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How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in MLA

Citing a thesis or dissertation.

Thesis – A document submitted to earn a degree at a university.

Dissertation – A document submitted to earn an advanced degree, such as a doctorate, at a university.

The formatting for thesis and dissertation citations is largely the same. However, you should be sure to include the type of degree after the publication year as supplemental information. For instance, state if the source you are citing is an undergraduate thesis or a PhD dissertation.

MLA Thesis and Dissertation Citation Structure (print)

Last, First M.  Title of the Thesis/Dissertation. Year Published. Name of University, type of degree.

MLA Thesis and Dissertation Citation Structure (online)

Last, First M.  Title of the Thesis/Dissertation. Year Published. Name of University, type of degree.  Website Name , URL.

Wilson, Peggy Lynn. Pedagogical Practices in the Teaching of English Language in Secondary Public Schools in Parker County . 2011. University of Maryland, PhD dissertation.

In-text Citation Structure

(Author Last Name page #)

In-text Citation Example

(Wilson 14)

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

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• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, Call Box 9000 Mayagüez, PR 00681     (787) 832-4040 ext. 3810, 2151, 2155    [email protected]

MLA 9th Edition Style Guide: Dissertation/Thesis

• Generic Section Labels
• Inclusive Language
• Publisher Abbreviations
• Formatting your Paper
• Annotated Bibliography
• Social Media
• Audiovisual
• Personal Communication

Dissertation/Thesis

• News Publication
• Classroom Material
• Conference Proceedings and Papers
• Footnotes and Endnotes
• Tables and Figures
• Useful Links

Njus, Jesse. Performing the Passion: A Study on the Nature of Medieval Acting . 2010. Northwestern U,

MA thesis.  ProQuest , search.proquest.com/docview/305212264?accountid=7432.

Dissertation

PhD dissertation.  ProQuest , search.proquest.com/docview/305212264?accountid=7432.

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Mla 8th ed. style guide: dissertations, theses.

• Art, Photography, Music
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• Dissertations, Theses
• Emails, Social Media
• Film, Television, Video
• Journal, Newspaper, & Magazine Articles
• Legal Sources
• Parenthetical (in-text) Citations
• Web Sites, Blogs
• Need more help?

Essential Elements

Citations for dissertations/master's theses should include the following:

1. Name of Author 

2. Title of dissertation/thesis (italicized)

3. Date of Publication

5. Institution granting the degree (optional)

6. Description of the work (optional)

7. Database and URL if accessed through a database or repository

Sample Citation - Dissertations

Dissertations

The institution granting the degree and description of the work are optional. If you accessed the work online, include that information. 

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MLA Citation Style Guide: 7th Edition

• Web Sources
• Journal Articles
• Magazine & News Articles
• Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, & Reference Materials
• Audiovisual Media
• Legal & Government Documents

Dissertation and Theses: Unpublished

Dissertation and theses: published, contact kelly.

• In-Text Citations
• Works Cited Page

General, Electronic:

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Dissertation.” Diss. Place of Study, Year. Title of Database . Web. Date Month Year of Access.

Forrester, Pearl. “Psychological Distress and Repeated Television Viewing.” Diss. Miskatonic University, 1990. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses . Web. 13 May 2010.

General, Print:

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Dissertation.” Diss. Place of Study, Year. Print.

Forrester, Pearl. “Psychological Distress and Repeated Television Viewing.” Diss. Miskatonic University, 1990. Print.

General Rule:

Author's Last-name, First-name. Title of Disstertaion . Diss. Place of Study, Year. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Format.

Diamond, Oscar. How to Care for Your Diabetic Cat . Diss. West Virginia University, 1999. New York: Knopf, 2000. Print.

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Citation Help for MLA, 8th Edition: Master's Thesis or Project

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• Ethically Use Sources

Panasuk, Noel. What Variables Appear to Work in Stress Management Programs in      the Workplace and How Effective are These Programs?  MS Thesis, The College of      St. Scholastica, 2008.

Explanation

Author: Panasuk, Noel. Last name first, followed by first and middle names. End with a period.   

Title & subtitle of the book: What Variables Appear to Work in Stress Managment Programs in the Workplace and How Effective are These Programs? The title and subtitle are separated by a colon. Capitalize all important and proper words. Place in Italics and end with a period or if it has a question mark in the title, that is sufficient.    Status of Publishing: MA Thesis, Use the words MA Thesis followed by a comma. If it is a project, then use the words MA project. If it is a doctoral dissertation, use the word Dissertation. Name of Institution Where Degree was Granted: The College of St. Scholastica, The full name of the college or university followed by a comma. Year of Publication: 2008. List the year of publication, which appears on the title page or the title page verso (back side of title page). End citation with a period. 

