To cite a dissertation or thesis, give the author, year, title, the type of degree, the awarding institution and, if you accessed it online, the database or repository and its link or publication number.
The order and punctuation change between styles. This page shows the reference list and in-text formats for APA 7th, MLA 9th, Harvard, Chicago and Vancouver, with examples.
The Details Every Dissertation Citation Needs
Collect the author's full name, the year the degree was awarded, the full title, the degree type (doctoral dissertation, PhD thesis or master's thesis), the university, and the database name with a URL or publication number if you found it online.
Name the degree type and the university in every style. That is what distinguishes a dissertation from a book.
Thesis or Dissertation?
The terms vary by country. In the UK and Australia, a thesis is usually the doctoral document, and a dissertation is often a master's or undergraduate project. In the US, a dissertation is usually doctoral and a thesis is master's level.
In your citation, describe the work the way the document itself does, for example "Doctoral dissertation" or "Master's thesis".
| Detail | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Author and title | Title page |
| Year | Title page or database record (the award or submission year) |
| Degree type | Title page, often "A thesis submitted for the degree of..." |
| Institution | Title page |
| Publication number | ProQuest record |
| URL or DOI | Repository or database page |
APA 7th Edition
In APA, the title is in italics and sentence case, followed by a bracketed description containing the degree type and the institution.
From a database: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation (Publication No. #) [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name. From a university repository: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis [Master's thesis, University Name]. Repository Name. URL Unpublished: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.
Okeke, C. N. (2021). Peer feedback and writing confidence in first-year university students (Publication No. 12345678) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
In-text: (Okeke, 2021) or Okeke (2021); with a quotation, (Okeke, 2021, p. 45).
For an unpublished work, the institution moves out of the brackets and becomes the source element, as shown in the template above.
MLA 9th Edition
MLA lists the title in italics, the year, then the institution and degree type. Add the database and URL if you accessed it online.
Last Name, First Name. Title of Dissertation. Year. Institution, Degree Type. Database, URL.
Okeke, Chinwe N. Peer Feedback and Writing Confidence in First-Year University Students. 2021. U of Toronto, PhD dissertation. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, www.proquest.com/docview/12345678.
In-text: (Okeke 45)
MLA abbreviates "University" to "U" in institution names and drops "https://" from URLs.
Harvard
Harvard has several versions, so check your university's guide. The widely taught Cite Them Right version looks like this:
Surname, Initials. (Year) Title of thesis. Degree type. Institution. Available at: URL (Accessed: day month year).
Okeke, C.N. (2021) Peer feedback and writing confidence in first-year university students. PhD thesis. University of Toronto. Available at: https://www.proquest.com/docview/12345678 (Accessed: 9 October 2026).
In-text: (Okeke, 2021) or, with a quotation, (Okeke, 2021, p. 45).
For a print copy consulted in a library, leave out the "Available at" and "Accessed" elements.
Chicago Notes and Bibliography
Chicago puts a dissertation's title in quotation marks rather than italics and abbreviates the degree as "PhD diss." or "Master's thesis".
First note: 1. Chinwe N. Okeke, "Peer Feedback and Writing Confidence in First-Year University Students" (PhD diss., University of Toronto, 2021), 45, https://www.proquest.com/docview/12345678.
Shortened note: 2. Okeke, "Peer Feedback," 52.
Bibliography: Okeke, Chinwe N. "Peer Feedback and Writing Confidence in First-Year University Students." PhD diss., University of Toronto, 2021. https://www.proquest.com/docview/12345678.
In Chicago author-date style, the year moves to follow the author's name in the reference list, and the in-text citation is (Okeke 2021, 45).
Vancouver
Vancouver, used widely in medicine and nursing, follows the NLM Citing Medicine format. The work type goes in square brackets after the title.
Author AA. Title of dissertation [dissertation]. Place of publication: Institution; Year.
1. Okeke CN. Peer feedback and writing confidence in first-year university students [dissertation]. Toronto (Canada): University of Toronto; 2021.
In-text: a number in brackets or superscript, for example [1], matching the reference list order.
Use "[master's thesis]" for a master's-level work. For online versions, add the date you cited it in square brackets and "Available from:" followed by the URL.
Quick Comparison
| Style | Title format | Degree wording |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Italics, sentence case | [Doctoral dissertation, University] |
| MLA 9 | Italics, title case | U of X, PhD dissertation |
| Harvard | Italics, sentence case | PhD thesis. University |
| Chicago | Quotation marks, title case | PhD diss., University |
| Vancouver | Plain, sentence case | [dissertation] |
Common Mistakes When Citing Dissertations
- Formatting the dissertation as a book with a publisher.
- Leaving out the degree type or the university.
- Using the year you accessed the database instead of the award year.
- Calling a database copy unpublished, or a library-only copy published.
- Mixing title formats, such as italics in Chicago.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Use: Author, A. A. (Year). Title (Publication No. #) [Doctoral dissertation, University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Treat a dissertation available in a database or public repository as published. Use the unpublished format only for copies held privately or by the university alone.
Use the year the degree was awarded or the work was submitted, as shown on the title page or database record.
Use the same format as a dissertation, but describe it as a master's thesis, for example [Master's thesis, University Name] in APA.
In APA, MLA and Harvard, yes. In Chicago, use quotation marks. In Vancouver, use plain text.
Exactly as you would any source in your style: author and year in APA and Harvard, author and page in MLA, a note in Chicago and a number in Vancouver.