Key Elements:
When citing theses and dissertations in APA style, 7th edition, ensure you include the following key elements:
- Author: Last name, First name initial(s).
- Year of Completion: Enclosed in parentheses.
- Title of the Thesis: In sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns capitalized).
- Type of Thesis: Specify whether it’s an unpublished master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.
- Name of the Institution: The university or institution where the thesis was completed.
- Location: The city or location of the institution.
1. Thesis/Dissertation Obtained from a University’s Website:
Format:
Author, N. (Year). Title of the thesis [Type of thesis, Name of the university]. https://www.example.com
Example:
Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016). The interaction of state and trait worry on response monitoring in those with worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms [Master’s thesis, University of Arizona]. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/620611
In-text Citation: (Zambrano-Vazquez, 2016)
Narrative In-text Citation: According to Zambrano-Vazquez (2016), …
2. Thesis/Dissertation Obtained from a Database (e.g., ProQuest):
Format:
Author, N. (Year). Title of the thesis (Publication No.) [Type of thesis, Name of the university]. Name of the Database.
Example:
Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer satisfaction at a fast food hamburger chain: The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
In-text Citation: (Kabir, 2016)
Narrative In-text Citation: According to Kabir (2016), …
Note:
- Use italics for the title of the thesis.
- Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, as well as any proper nouns.
- If the database (e.g., ProQuest) assigns publication numbers to dissertations and theses, include the publication number in parentheses after the title of the dissertation or thesis without italics.
- Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis.