How To Cite a Thesis in APA Format

To cite a thesis in APA format, you should follow the general guidelines provided by the American Psychological Association (APA). Here's the basic format for citing a thesis:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation (Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis). Name of Institution, Location.

Here's a breakdown of each component:

1. 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.

2. Year: Put the year of publication in parentheses, followed by a period.

3. Title of thesis or dissertation: Use sentence case (capitalize only the first word of the title and any proper nouns). Italicize the title and end with a period.

4. Type of thesis: Indicate whether it is a doctoral dissertation or a master's thesis in parentheses after the title. Put it in regular font, not italicized. End with a period.

5. Name of Institution: Provide the name of the university or institution where the thesis was submitted. Do not abbreviate the name of the institution. End with a comma.

6. Location: Include the location (city and state or city and country) where the institution is located. End with a period.

Here's an example:

Smith, J. A. (2019). Exploring the impact of social media on mental health (Doctoral dissertation). University of XYZ, City, State.

If the thesis is available online, you may include the URL or the database name and accession number at the end of the citation. However, it's important to note that URLs can change, so including a stable link (if available) is preferable.

Remember to check the specific requirements of your institution or publisher, as some may have additional guidelines for citing theses and dissertations.

Professional Academic Writing Service 👈

Check our previous article: How To Cite a Thesis Using APA Format