Librarians/Admins
- EBSCOhost Collection Manager
- EBSCO Experience Manager
- EBSCO Connect
- Start your research
- EBSCO Mobile App
Clinical Decisions Users
- DynaMed Decisions
- Dynamic Health
- Waiting Rooms
- NoveList Blog
EBSCO Open Dissertations
EBSCO Open Dissertations makes electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) more accessible to researchers worldwide. The free portal is designed to benefit universities and their students and make ETDs more discoverable.
Increasing Discovery & Usage of ETD Research
EBSCO Open Dissertations is a collaboration between EBSCO and BiblioLabs to increase traffic and discoverability of ETD research. You can join the movement and add your theses and dissertations to the database, making them freely available to researchers everywhere while increasing traffic to your institutional repository.
EBSCO Open Dissertations extends the work started in 2014, when EBSCO and the H.W. Wilson Foundation created American Doctoral Dissertations which contained indexing from the H.W. Wilson print publication, Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. In 2015, the H.W. Wilson Foundation agreed to support the expansion of the scope of the American Doctoral Dissertations database to include records for dissertations and theses from 1955 to the present.
How Does EBSCO Open Dissertations Work?
Your ETD metadata is harvested via OAI and integrated into EBSCO’s platform, where pointers send traffic to your IR.
EBSCO integrates this data into their current subscriber environments and makes the data available on the open web via opendissertations.org .
You might also be interested in:
Finding Dissertations & Theses: Online Dissertations & Theses
- Online Dissertations & Theses
- Dissertations & Theses Written at Simmons
United States
Use the links below to locate dissertations and theses from the United States in both proprietary and open access collections.
International
Use the links below to locate international dissertations and theses in open access collections.
More Dissertations & Theses on the Web
More colleges and universities such as the University of Minnesota are setting up digital repositories to make theses and dissertations freely available on the Internet. Try searching for keywords , author , title , or academic institution in Google Scholar , to check for full-text availability.
- << Previous: Home
- Next: Dissertations & Theses Written at Simmons >>
- Last Updated: Feb 23, 2024 11:11 AM
- URL: https://simmons.libguides.com/Dissertations
Global ETD Search
Search the 6,473,088 electronic theses and dissertations contained in the NDLTD archive:
The archive supports advanced filtering and boolean search.
Open Access Theses and Dissertations
Direct Link
Home > ETD
Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations Available from ProQuest
Full text is available to Purdue University faculty, staff, and students on campus through this site. No login is required.
Off-campus Purdue users may download theses and dissertations by logging into the Libraries' proxy server with your Purdue Career Account. Links to log in to the proxy server directly below the download button of each thesis or dissertation page.
Non-Purdue users, may purchase copies of theses and dissertations from ProQuest or talk to your librarian about borrowing a copy through Interlibrary Loan. (Some titles may also be available free of charge in our Open Access Theses and Dissertations Series, so please check there first.)
Access to abstracts is unrestricted.
Open Access Theses
This series contains theses that students have wished to make openly available. The full content is available to all, although some theses may have embargoes. If an embargo exists the date will be listed instead of the download button. The download button will appear once a thesis is no longer embargoed. To browse a fuller listing of theses from Purdue please visit the Theses and Dissertations Available from ProQuest series.
Open Access Dissertations
This series contains open access dissertations that students have wished to make openly available. The full-text content is available to all, although some theses may have embargoes. If an embargo exists the date will be listed instead of the download button. The download button will appear once a dissertation is no longer embargoed. To browse a fuller listing of dissertations from Purdue please visit the Theses and Dissertations Available from ProQuest series.
Browse the Theses and Dissertations Collections:
Advanced Search
- Notify me via email or RSS
- Purdue Libraries
- Purdue University Press Open Access Collections
Links for Authors
- Policies and Help Documentation
- Collections
- Disciplines
Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement
Privacy Copyright
Graduate Students' Guide to Library Resources and Services
- Literature Reviews
- Search Tools & Strategies
- Document Requests (Interlibrary Loan)
- E-books (guide redirect)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Current Awareness Tools (Staying up-to-date)
- Citation Management Software (guide redirect) This link opens in a new window
- Open Access Publishing Opportunities (guide redirect) This link opens in a new window
- Presentation Tools and Resources
- Avoiding Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement
- Teaching Support
ETD Help -- UC Graduate School
The Graduate School ETD Informaton Web site provides an ETD submission time line, submission requirements and an FAQ page that addresses a wide range of formatting, PDF creation and publishing questions.
ETD Help Desk
Dissertations and theses resources.
At UC Libraries
- Center for Research Libraries (non-US dissertations) Use ILLiad to request. Some dissertations are available online.
- Inter-Library Loan Service (ILLiad) If the dissertation is not available or digitized, use the Thesis/Dissertation form in ILLiad to request through interlibrary loan.
On the Public Web
- British Library EThOS - Search and order these online "Search over 480,000 doctoral theses. Download instantly for your research, or order a scanned copy quickly and easily."
- DART - Europe E-theses Portal Open access portal to theses from 400+ European universities.
