Referencing a dissertation in your work can be tricky. Unlike an article or book, a dissertation is usually unpublished and only available from the institution where the author earned their degree. Because of this, the rules for formatting dissertation references are a bit different than other source types. When referencing a dissertation, it’s important to adhere to the required citation style guidelines, accurately citing sources and providing proper attribution, while also considering professional assistance at dissertation service UK, ensuring precision and adherence to academic standards in referencing and citing scholarly works. In this guide, we’ll walk through the key elements to include when referencing a dissertation in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats.
APA Reference Format
APA (American Psychological Association) style is commonly used in the social sciences. Here are the key elements to include when referencing a dissertation in APA format:
Author Name
Start by listing the author’s last name followed by their first and middle initials. Only include the middle initial if the author uses it in their name.
For example: Smith, J. K.
Publication Year
After the author’s name, include the year the dissertation was published in parentheses.
For example: Smith, J. K. (2015)
Dissertation Title
Next, include the full title of the dissertation in sentence case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
For example: Smith, J. K. (2015). Referencing styles for doctoral dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago guidelines.
Degree Type
Specify that the source is a doctoral dissertation by including the degree abbreviation in parentheses after the title. Common doctoral degrees include PhD, EdD, DBA, and DNP.
For example: Smith, J. K. (2015). Referencing styles for doctoral dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago guidelines (Doctoral dissertation).
University Name
After the title, list the name of the institution that awarded the degree.
For example: Smith, J. K. (2015). Referencing styles for doctoral dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago guidelines (Doctoral dissertation). University of California, Los Angeles.
Database or Archive
Since dissertations are unpublished, it’s helpful to specify where you retrieved the document from. Many dissertations are now available through online databases like ProQuest. List the name of the database and any identification number.
For example: Smith, J. K. (2015). Referencing styles for doctoral dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago guidelines (Doctoral dissertation). University of California, Los Angeles. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. (Accession No. 15773983)
MLA Reference Format
When referencing a dissertation, utilizing a comprehensive and systematic approach to citing sources is crucial for maintaining academic integrity and credibility, and seeking guidance from reputable resources such as the best dissertation service can offer invaluable support and expertise in ensuring accuracy and adherence to citation standards. MLA (Modern Language Association) style is often used in the humanities. The structure is similar to APA but with a few key differences:
Author Name
In MLA, the author’s last name appears first followed by their first name. Include the middle name or initial if provided.
For example: Smith, John K.
Title
The dissertation title is written in title case, with all major words capitalized.
For example: Smith, John K. Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines.
Degree Type
The degree type is listed after the title separated by a comma, rather than in parentheses.
For example: Smith, John K. Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines, Doctoral dissertation.
University Name
The institution name follows the degree type and completes the source title element.
For example: Smith, John K. Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines, Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.
Publication Year
The publication year appears after the title section.
For example:
Smith, John K. Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines, Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 2015.
Database or Archive
Finally, specify the database or archive where you accessed the dissertation.
For example:
Smith, John K. Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines, Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 2015. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Chicago Reference Format
The Chicago Manual of Style is commonly used in the publishing industry. Chicago has two different referencing formats – notes and bibliography style creates footnotes or endnotes within the text, while author-date style uses parenthetical in-text citations similar to APA.
Here are the key elements for each format:
Notes and Bibliography Style
In notes and bibliography style, dissertation references appear in footnotes or endnotes marked by superscript numbers. The same source will appear again in the bibliography at the end.
Footnote Structure:
- Firstname Lastname, “Title of Dissertation” (Degree type, Name of Institution, Year), Page number(s).
For example:
- John K. Smith, “Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines” (PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2015), 89.
Bibliography Structure:
Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Dissertation.” Degree type, Name of Institution, Year. Database or Archive.
For example:
Smith, John K. “Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines.” PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2015. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Author-Date Style
For author-date style, the in-text citation includes the author’s last name, year, and page number in parentheses:
(Lastname Year, Page number)
The full reference at the end of the paper looks like:
Lastname, Firstname. Year. “Title of dissertation.” Degree type, Name of Institution. Database or Archive.
For example:
In-text: (Smith 2015, 89)
Reference entry: Smith, John K. 2015. “Referencing Styles for Doctoral Dissertations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Guidelines.” PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Key Details to Include
Regardless of style, there are some key details that should always be included in dissertation references:
- Author name
- Publication year
- Dissertation title
- Type of degree
- Institution that awarded the degree
- Database or archive where you accessed the dissertation
The order and punctuation may vary between formats, but this core information provides the necessary context so readers can locate the source.
Dissertation Abstracts vs. Published Dissertations
Some databases like ProQuest offer both dissertation abstracts and the full published dissertations. Abstracts only include a summary of the dissertation while the published version provides the full text.
It’s important to note which version you used in your reference. For abstracts, replace “Doctoral dissertation” with “Doctoral dissertation abstract” in the reference.
Unpublished vs. Published Dissertations
Occasionally, dissertations are published as books or journal articles after the degree is earned. In those cases, you would reference them as a book or journal article rather than a dissertation.
Common Reference List Examples
Here are some examples of how dissertation references might appear in a reference list:
APA Reference List
Jackson, J. L. (2019). Communicating science through social media: Strategies for reaching non-expert adults (Doctoral dissertation). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Schmidt, A. M. (2021). The lived experiences of first-generation college students from rural environments (Doctoral dissertation). University of Nebraska-Lincoln. CURVE.
MLA Reference List
Jackson, Jennifer L. Communicating Science through Social Media: Strategies for Reaching Non-Expert Adults, Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Schmidt, Allison M. The Lived Experiences of First-Generation College Students from Rural Environments, Doctoral dissertation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2021. CURVE.
Chicago Bibliography (Notes & Bibliography)
Jackson, Jennifer L. “Communicating Science through Social Media: Strategies for Reaching Non-Expert Adults.” PhD diss., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Schmidt, Allison M. “The Lived Experiences of First-Generation College Students from Rural Environments.” PhD diss., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2021. CURVE.
Formatting the Dissertation Title
One challenge with dissertation referencing is formatting the lengthy title correctly according to each style. Here are some tips:
- In APA, use sentence case capitalization
- In MLA, use title case capitalization
- In Chicago, use headline style in notes (all major words capitalized) and sentence case in bibliography
- Long titles can be split into two lines, but a hyphen should connect the lines
- Quotation marks or italics around the title vary by style – check guidelines
Locating Dissertation Details
You’ll need to locate key details like the degree type, university, and database to create a complete dissertation reference. This information is usually available:
- On the title page or initial pages of the dissertation
- In the metadata record for the dissertation in an online database
- On the institution’s website, catalog, or archive listing
If any details are unavailable, omit them from the reference and include as much identifiable information as possible.
