APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources
- Basics of APA Formatting
- In Text Quick View
- Block Quotes
- Books & eBooks
- Thesis/Dissertation
Standard Format
Formatting rules, various examples.
- Audiovisual
- Conference Presentations
- Social Media
- Legal References
- Reports and Gray Literature
- Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
- Additional Resources
- Reference Page
Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
Formatting:
- Italicize the title
- Identify whether source is doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title
See Ch. 10 pp. 313-352 of APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules
- << Previous: Articles
- Next: Websites >>
- Last Updated: Apr 22, 2024 9:37 AM
- URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA7th
Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, Call Box 9000 Mayagüez, PR 00681 (787) 832-4040 ext. 3810, 2151, 2155 [email protected]
APA Style (7th Edition) Guide: Dissertation/Thesis
- Formatting Your Paper
- In-text citations
- Annotated Bibliography
- Archival Documents
- Social media
- Audiovisual
- Personal Communication
Dissertation/Thesis
- Encyclopedia
- Conferences
- Generative AI
- Tables and Figures
- Social Media
- Guides and Handouts
- Unpublished
If you access a dissertation or thesis in the database ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, in an archive or in an institutional repository it is considered published. If the publication number is available place it after the title in parentheses. The phrase Doctoral dissertation, Master's thesis or Undergraduate thesis and the name of the university are placed in square brackets, then the name of the database, archive or repository. Only include the URL at the end if the reader will be able to access the document directly.
Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer satisfaction at a fast food hamburger chain: The relationship between customer
satisfaction and customer loyalty [Doctoral dissertation, Monterey University]. Academic Excellence Archive.
https://www.exampleurl.edu/12345/67890/Kabir.pdf
satisfaction and customer loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University]. ProQuest
Dissertations & Theses Global.
If you access a dissertation or thesis in print form or it does not have an online version or the online version is not publicly available, consider it unpublished.
Lopez, L. (2019). Leadership perceptions and practices of high school leaders [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of
Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.
Lopez, L. (2019). Leadership perceptions and practices of high school leaders [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of
- << Previous: Personal Communication
- Next: Dictionary >>
- Last Updated: May 21, 2024 9:50 AM
- URL: https://libguides.uprm.edu/APA7/en
Biblioteca General © 2024 - Universidad de Puerto Rico. Todos los derechos reservados.
Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA
How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA
In this citation guide, you will learn how to reference and cite an undergraduate thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation. This guide will also review the differences between a thesis or dissertation that is published and one that has remained unpublished. The guidelines below come from the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020a), pages 333 and 334. Please note that the association is not affiliated with this guide.
Alternatively, you can visit EasyBib.com for helpful citation tools to cite your thesis or dissertation .
Guide Overview
Citing an unpublished thesis or dissertation, citing a published dissertation or thesis from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation: reference overview, what you need.
Since unpublished theses can usually only be sourced in print form from a university library, the correct citation structure includes the university name where the publisher element usually goes.
Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case [Unpublished degree type thesis or dissertation]. Name of institution.
Ames, J. H., & Doughty, L. H. (1911). The proposed plans for the Iowa State College athletic field including the design of a reinforced concrete grandstand and wall [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. Iowa State University.
In-text citation example:
- Parenthetical : (Ames & Doughty, 1911)
- Narrative : Ames & Doughty (1911)
If a thesis or dissertation has been published and is found on a database, then follow the structure below. It’s similar to the format for an unpublished dissertation/thesis, but with a few differences:
- The institution is presented in brackets after the title
- The archive or database name is included
Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case (Publication or Document No.) [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Database name.
Examples 1:
Knight, K. A. (2011). Media epidemics: Viral structures in literature and new media (Accession No. 2013420395) [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Trotman, J.B. (2018). New insights into the biochemistry and cell biology of RNA recapping (Document No. osu1523896565730483) [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center.
In the example given above, the dissertation is presented with a Document Number (Document No.). Sometimes called a database number or publication number, this is the identifier that is used by the database’s indexing system. If the database you are using provides you with such a number, then include it directly after the work’s title in parentheses.
If you are interested in learning more about how to handle works that were accessed via academic research databases, see Section 9.3 of the Publication Manual.
In-text citation examples :
- Parenthetical citation : (Trotman, 2018)
- Narrative citation : Trotman (2018)
Author’s last name, F. M. (Year Published). Title in sentence case [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Name of archive or collection. URL
Kim, O. (2019). Soviet tableau: cinema and history under late socialism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh]. Institutional Repository at the University of Pittsburgh. https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/37669/7/Olga%20Kim%20Final%20ETD.pdf
Stiles, T. W. (2001). Doing science: Teachers’ authentic experiences at the Lone Star Dinosaur Field Institute [Master’s thesis, Texas A&M University]. OAKTrust. https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2001-THESIS-S745
It is important to note that not every thesis or dissertation published online will be associated with a specific archive or collection. If the work is published on a private website, provide only the URL as the source element.
