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Finding SFU Theses and Projects

The Bennett Library, SFU Burnaby has print, microform, and web-based copies of SFU PhD and Masters theses, final projects, and extended essays for programs that have chosen to require submission of these documents to the library.

Undergraduate honours theses are not available in the library. Some departments (e.g. English) keep bound honours essays in the departmental office. In some cases, the only possibility for finding an honours essay may be to contact the author or the faculty member supervisor.

 

Web-based copies

Electronic copies are available:

 

Table of Contents

Finding a Thesis in Fast Search

Using Summit - SFU's Research Repository

Finding a Thesis in Digital Dissertations

Reading and Printing a Thesis

Finding an SFU MBA Research Project

Finding Theses/Projects from other Universities

 

 

Find Theses by Department or Faculty

  1. Go to the SFU Library catalogue.
  2. Select Title from the drop-down list.
  3. Type in your search according to the examples below:

Theses Dept of [Department name]
e.g. Theses Dept of Communication

Theses Faculty of [Faculty name]
e.g. Theses Faculty of Education

Tips:
  • Use Theses rather than Thesis.
  • Use Dept rather than Department.
  • Use Faculty only for faculties without departments (eg. Business Administration, Education).

 

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Find Theses by Degree Type

  1. Go to the SFU Library catalogue.
  2. Search by Keyword.
  3. Type your search according to the examples below:
Thesis [Degree Type] and Theses Dept of [Department Name]
e.g. Thesis M A and Theses Dept of Geography
e.g. Thesis M Sc and Theses Dept of Biological Sciences

Thesis [Degree Type] and Theses Faculty of [Department Name]
e.g. Thesis Ph D and Theses Faculty of Education

Essay [Degree Type] and Dept of [Department Name]
e.g. Essay M A and Dept of English
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Find Theses by Topic and Department/Faculty

  1. Go to the SFU Library catalogue.
  2. Search by Keyword.
  3. Type in the the department or faculty.
  4. Add a topic word:

Theses Dept of [Department name] and [Topic word]
e.g. Theses Dept of Geography and Tourism

Theses Faculty of [Faculty name] and [Topic word]
e.g. Theses Faculty of Business Administration and Bonds

 

Tips:
  • Use the asterisk (*) to search for all forms of a word
    e.g. femini* will find feminist, feminism, feminine, etc.
  • Use Theses rather than Thesis.
  • Use Dept rather than Department.
  • Use Faculty only for faculties without departments (eg. Business Administration, Education).

 

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Find Theses by Topic and Degree Type

  1. Go to the SFU Library catalogue.
  2. Search by Keyword.
  3. To find Master's theses, type:

Thesis [Degree type] and [Topic word]
e.g. Thesis M A and femini*
e.g. Thesis M Sc and prosthe*

To find Doctoral dissertations, type:

Thesis [Degree type] and Simon Fraser and [Topic word]
e.g. Thesis Ph D and Simon Fraser and femini*

Tips:
  • Use the asterisk (*) to search for all forms of a word
    e.g. femini* will find feminist, feminism, feminine, etc.
    e.g. prosthe* will find prosthetic, prostheses, prosthesis

 

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Using Fast Search

  1. From the Library homepage, click Fast Search above the search bar.
  2. Type a topic word and "Simon Fraser University" in the search bar.
    eg. prosthetics "Simon Fraser University"
  3. Click Content Type in the menu on the left.
  4. Tick the box next to Dissertation/Thesis.

 

Tips:
  • If you don't see the words Dissertation/Thesis under Content Type, there are no SFU theses associated with your topic word. Try a synonym or related topic word instead.
  • Some of the steps have been completed for you in this pre-done search for theses published at SFU! Just add your topic word to the search bar.

 

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Using Summit - SFU's Research Repository

  1. Visit the Summit webpage
  2. Once there, you will be able to search by keyword, department, or author.
  3. Alternatively you could Browse our Collections and find an alphabetical listing of all subject areas at SFU, with links to theses, dissertations, and/or projects done by students within the program.
  4. Faculty publications are also available.
  5. Summit can be accessed from the Library Homepage under Other Collections.
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Using Digital Dissertations

  1.  Digital Dissertations is a searchable database containing both citations and full text of millions of theses.
  2.  We have created a subset of SFU theses within Digital Dissertations which you can search.
  3.  Type a topic word, eg. prosthetics, in the search bar.                              
  4.  Use the available options to focus your search, eg. publication date, doctoral dissertation, advisor, etc.
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Reading and Printing a Thesis

 To see the full record for an item in the SFU Library catalogue, click on the title.

  • Reading a thesis online: Click on the link under the words Click for online access.
  • Reading a printed thesis: Look for the words IN LIBRARY to see if there is a print copy available.
  • Thesis location: If the LOCATION menu reads In process, you may request a copy by clicking the Request Item button.
  • Printing a thesis: Most theses will download as read-only copies. If you need a printable copy, submit a special request.
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For SFU MBA projects and for information on how to find theses/dissertations at other universities please see the FAQ for each:

Finding an SFU MBA Research Project

Finding Theses/Projects from other Universities

For more help, please Ask a librarian.

Owned by: Patty Gallilee
Last Modified: 2013-04-15