Mechanical Engineering  Tags: mechanical engineering patents standards technical_reports dissertations government military writing  

Master's theses and doctoral dissertations form a large -- and largely underutilized -- source of information available to students and researchers.  Even if you are not working on a master's degree or Ph.D., the bibliographies included in these kinds of documents can provide useful information for your own papers and projects.  They can also save you time and effort when doing research of your own.

For locally produced theses and dissertations search in VIRGO just as you would for a book.  You can search by the author's name or by keyword, limiting your search by Item Type to THESIS-DIS.  Ask a librarian for assistance, if you need help formulating your search.

For dissertations written at many other institutions use the following database:

All 4th year students in the School of Engineering and Applied Science must complete a 4th year thesis in order to graduate.  The theses written by SEAS students in prior years are included in VIRGO and may be searched for in the same way you would look for books or other library materials.  Search either by keyword or by the author's name and limit your search by Item Type to THESIS-4TH.

You may also search in VIRGO for all the 4th year theses sponsored by a particular SEAS department.  Using the VIRGO Advanced Search screen, type the department name in the "words or phrase" box and then limit your search by Item Type to THESIS-4TH as above.  Be aware that not all SEAS Departments sponsor 4th year theses.  Ask a librarian for assistance, if you are having difficulty finding what you want.

Finally, the SEAS Department of Science, Technology and Society maintains an Online Thesis Database, which offers additional ways to search for 4th year theses written since the 2000/2001 academic year.  Note that this database does NOT contain the library call numbers for theses, so you will still need to consult VIRGO for that information or for information about older theses.