ETDs

After Monday's post on changes to the blog, I received a comment encouraging me to continue to "cover dissertations and theses, as often these are very interesting and the precursor for a future law journal article." I agree that theses and dissertations represent an important research tools: They often focus on current issues; they generally provide extensive bibliographies; and they are increasingly made available open access. I actually began referencing them systematically in mid-2011 (you can view them via this link). In the end, though, I found that it was becoming too difficult to keep up with them and I stopped listing them in a comprehensive way in late 2016. That said, I do still reference a limited number, primarily under thematic postings. You can view them via this link.

Happily, there are a number of useful resources that can help you discover electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs):

ETD databases & catalogues:

Database of African Theses and Dissertations (DATAD) (Association of African Universities) [access]
- A catalogue of theses and dissertations from universities in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe; many are available in full-text.

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) [access]
- "[A]n international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs)." Serves as a union catalog of ETDs generally, not just those that are open access. To locate ETDs, use their search service or browse their list of ETD resources.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD) [access]
- "OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world." Here is the list of universities that contribute content.

Institutional repositories:

If you know of specific refugee or forced migration studies programmes, you can always check the host university's institutional repository for ETDs. For example, the American University in Cairo's Center for Migration and Refugee Studies offers two degrees in migration and refugee studies. AUC's IR is available here; theses can be accessed either by "migration and refugee studies" discipline or by searching for a specific keyword which will retrieve theses from other disciplines such as education or law.

Similarly, the institutional repository for York University, where the Centre for Refugee Studies is based, provides a searchable ETD collection. Enter a keyword, then order the results by date to locate current ETDs.

Use openDOAR to find repositories for particular institutions.

Google Scholar search:

Google Scholar is Google's academic search engine. Include "thesis" or "dissertation" along with your other search terms to retrieve ETDs, then limit by date. Full-text availability is indicated on the right side of your search results. You can also create an alert for a specific search in order to receive an email any time additional results match your keywords.

Tagged Tips.