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]
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.