apa style reference unpublished dissertation

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Abbas, D. D. F. (2020). Manipulating of audio-visual aids in the educational processes in Al-Hilla University College. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24 (3), 1248-1263. https://doi.org.db12.linccweb.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i3/pr200875

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

In this citation guide, you will learn how to reference and cite an undergraduate thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation. This guide will also review the differences between a thesis or dissertation that is published and one that has remained unpublished. The guidelines below come from the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020a), pages 333 and 334. Please note that the association is not affiliated with this guide.

Alternatively, you can visit EasyBib.com for helpful citation tools to cite your thesis or dissertation .

Guide Overview

Citing an unpublished thesis or dissertation, citing a published dissertation or thesis from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation: reference overview, what you need.

Since unpublished theses can usually only be sourced in print form from a university library, the correct citation structure includes the university name where the publisher element usually goes.

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case [Unpublished degree type thesis or dissertation]. Name of institution.

Ames, J. H., & Doughty, L. H. (1911). The proposed plans for the Iowa State College athletic field including the design of a reinforced concrete grandstand and wall [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. Iowa State University.

In-text citation example:

• Parenthetical :  (Ames & Doughty, 1911)
• Narrative :  Ames & Doughty (1911)

If a thesis or dissertation has been published and is found on a database, then follow the structure below. It’s similar to the format for an unpublished dissertation/thesis, but with a few differences:

• The institution is presented in brackets after the title
• The archive or database name is included

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case (Publication or Document No.) [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Database name.

Examples 1:

Knight, K. A. (2011). Media epidemics: Viral structures in literature and new media (Accession No. 2013420395) [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Trotman, J.B. (2018). New insights into the biochemistry and cell biology of RNA recapping (Document No. osu1523896565730483) [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center.

In the example given above, the dissertation is presented with a Document Number (Document No.). Sometimes called a database number or publication number, this is the identifier that is used by the database’s indexing system. If the database you are using provides you with such a number, then include it directly after the work’s title in parentheses.

If you are interested in learning more about how to handle works that were accessed via academic research databases, see Section 9.3 of the Publication Manual.

In-text citation examples :

• Parenthetical citation : (Trotman, 2018)
• Narrative citation : Trotman (2018)

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year Published). Title in sentence case [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Name of archive or collection. URL

Kim, O. (2019). Soviet tableau: cinema and history under late socialism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh]. Institutional Repository at the University of Pittsburgh. https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/37669/7/Olga%20Kim%20Final%20ETD.pdf

Stiles, T. W. (2001). Doing science: Teachers’ authentic experiences at the Lone Star Dinosaur Field Institute [Master’s thesis, Texas A&M University]. OAKTrust. https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2001-THESIS-S745

It is important to note that not every thesis or dissertation published online will be associated with a specific archive or collection. If the work is published on a private website, provide only the URL as the source element.

In-text citation examples:

• Parenthetical citation : (Kim, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Kim (2019)
• Parenthetical citation : (Stiles, 2001)
• Narrative citation : Stiles (2001)

We hope that the information provided here will serve as an effective guide for your research. If you’re looking for even more citation info, visit EasyBib.com for a comprehensive collection of educational materials covering multiple source types.

If you’re citing a variety of different sources, consider taking the EasyBib citation generator for a spin. It can help you cite easily and offers citation forms for several different kinds of sources.

To start things off, let’s take a look at the different types of literature that are classified under Chapter 10.6 of the Publication Manual :

• Undergraduate thesis
• Master’s thesis
• Doctoral dissertation

You will need to know which type you are citing. You’ll also need to know if it is published or unpublished .

When you decide to cite a dissertation or thesis, you’ll need to look for the following information to use in your citation:

• Author’s last name, and first and middle initials
• Year published
• Title of thesis or dissertation
• If it is unpublished
• Publication or document number (if applicable; for published work)
• Degree type (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral)
• Thesis or dissertation
• Name of institution awarding degree
• DOI (https://doi.org/xxxxx) or URL (if applicable)

Since theses and dissertations are directly linked to educational degrees, it is necessary to list the name of the associated institution; i.e., the college, university, or school that is awarding the associated degree.