- eScholarship University of California "eScholarship® provides scholarly publishing and repository services that enable departments, research units, publishing programs, and individual scholars associated with the University of California to have direct control over the creation and dissemination of the full range of their scholarship."
- Global ETD Search (NDLTD) The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).
- OATD - Open Access Theses and Dissertations "OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions."
- PDTQ Open Open access collection within ProQuest's Dissertations & Theses.
E-Books on Theses and Dissertations
- Strategies for Writing a Thesis by Publication in the Social Sciences and Humanities by Lynn P. Nygaard; Kristin Solli ISBN: 9780367204075 Publication Date: 2020-10-13 " Drawing on current research and informed by extensive experience of working with and running workshops for PhD candidates who write article-based dissertations, this book gives readers an idea of what writing a thesis by publication entails." Particular emphasis is put on how to put the individual articles together to create a coherent thesis that clarifies the student's individual original contribution.
For additional e-book titles published before 2019 please see " Need help with the dissertation process? (Electronic Resources )."
- << Previous: E-books (guide redirect)
- Next: Current Awareness Tools (Staying up-to-date) >>
- Last Updated: Mar 11, 2024 10:56 AM
- URL: https://guides.libraries.uc.edu/gradstudents
University of Cincinnati Libraries
PO Box 210033 Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0033
Phone: 513-556-1424
Contact Us | Staff Directory
University of Cincinnati
Alerts | Clery and HEOA Notice | Notice of Non-Discrimination | eAccessibility Concern | Privacy Statement | Copyright Information
© 2021 University of Cincinnati
Home > Student Scholarship > ETD
Online Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes EKU theses and dissertations submitted electronically beginning with the Fall 2010 semester.
All theses written prior to Fall 2010 are available at EKU Libraries in the Silent Study Zone located on the 4th floor of the University Building. Browse the list of print theses written prior to Fall 2010 .
To browse these theses and dissertations by academic department or program, please go to the Colleges, Departments, or Administrative Unit page .
Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023
How the Drug Trade is Facilitated Online: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis , Jose Aguilar
The Genome, Genetic Genealogy Database (3g Database) , Salma Obaid Alotaibi
Social Media Use in Disaster Management: Perceptions of Emergency Management Directors at Kentucky Institutions of Higher Education , AHMED MOHAMMED ALSHAHARANI
Placental co-culture model reveals Listeria monocytogenes utilization of monocytes for vertical transmission , Breanna Mackenzie Amelunke
The American University: Attitudes about Safety and the Impact of Gun Regulations on Campus , April Bixler
Optimization of Electrode Configurations for Calibration-Free, Remote Sensing of Heavy Metals in Water Using Double-Potenital Step Anodic Coulometry , Jessica Bone
Gender, Sexuality, And LGBTQ+ Identities In General Education Literature Courses: Three Major Conceptual Frameworks , Josiah Coleman
Perceptions of play-based curricula as an effective model of instruction for children with special needs , Angela Bernice Cooper
A Quantification Of The Metabolic Demand Wrought By Explosive Ordinance Disposal Load Carriage , Gage Cousineau
An Examination Of The Usage Of Grants And Municipal Bonds To Fund Capital Projects For Local Governments , Collin Patrick Davis
Qualities Of A School Counselor And Principal Partnership That Foster Student Learning And School Culture: A Qualitative , Eef Ji Fontanez
Exploring The Effectiveness Of Telehealth Adolescents' Interventions On Sleep: A Meta-Analysis , Youmna Hakoum
Comparison of Annual Performance Report Results of Central Appalachian Upward Bound Programs during 2017-2022 Grant Cycle , Zachary Hudson Hess
Assessment Of Natural Roost Availability And Artificial Roost Preference By Indiana Bats In Scott County, Kentucky , Shannon Kerry Howe
No Safe Spaces: Institutionally Washed Out , Jordan Marie King
Exploring The Past With Place: Incorporating Multimodal Archival Composition In Secondary English Education , Sarah King
Using Mesocosms to Model Optimal Levels of Body Size Variation in Larval Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) , Ian Kratzer
Occupational Therapists’ Perceptions Of Practice During The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Impact On Their Mental Health And Well-Being , Victoria Long
Neutral And Charged Bis(Triarylamines) For Use In Grid Scale Battery Technologies , Taylor Matthews
Changes In Fish Communties Throughout The Buck Creek Watershed In Relation To Land Use , John Clark Miller
First-Year Writing Ungraded Study At Eastern Kentucky University , Kaitlynn Elizabeth Moody
"Temporal Salvation": A Study of LDS Leadership Strategies From 1874-1917 , Haley Elaine Pettit
Calling All Cast Members: Elevating Material Objects and Ambient Environments to Non-Human Rhetorical Actors in Arden of Faversham , Tara Michelle Pulaski
