Q. Where can I read theses and dissertations?

Theses and dissertations can be accessed through one of the databases provided by ProQuest. To access these databases from the main UW Libraries webpage, click on the Databases A-Z tab above the QuickSearch box. The next webpage will have databases listed by subject and by title. Move your mouse cursor and click on "D" in the "Databases by Title" box. When the webpage of "D" databases loads, scroll down until you see the word "dissertations." There are three databases available. Click on the link and a search page will open up. In the search boxes you can search by author, title, subject, and so forth. If the document is available, you will be able to view and download a pdf of the file.

• Dissertations and Theses: Multidisciplinary indexing/full-text database that indexes world-wide dissertations and theses back to 1861; full-text back to 1997. Includes UW theses. On the ProQuest platform.
• Dissertations and Theses @ UW: Multidisciplinary full-text database that lists only UW dissertations and theses. On the ProQuest platform.
• Dissertations and Theses Global: As the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research, Theses and Dissertations Global includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format.

In general, online access to theses and dissertations is limited to UW faculty, staff, and students due to copyright restrictions. For non-UW patrons, a copy of the dissertation can be requested by interlibrary loan through a public or other library. Public patrons may also use the public computers in the university libraries to access theses and dissertations.