how to cite thesis apa 6th edition

APA Style 6th Edition: Citing Your Sources

• Basics of APA Formatting
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• Thesis/Dissertation

Standard Format

Various examples.

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Dissertation or thesis available from a database service:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (year of publication).  Title of dissertation or thesis (Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis).  Retrieved from Name of database.  (Accession or Order No.)

For an unpublished dissertation or thesis:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (year of creation).  Title of dissertation or thesis (Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis).  Name of Institution, Location.

See Ch 7 pp. 207-208 APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules

Formatting:

• Italicize the title
• Identify whether source is doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title
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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

In this citation guide, you will learn how to reference and cite an undergraduate thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation. This guide will also review the differences between a thesis or dissertation that is published and one that has remained unpublished. The guidelines below come from the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020a), pages 333 and 334. Please note that the association is not affiliated with this guide.

Alternatively, you can visit EasyBib.com for helpful citation tools to cite your thesis or dissertation .

Guide Overview

Citing an unpublished thesis or dissertation, citing a published dissertation or thesis from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation: reference overview, what you need.

Since unpublished theses can usually only be sourced in print form from a university library, the correct citation structure includes the university name where the publisher element usually goes.

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case [Unpublished degree type thesis or dissertation]. Name of institution.

Ames, J. H., & Doughty, L. H. (1911). The proposed plans for the Iowa State College athletic field including the design of a reinforced concrete grandstand and wall [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. Iowa State University.

In-text citation example:

• Parenthetical :  (Ames & Doughty, 1911)
• Narrative :  Ames & Doughty (1911)

If a thesis or dissertation has been published and is found on a database, then follow the structure below. It’s similar to the format for an unpublished dissertation/thesis, but with a few differences:

• The institution is presented in brackets after the title
• The archive or database name is included

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case (Publication or Document No.) [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Database name.

Examples 1:

Knight, K. A. (2011). Media epidemics: Viral structures in literature and new media (Accession No. 2013420395) [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Trotman, J.B. (2018). New insights into the biochemistry and cell biology of RNA recapping (Document No. osu1523896565730483) [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center.

In the example given above, the dissertation is presented with a Document Number (Document No.). Sometimes called a database number or publication number, this is the identifier that is used by the database’s indexing system. If the database you are using provides you with such a number, then include it directly after the work’s title in parentheses.

If you are interested in learning more about how to handle works that were accessed via academic research databases, see Section 9.3 of the Publication Manual.

In-text citation examples :

• Parenthetical citation : (Trotman, 2018)
• Narrative citation : Trotman (2018)

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year Published). Title in sentence case [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Name of archive or collection. URL

Kim, O. (2019). Soviet tableau: cinema and history under late socialism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh]. Institutional Repository at the University of Pittsburgh. https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/37669/7/Olga%20Kim%20Final%20ETD.pdf

Stiles, T. W. (2001). Doing science: Teachers’ authentic experiences at the Lone Star Dinosaur Field Institute [Master’s thesis, Texas A&M University]. OAKTrust. https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2001-THESIS-S745

It is important to note that not every thesis or dissertation published online will be associated with a specific archive or collection. If the work is published on a private website, provide only the URL as the source element.

In-text citation examples:

• Parenthetical citation : (Kim, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Kim (2019)
• Parenthetical citation : (Stiles, 2001)
• Narrative citation : Stiles (2001)

We hope that the information provided here will serve as an effective guide for your research. If you’re looking for even more citation info, visit EasyBib.com for a comprehensive collection of educational materials covering multiple source types.

If you’re citing a variety of different sources, consider taking the EasyBib citation generator for a spin. It can help you cite easily and offers citation forms for several different kinds of sources.

To start things off, let’s take a look at the different types of literature that are classified under Chapter 10.6 of the Publication Manual :

• Undergraduate thesis
• Master’s thesis
• Doctoral dissertation

You will need to know which type you are citing. You’ll also need to know if it is published or unpublished .

When you decide to cite a dissertation or thesis, you’ll need to look for the following information to use in your citation:

• Author’s last name, and first and middle initials
• Year published
• Title of thesis or dissertation
• If it is unpublished
• Publication or document number (if applicable; for published work)
• Degree type (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral)
• Thesis or dissertation
• Name of institution awarding degree
• DOI (https://doi.org/xxxxx) or URL (if applicable)

Since theses and dissertations are directly linked to educational degrees, it is necessary to list the name of the associated institution; i.e., the college, university, or school that is awarding the associated degree.

To get an idea of the proper form, take a look at the examples below. There are three outlined scenarios:

• Unpublished thesis or dissertation
• Published thesis or dissertation from a database
• Thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database

American Psychological Association. (2020a). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

American Psychological Association. (2020b). Style-Grammar-Guidelines. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative

Published August 10, 2012. Updated March 24, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

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To cite a published thesis in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, publication year, title of the thesis, institute name, archive name, and URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for an in-text citation and reference list entry of a thesis, along with examples, are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Use the author surname and the publication year in the in-text citation.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Cartmel (2007)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Cartmel, 2007)

Reference list entry template and example:

The title of the thesis is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose the thesis and the institute awarding the degree inside brackets following the publication year. Then add the name of the database followed by the URL.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the thesis [Master’s thesis, Institute Name]. Name of the Database. URL

Cartmel, J. (2007). Outside school hours care and schools [Master’s thesis, Queensland University of Technology]. EPrints. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/17810/1/Jennifer_Cartmel_Thesis.pdf

To cite an unpublished dissertation in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, year, title of the dissertation, and institute name. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of an online thesis, along with examples, are given below:

Author Surname (Year)

Averill (2009)

(Author Surname, Year)

(Averill, 2009)

The title of the dissertation is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose “Unpublished doctoral dissertation” inside brackets following the year. Then add the name of the institution awarding the degree.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of the Institute.

Averill, R. (2009). Teacher–student relationships in diverse New Zealand year 10 mathematics classrooms: Teacher care [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Victoria University of Wellington.

