Until now tracking dissertations and theses prepared at American law schools has been an elusive undertaking. Few schools provide accessible information and the standard guides to dissertations largely have ignored the subject area. Yet most researchers have long recognized the potential value of these documents in subject areas as diverse as constitutional law, economic and social regulation, comparative law and politics, taxation, and international affairs.

The objective of The Greenwood Annual Abstract of Legal Dissertations and Theses is to provide convenient research access to these materials. In this, the first volume in the program, abstracts are provided for 176 dissertation and theses issued from 1985 through 1987. Future volumes will strengthen the coverage of the initial period while bringing the coverage forward. The volume is organized in three sections. The abstract section comprises the bulk of the work and is organized alphabetically by author last name. Each entry consists of full author name; full title and, with few exceptions, full subtitle; name of the institution granting the degree; year the thesis or dissertation was submitted or copyrighted; the degree level; inclusive pagination; whether the material has notes, appendixes, or bibliography; and a one-page or longer abstract. The second section is a title index and the third is a subject index. The latter has been designed to be of use not only to researchers in the law but also to those in the social sciences.