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Open Access Theses and Dissertations

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About OATD.org

OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions . OATD currently indexes 7,241,108 theses and dissertations.

About OATD (our FAQ) .

Visual OATD.org

We’re happy to present several data visualizations to give an overall sense of the OATD.org collection by county of publication, language, and field of study.

You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses:

• Google Scholar
• NDLTD , the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not.
• Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published electronically or in print, and mostly available for purchase. Access to PQDT may be limited; consult your local library for access information.

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Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

OATD.org provides open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 6,654,285 theses and dissertations.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

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EBSCO Open Dissertations

Search millions of electronic theses and dissertations (etds).

With EBSCO Open Dissertations, institutions and students are offered an innovative approach to driving additional traffic to ETDs in institutional repositories. Our goal is to help make their students’ theses and dissertations as widely visible and cited as possible.

This approach extends the work started in 2014, when EBSCO and the H.W. Wilson Foundation created American Doctoral Dissertations which contained indexing from the H.W. Wilson print publication, Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. In 2015, the H.W. Wilson Foundation agreed to support the expansion of the scope of the American Doctoral Dissertations database to include records for dissertations and theses from 1955 to the present.

Get involved in the EBSCO Open Dissertations project and make your electronic theses and dissertations freely available to researchers everywhere. Please contact Margaret Richter for more information.

Dissertation Repositories, Open Access

How to find dissertations, open access repositories, selected university affiliated, open access repositories.

Use the websites listed below to find freely accessible (open access) dissertations from the United States and other countries.  While all repositories listed here include doctoral dissertations, Master's theses may be available in some cases as well.

Regis College maintains print copies of Regis student theses and dissertations in the Regis Library.  They are not digitized although individual students may have submitted their dissertation to a digital repository.

• American Doctoral Dissertations (EBSCO) A free resource, hosted by EBSCO, this database includes more than 172,000 theses and dissertations in total from 1902 to the present.
• British Library: EThOS, E-theses Online Service EThOS is the UK’s national thesis service. EThOS aims to hold a record for all doctoral theses awarded by all UK universities (institutions). Also available when using Regis Library discovery tool, PowerSearch.
• Digital Commons Network Free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work.
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). We support electronic publishing and open access to scholarship in order to enhance the sharing of knowledge worldwide.
• Open Access Theses and Dissertations OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 4,264,663 theses and dissertations.
• PQDT Open PQDT Open provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge. The authors of these dissertations and theses have opted to publish as open access.
• Theses Canada Theses Canada is a collaborative program between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and nearly 70 universities accredited by Universities Canada. It strives to: acquire and preserve theses and dissertations from participating universities; provide free access to Canadian electronic theses and dissertations in the collection.

These digital repositories maintained by various universities enable public access to theses and dissertations.  These are just a select sample; there are many other repositories associated with universities.

• Duke University: Duke Space, Theses and Dissertations
• Harvard University: Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) Also available when using Regis Library discovery tool, PowerSearch.
• Johns Hopkins University: DSpace Repository
• Northeastern University: Digital Reposity Service: Theses and Dissertations
• University of Washington: ResearchWorks
• Walden University Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
• Last Updated: Jul 12, 2023 8:18 AM
• URL: https://libguides.regiscollege.edu/open_access_dissertations

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Home » For Authors & Researchers » Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

1. Does UC require me to make my thesis/dissertation open access? 2. Can I delay open access to my thesis? 3. I’m working on my thesis/dissertation and I have copyright questions. Where can I find answers? 4. Where can I find UC Theses and Dissertations online?

1. Does UC require me to make my thesis/dissertation open access?

Several UC campuses have established policies requiring open access to the electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) written by their graduate students. As of March 25, 2020, there is now a systemwide Policy on Open Access for Theses and Dissertations , indicating that UC “requires theses or dissertations prepared at the University to be (1) deposited into an open access repository, and (2) freely and openly available to the public, subject to a requested delay of access (’embargo’) obtained by the student.”

In accordance with these policies, campuses must ensure that student ETDs are available open access via eScholarship (UC’s open access repository and publishing platform), at no cost to students. By contrast, ProQuest, the world’s largest commercial publisher of ETDs, charges a $95 fee to make an ETD open access. Institutions worldwide have moved toward open access ETD publication because it dramatically increases the visibility and reach of their graduate research.