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APA Style (6th ed.)

• Position of the citation
• Secondary Referencing
• Date of Publication
• Page numbers
• Citing Sources Multiple Times
• Citing from Web pages
• Paraphrasing and Summarising
• Reference Lists and Bibliographies
• Examples of References in APA (6th ed.) style

Examples of References in APA style (6th edition)

• Examples of References in APA style
• APA Reference Examples A-Z
• Comparison of 6th and 7th editions of APA
• Setting the Bibliographic Style
• Inserting In-text Citations
• How to create a Reference List
• Managing Sources
• Editing Citations
• Updating your Reference list
• Find Sources
• Evaluate Sources
• Write the Reference
• Write the Annotation
• Examples of Annotations
• Journal Articles
• Web pages and social media
• Newspaper articles

Dictionary or Encyclopaedia

Thesis or dissertation.

• Reports and Datasets
• Conferences
• Images, figures and tables

Exhibitions

• Audiovisual and Digital Media
• Lecture Notes and Presentations
• Author/Editor (Surname, Initials) ,
• (Year of publication).
• Title (in italics) .
• Edition (other than first edition) .
• Place of publication: Publisher.

An e-book retrieved from an academic database that does not have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is referenced as though it were the print version, as above. (A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet. DOIs can be found in database records and the reference lists of published works).

Books with a URL or a DOI can be referenced like this:

• Author/editor (Surname, Initials)
• (Year of publication)
• Title of book (in italics)
• (Edition) (if not the 1st edition)
• DOI or Retrieved from URL

Book Chapter

• Author of chapter/section (Surname, Initials)
• ‘Title of chapter/section’.
• ‘In:’ followed by author/editor of book, (in direct order)
• Title of book (in italics) .
• (Page reference).
• Place of publication: Publisher,

Journal article (print)

• Author(s) (Surname, Initials)
• Title of article
• Title of journal (in italics, first letter of each word should be capitalised, except for words such as and, of, the)        
• Issue information (volume, issue, pages) (volume in italics)

Journal article (online)

• Title of article.
• Title of journal (in italics, first letter of each word should be capitalised, except for words such as and, of, the)
• Issue information (date, volume, issue no., pages) (volume in italics)
• Retrieved from: URL

Journal article (database without DOI)

Journal articles retrieved from databases without a DOI can be referenced like a print journal, as above.

Journal article (with DOI)

• Issue information (date, volume , issue no., pages) (volume in italics)

Journal article (more than 7 authors)

List the first six authors followed by three spaced ellipsis points (...) and then the last author's name.

Journal article (pre-publication)

“Pre-print”, “In press” and “advanced online publication” usually refer to articles that have been accepted for publication, but may not yet have been assigned to a publication volume/issue. These articles can be cited using the year of online publication and the DOI.

• Issue information (date, volume, issue no., pages) (if any available)
• Advance online publication.

arXiv is a collection facility for scientific 'e-prints'. Some of them have been published and some have not. APA recommends updating your references when you're close to finishing your assignment. If you've cited a preprint that has since been published, cite the published journal article.

In the example below, you will see that the title is in italics. This is because it hasn't yet been accepted in a journal and is, therefore, considered a stand-alone work.

Journal Article (with article numbers, not page numbers)

If the journal article has an article number instead of a page range, include the word “Article” and then the article number instead of the page range.

• Journal Title  (in italics)
• Volume ,  (in italics)
• Article number 

Magazine Article

• (Year of publication, Month day)
• Title of magazine (in italics, first letter of each word should be capitalised, except for words such as and, of, the)      

• Author (Surname, Initials or Organisation name)
• (Year)  (Month Day, if applicable).
• Title of webpage   (in italics)

If no date can be established, use n.d. to indicate no date in the citation and the reference.

• Author of message
• (Year, Month Day).
• Title of message
• [Blog post]

• Author (surname followed by initials) and/or [screen name]
• (Year, Month day) tweet posted
• full text of tweet (If a tweet is longer than 40 words, write the first 40 words)

• Author and/or [given name]
• (Year, month day)
• Title of page   or post
• [Facebook status update].
• For individual authors, provide their full first name in square brackets after their initial as this is their social media identity information.
• For the title, provide the name of the page or the content or caption of the post (up to the first 40 words).

LinkedIn Profile

• Author (name associated with the account)
• Title of page ( Use the page title in the reference (e.g., “Home,” “About,” “Jobs”).)
• [LinkedIn page].
• Retrieved date from: URL ( Provide a retrieval date because the content is designed to change over time and is not archived)

• Author and/or [screen name]
• (Year posted, month day)
• Content of the post (up to the first 20 words)
• [Photograph]
• Retrieved from URL

• Author and/or [Username]
• Content of the post up to the first 20 words. Count a URL or other link, a hashtag, or an emoji as one word each, and include them in the reference if they fall within the first 20 words. Do not italicize emojis.
• [Video]  description of the audiovisuals

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world. It is not a scholarly source, so your lecturer may not be happy for you to use it as a source in your assignments. Scholarly assignments should generally rely on peer-reviewed and other scholarly work vetted by experts in the field. However, it may be a good starting point for you in your research to find citations to original source materials that you do want to use.

Wikipedia is a constantly changing site, so cite an archived version of the page, if you can (select 'view history' and then the date of the version you used). If it doesn't have a permanent link to an archived version of the page, include a URL for the entry and the retrieval date. The retrieval date is always required because the source material may change over time. 'n.d.' is an abbreviation of 'no date' and it is used as Wikipedia is constantly changing.

• Title of wiki (in italics)
• Retrieved date, from URL

Newspaper article (print)

• Author (Surname, Initials) 
• (Year of publication, Month day).
• Title of article 
• Title of newspaper (in italics) .
• Page reference.

