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Citation Help: Dissertations & Theses

WARNING

The information and examples provided on this set of pages describing APA citation style are based on the 6th (2010) edition of the Manual. A newer 7th edition is now published and available at many of our libraries across campus. The new APA 7th edition guide is now available.

APA Citation Examples: Dissertations & Theses

Dissertations and theses are actually unpublished documents, which is why they aren't cited using the same method used for books. 

Important Elements:

  • Author (last name, initials only for first and middle names)
  • Title of dissertation or thesis (capitalize only the first word of title and subtitle, and proper nouns)
  • Dissertation or Thesis distinction
  • Name of institution
  • Location
  • Database location and stable URL (if online)

Print Dissertations & Theses

Author, A. A. (year). Title of dissertation or thesis. (Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis). Name of institution, Location.

Fairfield, S. M. (2010). Creative thinking in elementary general music: a survey of teachers' perceptions and practices. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.

Online Dissertations & Theses

Author A. A. (year). Title of dissertation or thesis. (Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis). Retrieved from Name of database. (Accession or Order No.)

Fairfield, S. M. (2010). Creative thinking in elementary general music: a survey of teachers' perceptions and practices. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.c15zzw6b.

Examples from the Music Citation Guide

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Useful Resources for APA Citation