Policies and procedures for ETD filing, including how to delay public release of an ETD and how long such a delay can last, vary by campus. Learn more :

• UC Berkeley: Dissertation Filing Guidelines (for Doctoral Students) and Thesis Filing Guidelines (for Master’s Students)
• UC Davis: Preparing and Filing Your Thesis or Dissertation
• UC Irvine: Thesis/Dissertation Electronic Submission
• UCLA: File Your Thesis or Dissertation
• UC Merced: Dissertation/Thesis Submission
• UC Riverside: Dissertation and Thesis Submission
• UC San Diego:  Preparing to Graduate
• UCSF: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines
• UC Santa Barbara:  Filing Your Thesis, Dissertation, or DMA Supporting Document
• UC Santa Cruz: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines (PDF) from the Graduate Division’s Accessing Forms Online page

2. Can I delay open access to my thesis/dissertation?

Some campuses allow students to elect an embargo period before the public release of their thesis/dissertation; others require approval from graduate advisors or administrators. Visit your local graduate division’s website (linked above) for more information.

In 2013, the American Historical Association released a statement calling for graduate programs to adopt policies for up to a six year embargo for history dissertations. Many scholars found this extreme, and a variety of commentators weighed in (see, e.g., discussions in The Atlantic , The Chronicle of Higher Education , and Inside Higher Ed ).  In addition, a memo from Rosemary Joyce, the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division of UC Berkeley, listed several advantages of releasing a dissertation immediately and added that “the potential disadvantages… remain anecdotal.” In the years since the flurry of writing responding to the AHA statement, the discussion of dissertation embargoes has continued, but the issues have remained largely the same. Thus, this memo from the UC Berkeley graduate dean (2013) remains an excellent summary.

3. I’m working on my thesis/dissertation and I have copyright questions. Where can I find answers?

Students writing theses/dissertations most commonly have questions about their own copyright ownership or the use of other people’s copyrighted materials in their own work.

You automatically own the copyright in your thesis/dissertation   as soon as you create it , regardless of whether you register it or include a copyright page or copyright notice. Most students choose not to register their copyrights, though some choose to do so because they value having their copyright ownership officially and publicly recorded. Getting a copyright registered is required before you can sue someone for infringement.

If you decide to register your copyright, you can do so

• directly, through the Copyright Office website , for $35
• by having ProQuest/UMI contact the Copyright Office on your behalf, for $65.

It is common to incorporate 1) writing you have done for journal articles as part of your dissertation, and 2) parts of your dissertation into articles or books . See, for example, these articles from Wiley and Taylor & Francis giving authors tips on how to successfully turn dissertations into articles, or these pages at Sage , Springer , and Elsevier listing reuse in a thesis or dissertation as a common right of authors. Because this is a well-known practice, and often explicitly allowed in publishers’ contracts with authors, it rarely raises copyright concerns. eScholarship , which hosts over 55,000 UC ETDs, has never received a takedown notice from a publisher based on a complaint that the author’s ETD was too similar to the author’s published work.

Incorporating the works of others in your thesis/dissertation – such as quotations or illustrative images – is often allowed by copyright law. This is the case when the original work isn’t protected by copyright, or if the way you’re using the work would be considered fair use. In some circumstances, however, you will need permission from the copyright holder.  For more information, please consult the Berkeley Library’s guide to Copyright and Publishing Your Dissertation .

For more in depth information about copyright generally, visit the UC Copyright site.

4. Where can I find UC Dissertations and Theses online?

All ten UC campuses make their electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) openly accessible to readers around the world. You can view over 55,000 UC ETDs in eScholarship , UC’s open access repository. View ETDs from each campus:

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Open Access Dissertations and Articles: Home

Open access dissertation repositories.