Newspaper article (online)

• Author of entry (if there is one) (Surname, initials)
• Title of entry.
• ‘In:’ Editor (initial and surname) (Ed.)
• Title of dictionary or encyclopaedia  (in italics) .
• (Edition, page numbers of entry)

• Author (Surname, Initials)
• (Year of submission).
• Title of thesis (in italics) .
• (Type of thesis or dissertation)  e.g. Unpublished Master's thesis
• Degree awarding body, location (if unpublished)
• Name of database or archive, URL  (if published)

• Title of data (version)   (in italics)
• [Type of work]  (i.e. dataset)

Government Publication

• Name of Government Department
• Title (in italics)
• (Report Series and number) (if available)
• Place of publication: Publisher (if in print)
• URL (if online)

Company Report

• Title of report . (in italics)
• Place of Publication: Publisher or URL 

• Name of authority or organisation.
• Number and title of standard (in italics) .
• Place of publication: Publisher (if in print) .
• URL (if accessed online)

Conference Paper (in edited book)

• Title of the contribution paper
• In: Name of editor or conference chair (Initial, Last name (Ed (s).)
• Title of conference proceedings (in Italics)
• (Page numbers)
• Place of publication: Publisher

Conference Paper (Journal)

• Author of paper
• Title of paper
• Title of Journal (in italics)
• Issue information (volume, issue, date)

Conference Paper or Poster Presentation 

• (Year, month of conference).
• Paper or Poster presented at Title of conference: Subtitle of conference

Images, illustrations, photos (print)

If you are citing an illustration, figure, diagram or table, start with the source in which it appeared. In your in-text citation, give the page number and any caption number that will help to identify the illustration, using the terminology in the book or article (for example, illus./fig./diagram/logo/table). The reference list entry will be for the whole article or book.

In-text citation:

Reference List:

In the reference list, you list the book in which the image is found:

When you include an image or photo in your text, as well as citing the source, you will also need to include a caption and list it in a Table of Figures ( click here for more information ). Images you created yourself don't have to be cited, but should still be included in the list of figures.

Image, illustration, photo or table (online)

• Creator  (Surname, initial(s))
• [Internet handle] (if appropriate)
• Title of image, figure, illustration or table 
• [Type of image]. (image, chart, diagram, graph, illustration or photograph)

Photographs (Online Collection)

• Photographer
• Title of photograph/video (or collection) 
• [Type of image].  

If you viewed an image in person rather than online (e.g. in a museum or gallery), the source information is different. You will need to include the name and location of the institution where you viewed the image.

• (Year of creation)  (if available)
• Title of the work (in italics)
• [Format description]  (in square brackets)
• City, Country: Institution or collection that houses the work

If you haven't seen the artwork in person and saw it online, use the website in the location part of your reference.

• Originator (Name of organisation)
• Sheet number, scale.
• Publisher (if different from author)
• URL (if viewed online)

It can often be hard to find accurate information about images accessed online.  However, if you do need to cite an image with no author, date or title listed, there are ways around this.  For untitled images, include a description of the image, in square brackets, where the title would usually go. If there is no publication date, add “n.d.” in place of the date, and add the date that you accessed the image.

• Curator(s) (Surname, Initial(s)) .
• (Year or years ran).
• Exhibition Title [Exhibition].
• Museum name,
• City, Country.
• URL of exhibition website (if available)

When the curator is unknown, move the title of the exhibition to the author position of the reference.

Exhibition Catalogue

• Artist (Surname, Initial) (or Gallery/Institution).
• [Exhibition catalogue].
• City of publication, Country/State: Publisher.

• Director(s) (Surname, Initial) (Director) &
• Producer(s) (Surname, Initial) (Producer)
• (Year of original release).
• [Description]. (e.g. Film)
• Country of origin: studio.

Film (from Streaming Service)

• (Year) (in round brackets)

Online Video

• Creator (Surname, Initial). [Screen name].
• (Year, Month day).
• Title of video [Video file]

TV Programme

• Producer(s) & Director(s)
• (Year, Month day)
• Title (in italics) [Television broadcast].
• Place of broadcast: Name of broadcaster.

Episode of a TV Series

• Writer (surname and initial(s)) & Director (surname and initial(s))
• (Date of broadcast or copyright)
• Title of episode [Television series episode]
• Producer (initials and surname)
• Series title (in italics)
• Place of publication: Production company

Radio Programme (Online)

Presenter (Surname, Initial) (Host).

• ( Year, Month Day of broadcast).

Title of programme [Description i.e. Radio broadcast ].

Place of production: Broadcast channel.

Retrieved from URL (if heard online)

• Name of primary contributor (Host or Producer)
• Title of podcast (in italics)

Lecture Notes

Notes you took during a lecture or class handouts that are not posted online are not retrievable by someone else, so do not belong in your reference list. Instead, you treat them like personal communication and just refer to them in your text.

Lecture Notes or Powerpoint Slides (online)

• Lecturer (Surname, Initial(s))
• Course/Module and T it le of lecture [Lecture notes or PowerPoint slides]. (in italics)

Recorded Lectures/Talks

• Author (Surname, Initial(s))
• (Year, Month).
• Title of lecture [file format].

Online Course or Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

• Instructor(s)  (Surname, Initial(s))
• (Year of course creation  if known ).
• Title of course [format].
• Site that holds the course

Open Educational Resource

• Author  (Surname, Initial(s))
• (Year added with Month day).
• Retrieved date from URL

Music on CD or Vinyl

• Writer ( Surname, Initial ).
• Title of song
• [Recorded by Artist (Initial, Surname or Band name, if different from writer) ].
• Title of album (in italics)
• [Medium of recording].
• Location: Record Label.

Music Streaming

• Name of artist.
• Title of album/track (in italics)
• [Description; Name of streaming service].
• Record Label

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APA 6th Referencing Style Guide

• APA referencing style
• In-text citation
• Reference list
• TV, film & video
• Tables, figures & images
• Conferences

Thesis, dissertation or exegesis?

Theses and dissertations from online sources, theses and dissertations in hardcopy format.

