Dissertations & Theses

Dissertations and theses are often important sources for in-depth research. Here's how to cite them in APA Style, with detailed explanations and examples:

Key Elements:

The basic format for citing a dissertation or thesis includes the following elements:

• Author: The last name, followed by initials.
• Year: The year the dissertation or thesis was published (i.e., the year it was submitted to the university).
• Title: The title of the dissertation or thesis. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and proper nouns.
• Degree Statement: This clarifies the type of dissertation or thesis (e.g., "Doctoral dissertation," "Master's thesis").
• Name of Institution: The name of the university that awarded the degree.
• Database Name (if retrieved from a database): If you retrieved the dissertation or thesis from a database (e.g., ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global), include the name of the database.
• URL (if retrieved from an institutional repository or website): If you retrieved the dissertation or thesis from a university's institutional repository or a website, include the URL.

General Format:

Very Detailed Breakdown:

Let's break down each element in detail:

• Author: The author is the person who wrote the dissertation or thesis.
  Use the author's last name, followed by their initials (e.g., Smith, J. D.).
  If the author's name includes multiple initials, include all of them.
• Year: The year is the year the dissertation or thesis was submitted and accepted by the university.
  This is usually found on the title page or the copyright page of the dissertation or thesis.
  Use only the year (e.g., 2023).
• Title: The title of the dissertation or thesis should be italicized.
  Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, any words following a colon or em dash, and proper nouns (e.g., A study of cognitive dissonance in online learning environments).
  Be sure to transcribe the title exactly as it appears on the title page.
• Degree Statement: This phrase clarifies the type of work you are citing.
  Use either "Doctoral dissertation" or "Master's thesis," depending on the degree the author was pursuing.
  Do not italicize the degree statement.
  Always include the name of the degree, even if it is implied in the university name. For example, even if the author attended "Stanford University, School of Medicine" you would still specify "Doctoral dissertation".
  The degree statement is enclosed in parentheses.
• Name of Institution: Provide the full and official name of the university that awarded the degree.
  This information is also found on the title page.
  Capitalize the name of the university correctly.
  Do not abbreviate university names (e.g., use "University of California, Los Angeles" instead of "UCLA").
• Database Name: If you retrieved the dissertation or thesis from a database (e.g., ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, EBSCOhost), include the name of the database.
  Capitalize the name of the database.
  Do not include any accession or order numbers provided by the database.
• URL: If the dissertation or thesis was retrieved from a university's institutional repository or a website, provide the full URL.
  An institutional repository is a digital archive maintained by the university.
  Provide a direct link to the dissertation or thesis, not just the repository's main page.
  Do not put a period at the end of the URL.
  Use the full URL, including the protocol (https://).

Important Notes:

• ProQuest: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is the most common database for dissertations and theses. If you use this database, provide that name.
• Institutional Repositories: Many universities make dissertations and theses available online through their own repositories. These repositories have different names (e.g., "UKnowledge" at the University of Kentucky, "DASH" at Harvard University).
• Access: If a dissertation or thesis is available in both a database and an institutional repository, it is generally preferred to cite the version from the repository, as it is more openly accessible.
• Missing Information: If any information is missing, provide as much as you can. If the university name is unclear, try to find it on the database or repository page. If the year is not on the title page, look at the copyright page. If you cannot find the year, omit it.
• Retrieved from: Do not include "Retrieved from" before the database name or URL.
• Page Numbers/Sections: Do not include page numbers or section information in the reference. Dissertations and theses are treated as whole works.
• Theses Canada: In Canada, theses are often available through Library and Archives Canada. Cite these similarly to those from ProQuest.

More on Degree Statements:

• If the degree is not a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), specify the exact type of doctoral degree (e.g., "Doctor of Education dissertation," "Doctor of Psychology dissertation").
• Similarly, if the master's degree is not a Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS), specify the exact type of master's degree (e.g., "Master of Social Work thesis," "Master of Business Administration thesis").

More on University Names:

• Provide the most specific and accurate name of the university. Consult the university's official website or the title page of the dissertation/thesis for the precise wording.
• Include any relevant campus or school designations if they are part of the official university name (e.g., "University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine").

Examples with variations