To get an idea of the proper form, take a look at the examples below. There are three outlined scenarios:

• Unpublished thesis or dissertation
• Published thesis or dissertation from a database
• Thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database

American Psychological Association. (2020a). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

American Psychological Association. (2020b). Style-Grammar-Guidelines. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative

Published August 10, 2012. Updated March 24, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

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To cite a published thesis in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, publication year, title of the thesis, institute name, archive name, and URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for an in-text citation and reference list entry of a thesis, along with examples, are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Use the author surname and the publication year in the in-text citation.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Cartmel (2007)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Cartmel, 2007)

Reference list entry template and example:

The title of the thesis is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose the thesis and the institute awarding the degree inside brackets following the publication year. Then add the name of the database followed by the URL.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the thesis [Master’s thesis, Institute Name]. Name of the Database. URL

Cartmel, J. (2007). Outside school hours care and schools [Master’s thesis, Queensland University of Technology]. EPrints. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/17810/1/Jennifer_Cartmel_Thesis.pdf

To cite an unpublished dissertation in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, year, title of the dissertation, and institute name. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of an online thesis, along with examples, are given below:

Author Surname (Year)

Averill (2009)

(Author Surname, Year)

(Averill, 2009)

The title of the dissertation is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose “Unpublished doctoral dissertation” inside brackets following the year. Then add the name of the institution awarding the degree.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of the Institute.

Averill, R. (2009). Teacher–student relationships in diverse New Zealand year 10 mathematics classrooms: Teacher care [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Victoria University of Wellington.

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How to Cite an Unpublished Paper or Manuscript in APA Referencing

3-minute read

• 23rd June 2020

Did you know that you can cite unpublished works, such as in-progress research papers or manuscripts, in an essay? Well, you can! The key is citing them correctly. And in this post, we will look at how to cite an unpublished paper or manuscript in APA referencing .

How to Cite an Unpublished Paper in APA referencing

In APA referencing, you can cite an unpublished work in the same way as you would a published one. This means giving an author’s name and a date in brackets . The only difference is that you give a year of production (i.e., when the paper was written) rather than a year of publication:

Few fully understand the publication process (Clarke, 2020).

Like other sources, if you name the author in the text, you do not need to repeat it in the brackets. And if you quote an unpublished paper, you should give page numbers. For example:

According to Clarke (2020), publication “is a complex process” (p. 20).

When a paper has been accepted for publication but not yet published, however, you should use the term “in press” in place of a year in citations:

Few fully understand the publication process (Clarke, in press).

How to Reference an Unpublished Work in APA Referencing

When adding an unpublished paper to an APA reference list , the correct format will depend on where it is in the publication process. But let’s start with works that will not be published at all (e.g., a paper that the author never submitted or that the publisher rejected).

In this case, the correct format is:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of Production). Title of manuscript [Unpublished manuscript]. Department, University Name.

So, in practice, we could cite an unpublished paper like this:

Clarke, J. (2020). The publication process explained [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Journalism, Media and Performance, University of Central Lancashire.

Referencing a Work Submitted for Publication

If a paper has been submitted for publication but not yet accepted, the reference should state “manuscript submitted for publication.” However, you should not include any other information about the submission, such as where it was submitted, as this information could go out of date quickly.

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The correct format in this case is therefore:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of Production). Title of manuscript [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department, University Name.

For example, we would list the paper above as follows:

Clarke, J. (2020). The publication process explained [Manuscript submitted for publication]. School of Journalism, Media and Performance, University of Central Lancashire.

Referencing a Paper in Press

If a paper has been accepted for publication, use the following format:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (in press). Title. Periodical or Journal Title .

As you can see, we now include both:

• The phrase “in press” to show that the paper has been accepted by the journal and is now awaiting publication.
• The title of the journal that accepted it (note, too, that we only use italics for the journal title here, not the title of the paper itself).

In practice, then, we would reference a paper awaiting publication like this:

Clarke, J. (in press). The publication process explained, Publishing Research Quarterly .

It is always worth checking the status of submitted papers before finalizing your reference list, too, as they can go from “submitted for publication” to “in press” quite suddenly, leaving your reference out of date.

Hopefully, you will now be able to cite an unpublished paper or manuscript correctly. But if you would like any further help with your writing, why not submit a document for proofreading ?

