APA 7th Edition Citation Examples: Dissertations And Theses

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Format for dissertations and theses

Format:

Author last name, first initial. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, University]. Database. URL

Elements:

  • Author: List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial). See Authors for more information.
  • Year: List the year between parentheses, followed by a period.
  • Title of dissertation/thesis: In italics. Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.
  • Publication number: Can be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”
  • Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis: List whether it is a dissertation or a thesis.
  • University: List the university associated with the dissertation/thesis.
  • Database: List database the dissertation/thesis was found in, if found in a database.
  • URL: List URL if found on the free Web rather than in a database.

See specific examples below.

Dissertations and Theses database

Dissertations:

Pecore, J. T. (2004). Sounding the spirit of Cambodia: The living tradition of Khmer music and dance-drama in a Washington, DC community (Publication No. 3114720) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Master's Theses:

Hollander, M. M. (2017). Resitance to authority: Methodological innovations and new lessons from the Milgram experiment (Publication No. 10289373) [Master's thesis, University of Wisconsin - Madison]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

APA calls for the citation to include a unique identifying number for the dissertation, labeling it “Publication No.” That number can be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”

Free Web

Dissertations:

Karamanos, X. (2020). The influence of professional development models on student mathematics performance in New Jersey public elementary schools [Doctoral dissertation, Seton Hall University]. Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2732

Master's Theses:

Bordo, V. C. (2011). Making a case for the use of foreign language in the educational activities of nonprofit arts organizations [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1311135640

In print

Dissertations:

Caprette, C. L. (2005). Conquering the cold shudder: The origin and evolution of snake eyes [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University].

Master's Theses:

Angelova, A. N. (2004). Data pruning [Master's thesis, California Institute of Technology].

More info

See Publication Manual, 10.6.

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