• Personal communications
• Lecture notes
• Social media
• Computer software & mobile applications
• Legislation & cases
• Standards & patents
• Specific health examples
• Exhibition catalogue

Terminology

Thesis and dissertation can mean different things, depending on which institution the work is from.  For study purposes and for your APA reference you need to know the level of the work.

• Always check the title page, or subsequent pages, to determine exactly what the work is
• Use the information there for your APA reference

At Auckland University of Technology (and other NZ universities)

Thesis is either for a doctoral or a master's degree.

Dissertation is either for a master's or a bachelor's degree with honours.

Exegesis is the written component of a practice-based thesis where the major output is a creative work;  e.g. a film, artwork, novel.

In some other parts of the world such as North America, a dissertation may be for a doctoral degree and a thesis for a master's degree.  

See Section 7.05  in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition .

Reference format for a thesis from a commercial database:

Reference format for a thesis from an institutional repository:

A Doctoral dissertation (USA) from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database

Reference list entry:

• Include the name of the database and the order number of the document
• Use this style for theses retrieved from a commercial database

Thesis from a NZ institutional repository :

• Include the full URL for the thesis/dissertation and the full name of the degree-granting institution/university
• Also include the location of the university, if outside the United States.

In-text citations guide  

Reference format for unpublished thesis/dissertation:

• Give the correct full name of the university, not its abbreviation or brand name.
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APA Citations for a Thesis or Dissertation

Learn how to cite a dissertation and thesis in APA. Why? Because using doctoral dissertations and master’s theses is a useful way to bolster your research for your APA format school paper through current, timely topics. You can also get several examples to guide you through the rules for an APA 7 citation of a dissertation and thesis for your reference list.

How to Cite a Dissertation or Thesis in APA 7th Edition

The APA dissertation or thesis citation isn’t a one size fits all type of citation. The reason behind this is because APA offers a different format for a published and unpublished thesis or dissertation. However, you’ll need to include information like:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis  (Publication number, if available) [Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, Institution]. Publisher, if available. URL, if available

• Italicize the title.
• Indicate that it is a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parenthesis after the title.
• Provide the publication number listed in the database in parentheses, if it is available.

How to Cite a Published Dissertation or Thesis in APA

To cite a published dissertation in APA 7th edition, you need to include:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis  (Publication number, if available) [Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, Institution]. Publisher.

Published APA Dissertation Example

Gavinea, D. S. (2010). Exploration of DNA sequencing: Disassembling the Sequencing chain  (Publication No. 1434728) [Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

Example of a Published Thesis APA- No Publication Number

Brown, S. (2010). Westward expansion  [Master’s thesis, Univesity of Florida]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

In-Text Citation for a Published Dissertation or Thesis in APA

(Gavinea, 2010)

How to Cite a Dissertation or Thesis in APA Published Online – Not on a Database

Some published dissertations aren’t found on a database, so you include the URL along with the publisher of the dissertation.

Citing a Dissertation in APA Found Online

Kilbourn, B. (2006). The qualitative doctoral dissertation proposal  [Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona]. UA Campus Repository. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/23015/235645

How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation APA – Unpublished

An unpublished thesis or dissertation citation in APA is going to take a slightly different format. These do not have a publisher or a publication number. The basic format of an unpublished dissertation or thesis looks like:

Author, A. (Year). Title of the work  [Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis]. Institution.

Unpublished Dissertation Example in APA

Castle, C. (2001). Interpreters, docents and educators: Ways of knowing, ways of teaching in a history museum, an art gallery, and a nature centre  [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Toronto.  

• The format for an unpublished dissertation or thesis at the master’s or doctoral levels can also be adapted for an undergraduate thesis.
• When the dissertation is found in an archive or database, follow the format for a published dissertation.

Information Needed for an APA Dissertation or Thesis Citation

Now that you’ve seen some basic examples, it’s time to look at where you find this information. When it comes to citing, you need to know whether it is a dissertation or thesis (it will say in the document). Secondly, you need to see if it is published or unpublished.

Where to Find APA Thesis and Dissertation Citation Information

Many graduate and postgraduate students submit their theses to subscription databases and institutional archives. Some even publish their work on their websites. Although there is a trend towards creating a portfolio rather than publishing a master’s thesis, there is still plenty of original material out there.

Some dissertation indexing and abstracting sources include Dissertations and Theses Global and ProQuest Dissertations . Usually, you have access to paid databases through your school and/or public library.

Difference Between a Published and Unpublished Dissertation

Knowing whether a dissertation or thesis is published or unpublished is a bit ticky. However, an unpublished dissertation or thesis is typically only available in your school library. In comparison, published dissertations offer more venues for access like databases and archives. Additionally, a published dissertation might also provide an indicator that it is in a published form.

Primary and Secondary Sources in a Thesis and Dissertation

Teachers prefer you to use as many primary sources as possible when creating a thesis or dissertation in APA format. Even so, it’s a good idea to incorporate secondary sources into your research. They guide you to authoritative sources . So, take the time to look through the reference list, works cited, or bibliography of secondary sources to find additional resources for your paper.

Vary Your APA Citations

Using a variety of sources makes the research process more enjoyable. Rather than just looking for accessible online sources, finding primary sources in doctoral and master’s theses shows off your research skills. Go further and read the abstracts of these sources to search for relevant sources quickly.

Creating a School Project in APA Style

APA Style Format Examples

FAQ APA Citations for a Thesis or Dissertation

How do you cite a dissertation in apa format.

To cite a dissertation in APA format, you need to know if it is published or unpublished. For a published dissertation in APA, you include the author, year, title, publication number, dissertation and university, and publisher. For an unpublished dissertation in APA, you include the author, year, title, unpublished dissertation, and university.

Can I cite a dissertation?

Yes, you can cite a dissertation in your APA research paper. Using dissertations and theses in your paper is encouraged because they offer recent information on timely topics.

How do you cite a dissertation in APA 7?

