How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

Theses and dissertations are important scholarly sources that represent significant research and original work. APA 7th edition provides specific formatting guidelines for citing both published and unpublished graduate work, whether accessed from a university library or academic database.

Basic Thesis/Dissertation Citation Format

The standard APA 7th edition format for citing a thesis or dissertation includes:

Unpublished Thesis/Dissertation

Author(s). (Year). *Title of thesis/dissertation* [Type of thesis, name of institution].

Published Thesis/Dissertation

Author(s). (Year). *Title of thesis/dissertation*. Publisher. DOI or URL

From Academic Database

Author(s). (Year). *Title of thesis/dissertation* [Doctoral dissertation, University Name].
Database Name. URL

Examples:

Unpublished:

Martinez, C. D. (2023). *Climate change impacts on agricultural productivity*.
[Master's thesis, University of California].

Published:

Thompson, L. K. (2023). *Advances in neurotechnology applications*. Academic Press.
https://doi.org/10.1234/thesis.2023.001

From Database:

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Machine learning in healthcare systems*
[Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
https://www.proquest.com/dissertations

Step-by-Step Thesis/Dissertation Citation Instructions

Step 1: List the Author

Use the format Last name, First initial(s). This is the thesis author, not the advisor.

Single Author:

Martinez, C. D.

Multiple Authors (rare for theses):

Martinez, C. D., & Rodriguez, L. A.

Step 2: Include the Completion Year

Place the year in parentheses. This is the year the thesis was completed, not the current year.

Example: (2023)

Step 3: Write the Thesis/Dissertation Title

Italicize the complete title. Use sentence case: capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.

Example: Machine learning applications in healthcare systems

Step 4: Specify the Degree Type

Include [Master’s thesis] or [Doctoral dissertation] in brackets after the title.

Examples:

*Title of work* [Master's thesis, University Name].
*Title of work* [Doctoral dissertation, University Name].
*Title of work* [PhD dissertation, University Name].

Step 5: Include University Information

For unpublished theses, include the university name and location.

Examples:

[Master's thesis, University of California, Berkeley]
[Doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan]

Step 6: Add Database Information (if applicable)

For theses accessed through academic databases, include the database name and URL.

Example:

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations

Complete Citation Examples

Unpublished Master’s Thesis

Martinez, C. D. (2023). *Climate change impacts on agricultural productivity in developing nations*.
[Master's thesis, University of California, Davis].

Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation

Thompson, L. K. (2022). *Advances in artificial intelligence for medical diagnosis systems*.
[Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University].

Published Thesis Available from Publisher

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *The future of renewable energy technologies*. Academic Press.
https://doi.org/10.1234/thesis.2023.001

Thesis from ProQuest Database

Wilson, S. R. (2023). *Behavioral interventions in clinical psychology practice*.
[Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2789456

Thesis from University Repository

Chen, L. (2022). *Deep learning applications in natural language processing*.
[Master's thesis, MIT]. MIT DSpace. https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/12345

International Thesis

García, M. J. (2023). *Environmental sustainability in Latin American cities*.
[Doctoral dissertation, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México].

Thesis with Multiple Authors (rare)

Patel, R. S., & Kumar, A. (2023). *Collaborative research on renewable energy systems*.
[Master's thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder].

In-Text Citation Examples

When citing a thesis or dissertation in your paper, use the author’s last name and year.

Paraphrase:

Research on climate change impacts in agriculture has revealed significant challenges
(Martinez, 2023).

Direct Quote:

"Agricultural productivity in developing nations faces unprecedented climate challenges"
(Martinez, 2023, p. 45).

By Organization:

A comprehensive study of AI applications in medicine identified key implementation barriers
(Anderson, 2023).

Special Thesis/Dissertation Citation Scenarios

Thesis with Advisor Listed

When citing a thesis, list the thesis author (not the advisor). The advisor’s name does not appear in the citation.

Thompson, L. K. (2023). *Advances in neurotechnology for brain-computer interfaces*.
[Doctoral dissertation, University of Washington].

