The Library has a full set of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø PhD theses.
The majority of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø PhD theses are available on open access in . Some are restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø users only.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø students and staff also have access to some 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Master's dissertations and online theses from other universities in the UK and worldwide.
Access to theses
51³Ô¹ÏÍø students and staff
Check if an electronic copy of the thesis is available in . If the thesis has been digitised you can access and download it.
If the thesis has not been digitised you can consult it at the Abdus Salam Library. Complete a thesis request form before your visit.
You can also place a Document Delivery request for an electronic copy of the thesis using the ORDER A BOOK OR ARTICLE tab in Library Search. The time scale for digitisation is 4 weeks.
External users and alumni
Most of the electronic copies of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø PhD theses are available on open access in . Some theses are unavailable to external users.
If the thesis is not available on Spiral you can visit the Abdus Salam Library to consult it. Complete a thesis request form before your visit. If you do not have a current membership card, you must also complete a library membership application form prior to your visit.
If you are unable to visit the library or wish to receive an electronic copy of a thesis, please contact the Document Delivery Service by email at ill@imperial.ac.uk. Full details will be given upon application.
| Department | Collection title | Years | Link to access via Spiral |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Professional Development | School of Professional Development PhD theses | 2009 - 2017 | Available online via |
| Centre for Co-Curricular Studies | Centre for Co-Curricular Studies PhD theses | 2012 - 2017 | Available online via |
| Faculty of Engineering | |||
| Design Engineering | Design Engineering PhD theses | 2016 - onwards | Available online via |
| Aeronautics | Aeronautics PhD theses | 2006 - onwards | Available online via |
| Bioengineering | Bioengineering PhD theses | 1988 - onwards | Available online via |
| Chemical Engineering | Chemical Engineering PhD theses | 2001 - onwards | Available online via |
| Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD theses | 1992 - onwards | Available online via |
| Computing | Computing PhD theses | 2008 - onwards | Available online via |
| Earth Science and Engineering | Earth Science and Engineering PhD theses | 1974 - onwards | Available online via |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Electrical and Electronic Engineering PhD theses | 1984 - onwards | Available online via |
| Institute of Biomedical Engineering | Institute of Biomedical Engineering PhD theses | 2008 | Available online via |
| Material | Materials PhD theses | 2006 - onwards | Available online via |
| Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering PhD theses | 1985 - 1989 and 2000 - onwards | Available online via |
| Faculty of Medicine | |||
| Clinical Sciences | Department of Clinical Sciences PhD Theses | 2010 - onwards | Available online via |
| Department of Medicine | Medicine PhD theses | 1976 - 1979 and 2000 - onwards | Available online via |
| Department of Surgery and Cancer | Department of Surgery and Cancer PhD Theses | 2010 - onwards | Available online via |
| National Heart and Lung Institute | National Heart and Lung Institute PhD theses | 2008 - onwards | Available online via |
| School of Public Health | School of Public Health PhD Theses | 2011 - onwards | Available online via |
| Faculty of Natural Sciences | |||
| Cell and Molecular Biology | Cell and Molecular Biology PhD theses | 2008 - 2013 | Available online via |
| Centre for Environmental Policy | Centre for Environmental Policy PhD theses | 2009 - 2018 | Available online via |
| Chemistry | Chemistry PhD theses | 2005 - onwards | Available online via |
| Division of Biology | Biology PhD theses | 2008 - onwards | Available online via |
| Institute for Mathematical Sciences | Institute for Mathematical Sciences PhD theses | 2009 | Available online via |
| Life Sciences | Life Sciences PhD theses | 2013 - onwards | Available online via |
| Mathematics | Mathematics PhD theses | 2007 - onwards | Available online via |
| Molecular Biosciences | Molecular Biosciences PhD theses | 2008 - 2015 | Available online via |
| Physics | Physics PhD theses | 2006 - onwards | Available online via |
| 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Business School | |||
| 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Business School | 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Business School PhD theses | 2008 - onwards | Available online via |
| Other 51³Ô¹ÏÍø PhD Theses | Print copies | 1921 - 1949 |
Held by College Archives. Contact acru@imperial.ac.uk for further information. |
| University of London (51³Ô¹ÏÍø authors) | 1920's - onwards | Available online via | |
Library Services provides access to Master’s dissertations from selected departments.
If your department does not appear in the list below, no Master’s dissertations are currently available.
If your department would like to deposit its Master’s dissertations in Spiral, please contact your Librarian. Further information about the deposit process is available.
Master's dissertations
| Department/subject | Dates | Location | Loan period / access restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bioengineering | 2005 - 2017 | Online via |
Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Business | 2006-2017 | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Chemical engineering | 2007 - 2012, 2017 | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Earth science and engineering | 2010 onwards | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Electrical and electronic engineering | 2010 onwards (prizewinning projects only) | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Centre for Environmental Policy |
2010 onwards (selected titles) |
Online via |
Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Life Sciences (Silwood Park) | Last 5 years (selected titles) | Silwood Park Campus Library open shelves | As for book loan |
| Life Sciences (Silwood Park) | 2013 onwards (selected titles from 2008) | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Mechanical engineering | 2008 onwards | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Department of Medicine | 2014- onwards | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Paediatrics and Child Health | 2014 - 2016 | Online via | Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
| Science communication |
2008 - 2009 (Distinctions only) |
Online via |
Access restricted to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø members |
Theses from other universities
Due to the ongoing outage of the British Library’s EThOS service (Electronic Theses Online Service) following a cyberattack in late 2023, UK doctoral theses are currently not accessible via , and its has not been updated since November 2023. There is no confirmed timeline for its return.
In the meantime, please use the following alternative methods and platforms to locate theses from other institutions:
UK Theses
Document Delivery Service:
If a UK thesis is not available online, you can request it via our Document Delivery Service. You may receive a loan copy or, if unavailable, the Library will attempt to source a digital version. Please allow 4–5 weeks for delivery.
Note: 51³Ô¹ÏÍø theses are not indexed in although some historic theses may appear.
International Theses
Many overseas theses are freely available online. The following open access platforms are recommended:
- – Over 6.6 million theses from 1,100+ institutions.
- – Indexes over 400 million records from 11,000+ content providers.
- – Aggregates over 377 million open access research papers, including theses
- – Metadata for over 3.5 million electronic theses and dissertations worldwide.
Please note: , a major portal for European research theses, closed in February 2025. As of January 2021, it hosted over 889,000 theses from 535 universities in 26 countries. Many records remain accessible via institutional repositories and the aggregators listed above.
If you need help locating a specific thesis or would like support using any of these services, please contact the Library
How to prepare your thesis for submission to Spiral
All research degree theses submitted for examination will automatically be made open access in Spiral, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s open access repository.
To ensure your thesis meets the required standards, please follow the guidance below when preparing your submission.
Be alerted to new theses in Spiral
51³Ô¹ÏÍø users can subscribe to collections (e.g., departmental PhD theses) and receive daily, weekly, or monthly digests of newly added items.
Be alerted to new theses in Spiral
51³Ô¹ÏÍø users:
- Go to Spiral
- Log in via MySpiral using your university credentials.
- Open the collection you want to follow (e.g., Physics PhD theses).
- Click Subscribe and select your preferred frequency.
- Manage your subscriptions
External users:
- Open the collection page on Spiral and look for the RSS icon.
- Click the RSS link to open the feed.
- Copy the feed URL.
- Paste the URL into your preferred RSS reader (e.g., Outlook, Feedly).