thesis ethos

EThOS: e-theses online service Open access EThOS: e-theses online service Open access

Description.

EThOS, provided by the British Library, is a free online service providing access to UK doctoral theses.

Please note, EThOS is currently unavailable due to the British Library cyber attack in 2023. The British Library currently do not know when the service will be available again. Please see the British Library website for further information about the cyber attack . [June 2024]

More Information

Access EThOS is an open access resource.

Content  EThOS, provided by the British Library, is a free online service providing access to UK doctoral theses. It does not cover MPhils or master's dissertations.

EThOS aims to provide a central listing of all doctoral theses awarded by UK higher education institutions, with the full text of as many theses as possible. 

The database includes more than 600,000 records. Around 4,000 law theses are covered, dating from the 1920s to the present day.

Searching  EThOS has basic and advanced search facilities. Searches can be limited to theses available for immediate download.

Advanced search allows users to search by author, title, awarding body, year of award and other criteria. Boolean connectors (AND, OR, AND NOT) can be selected from a drop-down menu

Downloading  Many theses are available for download; it is necessary to create a free account to do this. 

There is an option to request digitisation of a thesis if it is not yet available for download. Sometimes this is free, but sometimes there is a charge (see FAQs). 

Help A Help menu and an FAQ page are available.

Library Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS)

The British Library provides digitised UK PhD theses online via the Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS) .

You can search the site without registering. However, to download a thesis you must register and agree to the terms and conditions of access.

Access to theses which have already been digitised is free. If a thesis has not already been digitised, you may be asked to pay the cost of digitisation (£60) or it may be free. This depends on the policy of the institution supplying the thesis.

The EThOS database holds details of over 400,000 theses. Some of these are available for immediate download. Once you register you can download a thesis or request a digital copy if it is not currently available. If the thesis is not immediately available there will be a short delay while it is digitised.

Theses are supplied by participating institutions free of charge as zipped PDFs. Alternative formats (CD/DVD or paper) are available for an extra charge.

Participating institutions

Some institutions may not be participating in EThOS or may charge for the digitisation of a thesis. If you cannot find the theses you want or do not want to pay for the digitisation of the thesis you can still submit an Inter-Library request . However, some libraries do not lend their theses.

We will not make a request for a thesis already available on EThOS.

International & Masters Theses

You can submit an Inter-Library request for international and Masters theses.

More information

For more information contact the Inter-Library Service or check the EThOS FAQs .

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EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service)

How to access this e-resource.

You need to register/login to download theses from EThOS or to order a digitised copy.

Description

A searchable list of over 500,000 UK doctoral theses. Over 250,000 are available digitally in full text, either via download from the EThOS database or via links to the institution’s own repository.

You can order a scanned copy of theses that are not yet digitised.

If the thesis you need isn't available on EThOS or you're asked to pay for it, make a document delivery request . Your school or department may pay for you to get access to the thesis.

Help for using this e-resource

• Help with using EThOS  
• How to use EThOS to find UK theses

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• Theses & dissertations

OU theses and dissertations

Online theses.

Are available via Open Research Online .

Print theses

Search for OU theses in the Library Search . To see only print theses click 'In the Walton Hall library' and refine your results to resource type 'Thesis'.

OU staff and research students can  borrow a consultation copy of a thesis (if available). Please contact the Library helpdesk giving the author and title of the thesis.

UK theses and dissertations from EThOS

The Electronic Theses Online System (EThOS) offers free access to the full text of UK theses.

• EThOS offers a one stop online shop providing free access to UK theses
• EThOS digitizes theses on request into PDF format, this may require payment
• EThOS is managed by the British Library in partnership with a number of UK universities
• EThOS is open to all categories of library user

What does this mean to you as a library user?

When you need to access a PhD thesis from another UK based HE institution you should check EThOS to either download a thesis which has already been digitised or to request that a UK thesis be supplied to you.