Urban And Rural Comparisons Of Attitudes Toward Medically Assisted Treatment For Pregnant And Postpartum Women With Oud In Appalachia , Anna Reeves
Decoding the Flavor of Kentucky's Native Pawpaw Fruit , Mackenzie Leanne Roark
Variation In Bat Activity Across Upland Embedded Wetlands In The Cumberland Ranger District Of The Daniel Boone National Forest , Brittany Ryan
Menstrual Inequality in Women's Correctional Facilities , Tara Lee Sexton
Grief Narratology In The Digital Age: Writing The Self In Academic Spaces , Sarah Weddle South
Understanding Federal Funding of Appalachian Nonprofit Organizations Through Characteristic Analysis , Jordan C. Stewart
Individual capture history affects site use and defensive behavior of foraging eastern copperheads at a recreational site , James Benjamin Stratton
Investigation Of Emotional Numbing And Other Potential Risk Factors Of Chronic Ptsd In Veterans , Daniela M. Taylor
Posttraumatic Growth In Inmates: An Exploration Of Cumulative Adverse Life Experiences And Its Relationship To Growth , Rachel Taylor
Tradition And Satisfaction: The Mob And Lynching In The Georgian Cotton Belt, 1890-1899 , Marcus Anthony Thornton
Emotions as social objects in the justice system: how feelings develop in justice processes and what they do. , Peyton Alexander Warman
From the governor's desk to a bullet in your chest: The fatal implications of anti-trans legislation , Iyan Wickel
Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022
The Effects Of External Load And Body Composition On The Sebt In Marching Band Performers , Alexander Alvarez
House of Lambs , Taylor Janell Anderson
Community Development Through Career And Technical Education In The U.S. Education System For A Higher American Standard Of Living , Marty Stuart Asbridge
Small Mammal Species Richness And Relative Abundance Across The Elevational Gradient And Microhabitats Of Pine Mountain, Eastern Kentucky , Sarah Elizabeth Baker
New Directions in State Crime: A Queer Criminology Perspective , Haley Elizabeth Bates
Identification and Security Implications of Biometrics , Kathryn Boggs
Types of Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health , Ashley Bragg
Scatterbrain , Abigail C. Byrd-Stapleton
Samuel Beckett's Theory of Repetition , Kennedy Carpenter
Scope of Homelessness in Kentucky , Shannon Elyse Catron
Scale Validation Of American Exceptionalism Index , Evan Hunter Charles
Tholins: A Gas Phase Computational Study of Methanimine and Related Species , Bradley T. Chem
Multimodality And The Sociality Of Literacies: Shaping First-Year Writing Students’ Literacies Through Multimodal Approaches , Jonathon Collins
A Tender Head , Whitney N. Cooper
Phenotypic Plasticity of Geographically Central and Peripheral Populations of Jefferson Salamanders (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) in Response to Simulated Climate Change , Aaron Devine
Magnaporthe Oryzae Telomeric Retrotransposon (moter) Relics Further Highlight Telomere Dynamics In A Rapidly Evolving Fungal Pathogen , Jane Ellen Dostart
Broken Rules and Ugly Rumors , Sam Floyd
How And Why Design Education Instructors Use Place-Based Education In Their Courses , Michael Flynn
Unitl the Well Runs Dry , Wesley Adam Gift
Academic Coaching As A Transition Model For Graduating College Students With Disabilities , Lee Ann Griesheimer
Asking Appalachia: Appalachian English in the Writing Classroom , Rachel Nicole Hampton
Hierarchy and Responsibility in Media: Cults, Culpability, and Culture , Max Hargett
Professional Learning Communities: Perception of Impact on Learning , Esther Denise Hayden
Wattpad as an Online Medium for Contemporary Folklore , Alisha Tess Helton
The Price Of “Normal”: Masking In The Autistic Community , Phyllis Elizabeth Holloway
Factors Contributing To Feelings Of Inclusion And Exclusion Among Swahili-Speaking Refugees In Lexington, Kentucky , Aaron Lankster
Instructional Coaching And Student Achievement , Lee Ann Lewellen
How Administrators Perceive Reductions In State Funding Higher Education , Bruce Manley
The Touching Rooms , Kimberly Mattheussens
"I Could Not Understand Anything They Said!": Non-Native English Speaking Instructors, Online Learning, and Student Anxiety , Katelyn Lee McClure
Fear of the Future: A Speculative Exploration of Cinematic Dystopias , Katarina Megan McGuire
All the Broken Pieces , Ellen Harrison Mitchell
Comparison Of Spawning Habitat And Nest Density Between Buck Darter (etheostoma Nebra) And Striped Darter (etheostoma Virgatum) Populations In The Cumberland River Drainage, Kentucky , Jacob Charles Murphy
Body Size And Habitat Shading Influence The Consumptive And Non-Consumptive Effects Of Wood Frog (lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles On Aquatic Invertebrate Communities , Brady Patrick Parlato
Genetic And Morphological Assessment Of Pigtoe Mussels (unionidae: Pleurobemini: Fusconaia/pleurobema Spp.) in Ozark Drainages , Logan Tyler Phelps
Barriers To Seeking And Obtaining Academic Accommodations In College Classrooms , Clint Pinion
Investigating A State-Funded Disciplinary Literacy Program In Kentucky For Educators Of Adolescent Students , Kevin Presnell
The Road To Justice: Incarcerated Students’ View On Education Behind Bars , Margaret Baker Price
Chromatographic Studies Of Some Hormone And Metabolic Modulators Used For Doping In Sports , Ruth Marie Speidel
