Can You Cite a Dissertation?
Yes, dissertations are legitimate academic sources, and you can absolutely cite them in a research paper, literature review, or your own dissertation. Published dissertations in particular carry significant academic weight, especially in fields where original empirical research matters.
Here's a quick breakdown of when each type carries the most credibility:
- Doctoral dissertations are generally viewed as more authoritative than master's theses because they represent years of original, committee-reviewed research.
- Published dissertations (available through ProQuest, Google Scholar, or institutional repositories) are widely accepted and easy to verify.
- Unpublished dissertations are also citable, but they're formatted differently and may be harder for readers to access.
If you're unsure whether your specific assignment or institution allows dissertation citations, check with your professor before building your bibliography around one.
"A published dissertation carries the same citation legitimacy as a peer-reviewed journal article in most academic style guides." |
Published vs. Unpublished Dissertations: What's the Difference?
Before you pick a citation format, you need to know whether the dissertation you're citing is published or unpublished. This distinction directly affects how you format the entry in APA and MLA.
Published dissertation: The dissertation has been made available through a database or repository, most commonly ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, your university's digital library, or a similar platform. It will have a publication or document number and a database name you can include.
Unpublished dissertation: The dissertation was submitted to a university but hasn't been formally deposited in a database. It might have been handed to you by a professor or found in a physical thesis archive. There's no database name or document number in the citation.
Quick check: If you found it in ProQuest or a library database, it's published. If a professor shared it directly, or you're accessing it through a university's internal thesis archive, treat it as unpublished.
"In APA 7th edition, whether a dissertation is published or unpublished changes the reference list entry, particularly whether you include a database name and document number." |
The distinction matters most for APA format. MLA 9th edition no longer differentiates between the two (more on that below), and Chicago and Harvard handle the distinction differently as well.
How to Cite a Dissertation in APA Format
These examples follow APA 7th edition.
Published Dissertation (ProQuest or database)
Template:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation in sentence case (Publication No. XXXXXXX) [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name.
Example:
Harrison, D. J. (2021). The role of gamification in first-year retention at UK universities (Publication No. 28864112) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Edinburgh]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. |
Unpublished Dissertation
Template:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation in sentence case [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.
Example:
Okafor, N. B. (2022). Perceptions of bilingual instruction in rural secondary schools [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Cape Town. |
In-Text Citation Format
Use author-date format: (Harrison, 2021)
For a direct quote, add the page number: (Harrison, 2021, p. 47)
Common APA Mistake
The two most frequent errors in APA dissertation citations are (1) forgetting to include the ProQuest publication number for published dissertations, and (2) using title case instead of sentence case for the dissertation title. In APA, only the first word and any proper nouns get capitalized.
"In APA 7th edition, italicize the dissertation title and write it in sentence case, only capitalize the first word and any proper nouns." |
If you're also formatting sources for your literature review chapter, our dissertation literature review guide explains what to include and how to organize your sources.
How to Cite a Dissertation in MLA Format
These examples follow the MLA 9th edition.
One important update: MLA 9th edition no longer distinguishes between published and unpublished dissertations. You use the same basic format for both, just add the database or repository name if you accessed it online.
MLA Format Template
Author Last, First. Dissertation Title. Year. University Name, Degree type.
If accessed through a database or online repository, add the container name:
Author Last, First. Dissertation Title. Year. University Name, Degree type. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. |
Example
Harrison, Daniel J. The Role of Gamification in First-Year Retention at UK Universities. 2021. University of Edinburgh, PhD dissertation. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
In-Text Citation Format
MLA uses author-page format: (Harrison 47)
If you're citing the work generally without a specific page: (Harrison)
Common MLA Mistake
The most common error is putting the dissertation title in quotation marks. In MLA, dissertation titles are italicized because they're standalone works, not articles or chapters, which use quotation marks. Getting this wrong is easy if you're switching between styles in one bibliography.
| "In MLA 9th edition, there's no longer a distinction between published and unpublished dissertations; format both the same way and add the database name if applicable." |
For the full MLA citation guidelines for dissertations, the MLA Style Center is the authoritative reference.
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How to Cite a Dissertation in Chicago Style (Turabian)
Chicago style and Turabian are the same format; Turabian is the student-friendly version of Chicago, used widely in history, the arts, and humanities.