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APA (7th Edition) Referencing Guide

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Theses and dissertations

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A thesis is an unpublished document produced by student as part of the requirements for the degree. They come at various levels (e.g. Honours, Masters, PhD, etc). Check with your lecturer before using a thesis for your assignment.

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Citing Dissertations & Theses in APA Format

Dissertations & Theses

Dissertations and theses are formatted the same way in APA 7th edition. Theses are generally the culminating work for a master's or undergraduate degree and dissertations are often original research completed by doctoral students. Here are examples of a dissertation & a thesis, and how they would be formatted: 

Examples: 

Dissertation found in Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global: 

Reference:  

Banks, B. (2020). Addressing institutional racism in healthcare: A case study (Publication No. 28154307) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota]. Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global. 

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):  

(Banks, 2020).

In-Text Citation (Direct Quote):

(Banks, 2020, p. 157).

Master's thesis from a University scholarship database: 

Sears, L. B. (2017). The public voice and sustainable food systems: Community engagement in food action plans [Unpublished master's thesis]. University of Kansas.  https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/26899  

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Sears, 2017). 

(Sears, 2017, p. 24). 

Carrie Forbes, MLS

Pages Referenced

Citation information has been adapted from the APA Manual (7th Edition). Please refer to page 333 of the APA Manual (7th Edition) for more information.

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Reference in APA 7

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Reference Elements: Unpublished & Informally Published Material

Author, a. a., & author, b. b. (year). title of work in italics [description of unpublished manuscript]. department name, university name. https://xxxxxx, author, a. a., & author, b. b. (year). title of work in italics  (publication no. ###). name of database or archive. https://doi.org/xxxxxx.

Use specific manuscript descriptions, e.g. [Unpublished manuscript]. [Manuscript in preparation]. [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Always use a DOI if the resource has one. Include a URL if there isn't a DOI available and if it resolves without authentication. 

• REFERENCE LIST EXAMPLES
• IN TEXT EXAMPLES

Leemans, S. J. J. & Artem, P. (2019). Proofs with stochastic-aware conformance checking: An entropy-based approach  [Unpublished manuscript]. Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology.  https://eprints.qut.edu.au/129860/

Winegard, B. M., Winegard, B. M., Geary, D. C., & Clark, C. J. (2018). The status competition model of cultural production . PsyArXiv.  https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/apw5e/

Parenthetical Style

See theorem one as follows "for any log L and model M (given as SDFAs), it holds that 0 ≤ recall(L, M) ≤ 1 and 0 ≤ precision(L, M) ≤ 1" (Leemans et al., 2019, p. 2).

In this example, the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright is used for its functional and aesthetic qualities (Winegard et al., 2018).

Narrative Style

Leemans et al. (2019) proposes "for any log L and model M (given as SDFAs), it holds that 0 ≤ recall(L, M) ≤ 1 and 0 ≤ precision(L, M) ≤ 1" (p. 2).

Winegard et al. (2018) use the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright house as an example for its functional and aesthetic qualities.

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Reference Page Examples - Dissertations or Theses

• Published Dissertation or Thesis
• Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

 A dissertation or thesis is considered published when it is available from a database such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

If the database or archive requires users to log in before they can view the dissertation or thesis, meaning the url will not work for readers, end the reference with the database name., author, a. a. (year).  title of dissertation  (publication no. xxxxxxxxx). [doctoral dissertation or masters thesis, name of, institution that awarded the degree]. name of source i.e. proquest dissertations and theses global. url for, the dissertation or thesis., d'arcangelis, g. s. (2009).  the bio scare: anthrax, smallpox, sars, flu and post-9/11 u.s. empire  (order no.,            3388146). [doctoral dissertation, university of california los angeles]. proquest dissertations and theses,            global. , * ** remember: each source listed on the reference page must correspond to at least one in-text citation in the body of the paper; each in-text citation must correspond to a source listed on the reference page., when a dissertation or thesis is unpublished, include the description “[unpublished doctoral dissertation]” or “[unpublished master’s thesis]” in square brackets after the dissertation or thesis title., in the source element of the reference, provide the name of the institution that awarded the degree., author, a. a. (year).  title of dissertation  [unpublished doctoral dissertation or unpublished, masters thesis], name of institution that awarded the degree. , johnson, b. (2005). balanced scorecard applications  [unpublished master's thesis]. worthington university..

