Search help

Learn how to search our collection of theses and dissertations from universities across Canada. For more information about this collection, see the Theses Canada program page.

On this page

• How to search the database
• Working with search results

How to search the database

Type your search term in the appropriate field and click Search.

• You can use the wildcard function (“*”) to search for partial words or expand your search.
  • Example: “communicat*” will find “communication,” “communicate,” “communicating,” “communicator,” etc.
• You can revise your search at any time from the results page, using the Modify search at the top right of the results list.

Search by keyword

Use the boxes at the top of the search form to search across all the metadata in our records, including the title, author name, abstract, university name, degree name, and subject tags.

This section allows for advanced searching by combining search terms with AND, OR, and NOT (Boolean searching). Boxes for additional terms can be added (or removed) using the “+” and “X” buttons.

For more search tips and strategies, see our page on Using Collection search.

Options:

All of these words

Retrieves only results that contain all your search words. Searching a string of keywords will work the same as searching those words using the AND function.

Any of these words

Retrieves results that contain at least one of your search words, but may not contain all of them.

This exact phrase

Limits results to the exact words you entered in the order you entered them.

Search by specific fields

You can also search by specific fields for a narrower search. Note that not all records have subject tags or abstracts, so you may miss records if you are searching by only those fields.

Author(s)

Search by name of author. Enter first and last names in any order.

Title keyword(s)

Search the title field.

Subject keyword(s)

Search the subject field. Subject keywords in the Theses Canada collection are provided by the author and/or granting institution and may or may not be standardized (controlled vocabulary) subject headings. Note that not all theses records have subject data; using this field will limit your results to only those that do.

Abstract keyword(s)

Search the abstract field. Note that not all theses records have abstracts and that using this field will limit your results to only those that do.

Degree

Limit by type of degree. The options are:

• All
• Master's
• Doctorate

To search more specifically for certain degree types by name, use the quick search boxes at the top of the search form. Most, but not all items in the Theses Canada collection have degree name information.

University

Start typing a school name to see the list of options. All items in the Theses Canada collection are represented in the list.

Date

Limit your search by the year an institution published a thesis or granted a degree. You can also set a range of years.

Note that publication year and the year a university grants a degree can be different.

Language

Limit your search by the language of the thesis. The drop-down list only includes languages with a large number of examples in the collection.

Available online

Specifies whether the theses are available online or not. Select “All” to retrieve records in all formats.

Working with search results

Sort and filter results

By default, search results are sorted by relevance. Sorting can also be done alphabetically or chronologically using the dropdown menu at the top of the results list.

Use the left-hand menu to filter your results by facets, such as date, language, university, degree, and whether a thesis is available online.

Record display

Search results in the Theses Canada portal display the title, author, degree type, year, granting institution, and, when available, the abstract. Subject headings are not shown. Complete, detailed records can be found in the library catalogue, Aurora.

Click on the title to get to the record in Aurora.

Click on the author's name to see other works by the same author (if any) in the Theses Canada collection.

Find copies

Click the link in the digital copy field to find a copy of the thesis.

• If the thesis is available online at LAC, select “Click to view it.”
• If the thesis is not available online, click “No digital copy at LAC – check Aurora for access options.” You will be brought to Aurora to see the availability of print and microform versions and to request them for on-site consultation.

For physical items, the holdings data—such as the number of copies, locations, and call numbers—is not included in the Theses Canada database. Use Aurora to see the full record including how to order the theses. For help with requesting items from Aurora, please see our help page or contact us.

Export and download results

Click on the “Export and download results” icon (blue arrow) at the top-right side of the results list.

You can save your results list as HTML, CSV, JSON, or XML. Select HTML for a basic list that you can save or print.

The downloaded list includes the abstract (if available), and a link to the library catalogue record in Aurora.

Modifying a search or starting over

Use the Modify search button at the top right of the results to return to the search form with your search terms in place. From there, you can add, remove, or replace search terms or limiters.

Start a new search will return you to the blank search form.