• For all UK theses EThOS will be the first point of delivery. You can use the online ordering and tracking system direct from EThOS to manage your requests for UK PhD theses, including checking the status of your requests
• As readers you will deal directly with EThOS so will not need to fill in a document delivery request
• OU staff and research students will still be entitled to access non-UK based PhD theses by filling in a document delivery request
• In some cases where EThOS is unable to supply a UK thesis OU staff and research students will be able to access it by filling in a conventional document delivery request. The thesis will be supplied through direct loan
• The EThOS system is both faster and cheaper than the previous British Theses service which was based on microfilm
• The British Library no longer arranges interlibrary loans for UK PhD theses
• Interlibrary Loan procedures for other types of request from the British Library (articles and books for example) will remain the same

If you have any queries about using EThOS contact the Document Delivery Team ( [email protected] or the Library Helpdesk ).

Note 13/03/2024: The British Library is continuing to experience a major technology outage affecting its websites and other online systems, due to a Cyber attack. as a result access to ETHOS might not be possible until the issue is fixed. 

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Q. How can I access a thesis through EThOS?

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Answered By: Andrew Willan Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024     Views: 12637

DISCOVER and the Library Catalogue have been replaced by Library Search . We're busy updating all of our links, but in the meantime, please use Library Search when searching for resources or managing your Library Account.

The EThOS service is currently unavailable a result of a cyber-attack . Updates on British Library services are available via their blog .

Whilst the British Library is working to restore access to EThOS their online catalogue now provides access to digital doctoral theses held in UK institutional repositories - Using Advanced search and selecting 'Theses' from 'Material Type' dropdown menu  is recommended. To access these documents, search for a thesis and then click on a title of interest to view the full details for that work. The link can be found under the section labelled "View Online - External Resource Available" (in green) just above the "I want this" section (in red) at the bottom of the page.

See the following examples of finding theses that are available ( Available Online in green with a link to the thesis) and those that aren't (red box with 'This item is not currently available' text).

Available thesis

Unavailable thesis

EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) provides access to UK doctoral theses from The British Library, in association with higher education institutions in the UK. Most available theses are PhDs, but also other types of doctoral thesis, e.g. D.Ed., Mus.D., D.Eng (for M Phil and other theses contact our Get It For Me  service).

The EThOS service is currently unavailable. Updates on British Library services are available via their blog .

The British Library online catalogue now provides access to digital doctoral theses held in UK institutional repositories. To access these documents, search for a thesis and then click on a title of interest to view the full details for that work. The link can be found under the section labelled "View Online - External Resource Available" (in green) just above the "I want this" section (in red) at the bottom of the page.

You can search for all the UK theses currently listed in the British Library Catalogue and download any of the full-text theses that are already held in EThOS, either directly or via links to an institution’s own repository.  EThOS replaced the British Theses Service - microfilms are no longer available from the British Library.

How to use EThOS

To read or download theses:

• register for your own personal account with EThOS
• search the database yourself
• before you can download a thesis you must accept the terms and conditions of use; they protect the rights of the author or other rights owners
• if you need help, get in touch with the  Inter-Library Loans Team  or your Liaison Librarian .

If the doctoral thesis you want is held by EThOS you can download it immediately free of charge.

How to request a thesis that is not available for immediate download

If a digitised version of a thesis cannot be made available, EThOS will let you know. You can then make a request  through the  Get It For Me  service,  who will try to obtain the original copy of the thesis direct from the institution that holds it.

NOTE: Non-members of the University of Liverpool who wish to consult UoL theses and are unable to visit the Library in person should use the EThOS service to access them.

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A-Z Databases: EThOS: Welcome

Content, coverage & description.

EThOS is a UK wide repository of digitized doctoral theses. It provides full text access to 250,000 theses published in the UK as well as bibliographic records of non digitized theses. A quick and free  registration is required to access the full text content.  

• EThOS e-Theses Online Service This link opens in a new window The British Library digital repository for UK research theses offering a central access point to UK doctoral theses. The majority of universities in the UK are members. You can cross-search over 500,000 theses including those available for immediate download. more... less... Not Searchable via One Search. You must first register on an individual basis with Ethos in order to make requests through the Ethos website. The Ethos site provides further information.

When to use

EThOS is an excellent resource for finding highly specialised and original research. S tudents embarking on a doctoral programme may wish to see examples of successful theses in their own discipline and identify areas of research that have not already been covered.  

