How to cite a dissertation or thesis in APA 7

The format depends on one question: is the dissertation available from a database, repository or archive? If it is, APA treats it as published. If it isn’t, it is unpublished.

Published: in a database or repository

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the dissertation in sentence case (Publication No. 12345678) [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database or Repository Name. URL

Mbeki, L. R. (2021). Water access and school attendance in rural districts (Publication No. 28000001) [Doctoral dissertation, Westbrook University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

• Title. Italic, in sentence case.
• Publication number. If the database gives one, add it in parentheses straight after the title, not italic.
• Description. In square brackets: “Doctoral dissertation” or “Master’s thesis,” a comma, and the university that awarded the degree.
• Source. The name of the database, repository or archive. Add the URL if it will work for your reader.

Unpublished: not in a database or repository

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the dissertation in sentence case [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.

Haddad, R. (2020). Reading habits of first-year students [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Brightwell College.

The bracketed label says the work is unpublished and what kind it is. The university that awarded the degree is the source.

In-text citation

Use the author and year, as for any source: (Mbeki, 2021) or Mbeki (2021) found that…

Check before you submit

• Where did you get it? The place you found it decides whether it is published or unpublished.
• A thesis from your own university. Check whether it is in your library’s repository. If so, use the published format with the repository as the source.
• Not every dissertation is in a database. Many are missing from scholarly databases, which is why a reference to one may show as “Couldn’t verify” in PaperCitation. Your library’s catalog is the best place to confirm it exists.