To cite a dissertation in APA, you need to include the author, year, title, publication number, thesis or dissertation, university, publisher, and URL. Depending on whether you use a published or unpublished dissertation, the order of the location information in your citation varies. Author, A. A. (Year). Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis title (Publication number) [Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis, Institution]. Publisher. URL

How do you cite a dissertation in APA 6th edition?

In the 6th edition of APA for a dissertation citation, you would include the UMI number rather than the publication number. Additionally, doctoral dissertation is in parenthesis rather than brackets. An example of an APA 6 citation looks like: Author, A. (Year). Title (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from database name. (UMI number)

How do you cite an unpublished paper?

To cite an unpublished master's thesis or doctoral dissertation in APA 7, you need to include the author, year, title, unpublished dissertation in brackets, and institution. This will look like: Author, B. B. (Year). Work title [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Institution. 

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APA Style Citations for Quotes, Paraphrasing, and References

How is the reference list arranged in apa, apa annotated bibliography guide with examples, apa in-text citations and references for multiple authors.

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APA 6th Edition Citation Style

Dissertation / thesis.

• APA 6th Edition Guide
• Annual Report
• Article, Journal
• Article, Journal (with DOI)
• Article, Journal (without DOI)
• Book, Chapter in edited work
• Book, Electronic
• Dissertation / Thesis (Database)
• Email/Interviews
• Events, Live
• Newspaper Article
• Newspaper Article (Database)
• Newspaper Article (Website)
• Podcast, Audio
• Reference Work
• Reference Work (Database)
• Website Document
• Video, Online
• No Author / No Date

Document Example:

Proper Bibliographic Reference Format:

• Bibliographic references are double-spaced and indented half an inch after the first line.
• Use italics and "sentence-style" capitalization for dissertation / thesis titles.
• Identify the work as a doctoral dissertation / master’s thesis in parentheses after the title.

Sabbagh, S. A. (2009). Investigating oral presentation skills and non-verbal communication techniques in UAE classrooms: A thesis in teaching English to speakers of other languages (master’s thesis). American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

In-Text Citations:

Citations are placed in the context of discussion using the author’s last name and date of publication.

(Sabbagh, 2009)

Alternatively, you can integrate the citation into the sentence by means of narrative.

Sabbagh (2009) compares a variety of oral presentation techniques.

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Information

How to cite references using apa style.

• Getting Started
• Finding Help
• Books, E-Books (including book chapters & encyclopedia entries) & Dissertations/Theses
• Articles from Scholarly Journals, Magazines & Newspapers (print & online)
• Class Resources (Lectures, PowerPoints, Handouts)
• Webpages, websites & social media
• Government Reports, Legal Citations & Regulations, Lecture Notes, Interviews, ERIC Documents, archival materials and other miscellaneous
• Images, film, music, media
• Citing ChatGPT and Other AI Tools in APA Style
• Sources from Business-Specific Databases
• Formatting Author Names, Abbreviations, Rules & More
• In-text citation help
• APA 6th Edition

APA 6th Edition Examples - Books & Book Chapters

Drucker, P. F. (1998). Peter Drucker on the profession of management . Boston: Harvard Business School.

• Two Authors

McGuire, M. T., & Anderson, W. H. (1999). The US healthcare dilemma: Mirrors and chains . Westport, CT: Auburn House.

• Three authors

Marquart, J. W., Olson, S. E., & Sorensen, J. R. (1994). The rope, the chair, and the needle: Capital punishment in Texas, 1923-1990 . Austin: University of Texas Press.

• More than three authors

Sakakibara, S., Hidetoshi, Y., Hisakatsu, S., Kengo, S., & Shimon, F. (1988). The Japanese stock market: Pricing systems and accounting information . New York: Praeger.

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1998). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

• Corporate author

American Health Association. (2000). American Hospital Association guide to the health care field . Chicago: Author.

• Edited Book

Gibbs, J. T., & Huang, L. N. (Eds.). (1991). Children of color: Psychological interventions with minority youth . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Article or chapter in an edited book

Massaro, D. (1992). Broadening the domain of the fuzzy logical model of perception. In H. L. Pick Jr., P. van den Broek, & D. C. Knill (Eds.), Cognition: Conceptual and methodological issues (pp. 51-84). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Philips, M., & Rasberry, S. (1997). Marketing without advertising (2nd ed.). Berkley, CA: Nolo Press.

• Book in several volumes

Magill, F. N. (1993). Survey of social science: Psychology series (Vol. 2). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.

Shotton, M. A. (1989).  Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency  [DX Reader Version]. Retrieved from http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/htm/index.asp

• E-book with DOI

Schiraldi, G. R. (2001).  The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: A guide to healing, recovery, and growth  [Adobe Digital Editions version]. doi: 10.10.36/0071393722

• E-book from a database

Munroe, M. (2009).  Echoes of the Haitian Revolution, 1804-2004  [Monograph]. Retrieved from ebrary.

• E-book only (no print version, no DOI)

O’Keefe, E. (n.d.).  Egoism & the crisis in Western values . Retrieved from http://www.onlineoriginals.com/showitem.asp?itemID=135

• Chapter in an e-book

Strong, E. K. Jr., & Uhrbrock, R. S. (1923). Bibliography on job analysis. In L. Outhwaite (Series Ed.),  Personnel Research Series: Vol. 1. Job analysis and the curriculum  (pp. 140-146). doi: 10.1037/10762-000

• Online reference book (author listed)

Graham, G. (2005). Behaviorism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.),  The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy  (Fall 2007 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/behaviorism/

• Online reference book (no author listed)

Heuristic. (n.d.). In  Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary  (11th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/heuristic

• APA Style Manual

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

For whole e-books, include the E-reader version and its original retrieval URL or doi

If the ebook has no DOI, try to find a permalink for the book.

If the book is read online, such as Google Books, ebrary, ebl, EbscoBooks, do not include the E-reader version.

For example, this is a book from ebrary. I read it online, so I do not need to include an E-reader version. I used the Share Link to Book to get a permalink for a book title.

