Dissertations & Theses in Harvard Style (Detailed Guide)
Dissertations and theses are primary sources of original research submitted for a university degree. Citing them correctly acknowledges the author's extensive work. As they are not typically published commercially, they are a form of "grey literature" and have a specific citation format.
Core Components of a Thesis or Dissertation Citation
- Author: Surname, Initial(s). This is the individual who wrote the thesis and was awarded the degree.
- Year of Submission: (Year) This is the year the thesis was formally submitted and the degree was conferred. It should be enclosed in round brackets.
- Title of Thesis/Dissertation: Full title in sentence case and italics The title should be written exactly as it appears in the original work. Use 'sentence case', meaning only the first word and any proper nouns (names, places) are capitalised. The full title must be italicised.
- Degree Statement: PhD thesis or Master's dissertation. This is a crucial element that identifies the academic level of the work.
- Awarding Institution: Name of University. This is the full name of the university or institution that awarded the degree.
- Access Information (for online versions): Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Citation Formats
This is the most common format, as most universities now provide digital access to their research.
In-Text Citation Examples
Parenthetical: Specific genetic markers were identified that correlated with higher drought resistance (Verma 2023, p. 112).
Narrative: Verma's (2023, p. 112) research identified specific genetic markers that correlated with higher drought resistance.
Parenthetical: The research identified three key barriers to fintech adoption (Rao 2022, p. 88).
Narrative: In his foundational study, Rao (2022, p. 88) identified three key barriers to fintech adoption.
Special Considerations
- "Thesis" vs. "Dissertation": While the terms can be used interchangeably in some regions, a common convention is that a thesis is for a doctoral degree (PhD) and a dissertation is for a Master's degree (MA, MSc, MPhil). It is best to use the term that the university itself uses for the work. If you are unsure, "thesis" is generally acceptable.
- Unpublished Status: All theses and dissertations are considered "unpublished" in the sense that they haven't been released by a commercial publisher (like a book). The formats above correctly represent this status. You do not need to add the word "unpublished" unless your specific institutional style guide requires it.
- Citing from a Commercial Database: If you find a thesis in a commercial database like ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, the format is the same as the online version. Use the stable URL (permalink) provided by the database.