How to Cite a Dissertation in APA Format

Citing a dissertation in APA format requires the author, year, title, type of dissertation, university name, and URL or database information. The format differs slightly depending on whether the dissertation is published or unpublished.

Basic Dissertation Citation Format

The standard APA 7th edition format for a dissertation citation is:

Reference list entry:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name. https://www.example.com/dissertation

Parenthetical in-text citation: (Author, Year)

Narrative in-text citation: Author (Year)

In-Text Citation Examples

When you reference a dissertation within your paper, you have two options:

• Parenthetical: The findings confirmed the hypothesis about urban development patterns (Williams, 2022).
• Narrative: Williams (2022) confirmed the hypothesis about urban development patterns.

Common Variations

Published Dissertation (from a Database)

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations/example

Unpublished Dissertation

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.

Master’s Thesis

Use [Master’s thesis, University Name] instead of [Doctoral dissertation, University Name].

Kim, S. (2023). Factors influencing remote team productivity [Master’s thesis, University of Michigan]. Deep Blue. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/example

Tips for Citing Dissertations

• Specify the type of work in brackets: [Doctoral dissertation], [Master’s thesis], or [Unpublished doctoral dissertation].
• Include the university name in the brackets after the type of work.
• Include the database name when the dissertation was retrieved from a database like ProQuest.
• Italicize the title of the dissertation in the reference entry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a published and unpublished dissertation? A published dissertation is one available through a database (such as ProQuest) or institutional repository. An unpublished dissertation is not publicly available and was only submitted to the university.

How do I cite a dissertation found on the university website? Treat it as a published dissertation. Include the repository name and URL.

Should I use “Doctoral dissertation” or “PhD dissertation”? APA recommends using “Doctoral dissertation” as the standard term in brackets.