To cite a dissertation or thesis, give the author, year, title, the type of degree, the awarding institution and, if you found it online, the database or repository and URL. Each style arranges these details differently.
This page shows each format with the same example source, so you can compare styles at a glance. The example is invented to show the pattern.
The Details You Need Before You Start
- Author's name and the year the degree was awarded.
- The full title, including any subtitle.
- The degree type: doctoral dissertation, PhD thesis, master's thesis and so on.
- The awarding institution.
- Where you found it: a database, a university repository or an unpublished copy, with the URL or identifier.
Use the label printed on the document. In the US, "dissertation" usually means a doctoral work and "thesis" a master's; in the UK, "thesis" is often used for doctoral work too.
Example source used below: Amina Wanjiku, Digital Health Literacy among University Students in East Africa, doctoral dissertation, Lakeside University, 2022, found in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
APA 7th Edition
APA italicizes the title and puts the degree type and institution in square brackets.
From a database: Wanjiku, A. (2022). Digital health literacy among university students in East Africa [Doctoral dissertation, Lakeside University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
From a repository: Wanjiku, A. (2022). Digital health literacy among university students in East Africa [Doctoral dissertation, Lakeside University]. Lakeside Research Repository. https://repository.lakeside.example/1234
Unpublished: Wanjiku, A. (2022). Digital health literacy among university students in East Africa [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Lakeside University.
In-text: (Wanjiku, 2022) or Wanjiku (2022)
For a master's thesis, write [Master's thesis, Lakeside University]. Add the URL for a database copy only if it is a stable link anyone can use.
MLA 9th Edition
MLA treats a dissertation like a book: the title is italicized, and the institution and degree type follow the year.
Unpublished or print: Wanjiku, Amina. Digital Health Literacy among University Students in East Africa. 2022. Lakeside U, PhD dissertation.
From a database: Wanjiku, Amina. Digital Health Literacy among University Students in East Africa. 2022. Lakeside U, PhD dissertation. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
In-text: (Wanjiku 45)
MLA abbreviates "University" to "U" in publisher and institution names. Add a URL or DOI from the database if your instructor wants one.
Chicago Notes and Bibliography
Chicago puts the title in quotation marks and describes the work as "PhD diss." or "Master's thesis".
Bibliography: Wanjiku, Amina. "Digital Health Literacy among University Students in East Africa." PhD diss., Lakeside University, 2022. ProQuest.
Full note: 1. Amina Wanjiku, "Digital Health Literacy among University Students in East Africa" (PhD diss., Lakeside University, 2022), 45, ProQuest.
Short note: 2. Wanjiku, "Digital Health Literacy," 45.
In Chicago author-date, the year moves after the author: Wanjiku, Amina. 2022. "Digital Health Literacy among University Students in East Africa." PhD diss., Lakeside University. The in-text citation is (Wanjiku 2022, 45).
Harvard
Harvard varies between universities. This example follows a widely taught version; check your own guide.
Reference: Wanjiku, A. (2022) Digital health literacy among university students in East Africa. PhD thesis. Lakeside University. Available at: https://repository.lakeside.example/1234 (Accessed: 9 October 2026).
In-text: (Wanjiku, 2022) or Wanjiku (2022) argues...
IEEE
IEEE lists initials before the surname, puts the title in quotation marks and abbreviates the degree.
Reference: [1] A. Wanjiku, "Digital health literacy among university students in East Africa," Ph.D. dissertation, Lakeside Univ., Lakeside, Kenya, 2022.
In-text: as shown in [1]
For a master's thesis, write "M.S. thesis" or the degree shown on the document.
Vancouver
Vancouver adds the work type in square brackets after the title and gives the place and institution as the publisher.
Reference: 1. Wanjiku A. Digital health literacy among university students in East Africa [dissertation]. Lakeside (Kenya): Lakeside University; 2022.
In-text: a superscript number or a bracketed number, such as (1), as your guide specifies.
Formats Compared
| Style | Title format | Degree label |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Italics, sentence case | [Doctoral dissertation, Institution] |
| MLA 9th | Italics, title case | Institution, PhD dissertation |
| Chicago | Quotation marks, title case | PhD diss., Institution |
| Harvard | Italics, sentence case | PhD thesis. Institution |
| IEEE | Quotation marks, sentence case | Ph.D. dissertation, Abbreviated institution |
| Vancouver | Plain, sentence case | [dissertation] |
Common Mistakes When Citing Theses
- Wrong degree label: calling a master's thesis a doctoral dissertation. Copy the label from the title page.
- Database as publisher: the institution awarded the degree; the database only hosts the copy.
- Missing """unpublished""": in APA, a copy that is not in a database or repository needs the word.
- Old APA habits: APA 7th no longer uses """Retrieved from""" before a URL.
- Wrong year: use the year the degree was awarded, not the year you downloaded the file.
If the research was later published as a journal article, read and cite the article when you can. It has usually been peer reviewed and is easier for your reader to find.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Doctoral dissertations are usually examined and can be good sources, especially for recent or specialist research. Check whether the findings were later published in a journal and cite that version if so.
In APA, MLA and Harvard, yes. In Chicago and IEEE, use quotation marks instead.
Use [Master's thesis, Institution] in place of [Doctoral dissertation, Institution].
In APA, include the database name; add a URL only if it is stable and works for any reader. Follow your instructor's preference.
Cite it as unpublished. In APA, write [Unpublished doctoral dissertation] followed by the institution.
Add the page number to the in-text citation, such as (Wanjiku, 2022, p. 45) in APA or (Wanjiku 45) in MLA.
On the title page or the first few pages of the dissertation. Repository records usually list both too, but check them against the document.
Yes. Cite it the same way, naming the repository or database where your copy is held, or as unpublished if it is a print copy only.