The Impact That The Power Scholars’ Academy Program Has On The Achievement Of Students In Reading And Math , Sharonda Steele
Communities In Conflict: A Critical Look Into Police And Deaf Interactions In Central Kentucky , Savannah Sublette
An Examination Of Print Awareness When Using Electronic And Printed Books With Preschool-Aged Children , Marissa Taylor
Impact of Living Learning Communities on Underserved Minority Students at a Regional Comprehensive University , Brandon Leonard Thompson
Community College Retention Initiative: A Qualitative Study On The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Entrenched In A Mentoring Program At One Associate-Level College In The Southeastern Region , Brandon Turnley
BECAUSE: A Son’s Odyssey to Expose a CIA Coverup and Find the Father He Never Knew , James B. Wells
Correlation Between Student Success and On-Campus Jobs , William Thomas Willis
Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021
Academic Stress Examination And Its Sources Among Saudi Students In The United States , Nawaf Alshammari
Litter Breakdown And Benthic Invertebrate Detritivores From A Hydrologically Restored Stream , Jacob Becraft
Effects of a Virtual Reality Dementia Experience on Graduate Communication Disorders Students’ Future Clinical Practice , Morgan Stephens Blaydes
Dirt Road Magic , Carrie Callahan
Absorbent Household Materials For The Collection Of Ignitable Liquid Residues From Surfaces Of Varying Porosity , Jessica Carlotti
The Barriers Students Of Color Experience During The Online College Application , Tichaedza Stephen Chikuni
Understanding the Impact of an ACT Intervention Course Through the Perspectives of Previous Students , April Clement
Relationship Between Secondary Industry Certifications and Employment in the Particular Credentialed Area , Kevin R. Cook
A Qualitative Study Exploring Online Teaching At A Rural Community College: How Do Faculty Prepare To Teach Online? , Gwendolyn Davidson
Introductory Mathematics and STEM Persistence: Examining the Differences between Online and In-Person Performance at a HBCU , Wendy Dixie
Effect Of CBD On D2 Dopamine Receptor And CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Function And Localization , Elizabeth Dull
Examining Formative Critique In The High School Visual Arts Classroom , Peter C. Edwards
Perspectives of Individuals with Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders and Co-Survivors on Person-Centered Care within Speech-Language Therapy , Logan MacRae Ellis
Perceptions of Education Attainment in Rural and Appalachian Schools , Michael Estep
Comparing Success Rates Of Online Courses To Traditional Courses In A Small Rural Community College , David Lee Frazier
Career and Mentorship Experiences of Women Educational Administrators in Rural Community Colleges , Diane Ashley Gibson
Individualism and Collectivism: Well Being Within the African American Community , Tajana Graves
Evidence of Non-Strike Induced Chemosensory Searching by Eastern Copperheads (Agkistrodon Contortrix) During Cicada Predation , Henderson Cyrenius Gull
“Basic Stuff I Should Know About My Kids, I Don’t Know”: Incarcerated Mothers’ Perception Of Incarceration’s Effects On Mother-Child Relationships , Narissa Haakmat
Page 1 of 9
- Collections
- Disciplines
Advanced Search
- Notify me via email or RSS
Author Corner
- Author Rights/Copyright
Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement
Privacy Copyright
Office of Scholarly Communication
University of California
- Campus Resources
- Why publish Open Access?
- Deposit Your Scholarly Articles
- OA Policies FAQ
- OA Policy Waivers
- OA Publishing Agreements and Discounts
- OA Thesis & Dissertation Policies
- Publish Your Book OA
- Transition Your Journal to OA
- Collect and share your older publications
- Publishing Funds
- eScholarship Publishing
- University of California Press
- Copyright & Publication Contracts
- Data Sharing Policies & Tools
Home » For Authors & Researchers » Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
1. Does UC require me to make my thesis/dissertation open access? 2. Can I delay open access to my thesis? 3. I’m working on my thesis/dissertation and I have copyright questions. Where can I find answers? 4. Where can I find UC Theses and Dissertations online?
1. Does UC require me to make my thesis/dissertation open access?
Several UC campuses have established policies requiring open access to the electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) written by their graduate students. As of March 25, 2020, there is now a systemwide Policy on Open Access for Theses and Dissertations , indicating that UC “requires theses or dissertations prepared at the University to be (1) deposited into an open access repository, and (2) freely and openly available to the public, subject to a requested delay of access (’embargo’) obtained by the student.”
In accordance with these policies, campuses must ensure that student ETDs are available open access via eScholarship (UC’s open access repository and publishing platform), at no cost to students. By contrast, ProQuest, the world’s largest commercial publisher of ETDs, charges a $95 fee to make an ETD open access. Institutions worldwide have moved toward open access ETD publication because it dramatically increases the visibility and reach of their graduate research.