• Directory of Open Access Preprint Repositories It is becoming an increasingly common practice for researchers to share their preprints because it allows them to disseminate their research results quickly and openly with the rest of the world. As a result, there is a growing number of preprint-specific and generalist repositories that support the sharing of preprints. This directory provides a list of preprint repositories that are available to the research community. It helps researchers find the most appropriate platform for them, enabling them to browse through existing repositories by discipline, location, language, functionalities, and other facets.
• E-Theses Online Services (EthOS) EThOS is the UK’s national thesis service which aims to maximise the visibility and availability of the UK’s doctoral research theses. It demonstrates the quality of UK research, and supports the UK Government’s open access principle that publications resulting from publicly-funded research should be made freely available for all researchers, providing opportunities for further research. EThOS helps institutions to meet the expectation of the UK Research Councils that PhDs supported by a Research Council Training Grant should be made freely available in an open access repository, as indicated in its Training Grant Terms & Conditions (Paragraph 104). There are approximately 500,000 records relating to theses awarded by over 120 institutions. Around 260,000 of these also provide access to the full text thesis, either via download from the EThOS database or via links to the institution’s own repository. Of the remaining 220,000 records dating back to at least 1800, three quarters are available to be ordered for scanning through the EThOS digitisation-on-demand facility.
• Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD) OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 6,452,908 theses and dissertations.
• Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR) The aim of ROAR is to promote the development of open access by providing timely information about the growth and status of repositories throughout the world. Open access to research maximises research access and thereby also research impact, making research more productive and effective.
• Last Updated: Mar 17, 2023 9:09 AM
• URL: https://libguides.thedtl.org/c.php?g=1303107

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On this page is a list of open access resources containing theses and dissertations. 

This list of content will be kept up-to-date regularly, so we welcome any feedback regarding  the content featured on this page or recommendations of content that we have not listed. 

• EBSCO Open Dissertations

OpenDissertations.org is a collaboration between EBSCO and BiblioLabs that brings an innovative approach to increasing traffic and discoverability of ETD research.

• E-Theses Online Service (EThOS)

EThOS aims to provide a national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK Higher Education institutions and free access to the full text of as many theses as possible for use by all researchers to further their own research.

• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)

Online catalog for searching international electronic theses and dissertations. 

• Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes theses and dissertations.

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

PQDT Open provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge.  You can quickly and easily locate dissertations and theses relevant to your discipline, and view the complete text in PDF format.

• Theses Canada

Theses Canada is a collaborative program between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Canadian universities.

• Thesis Commons

An open archives of theses.

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Dissertations and Theses: A Finding Guide: Open Access, etc.

• Introduction
• Cornell Theses
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Open Access (Free) Database

Of particular use to alumni and the general public: The following three open access dissertation and theses databases are available. Some titles in these databases are citation only, while others provide free access with links to the full text of the dissertation or thesis cited.

• EBSCO's Open Dissertations Database Coverage varies by the source database. Provides open access to over 800,000 dissertations from 26 U.S. universities plus the UK. Created from a collaboration between EBSCO and BiblioLabs, it uses the standard EBSCO search interface. Consists primarily of three resources--mostly full text titles from OhioLink's open ETD database (mainly 1999 to date); EThOS: e-theses online service of UK dissertations from the British Library (1800 to date); and citations digitized from UMI's Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. (EBSCO is working on extending this coverage from 1955 to date.)
• PQDT Open A subset of ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Coverage: mainly 2006 to date. Some earlier titles back to 1990. PQDT Open provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge. The text, if available, is in PDF format.
• EThOS: E-Theses Online Service (British Library) Coverage: 1800 to date. Also searchable as part of EBSCO's Open Dissertations database . More than 480,000 titles included with links to the full text for over 100,000 dissertations. About EThOS .

Summon and Discipline-Specific Databases Covering Dissertations

Many periodical databases in academic disciplines index dissertations in addition to articles and books: MLA Bibliography , PsycINFO , and EconLit are three well-known examples. In general, one would not expect to find dissertations not already cited in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global in these databases. However, it can be a way to locate dissertations written in a particular discipline rather than searching using specific subject terms in PQD&TG.

• << Previous: Non-Cornell Theses
• Next: Cornell Dissertation Guidelines >>
• Last Updated: Apr 19, 2024 2:22 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/dissertations

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Dissertations

• American Doctoral Dissertations This free research database indexes thousands of theses and dissertations accepted by American universities from 1902 to the present and provides links to full text, when available.
• DART-Europe E-theses Portal A partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.

