How To Cite a Thesis in APA
Mell Yang
To cite a thesis in APA (American Psychological Association) style, you'll need to follow a specific format. Here's a basic guide on how to cite a thesis in APA:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation (Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis). Name of Institution, Location. URL or Database Name (if applicable).
Let's break down each component:
- Author: List the author's last name followed by their initials. If there is more than one author, separate their names with commas and use an ampersand (&) before the last author's name.
- Year: Put the year of publication in parentheses. If the thesis is unpublished, use the year it was written. If it's published, use the year it was published.
- Title of thesis or dissertation: Italicize the title and use sentence case (capitalize only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns).
- Document type: Specify whether it is a doctoral dissertation or a master's thesis within parentheses.
- Name of Institution: Include the name of the university or institution where the thesis was written.
- Location: Provide the location (city and state or city and country) where the institution is located.
- URL or Database Name (if applicable): If the thesis is available online, include the URL. If it's from a database, include the name of the database.
Here is an example:
Smith, J. A. (2005). An analysis of the impact of climate change on agriculture in the Midwest (Doctoral dissertation). University of ABC, City, State. https://www.example.com/thesis123
Remember, adapt the format based on the specifics of the thesis you are citing. If the thesis is unpublished or from a database, include that information accordingly.
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Check our previous article: How To Cite a Thesis in APA Format