Published January 28, 2021. Updated October 28, 2021.

To create a dissertation reference or citation, you will need to know the surname, dissertation title, university, and year of publication.

The templates and examples below will show you how to cite a dissertation in MLA, APA, Chicago style, and Harvard referencing.

Easily cite a dissertation in the style of your choice using the Chegg Writing citation generator.

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Citing a dissertation in MLA style

Set the title of the dissertation in italics.

In-text citation template and example:

(Author surname Page number)

(Hagiwara 3)

Works cited entry template and example:

For more examples and information, view our citing a dissertation in MLA guide.

Citing a dissertation in APA style

Set the title of the dissertation in italics and type it in sentence case. Insert “Doctoral dissertation” and the university’s name between square brackets after the title in the Reference list entry.

In-text citation template and example:

(Author surname, Year, Page number)

(Gutowski, 2017, p. 5)

Reference list entry template and example:

For more examples and information, view our citing a dissertation in APA guide.

Citing a dissertation in Chicago style, notes-bibliography

Footnote template and example:

Note

1. First name Middle. Surname, “Dissertation Title,” (PhD diss., University name, Year), Page number.

1. Andrew Allerton Haley, “An Obedient Participant in Late Capitalism Explains Art,” (PhD diss., University of Iowa, 2017) 6.

Shortened note

1. Surname, “Dissertation Title,” Page number.

1. Haley, “An Obedient Participant in Late Capitalism Explains Art,” 6.

Bibliography entry template and example:

For more examples and information, view our citing a dissertation in Chicago Style guide.

Citing a Dissertation in Chicago style, author-date

In-text citation template and example:

(Surname Year, Page number)

(Halley 2017, 6)

Reference list entry template and example:

For more examples and information, view our citing a dissertation in Chicago Style guide.

Citing a dissertation in Harvard referencing style

The author’s name, title of the dissertation, degree type, university details, and URL are used.

In-text citation template and example:

(Surname, Year)

(Fenton, 2019)

Reference list entry template and example:

For more examples and information, view our citing a dissertation in Harvard Referencing Style guide. Writing a paper? Don’t forget to include a bibliography.