Historical or Archival Thesis

Brown, J. P. (1995). *Early computer science research and development*.
[Master's thesis, Harvard University]. Harvard Archives. https://archives.harvard.edu/1995-theses

Thesis with DOI

Wilson, S. R. (2023). *Burnout prevention strategies in healthcare organizations*.
[Doctoral dissertation, Johns Hopkins University]. https://doi.org/10.7281/T7/JHFP4B

Thesis Accepted but Not Yet Published

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Emerging technologies in education systems*. [Doctoral dissertation,
Stanford University]. (Unpublished manuscript accepted 2023).

Thesis from Open Access Repository

Davis, E. R. (2022). *Sustainable urban development planning*. [Master's thesis,
University of British Columbia]. UBC Circle. https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle

Published vs. Unpublished Thesis Citations

Unpublished Thesis (Local University Only)

Martinez, C. D. (2023). *Climate policy and economic development*. [Master's thesis,
University of California, Santa Barbara].

Same Thesis Published as Book

Martinez, C. D. (2023). *Climate policy and economic development*. University of California Press.
https://doi.org/10.1234/climate-policy.2023

The main difference is the inclusion of a publisher for published versions.

Accessing Thesis Information from Different Sources

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Thompson, L. K. (2023). *Advanced neural networks and machine learning applications*.
[Doctoral dissertation, Carnegie Mellon University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2789123

University Digital Repository

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Solar energy implementation strategies*. [Master's thesis,
University of Arizona]. Arizona Research: The University of Arizona Repository.
https://repo.arizona.edu/handle/10150/12345

Google Scholar

Note: When found on Google Scholar, still cite using the original source format.

Wilson, S. R. (2023). *Organizational behavior and change management*. [Doctoral dissertation,
Harvard Business School]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Common Thesis/Dissertation Citation Errors

• Not italicizing the thesis title - Always italicize the complete title
• Forgetting degree type designation - Always include [Master’s thesis] or [Doctoral dissertation]
• Using advisor name instead of author - The thesis author, not the advisor, is listed
• Missing university information - Include the university name for unpublished theses
• Incorrect date - Use the year of completion, not the current year
• Omitting database information - Include database name and URL if accessed from a database
• Using quotation marks instead of italics - Use italics, never quotation marks
• Improper alphabetization - Alphabetize by author’s last name
• Forgetting degree type in brackets - The degree type is essential information

Distinguishing Thesis Types

Master’s Thesis

Martinez, C. D. (2023). *Title of work*. [Master's thesis, University Name].

Doctoral Dissertation (PhD)

Thompson, L. K. (2023). *Title of work*. [Doctoral dissertation, University Name].

Other Degree Types

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Title of work*. [Bachelor's honors thesis, University Name].

Using GenText to Generate Thesis Citations

Citing theses and dissertations involves managing multiple information types: author name, title, degree type, university, year, and database information. GenText’s citation generator automates this process completely. Input the author, thesis title, degree type, university name, year, and database information, and GenText generates a complete, accurately formatted citation.

Visit /tools/citation-generator/apa/ to generate thesis and dissertation citations in seconds.

Verification Checklist

Before including a thesis citation in your reference list, verify:

• ✓ Author name (thesis author, not advisor) is correctly formatted
• ✓ Completion year is included in parentheses
• ✓ Thesis title is italicized and uses sentence case
• ✓ Degree type is specified in brackets [Master’s thesis] or [Doctoral dissertation]
• ✓ University name and location are included (for unpublished)
• ✓ Database name and URL are included (for database sources)
• ✓ Entry is alphabetically ordered in reference list by author name
• ✓ Hanging indent is properly applied

Related Guides

• Complete APA 7th Edition Citation Guide
• How to Cite a Book in APA 7th Edition
• How to Cite a Source with No Author in APA
• APA Reference List Format

Theses and dissertations represent substantial scholarly work. By properly citing these sources using APA 7th edition guidelines, you acknowledge their academic value and assist readers in locating them.