Dissertations are extensive studies based on original research, written to partially fulfill the requirements for a doctoral degree. While they are typically considered secondary sources, dissertations can also serve as primary sources or be invaluable in identifying and locating primary sources.
Dissertations and theses reflect the quality and breadth of original graduate research at universities, and are often the first form in which scholarly insights and the results of focused experiments appear. They reveal trends of interest, the rigor of particular departments and institutions, and the creativity of researchers whose influence is still unknown. Since dissertations are grounded in original research, their bibliographies often reference primary sources used by the author, which can lead to discovering manuscripts, diaries, newspapers, and other primary materials of interest.
CRL holds more than 800,000 doctoral dissertations and Habilitationsschriften from universities outside of the U.S. and Canada. The collection was built by deposits from member libraries and exchange or depository arrangements with almost 100 universities.
1.) You can filter the CRL catalog on the right side for "dissertations" as one of our "CRL Key Collection"
Under "Narrow Search (set Limits/filter)": "Format," "Genre," or any other filter.
The second option is:
In the search box at the top of the page, search for author, subject, or a title. Or you can search in "All fields." Once you obtain your search results, you can narrow your search further or use the filter, select "Format", select "Thesis" and ad any other.