• OhioLINK ETD Center A free, online database of Ohio’s masters and doctoral theses and dissertations from participating OhioLINK member schools. It contains the abstract for all included theses and dissertations. The full-text is also available if it was submitted.
• OATD: Open Access Theses and Dissertations Open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world.
• PQDT Open (ProQuest) PQDT Open provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge.
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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

• What is ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
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Webinar recordings, powerpoint presentations, additional resources, support center articles.

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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global   is a wealth of unique global scholarship, which is a credible and quality source to Uncover the Undiscovered research insights and intelligence in easiest and most effective ways. The equitable discoverability of more than 5.8 million dissertations and theses with coverage from year 1637, allows researchers to amplify diverse voices and place their research in a global context. The database offers nearly 3.2 million full texts for most of the dissertations added since 1997.

By leveraging the rich citation data found in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global and with new citation insight tool, researchers can benefit from focused pathways of discovery to build foundational knowledge on various research topics. Over 200,000 new dissertations and theses are added to the database each year to enrich the citation data continuously.

For more information about the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global , navigate to the Content Page .

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global   Database  is also part of ProQuest One Academic .  ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global resides on the ProQuest Platform. For more information about the ProQuest Platform search and display features, see the  ProQuest Platform LibGuide .

The Dissertations Bootcamp eLearning Modules are a free resource that help support graduate student planning, writing, and research.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for the Student, Citation Connections

Here you can have a preview of the new features just launched for the Cited Reference documents in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for the Librarian

Intended for Librarians who want to learn how to use the database's advanced search to support subject area research at their institution. Duration: 2 minutes.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for the Student, Searching Titles and Languages

This session reviews how Students, both Masters or PhD, can use the database's advanced search to identify known dissertations by title and search/analyze by languages other than English. Duration: 3 minutes.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for the Student, Searching Names

This session reviews how Students, both Masters or Ph, can use the database's advanced search to identify dissertations of known Authors or Advisors and further refine/analyze them. Duration: 4 minutes.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for the Student, Cited References

This session reviews how Students, both Masters or PhD, can use the dissertations to retrieve and explore further the Cited References. Duration: 4 minutes.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for the Student, Supplemental Files

This session reviews how Students, both Masters or PhD, can identify dissertations with Supplemental files which may contain useful materials for their graduate work. Duration: 3.5 minutes.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for the Student, Subject Searching

This session will show Students, both Masters or PhD, some Search techniques both Basic and Advanced to locate dissertations on a certain topic. Duration: 5.5 minutes.

Webinar Title : Best Practices for Searching ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global

This session demonstrates how users can utilize the best practices of searching the " ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global  database" to connect with relevant information for their academic work. Duration:  52 minutes.

Materials in English - Figures (Database size) and Platform features images now updated as of March 2023

• PQDT Global Basic Version PPT
• PQDT Global Advanced Version PPT
• PQDT Global Citation Connection PPT
• ProQuest ETD Dissemination Program
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index Training Assest: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index PPT- May 2024
• Marketing Toolkit
• New! Embedded eLearning for Undergraduates
• Request Training
• Top Dissertations
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index
• FAQ- What’s New for PQDT
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Data Used in Research Projects
• New Change in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT) Structure and its Impact on Usage Reports in 2023
• New Change in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT) Structure and its Impact on Saved Searches & Alerts
• Best Practices for Incorporating ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Product into EBSCO Discovery
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• Last Updated: May 4, 2024 10:06 AM
• URL: https://proquest.libguides.com/pqdt

Global ETD Search

Search the 6,480,055 electronic theses and dissertations contained in the NDLTD archive:

The archive supports advanced filtering and boolean search.

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Open Access Theses & Dissertations (OATD)

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An index of over 1.6 million electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). To the extent possible, the index is limited to records of graduate-level theses that are freely available online.

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EBSCO Open Dissertations

EBSCO Open Dissertations is a collaboration between EBSCO and BiblioLabs to increase traffic and discoverability of ETD research. You can join the movement and add your theses and dissertations to the database, making them freely available to researchers everywhere.

GreenFILE is a free research database covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. 

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Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) is a free research database for library and information science studies. LISTA provides indexing and abstracting for hundreds of key journals, books, research reports. It is EBSCO's intention to provide access to this resource on a continual basis.

