PERRLA/Blog/APA/APA Obscura: Citing a Dissertation or Thesis in…
Most students assume all dissertations are cited the same way. They're not. The APA format uses three different formats depending on where the work is housed – ProQuest, a repository, or the degree-awarding institution. Here's how to tell which one applies and what each format looks like.
Citing a dissertation or thesis in the APA format follows one of three formats depending on where you found it: a commercial database like ProQuest, a university or institutional repository, or directly from the degree-awarding institution. The format you use depends on the source, not the document itself.
The APA Publication Manual (7th ed.) treats dissertations and theses differently based on their availability to readers. A dissertation retrieved through ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global is considered a published source, and so is one retrieved from an institutional repository. A dissertation held by the degree-awarding institution that has never been deposited in a database or repository is considered unpublished.
The distinction is relevant because the APA format is built around reader access. If a reader can find the work through a database or repository, it gets a published-source format. If it can’t be located through any database or repository, it gets a different format – and if it was only ever shared privately and can’t be recovered by readers at all, it may need to be treated as a personal communication rather than a reference list entry.
Use this format when the dissertation or thesis was retrieved through ProQuest.
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the dissertation or thesis (Publication No. XXXXXXXX) [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
A few things to note:
Publication number. Include the ProQuest publication number in parentheses after the title when one is assigned. Not all entries have one, but it include it when it exists.
Bracketed descriptor: The bracket identifies the degree type and the institution. Use “Doctoral dissertation” for a Ph.D.; use “Master’s thesis” for a master’s degree.
URL. If ProQuest provides a URL that will resolve for readers without a login, include it after the database name. If the URL requires a login or won’t work for readers outside your institution, end the entry with the database name instead.
Example:
Hargrove, T. L. (2019). Nurse burnout and patient outcomes in rural emergency departments (Publication No. 27543219) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Tennessee]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Use this format when the dissertation or thesis was retrieved from a university library catalog, an institutional repository, or another online archive.
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the dissertation or thesis [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Repository Name. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Publication number. Include a publication number if the repository or database assigns one. Many institutional repositories don’t use them, but include one when it exists.
URL or DOI. Include the DOI if one is available. Otherwise, include the URL for the work in the repository.
Example:
Okonkwo, A. J. (2021). The role of community health workers in maternal care outcomes [Doctoral dissertation, Johns Hopkins University]. JHU DSpace. https://doi.org/10.17615/example
Use this format when the dissertation or thesis has never been deposited in a database or repository and exists only as a physical copy held by the degree-awarding institution.
Author, A. A. (Year) Title of the dissertation or thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.
The key distinction is that the work has not been archived anywhere accessible to readers. A dissertation available through a database or repository – even a free one – is considered published for APA purposes, regardless of whether it was commercially published.
Note: If a dissertation was shared privately by its author and exists only in that form – not held by any institution, database, or repository – it cannot be recovered by readers and should be treated as a personal communication rather than a reference list entry.
The bracketed descriptor tells readers what kind of work this is and where it was submitted. The format is consistent across all three variations:
[Doctoral dissertation, University Name]
[Master’s thesis, University Name]
Use the full, official name of the institution as it appears on the work itself, and do not abbreviate.
For professional degrees other than doctoral or master’s work (DNP, EdD, PsyD), use the descriptor that accurately reflects the degree. The APA Publication Manual uses “Doctoral dissertation” as the standard label for doctoral-level work, but you can substitute a more specific label when it’s warranted.
Dissertation and thesis titles follow the same rules as book titles in the APA format: sentence case and italicized. That means only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalized.
Example:
Nurse burnout and patient outcomes in rural emergency departments
Not:
Nurse Burnout and Patient Outcomes in Rural Emergency Departments
The italics apply to the full title, including any subtitle. The bracketed descriptor that follows is not italicized.
In-text citations for dissertations and theses follow the standard APA author-date format. The source type doesn’t change the in-text citation.
Parenthetical: (Hargrove, 2019)
Narrative: Hargrove (2019) found that …
If you’re citing a specific page, chapter, or section, include a page number or section identifier the same way you would for any other source.
Using the same format for every dissertation.
ProQuest, repository, and unpublished dissertations use slightly different formats. The key variable is where the work is housed, not what degree it represents.
Skipping the publication number.
If ProQuest or another database assigns a publication number, include it in parentheses after the title. It’s not optional when it exists.
Skipping the URL when one is available.
If the database or repository provides a URL that will resolve for readers, include it. The publication number doesn’t replace the URL – the publication number identifies the work; the URL provides access.
Using title case for the dissertation title.
Dissertation and thesis titles use sentence case in the APA format, just like book titles. Only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalized.
Treating a privately shared draft as an unpublished dissertation.
APA’s “unpublished dissertation” format applies to work held by the degree-awarding institution, not to documents shared informally by their authors. If a document can’t be recovered by readers through any institution, database, or repository, it may belong in a personal communication rather than the reference list.
In U.S. academic contexts, a doctoral dissertation is submitted for a Ph.D. or other doctoral degree. A master’s thesis is submitted for a master’s degree. The APA format applies to both, just adjust the bracketed descriptor to reflect the actual degree type.
No. If the URL requires a login or won’t resolve for readers outside your institution, end the entry with the database name. The goal is to include a URL only when it will actually provide readers with access.
Simply omit it. Not all ProQuest entries have publication numbers, and other databases and repositories often don’t assign them at all. Include the number only when one exists.
Trace the work back to its actual source – the database, repository, or institution hosting it – and use the format that matches that source. Google Scholar is a search index, not a database. The reference should point to where the work actually lives.
The APA format doesn’t require you to have read a source in full, but the same standards of academic integrity apply. Cite only sources you’ve actually consulted, and read enough to cite accurately.
Yes. PERRLA supports all three dissertation and thesis formats for APA 7. Select the dissertation or thesis source type, choose the appropriate variation, and PERRLA handles the formatting automatically – bracketed descriptors, italics, and all.
PERRLA formats your APA references – dissertations, journal articles, websites, and more – automatically, so you don’t have to track down every rule yourself. Try it free for 7 days, no credit card required. Plans start at $12.95/month, $79.95/year, or $129.95 for two years. Institutional pricing is available at $9.95 per student per year.
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