Basic Search
Click on "Search Database" to begin a search. On the "Search" page you may create a search by one or more of the following search fields: (1) title, (2) author, (3) subject/tribe, (4) university of origin, and (5) year of publication. When a search is executed, you will receive a "Results" page with brief descriptions of theses and dissertations that match your search criteria. By clicking on specific titles on the "Results" page, a "Record Detail" will be displayed with a complete description and usually with an abstract or descriptive note.
Additional Search Options
On the Search page a number of options are available to focus your search. The default for each set of terms or search string is "contains." By using "contains," you will retrieve all citations with any of terms in your search string. Options include: (1) "equals" - retrieves only exact matches with your complete search string; (2) "begins with" - retrieves all citations that begin with your search string; or (3) "ends with" - retrieves all citations that end with your search string.
"Sort by" allows users to arrange their searches. The default sort order is by "Year of Publication." By using "Year of Publication", your results will be organized by the date each title was published. Options include the following fields: (1) "Title" - lists results by the thesis or dissertation title; (2) "author" - lists results by author surname; (3) "Subject/Tribe" - lists results by keyword or Library of Congress subject heading term; (4) "University" - lists results by the name of the university where the thesis or dissertation was produced; and (5) year of publication. Regardless of what "sort by" option is used, results can be requested in ascending or descending alphanumeric order.
"When Searching" allows Boolean searching between search fields. The default search uses "and" where all words in each search field is necessary to register a result. The alternative search uses "or" where any matches between fields results in a result.
"Return" indicates the number of records that are returned at a time. The default is 20 records at a time. Options include: (1) 10 citations; (2) 30 citations; (3) 40 citations; (4) 50 citations; (5) 100 citations; or (6) all citations.
The results page lists search results as citations. The default order lists the results in descending chronological order. Other options are cited above.
The search string is displayed so that you will have a record of your search with the results.
Five data elements are displayed for each citation. The author element contains the name of the author. The title element contains the title of the thesis or dissertation. The University element identifies the name of the degree granting institution at the time the degree was granted. The year of publication element indicates the year the thesis or dissertation was accepted. The subject/tribe lists the subject heading(s) that was(were) selected for the thesis or dissertation.
By clicking on specific titles on the "Results" page, a "Record Detail" will be displayed with a complete description and usually with an abstract or descriptive note.
The record detail page provides a complete description of one citation. Up to nine data elements may be provided: (1) author; (2) title of the thesis or dissertation; (3) the university where the thesis or dissertation was produced; (4) the year of publication; (5) the extent of the work expressed in pages; (6) notes from the first two editions; (7) an abstract from University Microfilms in the United States and Canada or project staff in Mexico; (8) subject/tribe terms in the form of Library of Congress subject headings; and (9) a control number for records supplied by University Microfilms.