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Dissertation Submission Requirements & Procedures

Widener University's formatting requirements and procedure for submitting your dissertation to ProQuest for inclusion in the Digital Dissertations Database

The library provides access to many resources for finding dissertations:

  • Discovery - Search Discovery to find print dissertations by Widener students that are held in the library.
  • ProQuest - Dissertations & Theses @ Widener University - This database provides access to the dissertations and theses produced by Widener University students. Note: Widener dissertations published after 1997 are available in Full Text
  • ProQuest - Digital Dissertations -  This database provides access to dissertations produced at universities worldwide, published from 1861 - Present. Note:  Searching for titles published in the last 10 years returns more full text publications.
  • Full Text Dissertations from other Universities -  Search institutional repositories to find full text dissertations by authors at other universities.

Finding Dissertations

  • The library has all dissertations written by Widener students up to 2019 in print.
  • To obtain print dissertations, search Discovery:
  1. From the Library's Home Page, scroll down to the Blue Search Box.
  2. Click on Advanced Search.

The Discovery Search Box, it states Start Your Search at the top and there is a red square around Advanced Search.

Example: In the Discovery Advanced Search boxes enter the keywords trauma and stress then add Widener University as an author (Widener is listed as an author for all Widener Dissertations).

The Discovery Advanced search screen with the terms trauma, stress and Widener University in the boxes and the Author field selecteted on the bottom row with a red square around the word AU Author

The Brief Record

This search returned 9 results; 7 Widener Dissertations and 2 scholarly  articles written by authors associated with Widener.

This image should the brief results seach screen with 3 dissertation titles listed. There are red squares around the Call # for each entry and a text box that states Links to Full Text in ProQuest Database with black arrows pointing to the links and a red square around the date range 1999-2019.

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN THE BRIEF RECORD:

  • Publication Data Range - Notice that date range is 1999-2019, this can be adjusted by clicking on the toggle button.
  • Call Numbers - The call numbers for each dissertation are listed.  Use these to obtain the print copy of a dissertation in the library or order it through contactless pickup.
  • Connect to Online Dissertations - Click on these links to obtain the full text from the ProQuest Dissertation Database. The full text of Widener Dissertations published after 1997 are available here.

The Detailed Record

Select -  Pre-Existing Vulnerabilities for Developing PTSD and Substance Abuse after Combat Trauma

This image shows the detailed record for this dissertation by Patrick R. Hoolhan. Red squares are around Reteeve Catalog Item, The call number, the Subject Terns and series information.

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE DETAILED RECORD:

  • The title, author and publication date of the dissertation are listed.
  • Retrieve Catalog Item:  Click here to order the dissertation for contactless pickup.
  • Call Number: The call number, BF77 .W45 2019 no.4, is noted here, use this to find the dissertation in the library.
  • Series: This information confirms that this dissertation was written at Widener University for the School of Human Service Professions.
  • Subject Terms: The terms Post-traumatic stress disorder, Substance abuse, Veterans and War Neuroses were assigned to this dissertation.  By clicking on them, or using them as keywords in another search, you can obtain similar items.

This database provides Full Text access to all works published after 1997.

Navigate to Dissertations & Theses @ Widener University

Wolfgram Memorial Library Homepage ► A to Z Database List ► Dissertations & Theses @ Widener University

The Search Screen

  1. Select Advanced Search.
  2. Enter keyword(s) or the title of the publication.
  3. As this database features only works by Widener University students, change the search field to department and then select a specific department.

Example: This example is searching for the keyword Trauma, limiting to works published from the Department Social Work.

This images shows the Search screeen of this database with the keyword Trauma and the Department Social Work, with red circles around the word Trauma and department.

  • You can also limit by the name of the author or advisor on this search screen.

The Brief Record

  • This search provides 18 results from the search terms:

This screen shows three dissertation tiltes from the search and a red box around the place to change the publication date range.

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE BRIEF RECORD:

  • The title, author and date of publication for each dissertation listed and the word Trauma is highlighted in yellow for 2 of them, indicating the use of the search term.
  • The Publication Date Range: This states that all the results were published between 2013-2020, you can always adjust the date range by moving the toggle and selecting update.

The Detailed Record

The full result shows the dissertation Heel to Heal: The Connection Between Running and Trauma with red circles around the Abstract/Details, Download PDF and Related Items.

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE DETAILED RECORD:

  • Abstract/Details - Select this option to obtain all the metadata for the dissertation, use these details to find additional titles.
  • Download PDF  - Click on this link to download the full dissertation.
  • Related Items - This list provides links to related dissertations in this database, other ProQuest dissertations and in other resources.

  • This database provides access to dissertations and theses published at universities worldwide. 

  • Many titles are available in full text and others provide a 24-page preview.

  • Note - Searching for titles published in the last 10 years returns more full text dissertations.
     

Navigate to Digital Dissertations

Wolfgram Memorial Library Homepage ► A to Z Database List ► Digital Dissertations
 

The Search Screen

  1. Select Advanced Search
     
  2. Enter keyword(s) or the title of the publication.

Example: This example is searching for the keywords Homelessness and Qualitative Study.