Video guide: Using Ethos to find UK theses

University of Kent (2019) Using Ethos to find UK theses.  28 August. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_c3ZRC5tG0 (Accessed: 13 July 2021).

Basic search

Keep search terms simple, e.g. 'organisational culture', 'business ethics' , ' eosinophilic inflammation', ' diabetes management'. 

Full text availability is indicated by a green open padlock symbol next to the search results.  You can restrict the search results to full text only by checking the box  ' limit search to items available for immediate download' below the search bar.

Search results are listed in order of relevance. You can change the order of results to A to Z by author or year (most recent to oldest and vice versa) by using the 'sort by" option above the search results. 

Click the relevant search result to view the abstract and download the thesis (if applicable). The full text can be accessed via the 'Immediate download'   link when this is available. You will be prompted for the username and password you chose when you registered with EThOS. 

Advanced Search

The advanced search tool enables you to search for a specific thesis by author and title. Use  the drop-down menus next to the search boxes to select your desired search criteria. 

You can also combine search terms using the Boolean operators 'AND', 'OR', 'NOT' (drop-down menu to the left of the search boxes). Example:

'higher education' (box one) AND  'social inequality' (box two)  will instruct  the database to look for theses which contain both search terms in the thesis abstracts or titles. 

'social inequality' (box one) OR  'poverty' (box two) will instruct the database to search for each search term separately. 

'higher education' (box one) AND  'social inequality' (box two) OR  'poverty' (box three) will instruct the database to search for articles which contain the first search term 'higher education' and either the second 'social inequality' or the third 'poverty'. 

Try to keep your search terms simple especially when combining search terms.  EThOS is a highly specialised database and over complicating searches may lead to a zero result outcome. 

Help and Support

Library staff are available to help you to use all of our online databases and electronic journal services. 

Contact us at  [email protected]  or via the  Self Service Port al . 

Accessibility and Copyright Statement

Accessibility Statement

• Last Updated: Aug 19, 2024 1:50 PM
• URL: https://uws-uk.libguides.com/EThOS

• EThOS - Electronic Theses Online Service

this record is part of The AWOL Index

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• title_full: EThOS - Electronic Theses Online Service
• url: http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do
• ETHoS: Electronic Thesis Online Service
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Ordering a British thesis via EThOS

You can now download some British PhD theses directly from the British Library EThOS service.

• Any theses that have already been digitised or are available on the owning University's repository are available to download free of charge.
• Any theses that are not yet available can be ordered via EThOS but payment may be required for these - see below for details.

Searching for your thesis

• Go to EThOS
• Click on the 'Login / Register' option. Once you have created an account you can log in at any time with the email address and password you registered. Registration is free.
• When you log in, you will be directed to a page headed 'Your basket'. Click on ' New Search' at the top of the page.
• Enter your search in the box and click 'Search'. Searching tips! You can limit your search to items which are available for immediate download by ticking the box under the search box. Use the Advanced Search for a wider range of search options, e.g. limiting results to a particular University.
• A list of theses which match your search term will appear. Click on the title of the thesis you require to see further details.

Is the thesis available?

Once you have clicked on the title of thesis you will see one of the following options in the Availability of Full Text box:

Access from institution

If the thesis is available via the owning University's institutional repository, there will be a link to take you to the full text.

Access from EThOS

If there is a digitised version available in Ethos you will see a Download button. To access the thesis;

• Click on 'Download'
• Tick the check box to confirm you agree to the terms and conditions
• Click on ' Select All' and then 'Download'

If there is no digitised version available you are offered the option to pay for the cost of digitising the thesis - the current price is £53.10;

• Click on 'Check scan fee and order a copy'
• Choose the delivery option you require and click 'Add to Basket' (the default is a digital copy for download, but you can order paper / CD and bound copies)
• Tick the check box and click on 'Confirm'
• You need to tick the check box to confirm you agree to the terms and conditions then click on 'Create Order' - you will be asked to enter your payment card details
• The British Library team will arrange to have the thesis digitised and will send you a link to download it as soon as it is available.

What if I can't find the thesis I want?

You can enquire about a thesis whose details are not already in Ethos by completing their speculative request form

If you encounter any difficulties, please Contact inter-library loans

• Finding theses held at Reading and beyond