In-text citation examples:
- Parenthetical citation : (Kim, 2019)
- Narrative citation : Kim (2019)
- Parenthetical citation : (Stiles, 2001)
- Narrative citation : Stiles (2001)
We hope that the information provided here will serve as an effective guide for your research. If you’re looking for even more citation info, visit EasyBib.com for a comprehensive collection of educational materials covering multiple source types.
If you’re citing a variety of different sources, consider taking the EasyBib citation generator for a spin. It can help you cite easily and offers citation forms for several different kinds of sources.
To start things off, let’s take a look at the different types of literature that are classified under Chapter 10.6 of the Publication Manual :
- Undergraduate thesis
- Master’s thesis
- Doctoral dissertation
You will need to know which type you are citing. You’ll also need to know if it is published or unpublished .
When you decide to cite a dissertation or thesis, you’ll need to look for the following information to use in your citation:
- Author’s last name, and first and middle initials
- Year published
- Title of thesis or dissertation
- If it is unpublished
- Publication or document number (if applicable; for published work)
- Degree type (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral)
- Thesis or dissertation
- Name of institution awarding degree
- DOI (https://doi.org/xxxxx) or URL (if applicable)
Since theses and dissertations are directly linked to educational degrees, it is necessary to list the name of the associated institution; i.e., the college, university, or school that is awarding the associated degree.
To get an idea of the proper form, take a look at the examples below. There are three outlined scenarios:
- Unpublished thesis or dissertation
- Published thesis or dissertation from a database
- Thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database
American Psychological Association. (2020a). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
American Psychological Association. (2020b). Style-Grammar-Guidelines. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative
Published August 10, 2012. Updated March 24, 2020.
Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.
APA Formatting Guide
APA Formatting
- Annotated Bibliography
- Block Quotes
- et al Usage
- In-text Citations
- Multiple Authors
- Paraphrasing
- Page Numbers
- Parenthetical Citations
- Reference Page
- Sample Paper
- APA 7 Updates
- View APA Guide
Citation Examples
- Book Chapter
- Journal Article
- Magazine Article
- Newspaper Article
- Website (no author)
- View all APA Examples
How useful was this post?
Click on a star to rate it!
We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!
Let us improve this post!
Tell us how we can improve this post?
To cite a published thesis in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, publication year, title of the thesis, institute name, archive name, and URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for an in-text citation and reference list entry of a thesis, along with examples, are given below:
In-text citation template and example:
Use the author surname and the publication year in the in-text citation.
Author Surname (Publication Year)
Cartmel (2007)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Publication Year)
(Cartmel, 2007)
Reference list entry template and example:
The title of the thesis is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose the thesis and the institute awarding the degree inside brackets following the publication year. Then add the name of the database followed by the URL.
Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the thesis [Master’s thesis, Institute Name]. Name of the Database. URL
Cartmel, J. (2007). Outside school hours care and schools [Master’s thesis, Queensland University of Technology]. EPrints. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/17810/1/Jennifer_Cartmel_Thesis.pdf
To cite an unpublished dissertation in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, year, title of the dissertation, and institute name. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of an online thesis, along with examples, are given below:
Author Surname (Year)
Averill (2009)
(Author Surname, Year)
(Averill, 2009)
The title of the dissertation is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose “Unpublished doctoral dissertation” inside brackets following the year. Then add the name of the institution awarding the degree.
Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of the Institute.
Averill, R. (2009). Teacher–student relationships in diverse New Zealand year 10 mathematics classrooms: Teacher care [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Victoria University of Wellington.
APA Citation Examples
Writing Tools
Citation Generators
Other Citation Styles
Plagiarism Checker
Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.
Get Started
- Hamersly Library
APA Style Guide 7th Edition
- Thesis and Dissertations
- About This Guide
- Direct Quote
- Block Quote
- Indirect Quote
- Summary/Paraphrase
- Tables/Graphs/Images
- Personal Communications
- Book/E-book
- Journal Article
- Website/Webpage
- Social Media
- Conference Papers/Presentations
- Video/Film/TV
- Music/Audio
- Visual Works
- Student Paper Guidelines
- Professional Paper Guidelines
- Creating Original Tables, Graphs, and Images
- Additional Help
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR Thesis and Dissertations
Published Thesis - Available online / from a database
Author Last name, First Initials. (Year). Title of Thesis or Dissertation [Type of thesis, Name of institution awarding degree]. Database name. Web address
Unpublished Thesis - Available in print from a college or university
Author Last name, First Initials. (Year). Title of Thesis or Dissertation [Unpublished type of thesis]. Name of institution awarding degree.