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Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a dissertation in APA

• Google Docs

To cite a dissertation in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the dissertation: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to seven authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For eight or more authors include the first six names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Year of publication: Give the year in brackets followed by a full stop.
• Title of the dissertation: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• URL: Give the full URL where the document can be retrieved from.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a dissertation in APA style 6th edition:

Author(s) of the dissertation . ( Year of publication ). Title of the dissertation (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from URL

If the dissertation is available from a database, archive or any online platform use the following template:

• Author(s) of the dissertation: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Publication number: Give the identification number of the dissertation, if available.
• Name of the degree awarding institution: Give the name of the institution.
• Name of platform: Give the name of the database, archive or any platform that holds the dissertation.
• URL: If the dissertation was found on a database, omit this element.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a dissertation in APA style 7th edition:

Author(s) of the dissertation . ( Year of publication ). Title of the dissertation ( Publication number ) [Doctoral dissertation, Name of the degree awarding institution ]. Name of platform . URL

If the dissertation has not been published or is available from a database use the following template:

• Location: Give the location of the institution. If outside the United States also include the country name.

Author(s) of the dissertation . ( Year of publication ). Title of the dissertation (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Name of the degree awarding institution , Location .

If the dissertation is not published, use the following template:

Author(s) of the dissertation . ( Year of publication ). Title of the dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of the degree awarding institution .

APA reference list examples

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the APA style guidelines for a dissertation citation in action:

A dissertation found in an online platform

Guo, J . ( 2018 ). Trust-based service management of internet of things systems and its applications ( Doctoral dissertation ). Retrieved from https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/82854

Guo, J . ( 2018 ). Trust-based service management of internet of things systems and its applications [ Doctoral dissertation , Virginia Tech ]. ETDs: Virginia Tech Electronic Theses and Dissertations . https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/82854

An unpublished doctoral dissertation

Neel, B. L . ( 2017 ). Three flute chamber works by Alberto Ginastera: Intertwining elements of art and folk music ( Unpublished doctoral dissertation ). University of Nebraska-Lincoln , NE .

Neel, B. L . ( 2017 ). Three flute chamber works by Alberto Ginastera: Intertwining elements of art and folk music [ Unpublished doctoral dissertation ]. University of Nebraska-Lincoln .

This citation style guide is based on the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ( 6 th edition).

More useful guides

• APA Referencing: Theses
• Reference List: Other Print Sources
• APA 6th Edition Citation Style

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APA 7th Edition Citation Style Guide

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From a Database

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General Rule:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis  (Publication No. #) [Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. Name of Database.

Davis, P. M. (2010). Access, readership, citations: A randomized controlled trial of scientific journal publishing . (Publication No.   3429815 )  [Doctoral dissertation, Cornell University].  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.  

Author, A. A. (year). Title of doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis  [Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, Name of Institution]. Name of Website. URL

Buckman, A. (1997). MOOSE Crossing: Construction, community, and learning in a networked virtual world for kids [Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology]. DSpace@MIT.  https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/33821

Author, A. A. (year). Title of doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis  [Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis]. Name of Institution.

Long, R.P. (1972). A study of instructional objectives and methods for interpersonal communication. [Unpublished master’s thesis]. West Virginia University.

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APA Citation Style

• Web Sources
• Unpublished Sources
• Sound and Video Recordings
• Chicago Notes & Bibliography

Scrivner, E. M. (1996). Role of police psychology in controlling excessive force in 50 large cities in the United States, 1992 [Data file and codebook]. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06402.v1

Doctoral Dissertations

Lastname, F. M. (year). Title of doctoral dissertation (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Name of Database. (Accession or Order No.)

Boucher, H. C. (2005). Culture and implicit self-concept inconsistency (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database. (UMI No. 3210518). 

The order number is listed under "Dissertation/thesis number" in ProQuest Dissertations . If you found the dissertation elsewhere online, for example an institutional web site, you can use the URL instead of an order number.