[Th e above information is based on   Purdue OWL .]

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MLA General Format 

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.

MLA Style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and citing research in writing. MLA Style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages. 

Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of source material produced by other writers. 

If you are asked to use MLA format, be sure to consult the  MLA Handbook  (9th edition). Publishing scholars and graduate students should also consult the  MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing  (3rd edition). The  MLA Handbook  is available in most writing centers and reference libraries. It is also widely available in bookstores, libraries, and at the MLA web site. See the Additional Resources section of this page for a list of helpful books and sites about using MLA Style.

Paper Format

The preparation of papers and manuscripts in MLA Style is covered in part four of the  MLA Style Manual . Below are some basic guidelines for formatting a paper in  MLA Style :

General Guidelines

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
• Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are each distinct from one another. The font size should be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor).
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.
• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
• Use italics throughout your essay to indicate the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, provide emphasis.
• If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

• Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested or the paper is assigned as a group project. In the case of a group project, list all names of the contributors, giving each name its own line in the header, followed by the remaining MLA header requirements as described below. Format the remainder of the page as requested by the instructor.
• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks. Write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
• Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text. For example:  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas  as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
• Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
• Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit the last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)

Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style:

The First Page of an MLA Paper

Section Headings

Writers sometimes use section headings to improve a document’s readability. These sections may include individual chapters or other named parts of a book or essay.

MLA recommends that when dividing an essay into sections you number those sections with an Arabic number and a period followed by a space and the section name.

MLA does not have a prescribed system of headings for books (for more information on headings, please see page 146 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing , 3rd edition). If you are only using one level of headings, meaning that all of the sections are distinct and parallel and have no additional sections that fit within them, MLA recommends that these sections resemble one another grammatically. For instance, if your headings are typically short phrases, make all of the headings short phrases (and not, for example, full sentences). Otherwise, the formatting is up to you. It should, however, be consistent throughout the document.

If you employ multiple levels of headings (some of your sections have sections within sections), you may want to provide a key of your chosen level headings and their formatting to your instructor or editor.

Sample Section Headings

The following sample headings are meant to be used only as a reference. You may employ whatever system of formatting that works best for you so long as it remains consistent throughout the document.

Formatted, unnumbered:

Level 1 Heading: bold, flush left

Level 2 Heading: italics, flush left

Level 3 Heading: centered, bold

Level 4 Heading: centered, italics

Level 5 Heading: underlined, flush left

Citation Formats: MLA 8 and 9

• Citation Basics
• Chicago/Turabian
• MLA 8 and 9

The New MLA

The MLA Handbook,  8th edition, has abandoned the "print" v. "web" designations, and now uses a universal set of guidelines for all sources focusing on "containers" of information. The 9th edition of the handbook continues the same format and provides additional examples.

• A useful practice template for creating source citations is linked in the Help Resources in the right column below.
• For experienced users of MLA, check out the link to "What's New in the Eighth Edition" for a summary of changes.

Journal Article examples

Journal article with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier):

Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History."  Callaloo,  vol. 24, no. 2, Spring 2001, pp. 620-26. Project Muse , doi:10.1353/cal.2001.0097.

Journal article from a database:

Capperdoni, Alessandra. "Why the Avant-Garde? The Function of the Letter in Canadian Avant-Garde Poetics."  Canadian Literature , no. 210/211, Autumn/Winter 2011, pp. 97-114.  Academic Search Complete , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=73785263&site=ehost-live

Journal article in print (more than 2 authors):

Cooper, Stewart E., et al. "Professional Preparation and Continuing Education for Beginning, Entry, Midlevel, and Senior Consulting Psychologists." Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research , vol. 59, no. 1, 2007, pp. 1-16.

Journal article reprinted in a book series:

Bergmann, Harrier F. "‘A Piercing Virtue': Emily Dickinson in Margaret Drabble's The Waterfall ." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by,  Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 129, Gale, 2000, pp. 124-29. Originally published in  Modern Fiction Studies , vol. 36, no. 2, Summer 1990, pp. 181-93.

