Research Assistance

Graduate Student Sources

Citation Styles for Research Papers and Academic Theses

• Columbia University Press Style Recommendations
  Discover the elements of a citation, how to document, and how to handle unusual items like a webpage
  
• Style Sheets for Online and Print Citations
  From University of California Berkley; APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, CBE
  
• Major Citation Styles
  The “Big 4” plus CBE (Council of Biology Editors) and others
  
• APA Style
  Most commonly used by LTU Grad School for academic papers.  In-depth.
  
• Assessing the Credibility of Sources
  How can you trust a source?  How can you evaluate it for truth?
  
• Websites to Help You Write Your Paper
  21+ links to set you on the right path
  
• Landmark's Citation Machine
  Just fill-in-the-blanks and get your citation or bibliography entry for any type of format (books, web sites, etc.) in APA or MLA style.

Here is a brief summary of options.

Please call or visit the library for more detailed instruction or if you have questions.

Searching for Dissertations:

• The WorldCat Dissertations database (through FirstSearch) is a good place to start. It contains thousands of theses that are held by libraries throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Many of these may be obtained through the LTU Interlibrary Loan service. There is a minimum charge of $3.00 per item. In some cases an additional charge may be imposed by the lending library. Please see our website for more information on interlibrary loan.
  
• NDLTD (Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations) is a repository of electronic theses from approximately thirty universities worldwide.  Most are available online.
  
• Dissertations Abstracts is an online database (through FirstSearch) that provides citations and abstracts of doctoral and master's dissertations and theses. The full text is not available through this database.Many of these publications may be borrowed through LTU Interlibrary Loan, others may be purchased through Dissertation Express.
  
  MIT Theses (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  MIT is now posting its dissertations and theses online with free access.  Follow the link, then scroll down to choose the subject area to browse.  Choose doctoral theses, and browse the listings.  Note that not all dissertations are online, this is just a selection.
  
  Specialty databases may also index theses. For example, Engineering Village indexes dissertations related to engineering topics. Many of these may be borrowed through LTU Interlibrary Loan or purchased through Dissertation Express.

Acquiring a Dissertation/Thesis:

 The Library will try to borrow items identified in any of our databases through our Interlibrary Loan department. Please provide a complete citation for the dissertation. Information on costs, and request forms for LTU Interlibrary Loan are available under "Services" on the Library home page.

• Some libraries will not loan a dissertation or thesis and the only options may be to visit the library for onsite use of the document, or purchase it from Proquest, the national repository for these publications.
  
• U.S. dissertations not available for borrowing may be purchased through Dissertation Express.   This service allows LTU faculty, staff and students to acquire print copies of U.S. dissertations at a reasonable price

Dissertation Express The dissertation or thesis is ordered through the LTU Library.

• An unbound print copy is delivered to the Lawrence Tech Library within 3 to 7 business days. You will be notified as soon as it is available for pickup.
  
• Cost is $33 and payment must be submitted with the order. Acceptable forms of payment are cash or check payable to Lawrence Technological University.
  
• Contact the Reference Desk at 248.204.3000 for further information.
  
  

Ordering Information:

 Please print and complete the Dissertation Purchase Request order form (also available at the Circulation Desk) and return it with your payment to the LTU Library Reference Desk.

Currently, the LTU Library itself does not accept credit cards, but contact the library for further details.

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