Denzin, N. K. (2016). Searching for Yellowstone : Race, gender, family and memory in the Postmodern West. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/wayne/detail.action? docID=10411861

In text citing from e-books

For e-books from platforms that are read online do not have page numbers (such as Books 24x7), add an overarching heading plus a paragraph number within that section. If the heading is too long to cite in full, create a short title in quotation marks.

In-text citation, no page numbers, using a heading   (Smith, 1978, Introduction section, para. 5)

In-text citation, no page numbers, create a short title   (Smith, 1978, "The Future of Libraries," para. 1)

APA 6th Edition Examples - Periodical Articles

• Journal article (print)

Light, M. A., & Light, I. H. (2008). The geographic expansion of Mexican immigration in the United States and its implications for local law enforcement. Law Enforcement Executive Forum Journal, 8 (1), 73-82.

• Journal article with Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Herbst-Damm, K. L., & Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients. Health Psychology, 24 , 225-229. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

• Article from an online-only journal

Frederickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3 . Retrieved from http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html

• Article with more than seven authors

Miller, F. H., Choi, M. J., Angeli, L. L., Harland, A. A., Stamos, J. A., Thomas, S. T., . . . Rubin, L. H. (2009). Web site usability for the blind and low-vision user. Technical Communication, 57 , 323-335.

• Electronic copy of a journal article retrieved from a database

Borman, W. C., Hanson, M. A., Oppler, S. H., Pulakos, E. D., & White, L. A. (1993). Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78 (3), 443-449.

• Newspaper (print) (author listed)

Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status. The Washington Post , pp. A1, A4.

• Newspaper (print) (no author listed)

Obesity affects economic, social status. (1993, September 30). The Washington Post , pp. A1, A4.

• Online newspaper article

Brody, J. E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. New York Times . Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com

Magazine Articles

• Magazine article (print) (author listed)

Chamberlin, J., Novotney, A., Packard, E., & Price, M. (2008, May). Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. Monitor on Psychology, 39 (5), 26-29.

Note: For weekly magazines, add the day in addition to the month and year (2008, May 24).

• Magazine article (print) (no author listed)

Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. (2008, May). Monitor on Psychology, 39 (5), 26-29.

• Online magazine article

Clay, R. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology, 39 (6). Retrieved from http://apa.org/monitor/

• Electronic copy of a magazine article retrieved from a database

Frank, M. (1993, June). The wild, wild, West. Architectural Digest, 50, 180-185, 193. 

Editorials, Reviews, Interviews, etc.

• Editorial/ Letter to the Editor

Marshall-Pescini, S., & Whiten, A. (2006). “What is a disaster” and why does this question matter? [Editorial]. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 14 , 1-2.

• Review of a book

Schatz, B. R. (2000, November 17). Learning by text or context? [Review of the book The social life of information , by J. S. Brown & P. Duguid]. Science, 290 , 1304. doi: 10.1126/science.290.5495.1304

• Online book review

Zacharek, S. (2008, April 27). Natural women [Review of the book Girls like us ]. The New York Times . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/books/review/Zachareck-t.html?pagewanted=2

• Review of a DVD

Axelman, A., & Shapiro, J. L. (2007). Does the solution warrant the problem? [Review of the DVD Brief therapy with adolescents , produced by the American Psychological Association, 2007]. PsycCRITIQUES, 52 (51). doi: 10.1037/a0009036

• Interview (published in a periodical)

The entry should follow the format of the original source of the interview (in this case, a journal article with one author).  In this example, the interview lacks a title, so a description of the interview is given in brackets . 

Archer, N. (1993). [Interview with Helen Burns, author of Sense and Perception]. Journal of Sensory Studies, 21 , 211-216.

If the interview has a title, include the title (without quotation marks) after the year, and then give a further description in brackets if necessary. 

Fromm, M. G. (2014). Interview with Frank Ochberg. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 31 (2), 206-216. doi:10.1037/a0036147

Example adapted from http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/citation/apa/interview/

APA 6th Edition Examples - Electronic Resources

• An entire website (but not a specific document on the site)

Do not include in reference list; cite in text only. [More Information] Example: The Michigan Online Resources for Educators (MORE) database is a excellent resource for lesson plans (http://more.mel.org/).

• Document on an organization's website

Canarie, Inc. (1997, September 27). Towards a Canadian health IWAY: Vision, opportunities and future steps . Retrieved from http:www//canarie.ca/press/publications/pdf/health/healthvision.doc

• Website (no author, no year, no page number)

Social workers come out in support of marriage for same-sex couples. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/2004/081704.asp

• Online product review (such as epinions.com)

Pixeltech. (2010, December 10). Sony VAIO L Series Just Touch it [Review of Sony VAIO notebook]. Retrieved from: http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Sony_VAIO_L_VPCL137FX_R_24_All_in_One_Touchscreen_Computer_Red_PC_Notebook

• Online government report

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2003). Managing asthma: A guide for schools (NIH Publication No. 02-2650). Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/asth_sch.pdf

Do not include in reference list; cite in text only. Example: According to S. D. Cathcart (personal communication, September 20, 2001), management is refusing to agree to the proposal.

• Message posted to a newsgroup, online forum, or discussion group

Ramperdas, T. (2005, June 8). Re: Traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions [Online forum content]. Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int/roller/comments/Weblog/theme_eight_how_can_cultural#comments

• Electronic mailing list (Listserv)

Smith, S. (2006, January 5). Re: Disputed estimates of IQ [Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/Group/ForensicNetwork/message/670

MiddleKid. (2007, January 22). Re: The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/01the_unfortunate_prerequisites.php  

APA 6th Edition Examples - Miscellaneous & Unpublished

• Annual report

Home Depot. (2001). Home Depot 2000 annual report . Atlanta, GA: Author.

• Online annual report

Proctor & Gample Company. (2010). P & G 2010 annual report. Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/annualreport2010/index.shtml

• Interview or personal communication

Do not include in reference list;cite in text only. Example: P. Drucker (personal communication, September 20, 2001) believes that there are several different types of managers.

• Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis retrieved from the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database

McNiel, D. S. (2006). Meaning through narrative: A personal narrative discussing growing up with an alcoholic mother (Master’s thesis). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 1434728)

IMPORTANT:  The Publication Number is located in the field titled Publication Number in the Indexing Document Details area of the record in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database. The number is prefaced with AAT, which should not be included in the Publication Number. The Publication Number is equivalent to the UMI number that appears in the example for the APA citation for the dissertation or theses on page 208, APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition.

• ERIC document

Greenberg, J. & Walsh, K. (2010). Ed school essentials: A review of Illinois teacher preparation . Washington, DC: National Council on Teacher Quality. (ED512668)

• Conference proceedings (Unpublished paper or speech)

Smith, S. (2009, August). Putting the grrrr! Back in progressive . Paper presented at the meeting of the Progressive Librarians Guild, Detroit, MI.

• Conference proceedings (Unpublished poster)

Ruby, J., & Fulton, C. (1993, June). Beyond reading: Editing software that works . Poster session at the annual meeting of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, Washington, DC.

• Brochure/pamphlet

National Cancer Institute. (2000, June). Cancer research-because lives depend on it [Brochure]. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute.

Brown v. Board of Educ., 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

• Legal statute

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. § 4331 (1970).

• Code of Federal Regulations

FDA Prescription Drug Advertising Rule, 21 C.F.R. § 202.1 (2006).

• Government report

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2002). Statistical abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

• House or Senate Committee Report

Iraq: Meeting the challenge, sharing the burden, staying the course, a trip report to members of the Committee on Foreign Relations , U.S. Senate, 108th Cong., 1st sess. (S. Prt. 108-31). (2003).

• DSM-5 Individual chapter from DSM-5 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Cautionary statement for forensic use of DSM-5. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.744053
• Archival Materials from the Walter P. Reuther Library When citing materials please use the full name of the collection and of the Library. In the event your research becomes a source for publication, the Library requests a copy of the publication. Example: Doe, John. (July 1, 1923). Letter from John Doe to Jane Smith (Box 9, Folder 23). The Acme Company Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

APA 6th Edition Examples - Audiovisual Media

The following are interpretations based on rules put forth by the APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition. The Manual does not speak specifically to many types of online visual resources.

General rules

Always check your URL to make sure it works

Follow standard form for author’s name when possible (Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial.)

Use n.d. if no date exists

Do not use a URL if material was retrieved from a library database. Use the library database name.

• Online Video Blog Post (YouTube, TED, Vimeo, TeacherTube, etc).

Use the designated shareable link as the URL, such as the Share URL in YouTube.

For Corporate Author or Channel, use as the Author. Use upload date as date if no creation date is available

Author Last Name, Author First Initial. Author Middle Initial. (Year, Month Date). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL

TEDtalksDirector. (2009, February 16). Barry Schwartz: The real crisis? We stopped being wise [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/lA-zdh_bQBo

• Image found in a free online resource

To assure copyright compliance, use a resource such as Flickr’s Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

Creator’s last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Role of creator). (Year of creation). Description or title of image. [Type of work]. Retrieved from URL.

Comas, J. S. (Photographer). (2007). Jordi Comas Teaching. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/24567742@N03/4475421910/

Konopacki. (Cartoonist). Overcrowding. [Cartoon]. Retrieved from http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://www.solidarity.com/hkcartoons/teachertoons/images/kono2DEC.gif

• Image found in a library database

If it is a single image you found in a search in a library database . If there are credits under the image for the author or the original publisher, that should be noted in the citation.

Creator name. (Role of creator). (Year of creation). Description or title of image. [Type of work]. Retrieved from Database Name.

Cusic-McClatchy, C. C. (Photographer). (2009). Middle School Sex Education Class. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from GALE Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

• If the image is part of an article , cite the source in your bibliography and follow the discussion of the image with an in-text reference to the published source. For non-standard presentation, such as Powerpoint, Wiki, etc., follow the reproduction of the image with a caption that includes (Article Author(s) Last Name, Year, p. xx, title of image)

Example: This would appear immediately following the reference to the image from the article, book, etc.

(Andrews & Sayers, 2006, p. 35, Table 1)

This would be the citation for the reference:

Andrews, P. & Sayers, J. (2006). Conditions for learning: Part 3. Mathematics Teaching, 199. 34-38. Retrieved from ProQuest Research Library.

• Music recording

Artist. (Year) Name of Song. On Name of Collection/Album [Medium of recording]. City, State: Recording Label Company.

Coldplay. (2000). Trouble. On Parachutes [iTunes]. EMI Records Ltd. Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/parachutes/id23533494

Van Nuys, D. (Producer). (2007, December 19). Shrink rap radio [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/

• Television show episode

Egan, D. (Writer), & Alexander, J. (Director). (2005). Failure to communicate [Television series episode]. In D. Shore (Executive producer), House . New York, NY: Fox Broadcasting.

• Live television broadcast

Crystal, L. (Executive Producer). (1993, October 11). The MacNeil/Lehrer news hour [Television broadcast]. New York and Washington, DC: Public Broadcasting Service.

• Motion Picture/Video

Grey, B., King, G., & Pitt, B. (Producers), & Scorsese, M. (Director). (2006). The Departed [Motion Picture]. United States: Plan B Entertainment.

Author Names

When citing an author with a hyphenated first name in order of appearance, use the first letter with period, then present the second letter preceded by a hyphen.

Author is Jean-Baptise Lamour      Reference citation style is  Lamour, J.-B.

Author is Ru-Jye Chuang                Reference citation style is   Chuang, R.-J.

Source:  APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition, 6,27, p 184

If an author's first name is hyphenated, retain the hyphen and include a period after each initial. Do not put a space after the period of the first initial and the - preceding the second initial.

