Question: What value lies in using dissertations, especially when they can sometimes be so hard to track down?
Answer: Dissertations and theses offer the latest research from graduate students, identifying trends in the field.
As research tools, they are invaluable for their extensive bibliographies.
-Kristina DeVoe
A good way to find dissertations in University Libraries is to do a keyword search in the USD Online Catalog with terms from your topic and add the word "theses" to the search, or use Proquest Dissertations and Theses @ University of South Dakota. Dissertations done at USD are housed in the stacks on the 3rd floor and are shelved alphabetically by the last name of the author.
To identify dissertations not completed at USD, use Proquest Digital Dissertations. To obtain dissertations not held at USD, use Interlibrary Loan
International Dissertations - for dissertations completed outside of North America, try searching the Center for Research Libraries.