Can you buy a copy of someone's PhD?

[JoonT]

Is it possible to buy a paper copy of a PhD? I have been on 'ethos.bl' and found several PhDs I'd like to read. Is it possible to order them somewhere? I don't like reading stuff on a screen, and would rather have a physical copy.

Not familiar with that website but if you're affiliated with a university yourself my first port of call would be the local library to see if you can arrange a copy through them.

You should be able to download and then print a PDF copy from the awarding university's website.

would that not depend on age? I only submitted physical copies of mine back in the dark ages, electronic copies weren’t a thing.

I doubt it’s possible to order a physical copy as usually the requirement is to submit two- university library keeps one, candidate keeps the other.

it’s not like they’re regularly in print.

Have you emailed the author to ask for a copy of them?

I don't think you can buy one, but you can borrow a copy for free, using the interlibrary loan system. Ask at your library, and they may well be able to bring it in for you.

If they're not from the UK, you could email them and ask. I still have 30 copies of mine that I couldn't give away because it was normal to get 200 printed and give it to everyone as a souvenir. I've never had to buy screen adjustment blocks...

You could look and see if the author has ever published a book on the same subject. It won't be exactly the same, but the basic research will be there.

This.

You're welcome to mine, though I doubt you'd find it interesting!

depending on the subject- science for example most PhD’s would be published as a peer reviewed article or a conference abstract in a journal rather than a book. might be easier to read than a thesis as well.

Mine is in the British library so I guess technically can be borrowed. It was referred to once in another academic’s work so I guess it is. Copies.. I don’t know tbh

I thought a copy had to be sent to the British library( am sure both DH and I submitted 2 final copies, one for our university library and one to go to the British library), though that might have stopped a while ago.
Amused by which ever uni made you do 200 copies @StamppotAndGravy thats a massive number, what on earth did they expect you to do with them, and the cost!

I've just googled the exact title of mine and found it as a PDF on the university's website; someone, somewhere, scanned it (but only in black-and-white, it had a colour frontispiece!)

So presumably it could be printed, should you so wish. (My book on the subject died a death, alas.)

I borrowed PhD theses on inter library loan from the British Library for my literature review and then had to submit a copy of my PhD for the university to send to the British Library. This was in the archaic 1990s before widespread www.

So what I am trying to say is, do interlibrary loans still exist? I did one from a public library (rather than university library) once.

@JaJaffavsCookie it's a bizarre tradition where I graduated. There are 15 copies for the reviewing and graduation committee, a couple more for the library and one for every person who attends the public viva, plus all your family and friends. I'm too much of a scientist to have the minimum print run of 200 friends though! My defence cost more than my wedding by the time the books, reception, dinner and party were paid for

You should be able to order a PDF from ethos and then you can get it printed/bound. The BL scan older PhDs if you ask them to. It’s a great service.

My defence cost more than my wedding by the time the books, reception, dinner and party were paid for

I'd say you chose the right event to splash out on! (totally off topic, I know)

My post-viva "party" consisted of my supervisor buying me a pint and telling me that he had thought I had about a 50-50 chance of passing with only minor revisions. Thanks! (Not that I'm at all bitter...)

Same here! Was quite excited to find my thesis online the other week, hadn't seen it for more than a decade. But also felt sorry for the person tasked with scanning it page by page, would hate that job!

OP, you've just prompted me to look for mine, and there it is online, in all its glory! It's now 25 years old and I don't even remember if I submitted an electronic copy - I do remember making some hard copies. I think it was three, one for the uni or supervisor, and two for me, but I'm not sure now. I can't imagine there would be any other hard copies, and it would be a lot to print out yourself - though maybe the one you want is more succinct than mine!

My viva was very low key. The chap my supervisor had hoped would viva me was elusive then ill, and eventually (about six months after submission!) some subs were found. By that stage I was about 8 months pregnant so they were very lovely to me. My graduation dinner was in the university refectory because at that time you “did” “not” go out anywhere decent for a meal with a newborn in tow 😊

My husband has sent a few (electronic) copies of his to people who have just emailed him and asked.

I was going to say that they probably just unbind them and put them in a sheet-feeder, but that would make me very sad... by the time I handed in my final bound version, I was living in the USA and (pre-Print-on-Demand etc) I spent considerable time and money finding someone who would bind A4 pages to the required specs!!

My PhD external examiner was a chap by the name of Professor Godfried van Benthem van den bergh. Now, I'm not saying that I asked for him to be the external on the grounds that I thought starting every answer with "Well, Professor Godfried van Benthem van den bergh..." would use up time in the viva. But I'm not saying I didn't either.

Oh no I hope not, the hard copy I gave them was really nice, even used some fancy expensive paper. But guess that's quite likely..

I did some digging! There are fully automatic book-scanning machines which turn the pages and photograph each one; who knew?