Theses (or dissertations as they are sometimes called) are the product of extended independent research by students. They may be produced at undergraduate level (e.g. 3rd year Capstone projects), and are nearly always a feature of postgraduate research from Master's through to Ph.D. level.
Books offering guidance on how to write a thesis can be found at LB 2369 on floor 5 of the Albert Sloman Library. You might also find these online guides helpful:
A guide to writing in Economics (2009) by Paul Dudenhefer (Duke University)
Writing Economics (2005) by Robert Neugeboren with Mireille Jacobson (Harvard University)
Students often need to consult theses for various reasons, including:
Essex Economics theses can be found in the following locations:
To search for dissertations from other universities in the UK and beyond, there are a couple of very useful databases:
EThOS offers access to digitised UK doctoral theses
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses lists North American & UK theses (with some coverage of other countries):
There are also many portals to open access dissertations. DLTD maintains a pretty comprehensive & up to date list of national portals around the world:
Global search engines for digital theses include the following:
Many regions and countries also have portals to electronic theses. Examples include:
Africa - Database of African Theses and Dissertations (DATAD)
Australia - Trove
Brazil - Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertacoes (BDTD)
Canada - Theses Canada Portal
Europe - DART-Europe
Greece - National Archive of PhD Theses
Hong Kong - Hong Kong University Theses Online
India - Shodhganga
Japan - National Diet Library doctoral dissertations
Netherlands - NARCIS
Russia & CIS - Dissertation CIS
Scandinavia - DiVA (the Academic Archive Online)
South Africa - National ETD Portal
Spain - TDX (Tesis Doctorales en Xarva)