university of edinburgh postgraduate dissertations

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Open Content

This guide brings together information about Open Access Resources and Open Educational Resources. It aims to make Open Access resources easier to find and use for study, teaching and research.

Finding open Theses and Dissertations

University of edinburgh and uk theses.

Edinburgh Research Archive - Full text electronic copies of most University of Edinburgh PhD theses can be found online in the Edinburgh Research Archive (ERA). The collection comprises 23,500 items and includes MD theses from the 1700s through to PhDs recently awarded in 2020.

EThoS: e-theses online service - This service from the British Library aims to provide a national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK Higher Education institutions, and free access to the full text of as many theses as possible for use by researchers.

Google Scholar Search

If you know the details of the thesis you wish to consult then an effective way to find the full text is via  Google Scholar. Search for the full title in quotes, followed by the author last name, and/or date if known. 

International theses

DART-Europe is a searchable database of electronic research theses held in European repositories. It covers around 586 Universities in 29 European countries.

EBSCO Open Dissertations   is a free database with records for more than 1.4 million electronic theses and dissertations from more than 320 universities around the world. 

Global ETD Search  from the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) contains around 6 million records, the majority of which are open, but some may not be publicly available.

Open Access Theses & Dissertations  currently indexes around 5 million open access theses and dissertations from 1100 institutions worldwide.

Making your thesis open access

Theses and dissertations from the University of Edinburgh are published online in the Edinburgh Research Archive  (ERA). In 2020, UoE theses were downloaded 829,804 times from ERA (source IRUS-UK download report).  The University has an expectation that a PhD thesis is a document available for public consultation. As such, unless a legitimate reason for restricting access to the thesis exists, all PhD theses will be made publicly available on the internet. Masters dissertations are not routinely made available online, but exceptional dissertations can be made open access.

PhD and other doctoral theses

Masters dissertations.

Only Masters Dissertations from the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences and the School of Geosciences are routinely deposited in the Edinburgh Research Archive (ERA). If you are from a different School you can make your master dissertation open access by depositing in ERA. You can do this by logging in with your EASE credentials, then selecting your Schools Thesis & Dissertation Collection and follow the prompts for submitting a new item to the collection.

Edinburgh Research Archive

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• Edinburgh College of Art

History of Art thesis and dissertation collection

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Recent Submissions

Joseph beuys's non-objective works on paper, in the artist rooms collection , ‘oh, england my lionheart’: englishness and the countryside in art between the wars , reflecting on the mirror in the fifteenth century: the case of jan van eyck's arnolfini portrait , franki raffles’s lot’s wife: a ‘reinvented documentary’ for a feminist art of knowledge production , watch me watching: surveillance art and the politics of observation , anachrony and the archive: on the production of feminist and queer temporalities in contemporary art , the utopian has arrived: vr and ar in the art world , art in production - the use of technicians in contemporary art making , the aesthetics of reversibility in modern art , anselm kiefer’s concrete towers: fragile architectures, haunted memorials , pink disease .

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Project dissertations

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• MSc Programmes
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• Assessment structure

Planning and writing a dissertation including the assessment criteria, dissertation format and examples from previous years.

Dissertation

During the period from June to August, candidates for the MSc work on a project on an approved topic and write a dissertation based on this work.

Before the final assessment of the taught component of the MSc programme, all students are considered as MSc candidates. Following the Board of Examiners meeting in June, students who complete the taught component at MSc level proceed to the dissertation stage of the MSc programme. After this time the award of the MSc degree depends only on the achievement of a dissertation mark of at least 50%.

It is your responsibility to prepare a dissertation on a subject chosen by agreement with a member of staff who will act as an Academic Supervisor. Dissertation topics will be agreed by the middle of May. Detailed work will be carried out during the months of June, July, and August, with enough time being allocated to writing up the dissertation. In many cases, the research for the dissertation will involve working with an outside organisation for part of the summer months.

Two unbound typeset copies of the dissertation must be submitted to the Programme Secretary by the advertised deadline.

Time management

University regulations require full-time postgraduate students to be in Edinburgh for the duration of the Programme unless specifically granted a leave of absence. This will not be given to enable you to submit a dissertation early in order to return home before the end of the programme. Completing a dissertation in less than the time available is also extremely unwise as early completion may lower the standard of work and presentation.

Backups of dissertations

You are strongly advised to keep a backup draft of your dissertation and not to use a USB flash drive for this purpose since they are easily lost or damaged. No compensation or extension will be given for work or data lost by students. 

