University of London Theses

Copies of most University of London research degree theses are kept by Senate House Library at our depository, and may be ordered to be consulted within the library. Others have already been made available in electronic form through the EThOS Electronic Theses Online Service and so are not available in printed form.

Finding a Thesis

Author / Title

Theses are entered in the Thesis Catalogue and may be located using Author/Title. This is the most up to date record of the University's theses.

Subject

If you want to locate theses written on a particular subject use Keyword enquiry and enter terms for the subject area you are interested in.

College / Institute

If you know the College through which the thesis was awarded, you can use the Index to Theses which, though not as current as the Library's catalogue, lists theses from 1716. Do a 'simple' search and select the relevant college or institute in the University option.

Consulting a thesis at Senate House Library

Look the thesis up via the online catalogue. Provided the catalogue does not indicate that the thesis has been sent for digitisation (see below), click on the ‘Request’ icon at the top left hand side of the record. Type in your name and Library card number, and follow the instructions. If you are not a member of the Library, please contact us by ringing 020 7862 8437 or 8438 or emailing shl.userservices@london.ac.uk . All theses are stored off-site and must be ordered at least 2 working days in advance of when you plan to visit. It is advisable to contact the library before your visit on the numbers above to confirm the thesis is waiting for you.

Theses available electronically through the EThOS Electronic Theses Online Service

The University of London is participating in the EThOS Electronic Theses Online Service. This means some University of London theses have already been sent to the British Library to be digitised and made available on the web. Where this is the case there will be an indication on the catalogue record. Theses that have been sent to be digitised cannot be requested for consultation at Senate House Library, but the thesis can be accessed through the EThOS service instead. See below for further information on the EThOS service.

If you require a University of London thesis that has been sent to be digitised but is not yet available through EThOS then you may be able to consult the archive copy in the meantime. Enquiries should be directed to the University of London College or Institution that holds the archive copy. This will usually be indicated on the catalogue record but please ask staff in the Information Centre if you are unsure.

Copying a thesis at Senate House Library

Permission to photocopy from a paper copy of a thesis must always be obtained from staff in the Information Centre. For recent theses it is normally possible to copy about 100 pages on the self-service machines, but more extensive copying must be done through the Reprographics service.

Obtaining copies of a thesis without visiting Senate House Library

EThOS Electronic Theses Online Service

Most University of London theses are now available through the national EThOS Electronic Theses Online Service. Theses will be available through EThOS for immediate download if they have already been digitised. If not, you can make a request can via the EThOS service for the thesis to be digitised and made available for you. In most cases the service is free of charge.

If you have difficulty finding a thesis on the EThOS catalogue we strongly recommend you consult the ‘Search tips’ available via the main EThOS search page.

Senate House Library Document Supply Service

Copies of most University of London theses can also be purchased directly from Senate House Library. Please see our Document Supply Service page for further information

Masters theses

It is important to note that, since 1968, dissertations written in support of Masters degrees have not been deposited in Senate House Library. It is possible that the college at which the student was registered will have a copy, so enquiries should be made at the relevant college library.