How to Cite a Thesis in MLA & APA
Ahmer Naseer
5/23/2025
How to Cite a Thesis in MLA & APA
Thesis and dissertations are significant components of academic degrees, showcasing a student's research and original contributions. Proper citation of these works is essential to credit the author and allow readers to trace the source.
The two most commonly used citation styles in academia are MLA and APA, each with specific guidelines for citing dissertations.
This guide will walk you through the proper ways to cite a thesis in both formats. So, without further ado, let's get started!
Full Text Citation Rules for a Thesis in MLA & APA
Full-text citations appear in the bibliography or reference list. They provide complete information about the thesis. The details include the author's name, the title of the thesis in italics, the university, and where it can be retrieved.
MLA
| Format | Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Degree type, University, Year. Repository Name, URL. |
| Example | Wendt, Thomas M. Non-Invasive Imaging of β-Cell Mass in Health and Diabetes. PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2020. PubMed Central, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7532171/. |
APA
| Format | Author’s Last Name, Initial of Author First Name. (Year). Title of thesis [Degree type thesis, University Name]. Repository Name. URL |
| Example | Wendt, T. (2020). Non-invasive imaging of β-cell mass in health and diabetes [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles]. PubMed Central.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7532171/ |
In-Text Citation Rules for a Thesis in MLA & APA
In-text citations are included within the body of a thesis to briefly refer to the full citation listed in the bibliography or reference section.
Here’s how in-text citations are formatted:
MLA
| Format | (Author’s Last Name Page Number) |
| Example | (Wendt 42) |
APA
| Format | (Author, Year, p. Page Number) |
| Example | (Wendt, 2020, p. 42) |
Variations & Exceptions When Citing a Thesis in MLA and APA
Sometimes, a thesis may have more than one author, no listed author, or no date. These are the correct ways to cite in each case.
- Multiple Authors
List all authors. In MLA, use "and" between author names and in APA, use "&" before the final author’s name
MLA
| Format | First Author’s Last Name, First Name, and Second Author’s First Name Last Name. Title of Thesis. Degree type, University, Year. Repository and URL. |
| Example | Ahmed, Sara, and Michael L. Chen. Novel Therapeutic Targets for Alzheimer’s Disease. PhD diss., Harvard University, 2019. PubMed Central,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6803422/. |
| In-Text Citation | (Ahmed and Chen 88) |
APA
| Format | First Author Last Name, Initial of Author First Name., & Second Author Last Name, Initial of Second Author First Name. (Year). Title of thesis [Degree type thesis, University Name]. Repository. URL |
| Example | Ahmed, S., & Chen, M. (2019). Novel therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease [Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University]. PubMed Central.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6803422/ |
| In-Text Citation | (Ahmed & Chen, 2019, p. 88) |
- No Author
When no author is listed, use the title of the thesis. In MLA style, capitalize all major words and italicize the full title. In APA style, italicize the title but capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
MLA
| Format | Title of Thesis. Degree type, University, Year. Repository, URL. |
| Example | Advances in Microfluidic Systems for Cancer Diagnostics. PhD diss., MIT, 2021. PubMed Central,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8412455/. |
| In-Text Citation | (Advances in Microfluidic Systems 103) |
APA
| Format | Title of thesis (Year) [Degree type thesis, University Name]. Repository. URL |
| Example | Advances in microfluidic systems for cancer diagnostics (2021) [Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology]. PubMed Central.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8412455/ |
| In-Text Citation | (Advances in microfluidic systems, 2021, p. 103) |
- No Date
If no date is available, use "n.d." (which stands for "no date") in both MLA and APA citation styles.
MLA
| Format | Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Degree type, University, n.d. Repository, URL. |
| Example | Ngugi, Daniel. Machine Learning Approaches to Genomic Data. MS thesis, Stanford University, n.d. PubMed Central,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8123456/. |
| In-Text Citation | (Ngugi 59) |
APA
| Format | Author Last Name, Initial of Author First Name. (n.d.). Title of thesis [Degree type thesis, University Name]. Repository. URL |
| Example | Ngugi, D. (n.d.). Machine learning approaches to genomic data [Master’s thesis, Stanford University]. PubMed Central.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8123456/ |
| In-Text Citation | (Ngugi, n.d., p. 59) |
Streamline the Citation Process!
Don't have enough time to format resources for a thesis? Use Citation Machine MLA to produce publication‑ready MLA or APA thesis citations instantly.
It streamlines the sources formatting process by:
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Auto‑applying correct punctuation, italics, and capitalization
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Supporting more than 80 languages
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Offering more than one thousand citation styles
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Generating both full‑text and in‑text citations
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Quick and effortless results
How to Use Isgen Free Citation Generator to Cite a Thesis?
Using Isgen's citation generator for citing a thesis is straightforward. If you have all the information relating to the paper, you can cite the source using the Citation Machine.
The process begins with:
- Select the citation from more than 10,000 citation styles available. Then, proceed with the “Cite Manually” option.
- Choose the “Thesis” option among the citation source options.
- Now add the title, authors, editors, publisher, and all the necessary information. Then, proceed with “Create Citation.”
- Citations will be ready to download in the references list. You can either edit or copy the reference if any of the information is missing. Additionally, an in-text citation is also provided in this section.
However, if the original source details are unavailable, Isgen’s Automatic Citation tool can retrieve and format the citation based on the excerpt provided.
To begin using it, you have to:
- Choose the required citation style, paste the excerpt and then proceed with the search.
- Select the source that seems relevant to your provided excerpt.
- Finally, you will receive a complete, ready-to-use citation formatted for the references section. You can also copy the citation for use either as a Works Cited entry or for in-text citation purposes.
FAQs
1. How to Cite an Unpublished Thesis?
In APA style, when a thesis or dissertation is not published online, include the phrase “[Unpublished doctoral dissertation]” in square brackets immediately after the title. In contrast, MLA does not distinguish between published and unpublished theses.
Both are cited using the same core elements: author, italicised title, year, institution, and thesis designation. However, repository information should be omitted if the work was not accessed online.
2. How to Cite a Thesis in Another Language in APA and MLA?
When citing a thesis written in a language other than English, both APA and MLA styles require you to present the citation information in the original language. Italicize the original title and follow it with the English translation in square brackets.
Afterwards, include the degree type and the name of the institution in the usual format.