Confidential projects

If commercial confidentiality requires that a dissertation be treated as confidential, this can be arranged by informing the office at the time of submission. Confidential dissertations will be read by the Academic Supervisor and examiners, and will not be available for reference. You can collect a copy of the dissertation after the final Board of Examiners meeting in September.  Dissertations are read by two internal examiners before being reviewed by the External Examiner.  

Assessment criteria

All dissertations are expected to conform to the following standards:

• The dissertation must add to the understanding of the dissertation subject.
• The dissertation must show awareness of the relevant literature.
• The dissertation must contain relevant analysis: an informed description of a problem is not sufficient.
• The dissertation must be presented using a satisfactory standard of English.

You should inform your Academic Supervisor and the Programme Director of any factors that will adversely affect your ability to work on your dissertation topic. Special circumstances will be taken into account by the Board of Examiners, but this information must be available before the meeting of the Board. Exceptionally, it is possible for extensions to be granted if justified by illness or other personal problems. This can be done if relevant information is given to the Academic Supervisor or the Programme Director.

Dissertation format

Dissertations are normally expected to be between 10,000 and 14,000 words in length. Reports for the SwDS programme have a limit of 5,000 words for each project.

All should consist of the following:

• Own work declaration
• Executive summary (maximum 1 page)

The main text should consist of the following:

• Introduction section
• Final section on conclusions and/or recommendations
• List of all bibliographic references
• Appendices (optional)

Reports should be typeset with single spacing and font size 11 pt . The following minimum margins must be observed: 

The pages in the main text, bibliography, and appendices must be numbered consecutively.

Additional guidelines [password protected]

Dissertations from previous years 

Distinction

Sponsored dissertations

Organisations can commission a Company Sponsored Dissertation to investigate a specific issue or problem. This will be delivered free by Masters students and supported by our world-leading academics.

We have opportunities for projects across most of our MSc programmes. The project investigates a defined research area, and results in a substantial report with extensive research, analysis, and practical conclusions.

Benefits for your business

• Access specialised business thinking to undertake a piece of research or analysis that you may not have the resources to tackle in-house
• A dedicated piece of work for your business completed by a student approaching the end of an intensive Masters programme
• Receive a rigorous report setting out research, analysis and recommendations
• No cost to your business apart from your time; the consultancy is free
• Build a relationship with the University of Edinburgh Business School
• Bring fresh perspectives and ideas into your business

Why work with our students?

Our students are among the best in their field and combine their strategic business and management skills and specialist knowledge with the refinement offered through our 12-month, intensive programmes. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds, offering each group a unique international perspective as they learn.

What kinds of project are suitable?

We offer different types of projects and will match you with an individual postgraduate student with the specialised skill set suited to your research needs.

Discuss your ideas

If you would like more information on student projects please contact Rachel Parks, our Business Engagement Manager . Please include details of:

• Which project(s) are best suited to your proposal
• Your contact information
• Project title, objectives and outcomes, location, knowledge and any skills required

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School of Social and Political Science

Msc dissertations, taught msc dissertations cards, dissertation guidance.

Information if you are undertaking a dissertation within the School.

Dissertation library

The School keeps copies of some dissertations from previous years that are available for you to view.

Fieldwork risk assessment

Information about postgraduate dissertation risk assessment for a masters programme within the School.

Ethical review for dissertations

Information on the dissertation ethics submission process for MSc students.

• Schools & departments

Minor and major corrections 2024-2025

Fees for minor and major corrections to your thesis in 2024-2025.

Minor corrections  

Under the Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees, examiners can make a recommendation that you must make minor corrections to your thesis within a specified period, up to 3 months, before the degree can be awarded.  

From 01/08/2024   a ll students who continue to be matriculated beyond their prescribed period of study are required to pay one matriculation fee. No additional matriculation fees will be charged.

Major corrections: no further oral examination needed

Under the Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees, examiners can make a recommendation that you must make major corrections to your thesis within a specified period, up to 6 months, and in exceptional circumstances, up to 12 months, before the degree can be awarded.  

Substantial revision: further oral examination needed

Under the Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees, examiners can make a recommendation that you must make substantial revision to your thesis and undertake a further oral examination within a specified period, up to 12 months, and in exceptional circumstances, up to 24 months, before the degree can be awarded.  

Contact the Fees and Student Support Team