Journal article from an online repository or other open access site:

Shehan, Constance L., and Amanda B. Moras. “Deconstructing Laundry: Gendered Technologies and the Reluctant Redesign of Household Labor.” Michigan Family Review , vol. 11, no. 1, 2006, pp. 39-54. hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.4919087.0011.104.

Articles from Magazines, Newspapers, Encyclopedias, and the Web

Print magazine article:

Kates, Robert W. “Population and Consumption: What We Know, What We Need to Know.” Environment , Apr. 2000, pp. 10-19.

Online magazine article:

Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur.” The Atlantic , 28 Dec.2014,  www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/the-death-of-the-artist-and-the-birth-of-the-creative-entrepreneur/383497/.

Print newspaper article:

Ruhe, Pierre. "Pouring it On: Heat Churns in a Vicious Cycle." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , main edition, 8 Aug. 2008, p. A1.

Online newspaper article (no author):

“The Scientists Speak.” New York Times , 20 Nov. 2007, nyti.ms/25n2Pf9.

Newspaper article from a library database:

Jeromack, Paul. “This Once, A David of the Art World Does Goliath a Favor.” New York Times,  late edition, 13 July 2002, p. B7. LexisNexis Academic , www.lexisnexis.com/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=468H-Y5C0-01CN-H2CR&csi=270944,270077,11059,8411&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true.

Article in multi-volume encyclopedia:

Schroth, Gwen. "Scheduling." Encyclopedia of Education , edited by James W. Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 6, Macmillan Reference USA, 2003, pp. 2095-99.

Blog post or web article:

Hollmichel, Stefanie. "The Reading Brain: Differences between Digital and Print."  So Many Books , 25 Apr. 2013, somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain-differences-between-digital-and-print/.

Book and Anthology examples

Books in print:

Wieder, Alan. Teacher and Comrade: Richard Dudley and the Fight for Democracy in South Africa . State U of New York P, 2008.

Eggins, Suzanne, and Diana Slade.  Analyzing Casual Conversation . Cassell, 1997.

Quirk, Randolph, et al.  A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language . Longman,1985.

Ebook from a library database:

Coutinho, Steve. An Introduction to Daoist Philosophies . Columbia UP, 2014. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=658170&site=ehost-live.

Book chapter in an edited volume:

Bordo, Susan. “The Moral Content of Nabokov’s Lolita .” Aesthetic Subjects , edited by Pamela R. Matthews and David McWhirter, U of Minnesota P, 2003, pp. 125-52.

Stand-alone work (e.g., a play) in an anthology:

Euripides. The Trojan Women .  Ten Plays , translated by Paul Roche, New American Library, 1998, pp. 457-512.

Dissertations And Theses

Dissertation from ProQuest database:

Njus, Jesse. Performing the Passion: A Study on the Nature of Medieval Acting . 2010. Northwestern U, PhD dissertation. ProQuest, search.proquest.com/docview/305212264?accountid=13965.

Print master's thesis:

Remedios, Richard E. Defining My Process: My Journey Through the MFA Acting Program at the University of South Carolina . 2007. U of South Carolina, Master's thesis.

Social Media and Non-Textual Sources

@USC. "GO GAMECOCKS." Twitter , 13 Mar. 2022, 7:52 p.m., twitter.com/USC/status/1503157124217675780.

YouTube video:

"This is How Social Media is Destroying Your Life - The Fake Reality." YouTube , uploaded by MotivationGrid, 16 Jul. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Tq2gvGt80.

Online image with URL and access date:

Van Gogh, Vincent. The Potato Eaters . 1885. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Van Gogh Museum , artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-potato-eaters-vincent-van-gogh/7gFcKarE9QeaXw. Accessed 20 Mar. 2022.

Streaming film:

The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till , directed by Keith Beauchamp, Shout Factory, 2005, Kanopy . sc.kanopy.com/video/untold-story-emmett-louis-till. Accessed 20 Mar. 2022.

MLA Handbook

Help resources

• MLA Practice Template
• Using MLA Format Comprehensive help from the MLA Style Center, including quick guides to works cited and in-text citations, help formatting your research paper, and "Ask the MLA" questions and answers about unusual situations.

Printable style sheet

• MLA 8 Style Sheet
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How To Cite A Thesis MLA: Expert Tips And Guidelines

One of the biggest academic crimes is quoting or summarizing someone’s work without giving them due credit. This is known as plagiarism and could cut your academic career short in a ruthless way. To eliminate the chances of this happening, you need to cite your sources for your thesis or dissertation properly.