Policies and procedures for ETD filing, including how to delay public release of an ETD and how long such a delay can last, vary by campus. Learn more :
- UC Berkeley: Dissertation Filing Guidelines (for Doctoral Students) and Thesis Filing Guidelines (for Master’s Students)
- UC Davis: Preparing and Filing Your Thesis or Dissertation
- UC Irvine: Thesis/Dissertation Electronic Submission
- UCLA: File Your Thesis or Dissertation
- UC Merced: Dissertation/Thesis Submission
- UC Riverside: Dissertation and Thesis Submission
- UC San Diego: Preparing to Graduate
- UCSF: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines
- UC Santa Barbara: Filing Your Thesis, Dissertation, or DMA Supporting Document
- UC Santa Cruz: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines (PDF) from the Graduate Division’s Accessing Forms Online page
2. Can I delay open access to my thesis/dissertation?
Some campuses allow students to elect an embargo period before the public release of their thesis/dissertation; others require approval from graduate advisors or administrators. Visit your local graduate division’s website (linked above) for more information.
In 2013, the American Historical Association released a statement calling for graduate programs to adopt policies for up to a six year embargo for history dissertations. Many scholars found this extreme, and a variety of commentators weighed in (see, e.g., discussions in The Atlantic , The Chronicle of Higher Education , and Inside Higher Ed ). In addition, a memo from Rosemary Joyce, the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division of UC Berkeley, listed several advantages of releasing a dissertation immediately and added that “the potential disadvantages… remain anecdotal.” In the years since the flurry of writing responding to the AHA statement, the discussion of dissertation embargoes has continued, but the issues have remained largely the same. Thus, this memo from the UC Berkeley graduate dean (2013) remains an excellent summary.
3. I’m working on my thesis/dissertation and I have copyright questions. Where can I find answers?
Students writing theses/dissertations most commonly have questions about their own copyright ownership or the use of other people’s copyrighted materials in their own work.
You automatically own the copyright in your thesis/dissertation as soon as you create it , regardless of whether you register it or include a copyright page or copyright notice. Most students choose not to register their copyrights, though some choose to do so because they value having their copyright ownership officially and publicly recorded. Getting a copyright registered is required before you can sue someone for infringement.
If you decide to register your copyright, you can do so
- directly, through the Copyright Office website , for $35
- by having ProQuest/UMI contact the Copyright Office on your behalf, for $65.
It is common to incorporate 1) writing you have done for journal articles as part of your dissertation, and 2) parts of your dissertation into articles or books . See, for example, these articles from Wiley and Taylor & Francis giving authors tips on how to successfully turn dissertations into articles, or these pages at Sage , Springer , and Elsevier listing reuse in a thesis or dissertation as a common right of authors. Because this is a well-known practice, and often explicitly allowed in publishers’ contracts with authors, it rarely raises copyright concerns. eScholarship , which hosts over 55,000 UC ETDs, has never received a takedown notice from a publisher based on a complaint that the author’s ETD was too similar to the author’s published work.
Incorporating the works of others in your thesis/dissertation – such as quotations or illustrative images – is often allowed by copyright law. This is the case when the original work isn’t protected by copyright, or if the way you’re using the work would be considered fair use. In some circumstances, however, you will need permission from the copyright holder. For more information, please consult the Berkeley Library’s guide to Copyright and Publishing Your Dissertation .
For more in depth information about copyright generally, visit the UC Copyright site.
4. Where can I find UC Dissertations and Theses online?
All ten UC campuses make their electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) openly accessible to readers around the world. You can view over 55,000 UC ETDs in eScholarship , UC’s open access repository. View ETDs from each campus:
- Santa Barbara
Sign up to receive OSC blog post updates
Email address:
Recent Posts
- Upcoming webinar: “The Right To Deposit – Uniform Guidance to Ensure Author Compliance and Public Access”
- Fair use rights to conduct text and data mining and use artificial intelligence tools are essential for UC research and teaching
- New Open Access Book from eScholarship Publishing: The Art of Diversity by Susan Carlson
- California Universities Partner with Wiley on Landmark Open Access Agreement
- Remarks by Günter Waibel on federal public access policies and institutional investment
WordPress Theme by WPZOOM
- Harvard Library
- Research Guides
- Faculty of Arts & Sciences Libraries
Computer Science Library Research Guide
Find dissertations and theses.
- Get Started
- How to get the full-text
- What is Peer Review?
- Find Books in the SEC Library This link opens in a new window
- Find Conference Proceedings
- Find Patents This link opens in a new window
- Find Standards
- Find Technical Reports
- Find Videos
- Ask a Librarian This link opens in a new window
Engineering Librarian
How to search for Harvard dissertations
- DASH , Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard, is the university's central, open-access repository for the scholarly output of faculty and the broader research community at Harvard. Most Ph.D. dissertations submitted from March 2012 forward are available online in DASH.
- Check HOLLIS, the Library Catalog, and refine your results by using the Advanced Search and limiting Resource Type to Dissertations
- Search the database ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Don't hesitate to Ask a Librarian for assistance.
How to search for Non-Harvard dissertations
Library Database:
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
Free Resources:
- Many universities provide full-text access to their dissertations via a digital repository. If you know the title of a particular dissertation or thesis, try doing a Google search.