EXAMPLES
Published Thesis - From a database
Kral, T. R. (2020). Impact of mindfulness meditation on brain function, connectivity, and structure (Publication No. 27833897) [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Wisconsin-Madison]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Published Thesis - Available online
Hunsaker, C. (2020). Beyond theory: Simulation and role-play in interpreter education [Master's thesis, Western Oregon University]. Western Oregon University Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons wou.edu/theses/61
Unpublished Thesis - Available in print form at a college or university
Carlin, A. (2017). Effective pairing methods for students in a second grade dual language classroom. [Unpublished Master's thesis]. Western Oregon University.
NOTES ABOUT AUTHOR, DATE, TITLE, AND SOURCE
Author
- List the author alphabetically by the authors last name and first name initial(s)
- Enclose the date of publication in parentheses followed by a period. For example: (2020).
Thesis or Dissertation Title
- Italicize the title
- The first word of the title and subtitle is capitalized as are proper nouns but all other words are lowercase.
- If a title ends with a question mark or exclamation point, use those punctuation marks instead of a period at the end.
Identify Type of Dissertation or Thesis
- For an unpublished dissertation or thesis (available only in print from a college or university) label as [Unpublished doctoral dissertation] or [Unpublished master's thesis].
- For a published dissertation or thesis label as [Doctoral dissertation, Name of University] or [Master's thesis, Name of University].
Name of Institution
- The name of the instruction will appear with the type of dissertation or thesis (if published) or as the place where the dissertation or thesis is housed (if unpublished).
Database Publication
- If published, include the name of the database publishing the dissertation or thesis
Online Publication Not in a Database
- If published online but not in a database, include the web address /URL
- << Previous: Conference Papers/Presentations
- Next: Video/Film/TV >>
- Last Updated: Jul 16, 2021 2:43 PM
- URL: https://research.wou.edu/APA7
APA 7th referencing style
- About APA 7th
- Printing this guide
- In-text references
- Direct quotations
- Reference list
- Author information
- Additional referencing information
- Using headings
- Book chapter
- Brochure and pamphlets
- ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
- Conferences
- Dictionary or encyclopaedia
- Government legislation
- Journal article
- Lecture notes and slides
- Legal sources
- Newspaper or magazine article
- Other web sources
- Patents and standards
- Personal communication
- Press (media) release
- Secondary source (indirect citation)
- Social media
- Software and mobile apps
- Specialised health information
- Television program
Thesis - from website
Thesis - from database.
- Works in non-English languages
- Works in non-English scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese
- << Previous: Television program
- Next: Video >>
- Last Updated: May 8, 2024 1:31 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7
APA 6th Referencing Style Guide
- APA referencing style
- In-text citation
- Reference list
- TV, film & video
- Tables, figures & images
- Conferences
Thesis, dissertation or exegesis?
Theses and dissertations from online sources, theses and dissertations in hardcopy format.
- Personal communications
- Lecture notes
- Social media
- Computer software & mobile applications
- Legislation & cases
- Standards & patents
- Specific health examples
- Exhibition catalogue
Terminology
Thesis and dissertation can mean different things, depending on which institution the work is from. For study purposes and for your APA reference you need to know the level of the work.
- Always check the title page, or subsequent pages, to determine exactly what the work is
- Use the information there for your APA reference
At Auckland University of Technology (and other NZ universities)
Thesis is either for a doctoral or a master's degree.
Dissertation is either for a master's or a bachelor's degree with honours.
Exegesis is the written component of a practice-based thesis where the major output is a creative work; e.g. a film, artwork, novel.
In some other parts of the world such as North America, a dissertation may be for a doctoral degree and a thesis for a master's degree.
See Section 7.05 in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition .
Reference format for a thesis from a commercial database:
Reference format for a thesis from an institutional repository:
A Doctoral dissertation (USA) from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database
Reference list entry:
- Include the name of the database and the order number of the document
- Use this style for theses retrieved from a commercial database
Thesis from a NZ institutional repository :
- Include the full URL for the thesis/dissertation and the full name of the degree-granting institution/university
- Also include the location of the university, if outside the United States.
In-text citations guide
Reference format for unpublished thesis/dissertation:
- Give the correct full name of the university, not its abbreviation or brand name.
- << Previous: Conferences
- Next: Personal communications >>
- Last Updated: Apr 20, 2023 1:46 PM
- URL: https://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/APA6th
Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts
APA Formatting and Style Guide (6th Edition)
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.
Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis if the URL will resolve for readers (as shown in the Miranda and Zambrano-Vazquez examples). ... Published dissertation or thesis references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.6 and the Concise Guide Section 10.5. This guidance has been revised ...