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APA 7th referencing style

• About APA 7th
• Printing this guide
• In-text references
• Direct quotations
• Reference list
• Author information
• Additional referencing information
• Using headings
• Book chapter
• Brochure and pamphlets
• ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
• Conferences
• Dictionary or encyclopaedia
• Government legislation
• Journal article
• Lecture notes and slides
• Legal sources
• Newspaper or magazine article
• Other web sources
• Patents and standards
• Personal communication
• Press (media) release
• Secondary source (indirect citation)
• Social media
• Software and mobile apps
• Specialised health information
• Television program

Thesis - from website

Thesis - from database.

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Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a master's thesis in APA

• Google Docs

To cite a master's thesis in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to seven authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For eight or more authors include the first six names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Year of publication: Give the year in brackets followed by a full stop.
• Title of the master's thesis: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• URL: Give the full URL where the document can be retrieved from.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a master's thesis in APA style 6th edition:

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the master's thesis (Master's thesis). Retrieved from URL

If the thesis is available from a database, archive or any online platform use the following template:

• Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Title of the Master's thesis: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Publication number: Give the identification number of the thesis, if available.
• Name of the degree awarding institution: Give the name of the institution.
• Name of Platform: Give the name of the database, archive or any platform that holds the thesis.
• URL: If the thesis was found on a database, omit this element.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a master's thesis in APA style 7th edition:

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the Master's thesis ( Publication number ) [Master's thesis, Name of the degree awarding institution ]. Name of Platform . URL

If the thesis has not been published or is available from a database use the following template:

• Location: Give the location of the institution. If outside the United States also include the country name.

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the master's thesis (Unpublished master's thesis). Name of the degree awarding institution , Location .

If the thesis is not published, use the following template:

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the master's thesis [Unpublished master's thesis]. Name of the degree awarding institution .

APA reference list examples

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the APA style guidelines for a master's thesis citation in action:

A master's thesis found in an online platform

Bauger, L . ( 2011 ). Personality, passion, self-esteem and psychological well-being among junior elite athletes in Norway ( Master's Thesis ). Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/29a9/ef96c34e577211246b83b11813a2585033c5.pdf

Bauger, L . ( 2011 ). Personality, passion, self-esteem and psychological well-being among junior elite athletes in Norway [ Master's Thesis , University of Tromsø ]. Semantic Scholar . https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/29a9/ef96c34e577211246b83b11813a2585033c5.pdf

An unpublished master's thesis

Aube, K. E . ( 2019 ). A comparison of water main failure prediction models in San Luis Obispo, CA ( Unpublished master's thesis ). Cal Poly , San Luis Obispo, CA .

Aube, K. E . ( 2019 ). A comparison of water main failure prediction models in San Luis Obispo, CA [ Unpublished master's thesis ]. Cal Poly .

This citation style guide is based on the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ( 6 th edition).

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APA 6 Style Guide

Thesis/dissertation – apa reference list, capitalization.

• The document title is in sentence case – Only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. Always capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon or a dash.
• The title of the thesis or dissertation is in title case – Each word in the name is capitalized, except for articles (a, an, the), prepositions (against, between, in, of, to), conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), and the infinitive 'to'.

Thesis/Dissertation – Unpublished/Print version

For papers written in United States list City and State. For countries outside United States list City and Country.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis  (Unpublished doctoral dissertation [OR] Unpublished master's thesis). Academic Institution , City , State [OR] Country .

• Considine, M. (1986). Australian insurance politics in the 1970s: Two case studies . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
• Kassover,A. (1987). Treatment of abusive males: Voluntary vs. court-mandated referrals (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

Thesis/Dissertation – From a commercial database (e.g., ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database)

Author , A ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Name of database . ( Accession or Order Number )

Cooley, T. (2009).  Design, development, and implementation of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): The Hartford Job Corps Academy case study (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3344745)

Thesis/Dissertation – Institutional Database (i.e. University website)

For U.S. thesis do not include university or locations. Include the university and location (City and Country) for a non-U.S. online thesis.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis). Retrieved from http:// url.com

• Adams, R. J. (1973). Building a foundation for evaluation of instruction in higher education and continuing education (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/
• Barua, S. (2010). Drought assessment and forecasting using a nonlinear aggregated drought index  (Doctoral dissertation, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia). Retrieved from http://vuir.vu.edu.au/1598

Thesis/Dissertation – Web

For U.S. thesis do not include locations. Include the location (City and Country) for a non-U.S. online thesis.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, Institution issuing degree). Retrieved from http:// www.url.com

• Bruckman, A. (1997). MOOSE Crossing: Construction, community, and learning in a networked virtual world for kids (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Retrieved from http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~asb/thesis

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Reference List: Textual Sources

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Basic Format for Books

Edited book, no author, edited book with an author or authors, a translation.

Note : When you cite a republished work, like the one above, in your text, it should appear with both dates: Plato (385-378/1989)

Edition Other Than the First

Article or chapter in an edited book.

Note : When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title, use "pp." before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear before the page numbers in periodical references, except for newspapers. List any edition number in the same set of parentheses as the page numbers, separated by a comma: (2nd ed., pp. 66-72).

Multivolume Work

Articles in periodicals.

APA style dictates that authors are named with their last name followed by their initials; publication year goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. The periodical title is run in title case, and is followed by the volume number which, with the title, is also italicized. If a DOI has been assigned to the article that you are using, you should include this after the page numbers for the article. If no DOI has been assigned and you are accessing the periodical online, use the URL of the website from which you are retrieving the periodical.

Article in Print Journal

Note: APA 7 advises writers to include a DOI (if available), even when using the print source. The example above assumes no DOI is available.

Article in Electronic Journal

Note :  This content also appears on Reference List: Online Media .

As noted above, when citing an article in an electronic journal, include a DOI if one is associated with the article.

DOIs may not always be available. In these cases, use a URL. Many academic journals provide stable URLs that function similarly to DOIs. These are preferable to ordinary URLs copied and pasted from the browser's address bar.

Article in a Magazine

Article in a newspaper.