Theses Digitisation

The Library holds over 20,000 print theses, the majority of which are either doctoral or masters by research theses. All theses, both print and electronic can be searched via the Library catalogue. Print theses are available for consultation in the Library’s Special Collections Department. Electronic theses are available via Enlighten: Theses.

Enlighten: Theses - the University of Glasgow e-thesis repository

The requirement for postgraduate research students to deposit one printed and one electronic copy of their thesis into Enlighten: Theses: has been in place since the academic session 2007-2008.

From 2007-2018, around 5000 electronic version theses have been uploaded to the repository.

Accessible research

The University of Glasgow is a strong supporter of open access to scholarly research, in particular when publicly funded. Electronic theses offer a number of advantages. Higher research degree theses are part of the University’s research output.

Electronic theses offer a number of advantages. For authors, the electronic availability of their thesis considerably increases access, visibility and the potential to raise their profile with other researchers or funding bodies.

For the University, as well as preserving our research output, the online availability of electronic theses permits worldwide exposure of the quality of postgraduate research carried out at Glasgow, and allows our researchers to benefit from access to research outputs from other universities.

Access to University of Glasgow theses is also available via sites such as EThOS, DART-Europe E-theses Portal and OCLC WorldCat.

Most research universities worldwide require electronic deposit of theses, and have well established online theses repositories.

Digitisation of pre-2007 theses

British Library e-Theses Online Service: EThOS

EThOS run by the British Library is the UK’s national thesis service which aims to maximise the visibility and availability of the UK’s doctoral research theses. The University of Glasgow has participated in the service since it was established in 2007. Around 2,500 of our pre-2007 printed doctoral theses have been scanned by the British Library and are now available in Enlighten: Theses.

The Glasgow Theses Project: ProQuest

We are currently working with ProQuest on a project to digitise the remaining print theses. The project aims to complete the scanning of around 13,000 theses, both doctoral and masters by research, and make them available through Enlighten: Theses.

The most recent theses will be scanned first phase of the project, with the electronic versions of these works expected to be available in Enlighten by August 2018. Scanning of the earlier theses, dating from 1830, many of them handwritten, is scheduled towards the end of the project.

The project will be completed by the end of 2021 and the full text of all 13,000 will be made available through Enlighten: Theses.

Are you an author of a digitised thesis?

If you are the author of a higher research degree thesis awarded by the University of Glasgow you retain copyright of your work.

If you do not wish the digitised copy of your thesis to be made publicly available you have the right to request it is removed.

Contact us at: Research-enlighten@glasgow.ac.uk