APA Stylistics: Basics. APA Stylistics: Avoiding Bias. Footnotes & Appendices. Numbers & Statistics. Additional Resources. APA Headings and Seriation. APA PowerPoint Slide Presentation. APA Sample Paper. Tables and Figures.
APA Style, 7 th Edition: A Brief Overview This section provides a very brief overview of APA Style formatting. For more thorough information about APA Style, 7 th edition, please refer to Appendix A (on page 11) of this guide for additional APA resources. Headings Heading Level Formatting Bolded, 1 Centered, Title Case Capitalization
A guide to educating single mothers about early gang intervention and prevention (Unpublished master's thesis). Pacific Oaks College. Pacific Oaks College. See Ch. 10 pp. 313-352 of APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules
The authority on APA Style and the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual. Find tutorials, the APA Style Blog, how to format papers in APA Style, and other resources to help you improve your writing, master APA Style, and learn the conventions of scholarly publishing.
Style Manual It is recommended that APA Style Seventh Edition is used. It should be in 12-point type using Times New Roman font. Spacing The test in the manuscript should be double-spaced. The right margin of the text should not be justified, but kept left-aligned, also known as ragged right, like the test in this guide. Margins
To cite an unpublished dissertation (one you got directly from the author or university in print form), add "Unpublished" to the bracketed description, and list the university at the end of the reference, outside the square brackets. APA format. Author last name, Initials. ( Year ).
Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines: Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides. Double-space all text, including headings. Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches. Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
This checklist corresponds to the writing and formatting guidelines described in full in the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.). Refer to the following chapters for specific information: paper elements and format in Chapter 1. writing style and grammar in Chapter 2. bias-free language in Chapter 3.
APA Style (7th Edition) Guide: Dissertation/Thesis. This guide will help you cite your documents in using the APA 7th ed. publication manula. Home; Formatting Your Paper; ... If you access a dissertation or thesis in the database ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, in an archive or in an institutional repository it is considered published
In this citation guide, you will learn how to reference and cite an undergraduate thesis, master's thesis, or doctoral dissertation. ... To cite a published thesis in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, publication year, title of the thesis, institute name, archive name, and URL (uniform ...
General APA Guidelines. Your essay should be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11"), with 1" margins on all sides. Include a page header (also known as the "running head") at the top of every page. For a professional paper, this includes your paper title and the page number. For a student paper, this only includes the ...
Thesis or Dissertation Title. Italicize the title. The first word of the title and subtitle is capitalized as are proper nouns but all other words are lowercase. If a title ends with a question mark or exclamation point, use those punctuation marks instead of a period at the end. Identify Type of Dissertation or Thesis.
Auckland University of Technology (and other NZ universities) Thesis is either for a doctoral or a master's degree. Dissertation is either for a master's or a bachelor's degree with honours. Exegesis is the written component of a practice-based thesis where the major output is a creative work; e.g., a film, artwork, novel.
APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr's APA Citation Generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations for free.. This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020). Scribbr also offers free guides for the older APA 6th ...
Consistency in the order, structure, and format of a paper allows readers to focus on a paper's content rather than its presentation. To format a paper in APA Style, writers can typically use the default settings and automatic formatting tools of their word-processing program or make only minor adjustments.
Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper. However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in student style and one in professional style. Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples.
Self-determined mindfulness and attachment style in college students (Publication No. 305210119) [Doctoral dissertation, Indiana State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. EndNote reference type: Thesis. Add Publication Number to Document Number field. <<
This article walks through the formatting steps needed to create an APA Style student paper, starting with a basic setup that applies to the entire paper (margins, font, line spacing, paragraph alignment and indentation, and page headers). It then covers formatting for the major sections of a student paper: the title page, the text, tables and ...
Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5 in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. Page numbers: Put a page number in the top right corner of every page, including the title page or cover page, which is page 1. Student papers do not require a running head on any page.
For study purposes and for your APA reference you need to know the level of the work. At Auckland University of Technology (and other NZ universities) Thesis is either for a doctoral or a master's degree. Dissertation is either for a master's or a bachelor's degree with honours. Exegesis is the written component of a practice-based thesis where ...
Types of APA Papers. APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different student paper types. Students may write the same types of papers as professional authors (e.g., quantitative studies, literature reviews) or other types of papers for course assignments (e.g., reaction or response papers, discussion posts), dissertations, and theses.
Level 4 and 5 headings are indented like regular paragraphs. tables and figures: Table and figure numbers (in bold), titles (in italics), and notes should be flush left. appendices: Appendix labels and titles should be centered (and bold). APA Style includes guidelines for paragraph alignment and indentation to ensure that papers are formatted ...