Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in MLA
How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in MLA
Citing a thesis or dissertation.
Thesis – A document submitted to earn a degree at a university.
Dissertation – A document submitted to earn an advanced degree, such as a doctorate, at a university.
The formatting for thesis and dissertation citations is largely the same. However, you should be sure to include the type of degree after the publication year as supplemental information. For instance, state if the source you are citing is an undergraduate thesis or a PhD dissertation.
MLA Thesis and Dissertation Citation Structure (print)
Last, First M. Title of the Thesis/Dissertation. Year Published. Name of University, type of degree.
MLA Thesis and Dissertation Citation Structure (online)
Last, First M. Title of the Thesis/Dissertation. Year Published. Name of University, type of degree. Website Name , URL.
Wilson, Peggy Lynn. Pedagogical Practices in the Teaching of English Language in Secondary Public Schools in Parker County . 2011. University of Maryland, PhD dissertation.
In-text Citation Structure
(Author Last Name page #)
In-text Citation Example
(Wilson 14)
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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.
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- Reference Page
Click on the categories below to see what types of information is included for that reference component for Dissertations and Theses
Basic Format: Who = Author (When = year). What = Title. Where = Name of Institution Awarding Degree
Unpublished Dissertations and Theses
Author Surname, A. A.
Title of dissertation/thesis: Use sentence case [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master’s thesis].
Name of Institution Awarding the Degree
Published Dissertations and Theses
Title of dissertation: Use sentence case [Doctoral dissertation, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree].
Provide Database or Archive name and URL (if available)
Database Name. https://xxxx...
Archive Name.
Formatting:
- Italicize the title
- Identify whether source is doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title
Click on categories below to see examples.
Thesis, from a commercial database
Dissertation, from an institutional database, unpublished master’s thesis.
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APA 7th Edition Citation Guide Dissertations and Theses
Thesis or dissertation from a library database.
Reference Page Format:
Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of dissertation/thesis [Master's thesis/Doctoral dissertation, Name of institution awarding degree]. Database name.
Reference Page Example:
Thao-Yang, T. (2021). All it takes is one person: First-generation Hmong women's educational experiences [Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University]. Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global.
In-text Citation Examples:
Thao-Yang (2021) shared that ... ...( Thao-Yang , 2021 ). ...( Thao-Yang , 2021, p. 65 ).
Thesis or Dissertation from an Institutional Repository
Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of dissertation/thesis [Master's thesis/Doctoral dissertation, Name of institution awarding degree]. Institutional Repository Name. URL
Janssen, K. (2021). Ways technology impact cognitive development in early childhood environment [Master's Thesis, Concordia University]. DigitalCommons@CSP. https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/teacher-education_masters/52
Janssen (2021) shared that ... ...( Janssen, 2021 ). ...( Janssen, 2021, p. 22 ).
Print Thesis or Dissertation
Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of dissertation [Unpublished master's thesis/doctoral dissertation]. Name of the institution awarding the degree.
Munson, D. J. (2019). How undergraduate faculty navigate the use of free internet sources for scholarly purposes [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Nova Southeastern University.
Munson (2019) shared that ... ...(Munson, 2019). ...( Munson, 2019, p. 36 ).
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Thesis - from website
Thesis - from database.
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Format for dissertations and theses
Dissertations and theses database.
- Interviews, E-mail Messages + Other Personal Communications
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- PowerPoints
- AI: ChatGPT, etc.
Author last name, first initial. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, University]. Database. URL
- Author: List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial). See Authors for more information.
- Year: List the year between parentheses, followed by a period.
- Title of dissertation/thesis: In italics. Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.
- Publication number: Can be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”
- Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis: List whether it is a dissertation or a thesis.
- University: List the university associated with the dissertation/thesis.
- Database: List database the dissertation/thesis was found in, if found in a database.
- URL: List URL if found on the free Web rather than in a database.
See specific examples below.
Dissertations:
Pecore, J. T. (2004). Sounding the spirit of Cambodia: The living tradition of Khmer music and dance-drama in a Washington, DC community (Publication No. 3114720) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Master's Theses:
Hollander, M. M. (2017). Resitance to authority: Methodological innovations and new lessons from the Milgram experiment (Publication No. 10289373) [Master's thesis, University of Wisconsin - Madison]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
APA calls for the citation to include a unique identifying number for the dissertation, labeling it “Publication No.” That number can be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”
Karamanos, X. (2020). The influence of professional development models on student mathematics performance in New Jersey public elementary schools [Doctoral dissertation, Seton Hall University]. Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2732
Bordo, V. C. (2011). Making a case for the use of foreign language in the educational activities of nonprofit arts organizations [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1311135640
Caprette, C. L. (2005). Conquering the cold shudder: The origin and evolution of snake eyes [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University].
Angelova, A. N. (2004). Data pruning [Master's thesis, California Institute of Technology].
See Publication Manual , 10.6.
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APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: Dissertations & Thesis
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Citing Dissertations & Theses in APA Format
Dissertations & Theses
Dissertations and theses are formatted the same way in APA 7th edition. Theses are generally the culminating work for a master's or undergraduate degree and dissertations are often original research completed by doctoral students. Here are examples of a dissertation & a thesis, and how they would be formatted:
Examples:
Dissertation found in Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global:
Reference:
Banks, B. (2020). Addressing institutional racism in healthcare: A case study (Publication No. 28154307) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota]. Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global.
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(Banks, 2020).
In-Text Citation (Direct Quote):
(Banks, 2020, p. 157).
Master's thesis from a University scholarship database:
Sears, L. B. (2017). The public voice and sustainable food systems: Community engagement in food action plans [Unpublished master's thesis]. University of Kansas. https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/26899
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(Sears, 2017).
(Sears, 2017, p. 24).
Carrie Forbes, MLS
Pages Referenced
Citation information has been adapted from the APA Manual (7th Edition). Please refer to page 333 of the APA Manual (7th Edition) for more information.
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COMMENTS
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 format for citing someone else’s dissertation or thesis in APA Style depends on whether the thesis is available from a database, published somewhere else (e.g. on a university archive or personal website), or unpublished (only available in print form directly from the author or university).
This page contains reference examples for published dissertations or theses, which are considered published when they are available from a database such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global or PDQT Open, an institutional repository, or an archive.
Create manual citation. Citing a Thesis or Dissertation. Thesis – A document submitted to earn a degree at a university. Dissertation – A document submitted to earn an advanced degree, such as a doctorate, at a university. The formatting for thesis and dissertation citations is largely the same.
Thesis/Dissertation. APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources. Standard Format. Click on the categories below to see what types of information is included for that reference component for Dissertations and Theses. Basic Format: Who = Author (When = year). What = Title.
To cite a dissertation in APA, you need to include the author, year, title, publication number, thesis or dissertation, university, publisher, and URL. Depending on whether you use a published or unpublished dissertation, the order of the location information in your citation varies.
Thesis or Dissertation from a Library Database. Reference Page Format: Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of dissertation/thesis [Master's thesis/Doctoral dissertation, Name of institution awarding degree]. Database name.
This is a guide to using the APA7 referencing style from the American Psychological Association. It is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns. Publication number: Can be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”. Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis: List whether it is a dissertation or a thesis.
Dissertations and theses are formatted the same way in APA 7th edition. Theses are generally the culminating work for a master's or undergraduate degree and dissertations are often original research completed by doctoral students. Here are examples of a dissertation & a thesis, and how they would be formatted: