Many online databases provide access to large collections of dissertations. Usually such databases are made available to graduate students by their respective universities. Considering strict plagiarism rules, one might assume that such academic contributions might be perceived as dissertation examples.
However, can anyone use these dissertation examples as references? Or, are there any other benefits of such dissertation examples. The present article will attempt to answer such questions regarding the usage of dissertation examples from online databases.
The Credibility of Dissertations as References
It should be acknowledged that considering the contents of the aforementioned databases as dissertation examples does not mean that such dissertations are lacking academic value. These dissertations are complete academic works, which were submitted as a degree requirement by a particular person. Nevertheless, the credibility of such works as references might not be so obvious to identify. Thus, one aspect that should be considered, prior to using a dissertation example as a reference, is checking the academic value of such work. The latter can be done through considering the following factors:
- The date of the dissertation’s submission.
- Whether the dissertation or its authors were cited in scholarly works.
- The limitations and the weaknesses in the dissertation’s contribution.
Other Benefits of Dissertation Examples
Regardless of whether the dissertation example was used as a reference or not, one important benefit can be seen through utilizing the references of the dissertation as a research material. The author of a dissertation conducted an extensive research, and thus, in case the subject of the dissertation example is similar to that of student’s research, such efforts might be made useful.
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