Related Sites
- Formatting Your Dissertation - GSAS
- Ph.D. Dissertation Submission - FAS
- Empowering Students Before you Sign that Contract! - Copyright at Harvard Library
Select Library Titles
- << Previous: Find Conference Proceedings
- Next: Find Patents >>
- Last Updated: Feb 27, 2024 1:52 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/cs
Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy
- TutorHome |
- IntranetHome |
- Contact the OU Contact the OU Contact the OU |
- Accessibility Accessibility
- StudentHome
- Help Centre
You are here
Library resources.
- Theses & dissertations
- Site Accessibility: Library Services
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.
- Selected resources for your study
- Explore Curated Resources
- Dictionaries, thesauri and encyclopaedias
- Biographies
- Conference papers
- Country information
- External libraries and catalogues
- Images and sound
- Legislation and official publications
- News sources
- Open Research collections
- Patents and standards
- Publicly available
- Statistics sources
- The Open University Archive
Related Help
- Finding and using books and theses
- Finding resources for your assignment
- I am having problems accessing a resource via Athens.
- Training and skills
- How do I do a literature search?
Using Library Search for your assignment
Tuesday, 23 April, 2024 - 19:30
Learn how to find specific resources and how to find information on a topic using Library Search.
Library Helpdesk
Chat to a Librarian - Available 24/7
Other ways to contact the Library Helpdesk
The Open University
- Study with us
- Supported distance learning
- Funding your studies
- International students
- Global reputation
- Apprenticeships
- Develop your workforce
- News & media
- Contact the OU
Undergraduate
- Arts and Humanities
- Art History
- Business and Management
- Combined Studies
- Computing and IT
- Counselling
- Creative Writing
- Criminology
- Early Years
- Electronic Engineering
- Engineering
- Environment
- Film and Media
- Health and Social Care
- Health and Wellbeing
- Health Sciences
- International Studies
- Mathematics
- Mental Health
- Nursing and Healthcare
- Religious Studies
- Social Sciences
- Social Work
- Software Engineering
- Sport and Fitness
Postgraduate
- Postgraduate study
- Research degrees
- Masters in Art History (MA)
- Masters in Computing (MSc)
- Masters in Creative Writing (MA)
- Masters degree in Education
- Masters in Engineering (MSc)
- Masters in English Literature (MA)
- Masters in History (MA)
- Master of Laws (LLM)
- Masters in Mathematics (MSc)
- Masters in Psychology (MSc)
- A to Z of Masters degrees
- Accessibility statement
- Conditions of use
- Privacy policy
- Cookie policy
- Manage cookie preferences
- Modern slavery act (pdf 149kb)
Follow us on Social media
- Student Policies and Regulations
- Student Charter
- System Status
- Contact the OU Contact the OU
- Modern Slavery Act (pdf 149kb)
© . . .
Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts
Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.
Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working elements of your project.
Weekly Goals Sheet (a.k.a. Life Map) [Word Doc]
This editable handout provides a place for you to fill in available time blocks on a weekly chart that will help you visualize the amount of time you have available to write. By using this chart, you will be able to work your writing goals into your schedule and put these goals into perspective with your day-to-day plans and responsibilities each week. This handout also contains a formula to help you determine the minimum number of pages you would need to write per day in order to complete your writing on time.
Setting a Production Schedule (Word Doc)
This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding research protocol limitations, (3) making note of deadlines, and (4) understanding your personal writing habits.
Creating a Roadmap (PDF)
Part of organizing your writing involves having a clear sense of how the different working parts relate to one another. Creating a roadmap for your dissertation early on can help you determine what the final document will include and how all the pieces are connected. This resource offers guidance on several approaches to creating a roadmap, including creating lists, maps, nut-shells, visuals, and different methods for outlining. It is important to remember that you can create more than one roadmap (or more than one type of roadmap) depending on how the different approaches discussed here meet your needs.
Ask Yale Library
My Library Accounts
Find, Request, and Use
Help and Research Support
Visit and Study
Explore Collections
Resources to Find Dissertations: Home
Description.
This page provides links to databases and websites to find dissertations. This includes links to general databases to find dissertations, databases focused on the humanities, foreign dissertations, dissertations on religion, and dissertations hosted by other universities.
General Databases
Humanities dissertations, foreign dissertations, religion dissertations, dissertations of universities, yale divinity library.
Science Dissertations
- Last Updated: Aug 22, 2023 5:35 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.yale.edu/dissertations
Site Navigation
P.O. BOX 208240 New Haven, CT 06250-8240 (203) 432-1775
Yale's Libraries
Bass Library
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Classics Library
Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
Divinity Library
East Asia Library
Gilmore Music Library
Haas Family Arts Library
Lewis Walpole Library
Lillian Goldman Law Library
Marx Science and Social Science Library
Sterling Memorial Library
Yale Center for British Art
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
@YALELIBRARY
Yale Library Instagram
Accessibility Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Giving Privacy and Data Use Contact Our Web Team
© 2022 Yale University Library • All Rights Reserved
- Browse by author
- Browse by year
- Departments
- History of Thought
- Advanced search
Have a language expert improve your writing
Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.