Chicago's Note-Bibliography system is the most common for dissertation citation. You'll need two things: a footnote (or endnote) for in-text references, and a bibliography entry at the end.
Footnote/Endnote Format
Template:
Firstname Lastname, "Title of Dissertation" (PhD diss., University Name, Year), page number.
Example:
Daniel J. Harrison, "The Role of Gamification in First-Year Retention at UK Universities" (PhD diss., University of Edinburgh, 2021), 112. |
Bibliography Entry
Template:
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Dissertation." PhD diss., University Name, Year.
Example:
Harrison, Daniel J. "The Role of Gamification in First-Year Retention at UK Universities." PhD diss., University of Edinburgh, 2021. |
Common Chicago Mistake
In Chicago, dissertation titles go in quotation marks, not italics. This is the opposite of MLA. If you're writing a paper with a mixed bibliography, it's easy to accidentally apply MLA italics to a Chicago entry. Double-check every dissertation entry in your bibliography if you're switching between styles.
"Unlike MLA, Chicago style puts dissertation titles in quotation marks, not italics, a common error that's easy to avoid once you know the rule." |
How to Cite a Dissertation in Harvard Format
Harvard referencing is the standard in many UK, Australian, and international institutions. Like APA, it uses an author-date system for in-text citations.
Harvard Reference List Template
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of Dissertation. Type of degree, University Name.
For online dissertations, add the access details:
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of Dissertation. Type of degree, University Name. Available at: [URL] (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Example
Harrison, D.J. (2021) The role of gamification in first-year retention at UK universities. PhD dissertation, University of Edinburgh. Available at: https://era.ed.ac.uk/dissertation/28864112 (Accessed: 5 March 2026). |
In-Text Citation Format
Author-date: (Harrison, 2021)
For a direct quote: (Harrison, 2021, p. 112)
Common Harvard Mistake
Harvard and APA both use author-date in-text citations, so it's tempting to treat them as interchangeable. They're not. The reference list structure is different. Don't copy APA formatting and call it Harvard.
"Harvard and APA both use author-date in-text citations, but the reference list structure is different. Don't copy APA formatting and call it Harvard." |
Quick Reference: Dissertation Citation Formats at a Glance
Not sure which style you need? Use this table to find the right format fast.
Style | Title Format | Published vs. Unpublished? | In-Text Format |
APA 7th | Sentence case, italics | Yes, affects entry format | (Author, Year) |
MLA 9th | Title case, italics | No distinction in 9th ed. | (Author page#) |
Chicago | "Quotation marks" | Not in main entry | Footnote/endnote |
Harvard | Italics | Not in main entry | (Author, Year) |
When in doubt, check your institution's citation guide or ask your advisor; style conventions can vary slightly by university or department.
For a broader look at how all this fits into your overall paper, our dissertation writing guide covers structure, chapters, and formatting from start to finish. You can also check the APA Style guidelines directly for APA 7th edition reference.
Common Dissertation Citation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Even students who know the general rules make dissertation-specific mistakes. Here are the ones that come up most often:
- Mixing up italics and quotation marks by style. MLA and Harvard use italics for dissertation titles. Chicago uses quotation marks. APA uses italics in sentence case. If you're using multiple styles in one document, double-check each entry.
- Missing the publication or document number in APA. If you found the dissertation in ProQuest, your APA citation needs the publication number. Skipping it is a common error and one that's easily caught by careful reviewers.
- Using the wrong degree label. "Master's thesis" and "doctoral dissertation" are not interchangeable; most citation styles distinguish between them in the format itself (e.g., "PhD diss." vs. "Master's thesis"). Always use the correct label for the degree level of the work you're citing.
- Forgetting the database name. If you accessed the dissertation through a database or online repository, include it in the citation. In APA, especially, omitting the database name for a published dissertation is a formatting error.
- Confusing APA and Harvard in-text formats. Both use author-date, which makes them look identical in-text. The differences show up in the reference list. If you need to switch between them, pay careful attention to the end-of-document formatting.
"The most common dissertation citation mistake is treating a master's thesis and a doctoral dissertation as the same thing in the citation format; most styles distinguish between them." |
And if you want to see how citation sections look in context within a real paper, take a look at dissertation examples across different fields and methodologies.
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