The British Library provides digitised UK PhD theses online via the Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS).
You can search the site without registering. However, to download a thesis you must register and agree to the terms and conditions of access.
Access to theses which have already been digitised is free. If a thesis has not already been digitised, you may be asked to pay the cost of digitisation (£60) or it may be free. This depends on the policy of the institution supplying the thesis.
Holdings
The EThOS database holds details of over 400,000 theses. Some of these are available for immediate download. Once you register you can download a thesis or request a digital copy if it is not currently available. If the thesis is not immediately available there will be a short delay while it is digitised.
Format
Theses are supplied by participating institutions free of charge as zipped PDFs. Alternative formats (CD/DVD or paper) are available for an extra charge.
Participating institutions
Some institutions may not be participating in EThOS or may charge for the digitisation of a thesis. If you cannot find the theses you want or do not want to pay for the digitisation of the thesis you can still submit an Inter-Library request. However, some libraries do not lend their theses.
We will not make a request for a thesis already available on EThOS.
International & Masters Theses
You can submit an Inter-Library request for international and Masters theses.
More information
For more information contact the Inter-Library Service or check the EThOS FAQs.