- Knowledge Base
- Dissertation
- Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates
Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates
Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on November 21, 2023.
A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding the specifics of your dissertation topic and showcasing its relevance to your field.
Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:
- Your anticipated title
- Your abstract
- Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)
In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organizational structure of your thesis or dissertation. This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.
Table of contents
How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis and dissertation outlines.
While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.
- Working Title
- “Elevator pitch” of your work (often written last).
- Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
- Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
- Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope , population , and data collection ).
- Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
- Answer the research question in a concise way.
- Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.
For a more detailed overview of chapters and other elements, be sure to check out our article on the structure of a dissertation or download our template .
To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.
Download Word template Download Google Docs template
It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilizing some of the alternative constructions presented below.
Example 1: Passive construction
The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.
Example 2: IS-AV construction
You can also present your information using the “IS-AV” (inanimate subject with an active verb ) construction.
A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.
Example 3: The “I” construction
Another option is to use the “I” construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.
Example 4: Mix-and-match
To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and “I” construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.
As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as “discuss,” “present,” “prove,” or “show.” Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.
If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!
Research bias
- Anchoring bias
- Halo effect
- The Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
- The placebo effect
- Nonresponse bias
- Deep learning
- Generative AI
- Machine learning
- Reinforcement learning
- Supervised vs. unsupervised learning
(AI) Tools
- Grammar Checker
- Paraphrasing Tool
- Text Summarizer
- AI Detector
- Plagiarism Checker
- Citation Generator
When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .
The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.
A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.
- Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
George, T. (2023, November 21). Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/dissertation-thesis-outline/
Is this article helpful?
Tegan George
Other students also liked, dissertation table of contents in word | instructions & examples, figure and table lists | word instructions, template & examples, thesis & dissertation acknowledgements | tips & examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".
I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”
- Graduate Programs
- Prospective Students
- Current Students
- Faculty & Staff
- Academic & Professional Development >
- Academic Resources >
Theses & Dissertations Overview
Guiding principles: the graduate school style manual.
The Graduate School Style Manual establishes a set of standards designed to ensure consistency, legibility, and professional appearance of theses and dissertations. These standards are not intended to comprehensively address all the minutiae of style and formatting. Students should refer to their academic department’s choice of style manuals for such specifics. Note: You must follow these guidelines to format your thesis/dissertation for the first format check. If it is apparent that you have not made a reasonable attempt to do so, your document will not be checked and your graduation may be delayed until a future semester.
Preparing for Electronic Submission
- Choosing a software package
- Creating single or multiple files
- Formatting your document
- Front Matter Templates
- Converting your document to PDF
- Using Adobe Acrobat
Submitting your documents
- ETD Format Check Submission You must have a format check done before you can submit your official copy.
- ETD Final Submission Please note: Proof-reading changes cannot be made to the document once it has been accepted as final. Please make sure that you are happy with the document you submit and do not submit until you are sure no additional edits to the content will be needed. Please do NOT create a brand-new ProQuest account when it is time to submit the final version of your thesis or dissertation. Simply log into your original ProQuest account, visit the document upload area, and replace the PDF that is there with the revised and final PDF.
Doctoral Students Only
Survey of Earned Doctorates: The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) gathers data from all doctorate graduates each year. The responses become part of the Doctorate Records File, a virtually complete databank on doctorate recipients from 1920 to the present. These data serve policymakers at the federal, state, local and university levels. Privacy : Information you provide is kept confidential and is safeguarded in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The survey data are reported only in aggregate form or in a manner that does not identify information about any individual. Your information is vital to future program development and funding. Please register for the survey on the SED Registration Website . You will receive a pin and password to complete the secure survey.
Questions About Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation
If you cannot find your answers to formatting questions in the Graduate School Style Manual, you may address your question to [email protected] . References
- The Graduate School Style Manual All ETDs must conform to the Graduate School style requirements
- Human Subjects Guidelines The Human Subjects Office at the Office of the Vice-President for Research Policies and Procedures for Electronic Theses and Dissertations
- ETD Library Theses and Dissertations that have been submitted to the Graduate School are available via the UGA Libraries Galileo System; any inquiries regarding the ETD Library site and its contents should be directed to the Library (note that it may take some time for the Library system to process new theses and dissertations after they have been accepted by the Graduate School)
After You’ve Finished
Graduating students who wish to purchase copies of their work have a choice to either order bound copies from ProQuest or UGA Print and Copy Services. If you wish to order from ProQuest, you may place your order during the creation of your ProQuest account. If you would like copies of your thesis or dissertation from UGA, Print and Copy Services at the Tate Student Center will print and bind your thesis or dissertation in the traditional black hard cover with gold lettering, or the format of your choice. Please note that UGA Print and Copy Services will not have access to your document until the Graduate School has approved the final copy of your thesis or dissertation.
- Academic & Professional Development
- Resumes/CVs & Cover Letter Resources
- UGA Mentor Programs
- Campus Resources
- UGA StudyAway
- Mentoring Resources for Faculty
- Mentoring Resources for Graduate Students
- Graduate School Awards
- GradSlate Enrolled Student Progress Portal
- Responsible Conduct of Research
- Research with Human Participants
- Selecting Software
- Creating Single or Multiple Files
- Converting to PDF
- Creating PDF Files with Adobe Acrobat
Unlocking potential. Building futures.
