Know How to Cite A Thesis Or Dissertation In APA Format with Examples

Learning how to cite a thesis or dissertation in APA format is essential for academic writing. To do this, you will need to include the author’s name, publication year, title, and institution.  Format: Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Year), Title of thesis/dissertation (Publication No. or degree level), University Name. For online sources, add URL or database name.

How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA Format

Citing a thesis or dissertation in APA format can feel confusing at first. But once you see the basic pattern, it becomes easy to follow. This guide shows you exactly what to write, with real examples you can copy and edit.

We follow APA 7th edition rules here — the latest version used by most universities.

What Is a Thesis or Dissertation?

What is the Difference between A Graduation, a Master, And a Doctoral Dissertation?

The following are the differences between an Undergraduate, Master, and Ph.D. dissertations.

• Research purposes: An Undergraduate and master’s dissertation proves knowledge of the established research or theories. In contrast, a Ph.D. dissertation adds new information, theories, and practices to the academic discipline.
• Time of completion: You conclude your undergraduate and master’s degree program with a dissertation. However, while pursuing a doctoral program, you dedicate the entire tenure of your PhD. program to developing the dissertation.
• Length of research paper: The length of an Undergraduate dissertation will be between 5000 and 8000 words, while a Master’s dissertation will be between 10,000 and 15,000 words. On the other hand, a Ph.D. dissertation lengths between 60,000 and 80,000 words.

Basic APA Format for a Thesis or Dissertation

The basic pattern looks like this:

Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of the thesis or dissertation [Type of document, University Name]. Database or URL.

How to Cite an Unpublished Thesis or Dissertation

An unpublished thesis is one that has not been placed in a public database. Maybe the university keeps a copy, but it was never formally published.

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the work [Unpublished doctoral dissertation OR Unpublished master’s thesis]. Name of the University.

Example:

Rivera, M. L. (2021). Social media use and academic stress in college students [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of California, Los Angeles.

What each part means:

• Rivera, M. L. — Author’s last name, then first and middle initials
• (2021) — The year it was completed
• Social media use… — Full title of the thesis in italics
• [Unpublished master’s thesis] — The type of document in square brackets
• University of California, Los Angeles — The name of the university

Read More: Learn How To Cite A Brochure In APA Format

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the work [Doctoral dissertation, Name of University]. Database Name. URL

Example:

Chen, Y. (2020). The effects of bilingual education on reading comprehension [Doctoral dissertation, University of Texas at Austin]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.

Things to Look For While Citing a Thesis or Dissertation in APA Format

It is difficult to create a citation for your dissertation unless you have the following information:

• Last name and initial of the first and middle name of the author
• Year in which the dissertation was published
• Title of the dissertation
• Document number for a published dissertation
• Type of degree, for example, undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral degree
• Name of the institution awarding the degree
• DOI or URL, if applicable

How to Cite a Thesis Found on a University Website

Sometimes a university posts theses on its own website. Here’s how to cite those.

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the work [Doctoral dissertation, Name of University]. URL

Example:

Thompson, K. R. (2019). Mindfulness practices and their impact on student well-being [Master’s thesis, Boston University].

How to Cite a Thesis from an Institutional Repository

Many universities store theses in their own online library system. This is called an institutional repository.

Example:

Okonkwo, F. (2022). Climate change communication strategies in sub-Saharan Africa [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi]. Nairobi Digital Repository.

Quick Reference Table

| Type of Thesis | What to Include |
|---|---|
| Unpublished | Author, year, title, [Unpublished type, University] |
| From ProQuest | Author, year, title, [type, University], ProQuest, URL |
| From university website | Author, year, title, [type, University], URL |
| From institutional repo | Author, year, title, [type, University], Repo name, URL |

1. Forgetting the square brackets

The document type like [Doctoral dissertation] must always be in square brackets, not parentheses.

2. Not italicising the title

The title of the thesis must always be in italics in APA format.

3. Using the wrong edition

Make sure your professor wants APA 7th edition, not 6th. The rules changed. In APA 6th, you would write “Unpublished doctoral dissertation” slightly differently.

4. Leaving out the year

Always include the year in parentheses right after the author’s name.

5. Capitalising every word in the title

In APA format, only the first word of the title gets a capital letter. And the first word after a colon. And proper nouns.

How to Cite Multiple Authors

If the thesis has two authors, list both names.

Example:

Malik, S., & Johnson, R. (2020). Collaborative learning in online environments [Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.

 In-Text Citation for a Thesis

When you mention the thesis inside your writing, use the author’s last name and the year.

APA 7th vs APA 6th — What Changed?

| Rule | APA 6th Edition | APA 7th Edition |

FAQs