When referencing a PhD dissertation, the specific format can vary depending on the citation style being used. In general, the following information should be included:
Check our study guide to know more about "How to write a PhD Dissertation."
Author's name: The author's name should be listed as it appears on the title page of the dissertation. If the author has a middle name or initial, it should be included after the first name. If there are multiple authors, list them in the order they appear on the title page.
Year of publication: The year of publication should be listed in parentheses after the author's name. This is the year the dissertation was completed and submitted for evaluation, not necessarily the year it was published.
Title of the dissertation: The title of the PhD dissertation should be in italics and sentence case. Sentence case means that only the first word of the title, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon or dash should be capitalized. If the dissertation has a subtitle, it should be separated by a colon.
University name: The name of the university where the dissertation was submitted should be listed after the title, followed by a comma. This identifies where the research was conducted and provides context for the reader.
ProQuest or other database accession number: If the dissertation was accessed through an electronic database, such as ProQuest, the accession number should be included at the end of the citation. This number is assigned to the dissertation by the database and helps readers locate the document. If the dissertation is not available through a database, this component can be omitted.
Further, it is important to follow the formatting & referencing guidelines provided by your academic institution or publisher when referencing a PhD dissertation. Here are some examples of how to reference a PhD dissertation in different citation styles:
i) APA: Author. (Year), Title of dissertation (Doctoral dissertation), name of Institution, Location.
Example: Smith, J. (2018), The effects of exercise on mental health (Doctoral dissertation), University of California, Los Angeles.
ii) MLA: Author, Title of dissertation, year of publication, name of Institution, Degree Level.
Example: Smith, John. The Effects of Exercise on Mental Health. 2018. University of California, Los Angeles, PhD dissertation.
iii) Chicago: Author. "Title of dissertation." PhD diss., Name of Institution, Year.
Example: Smith, John. "The Effects of Exercise on Mental Health." PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2018.
iv) Harvard Style:
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of publication). Title of dissertation/thesis. Level of thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis). Name of Institution, Location.
Example: Smith, J. A. (2018), An investigation into the effects of social media on mental health among young adults, doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.
Note that there may be slight variations in formatting depending on the specific Referencing styles being used. The citation may vary slightly if the dissertation is unpublished or accessed through the author's personal website or repository. It is always a good idea to check the specific guidelines of your citation style and institution.