Apply Today
The Graduate School Brooks Hall 310 Herty Drive Athens, GA 30602 706.542.1739
- Administration
- Graduate Bulletin
- Strategic Plan
- Virtual Tour
- Request Information
- Requirements
- Application Fee
- Check Status
- UGA Main Campus
- UGA Gwinnett
- UGA Griffin
- UGA Atlanta-Buckhead
COMMENTS
You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses: Google Scholar; NDLTD, the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not. Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published ...
Over the last 80 years, ProQuest has built the world's most comprehensive and renowned dissertations program. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT Global), continues to grow its repository of 5 million graduate works each year, thanks to the continued contribution from the world's universities, creating an ever-growing resource of emerging research to fuel innovation and new insights.
EBSCO Open Dissertations is a collaboration between EBSCO and BiblioLabs to increase traffic and discoverability of ETD research. You can join the movement and add your theses and dissertations to the database, making them freely available to researchers everywhere while increasing traffic to your institutional repository.
Dissertations and Theses Full-Text Global ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Global is the world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. 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.
The ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT) ™ database is the world's most comprehensive curated collection of multi-disciplinary dissertations and theses from around the world, offering over 5 million citations and 3 million full-text works from thousands of universities. Within dissertations and theses is a wealth of scholarship, yet ...
A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master's program or a capstone to a bachelor's degree. Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation, it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete.
The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). We support electronic publishing and open access to scholarship in order to enhance the sharing of knowledge worldwide.
Global ETD Search. Search the 6,472,554 electronic theses and dissertations contained in the NDLTD archive: Keyword. Effect. subject: "visualisation". where the subject includes the word "visualisation". title: "computers". where the title includes the word "computer". creator: "Hussein, Suleman".
Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on July 18, 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.
A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating ...
University of Southern California. 3550 Trousdale Parkway. Los Angeles , CA 90089. Database of free, open access full-text graduate theses and dissertations published around the world.
This series contains open access dissertations that students have wished to make openly available. The full-text content is available to all, although some theses may have embargoes. If an embargo exists the date will be listed instead of the download button. The download button will appear once a dissertation is no longer embargoed.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Global (PQDTGlobal) is the world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. As the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research, PQDTGlobal includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a ...
All theses written prior to Fall 2010 are available at EKU Libraries in the Silent Study Zone located on the 4th floor of the University Building. Browse the list of print theses written prior to Fall 2010. To browse these theses and dissertations by academic department or program, please go to the Colleges, Departments, or Administrative Unit ...
Several UC campuses have established policies requiring open access to the electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) written by their graduate students. As of March 25, 2020, there is now a systemwide Policy on Open Access for Theses and Dissertations, indicating that UC "requires theses or dissertations prepared at the University to be (1 ...
How to search for Harvard dissertations. DASH, Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard, is the university's central, open-access repository for the scholarly output of faculty and the broader research community at Harvard.Most Ph.D. dissertations submitted from March 2012 forward are available online in DASH.; Check HOLLIS, the Library Catalog, and refine your results by using the Advanced ...
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 ...
When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic. The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development ...
Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started. The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working ...
A thesis and dissertation abstract database hosted by ATLA where users can search for and share the outcomes of research conducted in programs of study related to ministry, theology, and religion. Provides citations to 25,582 theological theses/dissertations and conference papers. Items can then be purchased through this site.
Upload any supplemental files (if applicable) that are part of your thesis/dissertation, but were not included in your uploaded PDF file of your thesis/dissertation; then "save and continue." Add any additional notes that you want us (the Graduate Office) to read along with a phone number and email address to reach you, then "save and ...
Welcome to LSE Theses Online, the online archive of PhD theses for the London School of Economics and Political Science. LSE Theses Online contains a partial collection of completed and examined PhD theses from doctoral candidates who have studied at LSE. Please note that not all print PhD theses have been digitised.
Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on November 21, 2023. A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process.It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding the specifics of your dissertation topic and showcasing its relevance to ...
Spanning from the 'theses and quaestiones' of the 17th and 18th centuries to the current yearly output of student research, they include both the first Harvard Ph.D. dissertation (by William Byerly, Ph.D. 1873) and the dissertation of the first woman to earn a doctorate from Harvard (Lorna Myrtle Hodgkinson, Ed.D. 1922).. Other highlights include:
Guiding Principles: The Graduate School Style Manual The Graduate School Style Manual establishes a set of standards designed to ensure consistency, legibility, and professional appearance of theses and dissertations. These standards are not intended to comprehensively address all the minutiae of style and formatting. Students should refer to their academic department's choice […]
While key, completing a thesis is the least important aspect of your Ph.D., writes María P. Ángel, and you should also focus on three other areas. In the first quarter of my Ph.D., I enrolled in indoor cycling classes at the university gym. One evening, the instructor delivered a motivational phrase that, though meant to encourage us to break out in a sweat, has shaped my Ph.D. journey to ...