Unpublished interviews are considered personal communication and are cited in text only, not in the reference list. The in-text citation should include the interviewee's initials, surname, and exact date of interview, e.g. (C. M. Murray, personal communication, March 2, 2016), unless the interview was part of your qualitative data collection, in which case the identity of the interviewee should not be disclosed. If the interview has been archived, either as a recording or a transcript, cite it as archival material, as in the citation below.

Trafton, B. M. (1999). Trafton, Barbara McKnight oral history interview.  (M. Richard., Interviewer). Retrieved from Bates College, Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection website: http://scarab.bates.edu/muskie_oh/388

Lecture notes are considered personal communication  unless they have been publicly posted online (Lyceum doesn't count); personal communications are not recoverable by other researchers and should cited in text only, not in the reference list.

Ben-Shahar. T. Lecture 10: Mindfulness [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Harvard University website: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic134046.files/1504-10-mindfulness.ppt

Measurement instrument

Bavolek, S. J. (1983). Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory [Measurement instrument]. Unpublished instrument. Retrieved from http://chipts.ucla.edu/resources/?did=159.

Do not italicize the titles of software, programs, or languages. See also the APA Style Blog: How to Cite a Psychological Test in APA Style

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APA Style 6th Edition: Citing Your Sources

• Basics of APA Formatting
• In Text Quick View
• Block Quotes
• Books & eBooks
• Thesis/Dissertation

Standard Format

Various examples.

• Conference Presentations
• Course Documents
• Social Media
• Government Documents
• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
• Additional Resources
• Sample Reference Page

Dissertation or thesis available from a database service:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (year of publication).  Title of dissertation or thesis (Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis).  Retrieved from Name of database.  (Accession or Order No.)

For an unpublished dissertation or thesis:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (year of creation).  Title of dissertation or thesis (Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis).  Name of Institution, Location.

See Ch 7 pp. 207-208 APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules

Formatting:

• Italicize the title
• Identify whether source is doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title
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• AUT Library
• Library Guides
• Referencing styles and applications

APA 7th Referencing Style Guide

• Theses and dissertations
• Referencing & APA style
• In-text citation
• Elements of a reference
• Format & examples of a reference list
• Conferences
• Reports & grey literature
• Figures (graphs and images)

Terminology - Thesis, dissertation or exegesis?

Published theses and dissertations, unpublished theses and dissertations.

• Audio works
• Films, TV & video
• Visual works
• Computer software, games & apps
• Lecture notes & Intranet resources
• Legal resources
• Personal communications
• PowerPoint slides
• Social media
• Specific health examples
• Standards & patents
• Websites & webpages
• Footnotes and appendices
• Frequently asked questions

Thesis and dissertation can mean different things depending on where the degree is awarded. Always check the title page, or subsequent pages, to determine exactly what the work is and use the information for your reference. ​

Auckland University of Technology (and other NZ universities)

• Thesis is either for a doctoral or a master's degree.
• Dissertation is either for a master's or a bachelor's degree with honours.
• Exegesis is the written component of a practice-based thesis where the major output is a creative work;  e.g., a film, artwork, novel.

Other parts of the world

• In North America and some other countries, dissertation is used for a doctoral degree and thesis for a master's degree.

Theses available in a database, a university archive or from a personal website.

Reference format

Theses published online (e.g. in institutional repositories), theses from proquest dissertations and theses global.

Find how to cite in text on the  In-text citation  page.

 Unpublished thesis or dissertations are usually sourced directly from the university in print form.

 Reference format

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TAFT COLLEGE

APA Style Guide, 7th Edition: Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)

• Updated About In-text Citations
• Updated In-Text Examples
• What to Include
• Volume/Issue
• Bracketed Descriptions
• URLs and DOIs
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with No Author
• Book with Organization as Author
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Chapters and Parts of Books
• Classical Works
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Multi-Volume Works
• Newspaper Article
• Patents & Laws
• Personal Communication
• Physicians' Desk Reference
• Social Media
• Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)
• Formatting Your Paper
• Formatting Your References
• Headings in APA
• Annotated Bibliography

Formatting your References

Once you type your references on the reference page, you will need to put in a hanging indent and double-space the entire reference list. In Microsoft Word, highlight the references from A to Z, then find the paragraph function in the Word ribbon. Select Hanging under Indentation and Double under spacing. See the Formatting your References tab for instructions on doing this on a Mac or in Google Docs.

