Doctoral Dissertations

About doctoral dissertations

There are two types of doctoral dissertations:

Course-based dissertations: doctoral dissertations to be submitted while enrolled in a doctoral program
Dissertation-based dissertations: doctoral dissertations submitted for a degree without being enrolled in a doctoral program

Some doctoral dissertations are available in full text online. In principle, Full text of Japanese doctoral dissertations submitted in 2013 academic year or later is published online.

Doctoral dissertations at UTokyo (after 1957)

Doctoral dissertations (bound dissertations) submitted up to the 2012 are held by the University of Tokyo and the Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library. The holdings of doctoral dissertations submitted in 2013 or later depend on the graduate school, as the full text of the doctoral dissertations are in principle available at the UTokyo Repository.

How to search

*Please check here for how to find doctoral dissertations submitted to the University of Tokyo before 1949.
*Please check here for how to find master’s theses submitted to the University of Tokyo.

Doctoral dissertations submitted before 2012 academic year: Please search Doctoral Dissertation Databese, the University of Tokyo.
- Some doctoral dissertations have abstracts, but not the full text.
Doctoral dissertations submitted after 2013 academic year: Please search UTokyo Repository.
- In addition to author name and title, you can search by degree name and dissertation number.
- Full text of the doctoral dissertations submitted after 2013 is in principle available at the UTokyo Repository. (It takes a certain period of time from the submission of a doctoral dissertation to its publication.)

How to use

Doctoral dissertations in the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences (agriculture, veterinary medical science)

Holdings

University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences holds the following doctoral dissertations:

Course-based dissertations: from 1958 academic year to present (partially missing)
Dissertation-based dissertations: from 1961 academic year to present

Application

Please apply for use by providing the following information at the service desk:

Title
Author name
Dissertation number (It can be found in Doctoral Dissertation Database, UTokyo Repository, and author name card catalog in the library.)

Notes on use

Application: Weekdays 9:00-12:00, 13:00-16:30
Browsing: Weekdays 9:00-17:00 　　
Doctoral dissertations are in-library use only. 　　
As a rule, no more than half of the text may be photocopied. To copy the full text, please obtain the permission of the author.
(Some doctoral dissertations can be copied in their entirety because the author’s permission has been obtained in advance.)

Doctoral dissertations outside of the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Course-based dissertations are held in the libraries of each graduate school, and dissertation-based dissertations are held in the General Library.
(Some dissertation-based dissertations are held in the libraries of each graduate school.)

For detailed information on holding libraries, coverage, and conditions of use, please check the Doctoral Dissertation Database “Dissertation Holdings and Usage Guide” (in Japanese).

*Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library holds many of the doctoral dissertations after September 1923. If the University of Tokyo does not hold them, please use them there.

Doctoral dissertations of other universities in Japan

You can search the following databases for doctoral dissertations in Japan:

IRDB (Institutional Repositories DataBase)	Academic resources such as doctoral dissertations accumulated in Japanese institutional repositories can be searched in a cross search. Some doctoral dissertations are available in full text.
National Diet Library Online	Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library holds many of the Japanese doctoral dissertations after September 1923.
CiNii Dissertations	Doctoral dissertations published in institutional repositories in Japan and doctoral dissertations held by the National Diet Library can be searched in a single integrated search.
Hakushiroku (Biographical dictionary of doctoral degrees)	Dai-Nihon Hakushiroku (大日本博士録: Who’s who in “Hakushi” in great Japan) Vol. 1-5 (Hatten-sha, 1921-1930) Doctoral degrees conferred from 1888 (the year the awarding of degrees began) to 1929 can be found. Years covered differs in each volume. Many of the dissertation abstracts are included, which is helpful when the full text is not available. (Vol. 1: Law, Pharmacology; Vol. 2-4: Medicine; Vol. 5: Engineering) Full text is available in National Diet Library Digital Collections. Nihon Hakushiroku (日本博士録) Vol. 1-9 (Nihon Tosho Center, 1985) Doctoral dissertations from 1888 to 1962 can be found. Years covered differs in each volume. Volume 9 is a people index by type of degree (in Japanese alphabetical order). It is not held by Agr. Library, but it is held by General Library (UTokyo OPAC). The edition published in 1956-1964 by Kyoiku Gyosei Kenkyujo is available in National Diet Library Digital Collections, with digitized contents transmission service.

Using doctoral dissertations

Doctoral dissertations are available only in the library. You can read them at the library that holds them or request copies.

When it is hold by Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
- Browsing: You can request and browse a doctoral dissertation at the Tokyo Main Library of the National Diet Library. User registration is required to request materials. For details, please refer to “User Registration“.
- Photocopying: In principle, you can photocopy up to half of the doctoral dissertation. To copy the full text, permission of the copyright holder is required.
  Please request a photocopy through MyOPAC or use the “Photoduplication Service” of the National Diet Library.
When it is hold by degree-granting universities
- Browsing: Please check the conditions of use on the website of each university library. If you are unclear about the conditions of use, please ask Agr. Library.
- Photocopying: In principle, you can photocopy up to half of the doctoral dissertation. To copy the full text, permission of the copyright holder is required. Please request a photocopy through MyOPAC.

Doctoral dissertations from overseas universities

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (Access from off-campus)	You can search for dissertations and theses mainly from Europe and the United States. Some are available in full text.
NDLTD (Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations)	You can search for dissertations and theses from more than 70 institutions, primarily in North America.
National Diet Library Online	Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library holds European and American doctoral dissertations mainly in the fields of science and technology since the late 1950s.

*Holding of Master’s thesis

Unlike doctoral dissertations, master’s theses are not required to be made public or sent to the National Diet Library. The holdings of master’s theses vary among degree-granting universities, so please check the website of each university library.

University Library of Agricultural and Life Sciences does not hold master’s theses. Please contact each laboratory. For holdings of other graduate schools, please check the Doctoral Dissertation Database “Dissertation Holdings and Usage Guide” (in Japanese).