Clinical Psychology: Dissertations

It depends. Dissertations are not peer-reviewed and may not be appropriate sources for every assignment. Clarify with your instructor or faculty member whether it is appropriate to cite a dissertation in your classwork.

Some professional students convert their dissertation into a manuscript for submission to an academic journal. This adaptation may be published in a scholarly journal after peer-review, thereby lending added credibility to published work. To locate a dissertation turned peer-reviewed journal article, search for the author's name and one or two topic keywords in library databases. Keep in mind that if the author published the dissertation as a journal article, the title may have changed.

Dissertations may reflect emerging trends and underrepresented voices in the field. If you feel the results presented in a dissertation adds to scholarship in a significant way that is not replicated by the peer-reviewed literature, incorporate the source in your paper in such a way that reflects your understanding of the dissertation’s place in the literature. Refer to a faculty member for guidance.

Dissertations tend to be labeled as a dissertation on the front page of the document. Look for mention of a faculty mentor, dissertation committee, mention of degree completion, etc. Dissertations also tend to be quite a bit longer than the typical journal article.

For example, in EBSCO databases, an icon on the results page next to results indicate certain results as dissertations:


In Google Scholar, dissertations are often pulled from the ProQuest database and can be identified from their preview:


You may also find dissertations in Google Scholar from institutional repositories from universities:

Dissertations with a similar topic may provide insight into gaps in the literature and their bibliography may provide studies that add to your knowledge and research.

Dissertations with similar methodology (systematized literature review, quasi-experimental, program development, program evaluation, etc.) may provide guidance on how to structure your project.

Note: If you used someone else's dissertation in a significant way, you should credit the author.

Find and browse print dissertations from previous Downers Grove and Glendale MWU clinical psychology students online in the library catalog. Alternatively, you may also browse and locate electronic versions of dissertations in Figshare, an institutional repository.

To find similar dissertations in library databases, when searching in EBSCOhost databases for dissertations, search for your topic alongside the word, 'dissertation.'


When requesting dissertations from other universities through ILLIAD, please understand that some may be difficult to obtain. Please be selective in which dissertations you request and we ask for your patience and understanding in case the library cannot obtain it.