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To cite a dissertation in APA (7th edition), give the author, year, the title in italic sentence case, a bracketed descriptor such as [Doctoral dissertation, University Name], and then where the reader can find it. Which of the three reference patterns you use depends on where you found the work: unpublished, in a commercial database, or in an institutional repository. The same rules cover a master’s thesis, with “master’s thesis” in place of “doctoral dissertation”.
The format: choose the template by where you found it
APA 7th edition covers dissertations and theses in Section 10.6 of the Publication Manual (page references 64-66, as cited in the Augusta University guide listed under Sources). The USC and Augusta University library guides describe the same three situations.
Unpublished dissertation or thesis (cite a dissertation APA, no archive)
Use this when the work is not archived in a database or repository.
- Author: Surname, A. A.
- Year: (year).
- Title: Title of the dissertation: Use sentence case
- Descriptor: [Unpublished doctoral dissertation] or [Unpublished master’s thesis].
- Institution: Name of the institution awarding the degree.
Dissertation from a database such as ProQuest
- Author and year: Surname, A. A. (year).
- Title: Title in sentence case, followed by the publication or order number if the database gives one, for example (Publication No. 00000000).
- Descriptor with institution: [Doctoral dissertation, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. The degree type and the institution go inside one pair of square brackets.
- Source: Database name, then the URL if there is one.
Dissertation from an institutional repository or archive
Treat a repository (a university’s open-access archive, for instance) as the source in place of a database: the same bracketed descriptor with institution, then the repository or web source name and its URL.
Examples (fictitious sources)
The three references below are invented to show the pattern. The author, titles and institution are not real works.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation
Example, E. R. (2021). Citation habits of early-career researchers in the social sciences [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Example State University.
Master’s thesis found in a database
Sample, S. T. (2019). A sample study of reference-list accuracy (Publication No. 00000000) [Master’s thesis, Example State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Doctoral dissertation found in an institutional repository
Placeholder, P. Q. (2020). An illustrative dissertation title in sentence case [Doctoral dissertation, Example State University]. Example Scholarly Commons. https://example.org/dissertation
In-text citation version
An in-text citation for a dissertation is the usual APA author-date form. The Augusta University guide gives these patterns for unpublished, database and repository works alike:
- Parenthetical: (Example, 2021)
- Narrative: Example (2021)
- Two authors, parenthetical: (Example & Sample, 2021)
Every in-text citation needs a matching entry in your reference list; for the layout of that list, see APA hanging indent.
Citing a thesis inside your own thesis or manuscript
If you are writing a thesis or a manuscript and want to cite a colleague’s dissertation, the work is cited like any other source: the dissertation goes in your reference list and the author-date form goes in your text. Choose the template by where the work is held: a work not archived anywhere follows the unpublished pattern, and the same work retrieved from a university repository follows the repository pattern. If you are unsure how a thesis is structured before you cite sections of it, see parts of a research paper and the dictionary entries for thesis and electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).
Common errors when you cite a dissertation in APA
- Title case or no italics. The USC and Augusta guides both give the title in italic sentence case.
- Parentheses around the descriptor. The descriptor is written in square brackets. Both guides’ templates use square brackets.
- Calling an archived work “Unpublished”. “Unpublished” belongs in the descriptor only for the unpublished pattern. A dissertation retrieved from a database or repository uses [Doctoral dissertation, Institution] instead.
- Institution in the wrong style. The awarding institution is in regular font and title case, not italic.
- Hyphen for a multi-campus name. When an institution is located in multiple cities, the Augusta guide says to join the university and city with an en dash, as in California State University–Fullerton.
- Splitting the bracket. For database and repository works, put the degree type and the institution together in one bracket.
Style-guide edition
This page follows APA 7th edition (2020), the current edition. The two library guides cited below cover the 7th edition; they were last updated on October 27 and 28, 2026, and checked on 2026-10-29.
FAQ
How do you cite a dissertation in APA 7th edition?
Author, year, italic sentence-case title, a bracketed descriptor, and the source. The source is the awarding institution if the work is unpublished, or the database or repository name and URL if you found it there.
Is a dissertation in ProQuest published?
Yes, in the sense the library guides use: they label dissertations found in a database or repository as published, and copies not archived anywhere as unpublished. Use the database pattern: the bracket holds the degree type and institution, and the database name follows.
Does a master’s thesis use a different format from a dissertation?
No. Only the descriptor changes, to [Master’s thesis, Institution] or [Unpublished master’s thesis].
What is the difference between the unpublished and repository patterns?
Where you found the work. An unpublished work ends with the institution name. A repository work puts the institution inside the bracket and ends with the repository name and URL.
How do I cite a dissertation in the text?
Use author and year: (Example, 2021) or Example (2021), and (Example & Sample, 2021) for two authors.
How do I format the reference list entry?
Follow the layout described in our hanging indent guide. For a web source, compare the website citation pattern.
Sources
- USC Libraries, “APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources, Dissertations and Theses”, https://libguides.usc.edu/APA7th/dissertationthesis. Last updated October 28, 2026; checked 2026-10-29.
- Augusta University Library, “APA Style Guide: Theses and Dissertations”, https://guides.augusta.edu/APA/theses. Last updated October 27, 2026; checked 2026-10-29. It cites Section 10.6, Dissertations and Theses, of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020).