Abbas, D. D. F. (2020). Manipulating of audio-visual aids in the educational processes in Al-Hilla University College. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24 (3), 1248-1263. https://doi.org.db12.linccweb.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i3/pr200875

The citation above may not indicate a hanging indent depending on the device you are using to view it.  The second and all subsequent lines of APA formatted references use a hanging indent.

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• UNC Libraries
• HSL Academic Process
• APA Style Guide
• Other sources

APA Style Guide: Other sources

Created by health science librarians.

Comments on a Journal Article

Conferences posters / proceedings, dissertations, drug inserts, drug databases, electronic book, government/organization reports, issue briefs, legal documents, personal correspondence, unpublished meeting items, web pages / web sites.

• Citation managers

Comments on publications are becoming increasingly commonplace. With this new avenue for critical commentary on the literature, you may need to cite a comment in a paper or manuscript. Take for example this comment left in PubMed.

Use following elements where applicable:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the comment . [Peer commentary on the paper "Title of the original paper" by B. Author]. URL

There are two types of conference materials that you may be interested in citing: Presented papers/posters and proceedings. The key difference between the two is that proceedings are published, typically in a journal.

Presented paper/poster : Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year, Month Day). Title of paper or poster [Description]. Title of Conference, Location.

Published Proceedings : Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of paper or poster. Title of Proceedings, Volume , Issue, Pages-Pages. DOI or URL

For dictionaries, it is generally bad practice to cite dictionary definitions in academic papers. But you may be discussing different uses of a word, in which case, you would need to cite a dictionary. Dictionaries often have no authors present for individual entries, but generally have editors who edit the work.

Author, A. A. (Year). Word or title of entry. In A. Editor & B. Editor (Eds.), Title of the dictionary (ed., pp. #). Publisher. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

Dissertation from a database : Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation, Name of Institution]. Name of Database.

Unpublished Dissertation : Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of Institution.

Manufacturer's Name. (Year). Name of drug. [package insert].

For databases, they can be broken down into databases with and without authors. For some databases, like UpToDate, the author(s) of the section is/are listed. You should cite the author and name the editor if available; note for UpToDate that Denise S. Basow is the editor for UpToDate so cite her rather than the section or deputy editors for the entry you are citing. For database entries without authors, you can cite the database as the author.

Title of database. (n.d.). Publisher. URL

Electronic books are handled very similarly to print books, except with the addition of a URL and date accessed.

Use following elements where the book can only be purchased or accessed online, and is not in print.

Full books :

Author, A. A. (Year).  Title . Publisher. URL Example:

Brown, K.A. & Simpson, E.R. (2014).  Obesity and breast cancer . Springer. http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4899-8002-1

Chapters : Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter title. In: Editors, ed(s).  Book title  (pages of chapters). Publisher. URL

If there are no page numbers, use the chapter or entry title.

Reports with named authors : Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of work (Report No. XXX). Publisher. URL

Institutional authors : Name of the organization. (Year). Title of work (Report No. XXX). Publisher. URL

In papers or manuscripts you shouldn't cite or reproduce a specific graph from a paper, so there isn't a formal rule regarding how to give attribution when reproducing a graph in a presentation. It is generally recommended to attribute the graph as you would anything else. So let's say you want to attribute this graph:

Which was taken from the Graph from New Zealand's National Institute for Communicable Diseases' Monthly Surveillance Report available here:  http://www.nicd.ac.za/assets/files/Monthly%20NICD%20Surveillance%20Report%20-%20January%202013.pdf

Use the standard in-text citation style, which in this case would be (NICD, 2013) then cite it at the end as you would any other report. If you need help with how to do that, see our section above on citing Organization or Government reports

Name of researching organization. (year). [Brief explanation of what type of data it is, what form it is in]. Project Information. URL

National Institute for Communicable Diseases. (2013). [Number of Salmonella cases by month in South Africa, 2012 and 2013]. National Institute for Communicable Diseases' Monthly Surveillance Report. http://www.nicd.ac.za/assets/files/Monthly%20NICD%20Surveillance%20Report%20-%20January%202013.pdf