This image shows the search screen of Digital Dissertations with red circles around the keywords, homelessness and qualitative study.

  • You can also limit your search to Author, Advisor, University/Institution or Subject heading.

Brief Record - Initial Results

1. The search provides 32,094 results from these keywords.

2. Notice that the results include the date range 1931 - 2022.

The results screen shows two results and red circles around 32,094 results and the publlication date range 1931-2022.

3. Updating the publication date range to the most recent 10 years, 2010-2020, enables you to obtain more recent results and provides more results with Full Text:

 

This image shouws the publication date box witht the arrow moved and the date range 2010-2019 appearing in a bix.

  • Click on Update.
     
  • Move the pointer until 2010-2019 appears.
     
  • Select Update again.

 

 

 

 

 

Brief Record - Updated Results

  • The updated search returned over 18,000 results, and provides many more Full Text options:

This image shows 7 results with red squares and circles around the word full text on the left side of the screen and in the middle of each brief record. There are 4 results that include full tex in these results.

  • Of the 7 results shown above, 4 of the dissertations are available in Full Text.  Click on the PDF icon to download each one. For the other 3, a 24-page preview is provided.

The Detailed Record

Select - Making a Positive Change: A Qualitative Study of Homeless Women's Perceptions and Experiences of Shelter Living

The full result shows the dissertation -- Making a positive change: A qualitative study of homeless women's perceptions and experiences of shelter living -- with red circles around the Abstract/Details, Download PDF and Related Items.

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE DETAILED RECORD:

  • Abstract/Details - Select this option to obtain all the metadata for the dissertation, use these details to find additional titles.
  • Download PDF  - Click on this link to download the full dissertation.
  • Related Items - This list provides links to related dissertations in this database and in other resources.

 

To find dissertations and theses produced by students at institutions other than Widener University, you must know institution where the work was published.  To obtain that information:

  • Search for a title in Google Scholar to see what information you can obtain, a link to the full text may be available.
     
  • Search for the title in Digital Dissertations with the title of the work.
  • Select Advanced Search. and you will discover the name of the University that produced the dissertation.
  • You may discover at link to theFull Text.  Note:  Many dissertations published during the most recent 10 years are available here in full text.

Example: Search for the dissertation title - Understanding Patterns of Emotion Perception and Expression Across Cultures.  Change the field to Document title- TI.
Search Screen

The Advances Search screen with the title in the first box and a red square around the field Document title - TI.

  • Obtain the name of the institution from the brief record and see if the full text is available from this database.

Brief Record

The brief record shows that the title is in the database and there is a red box around the name of the university and the words preview available,

The brief records shows bibliographic information for this dissertation, indicating that it was published at the University of Michigan.  It reveals that only a preview, not the full text, is available here.
 

  • Search OpenDoar, A Global Directory of Open Access Repositories, to see if the University of Michigan has an institutional repository that provides full text access to their dissertations.

Search Screen

Welcome to OpenDOAR OpenDOAR is the quality-assured, global Directory of Open Access Repositories. You can search and browse through thousands of registered repositories based on a range of features, such as location, software or type of material held. Try it out for yourself: University of Michigan is in the serach box and two repositores are listed.

  • When an entry for the university you search appears, this indicates that it has a repository that may offer full text dissertations.
  • Select Deep Blue at the University of Michigan and the next page indicates that The University has 2 repositories, but Deep Blue provides dissertations.

This site hosts two repositories. The first, currently running on DSpace, is the institution's documents repository and provides access to the publications output of the institution. The second, running on Fedora, is a data repository for digital research data developed or used in the process of research activities at the institution. Both can be accessed via the URL given below. A red box is around documents repository and Theses and Dissertations in tthe Content Types list.

 

Search Box labeled DEEP BLUE with the words Seach Deep Blue and the first words of the title Understanding Patterns visible in the search box.

  • In the search box, enter the dissertation title:  Understanding Patterns of Emotion Perception and   Expression Across Cultures
     
  • Then select Go

 

 

Brief Record

The record shows the full dissertation title, author, date of publication and some words from the abstract with a red square around the PDF icon at the bottom.

Detailed Record

This detailed record inclues the title, author, date of the publication and some words from the abstract. A red box is around the PDF Full Text link.
 

  • The detailed record includes the same metadata as the previous record, but when you select View/Open you can download the full 117 page PDF document.

 

  • Search Google.com to see if a direct link to the PDF full text is available from an institutional repository..
     
  • Search for the title -  Understanding Patterns of Emotion Perception and Expression Across Cultures.
     
  • You obtain a link to the full text in the University of Michigan's Deep Blue repository:Results from Google search show words from the title... - Deep Blue. A red box is around the url deepblue.lib.mich.edu and includes the author's name and PDF.
    • Notice that the URL at the top is deepblue.lib.umich.edu - A link to the institutional repository.  You also see the author's last name and PDF,  indicating that the full text in available.
    • By clicking on the title, you obtain the full 117 page PDF document to download.