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Use Dissertations & Theses Full Text to find ODU dissertations and theses available online. A subset of this database is Dissertations & Theses @ ODU, which allows you to access the citations and abstracts of all ODU student dissertations and theses, as well as the full text in PDF format, when available.

Use the online library catalog to find Old Dominion University dissertations and theses located on the 3rd floor of Perry Library and available for checkout, or archived in Special Collections. Search by AUTHOR or TITLE.

You may also use the library catalog to browse all theses and dissertations written for a department. Type the following as a title search:

Old Dominion University. Theses. [Name of Degree]. (see list at right)
For example, to find dissertations and theses in history, do a search by title and enter: Old Dominion University. Theses. History

In the General Collection, all dissertations and theses are shelved on the 3rd floor under LD4331, followed by a decimal point and a department code (shown at right). For example, HISTORY is found under LD4331.H47.

II. Dissertations Written for Other Universities

If the University Library has purchased a dissertation or a thesis written for another university, it will be listed in the online catalog under the author's name or under the title, as any other book is listed. Keep in mind that some dissertations are reprinted by commercial publishers and made available as books.

Use Dissertations and Theses Full Text to find more than 600,000 full-text octoral dissertations and master's theses. This database also indexes dissertations and theses back to 1861.

Dissertation Abstracts International is an index to dissertations granted at accredited North American universities since 1861. Selected Masters theses have been included since 1962. In 1988 citations for dissertations from 50 British universities and citations and abstracts from other universities (primarily western European) were added.

Obtaining Dissertations not Available at Perry Library

Use WorldCat to identify dissertations and theses and to find out which library owns them.

Old Dominion University students, faculty, and staff may inquire in the Interlibrary Loan Office (757-682-4170) to see whether the dissertation can be borrowed from another library. If not, they may purchase the dissertation from University Microforms International, using Dissertation Express (see below).

Dissertation Express
Dissertation Express is an option for Old Dominion University students and faculty, who may obtain a form from the Library's Web site or from the Interlibrary Loan office. The cost (as of July 1, 2002) is $29 per dissertation (30% off the regular price).

Patrons not affiliated with Old Dominion University must use the interlibrary loan service at their own university, public, or other affiliated library. To purchase a dissertation from University Microforms International, call 1-800-521-3042 to order a copy with a major credit card.