In papers or manuscripts you shouldn't cite or reproduce a specific image from a paper, so there isn't a formal rule regarding how to give attribution when reproducing a image in a presentation. It is generally recommended to attribute the image as you would anything else. So let's say you want to attribute this image:

This was taken from the State-Specific Trends in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults --- United States, 2000--2009 report from the CDC available here: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5935a1.htm?s_cid=mm5935a1_w

Use the standard in-text citation style, which in this case would be (CDC, 2010) then cite it at the end as you would any other report. If you need help with how to do that, see our section above on citing Organization or Government reports

In Process is the designation for manuscripts which have been submitted, but not accepted for publication. The reasoning for specifying the year the manuscript was written rather than when it was submitted is that the publication process may take enough time to cause a disparity between the year it was submitted to the publisher and the year it is published. You should not name the journal it was submitted to because the manuscript may be rejected by the journal and resubmitted to another journal which would cause your citation to be misleading and inaccurate.

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year the manuscript was written). Title of paper [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department, Institution.

In Press is the term used for articles which have been accepted for publication by a journal, but not formally published. There may be advanced copies of the article available from the publisher's website, but since it has been formally published is no volume or page numbers. In cases of an article being available on the publisher's website, you may need to include some additional information to complete the citation.

Accepted for publication, but no advanced copy available : Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (in press). Title of paper. Journal .

Advance copy available : Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year the advanced copy is posted to the journal's website). Title of paper [Advance online publication]. Journal . DOI or URL

• APA Style Blog: Almost Published

Name of the Institution. (Year, Month Day). Title of the issue brief (Issue Brief No. XXX). Publisher. URL

Note that legal cases can be varied. They can include: court cases (opinions) and legislative materials such as Congressional Hearings, US Federal Bills and Resolutions, US Federal Reports, US Federal Statues, US Federal Administrative Regulations, US State Bills and Resolutions, and US State Statutes.

They can be broadly grouped into the categories or: court cases, legislation, and legal journals.

Legislation may include enacted laws, which are entered into the US Code (USC) or state statutes and given a section number (§), and debated laws.

Legal references gathered online will include all the information listed below plus the URL and accessed date, as any other online reference.

You may need to consult section 7.1 of the APA manual for a full elaboration of the item you are citing, but briefly here are the basics.

For legal cases: Name v. Name, Volume Source Page (Court Date).

For enacted legislation/statues: Name of Act, Volume Source § Section number (Year).

For debated legislation: Title, Number of the Legislative Body and Name of Legislative Body (Year)

Personal correspondence is not listed in the references in either AMA or APA. You should cite it in-text, but refrain from putting it into your reference list. Personal correspondence includes:

• conversations

While not all journals require permission from the source of the correspondence, it is good form to request permission from the source before citing them.

Name, personal communication, Month Day, Year

In papers or manuscripts you shouldn't cite or reproduce a specific table from a paper, so there isn't a formal rule regarding how to give attribution when reproducing a table in a presentation. It is generally recommended to attribute the table as you would anything else. So let's say you want to attribute this table:

This was taken from the Leprosy update 2011 report from the WHO's Weekly epidemiological record available here:  http://www.who.int/wer/2011/wer8636.pdf?ua=1

Use the standard in-text citation style, which in this case would be (WHO, 2011) then cite it at the end as you would any other report. If you need help with how to do that, see our section on citing Organization or Government reports

Thesis from a database : Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis (Publication No.) [Master's thesis, Name of Institution]. Name of Database.

Unpublished Thesis : Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis [Unpublished master's thesis]. Name of Institution.

Unpublished meeting items can include conferences which do not publish posters or briefs, oral or poster presentations.

Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of paper or poster [Description of contribution]. Title of Meeting, Location.

Author, A. A. (or company that runs website). (Date of electronic publication or update). Title of the document [or Description of content]. URL

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APA 6 Style Guide

Thesis/dissertation – apa reference list, capitalization.

• The document title is in sentence case – Only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. Always capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon or a dash.
• The title of the thesis or dissertation is in title case – Each word in the name is capitalized, except for articles (a, an, the), prepositions (against, between, in, of, to), conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), and the infinitive 'to'.

