It can also be useful to find out about theses and dissertations that are currently being written in your subject discipline, particularly if you are about to undertake a research degree. Many university departments list the research topics or working titles of their research students' current dissertations on their websites.

A few publications exist which list dissertations currently underway. These should be considered listings of research projects rather than of finished dissertations because they record details of research which is incomplete, subject to revision and not yet available as a completed report.

The following freely available publications may help you to identify current dissertations in progress in a selection of subject areas:

  • The British Association for American Studies, provided by the Institute for the Study of the Americas, is a searchable directory of research resources in this subject area which includes both completed and ongoing theses.
  • The Current Legal Research Topics Database, published by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, lists current dissertations at PhD or MPhil level in legal subjects at UK universities.
  • Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology, this is an international database of both completed and ongoing dissertations in the fields of musicology, music theory and ethnomusicology.
  • History Online, published by the Institute of Historical Research, lists current and completed theses on history. It is available in printed form or online.
  • The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Research Portal, provided by the Institute for the Study of the Americas, is a searchable directory of research resources in this subject area which includes both completed and ongoing theses.
  • Theses in Progress in Commonwealth Studies, published by the Institute  of Commonwealth Studies, and available through the School of Advanced Studies at University of London, lists theses currently underway in UK universities relating to the Commonwealth of Nations and the former British Empire, on a variety of topics including history, economics, politics and sociology.