Searching for MIT Theses: Barton Tutorial: MIT Libraries

Do you know...
•	the author of the thesis?
•	the title of the thesis?
•	the department that granted the thesis?
•	the thesis advisor?
Now that I found the thesis in Barton, how do I access it?
When will my thesis be entered into Barton?

Barton Basics
A self-help guide to the MIT Libraries catalog

Searching for MIT Theses

The MIT Libraries collect all graduate student and some undergraduate theses granted by MIT. Use the MIT Theses search to find books that are designated as MIT Theses. This is a subset of the entire Barton catalog, and will not include journals, conferences, or books that are not MIT theses.

Do you know the author of the thesis?

On the MIT Theses search screen, change Search type to Author (last name first).

Enter the author's last name followed by the first name (if known).

Click on the link for the author's name.

Do you know the title of the thesis?

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On the MIT Theses search screen, change Search type to Title begins with…

Enter the first few words of the thesis title.

Click on the link for the thesis title.

Do you know the department that granted the thesis?

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Many MIT academic departments have changed their name over time. Use the Thesis Department Name and Degree Abbreviations list to make sure you use all variations of a department or degree name.

When you have the variations of the department name:

On the MIT Theses search screen, go to the Search by Multiple Terms section.

Change Search type to Thesis Department Keyword. Enter the department abbreviations. If you have more than one abbreviation to search for, combine them using OR.

Example:

To search for theses in the Department of Ocean Engineering:

Thesis Department Name and Degree Abbreviations list shows:

Enter the search terms and combine using OR:

Tip:

Do not do this search as a Keyword Anywhere search. Barton will not return correct results unless you use the Thesis Department Keyword search.
For most departments, this search will return too many results and will not work. Limit your search by year, topic, etc.

Do you know the thesis advisor?

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On the MIT Theses search screen, change Search Type to Thesis Supervisor Keyword.

Enter the thesis advisor's name.

Now that I found the MIT Thesis in Barton, how can I access it?

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The MIT Libraries keep approximately 10 years worth of paper copies of MIT theses, and most (if not all) theses in microform. Visit the library that holds the thesis for more information. You may also read a paper copy of a thesis not held in the MIT Libraries by contacting the Institute Archives. Use the following links for more information on the Institute Archives:

You may purchase a MIT Thesis from the Document Services Office.

MIT theses in electronic format are not listed in Barton. To see if there is an electronic version of a thesis, use MIT Theses in DSpace.

When will my thesis be entered into Barton?

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It usually takes around 2-6 months for a thesis to be added to Barton, once it has been submitted to the granting department. If you cannot find a thesis in Barton, please Ask Us!