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OU theses and dissertations

Online theses.

Are available via Open Research Online .

Print theses

Search for OU theses in the Library Search . To see only print theses click 'In the Walton Hall library' and refine your results to resource type 'Thesis'.

OU staff and research students can  borrow a consultation copy of a thesis (if available). Please contact the Library helpdesk giving the author and title of the thesis.

UK theses and dissertations from EThOS

The Electronic Theses Online System (EThOS) offers free access to the full text of UK theses.

• EThOS offers a one stop online shop providing free access to UK theses
• EThOS digitizes theses on request into PDF format, this may require payment
• EThOS is managed by the British Library in partnership with a number of UK universities
• EThOS is open to all categories of library user

What does this mean to you as a library user?

When you need to access a PhD thesis from another UK based HE institution you should check EThOS to either download a thesis which has already been digitised or to request that a UK thesis be supplied to you.

• For all UK theses EThOS will be the first point of delivery. You can use the online ordering and tracking system direct from EThOS to manage your requests for UK PhD theses, including checking the status of your requests
• As readers you will deal directly with EThOS so will not need to fill in a document delivery request
• OU staff and research students will still be entitled to access non-UK based PhD theses by filling in a document delivery request
• In some cases where EThOS is unable to supply a UK thesis OU staff and research students will be able to access it by filling in a conventional document delivery request. The thesis will be supplied through direct loan
• The EThOS system is both faster and cheaper than the previous British Theses service which was based on microfilm
• The British Library no longer arranges interlibrary loans for UK PhD theses
• Interlibrary Loan procedures for other types of request from the British Library (articles and books for example) will remain the same

If you have any queries about using EThOS contact the Document Delivery Team ( [email protected] or the Library Helpdesk ).

Note 13/03/2024: The British Library is continuing to experience a major technology outage affecting its websites and other online systems, due to a Cyber attack. as a result access to ETHOS might not be possible until the issue is fixed. 

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Home > Andrew Young School of Policy Studies > Dissertations > 84

AYSPS Dissertations

An evidence-based investigation on the offending behaviors of website defacers.

Cameron J. Hoffman Follow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7129-9868

Date of Award

Spring 4-21-2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Criminal Justice

First Advisor

David Maimon

Second Advisor

William Sabol

Third Advisor

Fourth advisor.

C. Jordan Howell

The rapid development of the internet has far outpaced our ability to protect the internet. As new technologies have developed, so have new ways to exploit these technologies to use them for criminal purposes. This is extremely true of the core of the internet, websites. While the number of websites both personal and business focused have skyrocketed, so too have the number of cyber-attacks against these sites. These cyber-attacks are known as website defacements and can cause costly losses and damage the reputation of their internet victims. In such an attack the website defacer gains unauthorized access to the website and changes the appearance of the website, rendering it inoperable for extended periods of time.

Prior research on website defacers has provided a preliminary understanding of the motivation and attack preferences of website defacers but given the relative newness of this line of research there are many avenues to deepen our understanding beyond description of these brazen cybercriminals. This dissertation addresses two such areas in need of further study by examining the criminal careers of website defacers and how they respond to potential changes in capable guardianship. As our review of the literature shows, over half of the studies in this literature utilize a data source that was shown to be faulty in measuring the motivational factors of website defacement. Thus, this dissertation used detailed data created by tracking the individual offending patterns of website defacers and utilizing open-source intelligence methods to gather information about each defacer’s characteristics in the sample, rather than the previously mentioned data source.

This three-paper dissertation contains a scoping review of the website defacement literature, the first of its kind, to reveal the existing scholarly gaps in this field of research. This dissertation’s second paper uses my previously published paper using this data that revealed important findings on the criminal trajectories of website defacers. The dissertation closes with the first study to examine the effect of holidays on website defacement attack frequencies. These papers serve to outline the direction of future research, aid law enforcement agencies, and bolster our understanding of these cybercriminals’ activities.

https://doi.org/10.57709/36973842

Recommended Citation

Hoffman, Cameron J., "An Evidence-Based Investigation on The Offending Behaviors of Website Defacers." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/36973842

Since May 15, 2024

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