Thesis/Dissertation – Unpublished/Print version

For papers written in United States list City and State. For countries outside United States list City and Country.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis  (Unpublished doctoral dissertation [OR] Unpublished master's thesis). Academic Institution , City , State [OR] Country .

• Considine, M. (1986). Australian insurance politics in the 1970s: Two case studies . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
• Kassover,A. (1987). Treatment of abusive males: Voluntary vs. court-mandated referrals (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

Thesis/Dissertation – From a commercial database (e.g., ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database)

Author , A ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Name of database . ( Accession or Order Number )

Cooley, T. (2009).  Design, development, and implementation of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): The Hartford Job Corps Academy case study (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3344745)

Thesis/Dissertation – Institutional Database (i.e. University website)

For U.S. thesis do not include university or locations. Include the university and location (City and Country) for a non-U.S. online thesis.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis). Retrieved from http:// url.com

• Adams, R. J. (1973). Building a foundation for evaluation of instruction in higher education and continuing education (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/
• Barua, S. (2010). Drought assessment and forecasting using a nonlinear aggregated drought index  (Doctoral dissertation, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia). Retrieved from http://vuir.vu.edu.au/1598

Thesis/Dissertation – Web

For U.S. thesis do not include locations. Include the location (City and Country) for a non-U.S. online thesis.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, Institution issuing degree). Retrieved from http:// www.url.com

• Bruckman, A. (1997). MOOSE Crossing: Construction, community, and learning in a networked virtual world for kids (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Retrieved from http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~asb/thesis

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Legal, Public and Unpublished Materials

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

General Guidelines for Public and Unpublished Materials

Notes and bibliographic entries for public documents, like other documents, should include the elements needed to locate the items. These essential elements often include the following:

• Country, city, state, province, county, etc.
• Legislative body, executive department, court, bureau, board commission or committee, etc.
• Subsidiary divisions
• Title, if any, of the document or collection
• Individual author (editor or compiler), if given
• Report number or any other identification necessary or useful in finding the specific document
• Publisher, if different from issuing body

Footnote or Endnote (N):

1. Firstname Lastname, “Title of Document” (source type identifier, Place of Publication, year of publication), page number(s).

Corresponding Bibliographic Entry (B):

Legal Materials and Government Documents

Legal materials and other government documents should be cited using footnotes, endnotes, and/or citation sentences (with clauses including the same information required in a footnote). Print copies of the sources tend to be preferred to digital, though verified digital sources are acceptable.

When writing for law journals or other legal publications, these sources are not usually required to be cited in a bibliography or on a references page. Citation sentences alone are an acceptable form of citation, so long as the document has only a few legal citations (for more information, see The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., sections 14.269-305 and 15.58.)

Court Decisions and Cases

Notes for court cases should include case name, number, volume number, abbreviated name(s) of reporter, and, in parentheses, the abbreviated name of the court and the date. Case names written in full are typeset in roman, while in subsequent shortened citations the short form of the case name is italicized. Citations are assumed to refer to decisions as a whole unless a particular page is cited using “at” (see example 3 below). The CMOS offers the following note examples in section 14.276:

United States v. Christmas, 222 F.3d 141, 145 (4th Cir. 2000).

Profit Sharing Plan v. Mbank Dallas, N.A., 683 F. Supp. 592 (N.D. Tex. 1988).

Christmas, 222 F.3d at 145. The court also noted that under United States v. Sokolow, 490 U.S. 1, 7 (1989), police may briefly detain a person without probable cause if the officer believes criminal activity “may be afoot.” Christmas, 222 F.3d at 143; see also Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968).

Theses and Dissertations

Thesis and dissertation titles appear in quotation marks, not in italics, but are cited in all other ways like books. Include name, title, type of document, academic institution, and date, in that order. If the item was found online, include a URL or DOI (see guidelines for citing online sources ).

1. Tara Hostetler, “Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary’” (master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007), 15-16.

Hostetler, Tara. "Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary.’” Master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007.

Letters and Unpublished Manuscripts

Letters and unpublished materials that have not been archived may be cited like other unpublished material, with information on location replaced by wording such as “private collection of Trinity Overmyer” or “in the author’s possession.” The location is not mentioned.