The ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database (PQDT) is the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. It is the database of record for graduate research, with over 2.3 million dissertations and theses included from around the world.

Each dissertation published since July 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts. Bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1861, and more than 60,000 new citations are added to the database every year.

Over 1.9 million dissertations and theses are available from the UMI vaults on microfilm or in hardcopy, and researchers can preview many recent titles electronically.  Where available, PQDT provides 24 Page Previews of dissertations and theses. In addition, more than 800,000 are available for download in PDF format (Digital dissertations and theses are archived as submitted by the degree-granting institution. Some will be Native PDF, some PDF Image).

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses also offers researchers unlimited access to digital copies from their own institutions as well as affordable copies from others.

PQDT is available on the Web through ProQuest®, a premier information access and retrieval system. It is suitable for all types of researchers whether they are online novices or information professionals. Natural language searching, database segmenting, and conceptual smart searching are just a few of the features that help users find the information they need quickly and easily.

Online subscriptions allow unlimited searching for a set fee, and depending on an institution's subscription type, access to the full text of dissertations and theses in PDF format (where available).