You may not need to request the dissertation or thesis through interlibrary loan!

On this page, we'll explain

How to see if a dissertation or thesis is freely available online

  1. If you've found a thesis or dissertation that you'd like to get, you likely found it in a library database. The example pictured below is from the ERIC database.

    Before you do anything else, click on the dissertation title to see the full record. Scroll down to the bottom of the record and click on the Access URL.

    This will take you to another database. Just above the dissertation or thesis title, that database will indicate whether full text is available, as pictured in the screenshot below. If the full text is available, click on the Download PDF link on the right side of the page. 

    If it says "Preview Available," move on to step #2.

  2. If it says "Preview Available," look for the name of the university or college beneath the dissertation title. In the example pictured above, it's Walden University.

    Search Google for the name of the university and the word "dissertations." If the college or university has a site for dissertations, it should come up in the first few results.

  3. Once you're into their site, search for the dissertation title (or part of the title). Depending on how old the dissertation is, it may be available on their site. In this example, we successfully found the dissertation on the Walden University Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection site.


If this technique didn't work for you, you can go ahead and request the item through interlibrary loan. Instructions for that are below.

How to request a dissertation or thesis through interlibrary loan

To request a thesis or dissertation, you'll need to login to a system called ILLiad. If you're not already logged in, you'll be prompted to login with your Oswego username & password.

If you've never used ILLiad before, you'll need to provide your contact information by completing the form that appears.

  1. Click "Thesis/Dissertation" under the New Request heading.

  2. Enter the information you have about the thesis or dissertation, and scroll down to Submit Request.