How to Cite a Dissertation or Thesis — APA, MLA, Harvard & More

In this guide

Published vs unpublished What you need to collect APA 7th edition MLA 9th edition Harvard Chicago (N-B) Vancouver ProQuest dissertations Common mistakes

Published vs unpublished dissertations

For citation purposes, a dissertation or thesis can be:

Published — available in a database such as ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, an institutional repository, or published as a book. This is the most common form you will cite.
Unpublished — only held by the university, not available publicly. You may have obtained it directly from the author or through interlibrary loan. You will still cite it, but the format notes it as unpublished.

Thesis vs dissertation

In the UK and Australia, a thesis is the document submitted for a doctoral degree (PhD); a dissertation is usually a master's or undergraduate project.
In the US, the opposite is common: a dissertation is the doctoral-level document; a thesis is master's-level.
For citation purposes, include the degree level in the citation: "Doctoral dissertation", "Master's thesis", "PhD thesis".

What you need to collect

Author: Full name of the thesis author
Year: Year of submission/publication
Title: Full title of the dissertation/thesis
Degree level: PhD, Master's, etc.
Institution: University where submitted
Database/repository: If found in ProQuest, EThOS, institutional repository, etc.
Accession or document number: Especially for ProQuest
URL or DOI: If available

APA 7th edition

APA 7th Edition

Psychology · Education · Social Sciences

Published dissertation from database

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name. URL or Accession No.

Nguyen, T. T. (2019). Metacognitive strategies in online learning environments [Doctoral dissertation, University of Melbourne]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2311234567

Unpublished dissertation

Nguyen, T. T. (2019). Metacognitive strategies in online learning environments [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Melbourne.

In-text citation

(Nguyen, 2019, p. 45) | Nguyen (2019) found…

MLA 9th edition

MLA 9th Edition

Literature · Humanities · Languages

Published dissertation

Last, First. Title of Dissertation. Year, University, PhD dissertation. Database Name. URL.

Nguyen, Thu T. Metacognitive Strategies in Online Learning Environments. 2019, University of Melbourne, PhD dissertation. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, www.proquest.com/docview/2311234567.

Unpublished dissertation

Nguyen, Thu T. Metacognitive Strategies in Online Learning Environments. 2019, University of Melbourne, PhD dissertation.

In-text citation

(Nguyen 45)

Harvard

UK Universities · Business · Social Sciences

Dissertation format

Author, A. (Year) Title of dissertation. PhD Thesis. University Name. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Nguyen, T.T. (2019) Metacognitive strategies in online learning environments. PhD Thesis. University of Melbourne. Available at: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2311234567 (Accessed: 5 February 2024).

In-text citation

(Nguyen, 2019, p. 45)

Chicago Notes-Bibliography

Chicago N-B

History · Arts · Humanities

Footnote (first citation)

1. Thu T. Nguyen, "Metacognitive Strategies in Online Learning Environments" (PhD diss., University of Melbourne, 2019), 45.

Bibliography entry

Nguyen, Thu T. "Metacognitive Strategies in Online Learning Environments." PhD diss., University of Melbourne, 2019. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2311234567.

Vancouver

Medicine · Nursing · Pharmacy

Dissertation format

Number. Author AA. Title of dissertation [dissertation]. Place: University Name; Year.

1. Nguyen TT. Metacognitive strategies in online learning environments [dissertation]. Melbourne: University of Melbourne; 2019.

ProQuest dissertations — specific notes

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses is the most common database for accessing dissertations. When citing from ProQuest:

APA 7th: Include "ProQuest Dissertations and Theses" as the database name, followed by the URL or Accession No. (ProQuest No.)
MLA 9th: Include the database name and URL as the final container
Harvard: Include "Available at: [ProQuest URL]"
Chicago: Include the database name and URL in the bibliography entry
The ProQuest document number can be used in place of the URL: "ProQuest No. 2311234567"

Common mistakes when citing dissertations

Treating a dissertation like a book — it is a separate source type with its own format including the degree level and institution
Omitting the degree level — always specify "Doctoral dissertation" or "Master's thesis"
Omitting the institution — always name the university
Confusing published vs unpublished — if you accessed it through ProQuest or an institutional repository, it is published; if you received it directly from the author or library, it is unpublished
Using the wrong year — use the year of submission/award, not the year you accessed the database

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