About

ELLDR (/ˈɛldə/ or /ˈɛldɚ/) is the Excellent Language & Linguistics Dissertation Repository, from Newcastle University.

Browse papers from each year using the pages on the left/in the menu or the links below.

Undergraduate Dissertations | Postgraduate Dissertations

Each year, supervisors and a select committee review dissertations submitted by students in English Language and Linguistics. Based on this review, a selection of dissertations are nominated for inclusion in ELLDR. This is a pre-print repository, which achieves several key aims:

  1. Providing an outlet for excellent student work. Our students produce some incredible research in collaboration with staff as part of their dissertations. Without ELLDR, this work is mostly left out of the primary literature. ELLDR provides a home for this work where it is publicly accessible and citeable, allowing it to become part of the primary literature.
  2. An open source evidencing achievement for graduating students. As our students go on to whatever is next for them after graduation, ELLDR provides them with an opportunity to show prospective employers and postgraduate programmes their independent work. This goes beyond listing a good mark on your CV, allowing others to look at the work and see for themselves.
  3. A source of inspiration for future students. Doing an independent project can be daunting even for top tier students. ELLDR provides a model of the kinds of projects students can do, and may spark innovative ideas in students for new dissertation topics.

The repository has been active since 2021 for undergraduate dissertations, and started in 2024 for postgraduate dissertations.