While a thesis is a document that precedes earning your degree at the university, a dissertation is a more advanced form for earning higher degrees like a doctorate. It’s time to find out everything you need to know about citing a thesis MLA correctly using our simple and straightforward guide.

Table of Contents

What you should know about mla.

• 1.1 Headers
• 1.2 Paper formatting
• 1.3 Creating your title page
• 1.4 Including page numbers and a running head while citing in MLA
• 1.5 Using quotations
• 1.6 Citing various media in MLA thesis

Best Way To Cite Your Thesis Or Dissertation

The first step in knowing how to cite a thesis MLA is to know exactly what the MLA format means.

The MLA format means Modern Language Association format. It is one of the most popular citation methods in thesis and dissertations. No worries, it’s actually pretty easy to master as well. If you have to write research papers on subjects in the field of humanities, chances are you would have to use the MLA format. So far, there are thousands of magazines, newsletters, and scholarly journals cited in the MLA format.

Therefore, an MLA thesis can be a master’s level work and a shorter version of research work that’s compulsory before getting an undergraduate degree. Regardless of the purpose, being in the humanities discipline will almost always guarantee that you would have to learn how to cite a thesis MLA.

If you’re writing a standard research project for your MLA thesis, there are specifications that you must adhere to. From the headers and margin size to the location of the listed names and the format for listing, you need to pay attention to these details while citing your dissertation in MLA format.

Thankfully, many schools hold research seminars to guide students on citing a dissertation MLA the right way. Although your university may have given out handbooks to help you master the MLA format for your thesis, it’s always best to also explore online guides. Getting as familiar as possible with the MLA format will definitely pay off in the long run when you have a finished thesis with absolutely no mistakes.

However, if you don’t really need or want that skill, you can custom thesis writing help and spend your free time to reach for your own goals.

Guide To MLA Citation Dissertation

Here is a detailed walk through on how to do MLA citations correctly:

Be sure that the space from the top of the first page to the first line is one inch Your full name, instructor’s name, course, and date should be on separate lines and double spaced. The title should not be in bold or underlined. Also, do not type the title in capital letters. No period is necessary after your headings or the title of your paper. Indent your paragraphs

John Berlin Professor Tokyo Sociology 502 20 February 2022 The Effects of COVID-19 in the Adoption of Remote Work It’s no secret that COVID-19 has changed the future of work as we know it. Now, it’s not a big deal to have people work from home instead of getting all dressed up for a typical 9-5 workday.

Recommended paper size is 8 ½-by-11-inch. Only one-inch margins are permitted for all pages. This is usually a default setting in most word processing programs. One-half-inch indentations are mandatory for the first word of every paragraph. Only use double spacing throughout your research paper. The standard font size is 12 points, and it’s best to use a font type that is easy to read. Recommended fonts are Times New Roman and Arial.

Align the title to the center of the page without italics, bold, or underlined fonts. If your title includes the title of another source, you may include quotation marks or italics. Every text on the title page should be double spaced Use the title case format for your titles, which means capitalizing only the first letter of each word. Your full name, instructor’s name, the course title, and due date of the assignment should be on separate lines at the bottom third of the page.

Your last name should come before the page number and be separated by a single space. While this usually begins on the second page, your professor may specifically request that you include the running head on the first page as well.

The name of the author shouldn’t be included in the sentence. Instead, this should be in parentheses after the sentence The quotes represent the direct statement or words of the author.

As the main character, we can get a bigger glimpse into his state of confusion when he states, “Nothing could have prepared me for the rude shock when I realized that the machine could double as my beginning and end” (Cesaro 254).

Place the image as close to the text as possible. Label the image starting with “Fig.” Include the MLA bibliography format citation below the image if you don’t plan to list it on the works cited page

Fig. 3. The Isle. “Geography of history’s most beautiful site, Paris.” Library of France, www.lof.gov/image/7373963/.

For both thesis and dissertations, the MLA format is usually the same. You will be required to state the type of degree you’re writing the paper for. This could be a Ph.D. dissertation or an undergraduate thesis. There are also crucial differences in citing your dissertation in MLA format if your source is a print document or gotten online. Here is an excellent example of how to cite your thesis in MLA.

Last Name, First, and Middle Name. Title of the Dissertation/Thesis. Year of Publication. University, Degree type.

Last Name, First, and Middle Name. Title of the Dissertation/Thesis. Year of Publication. University, Degree type. Name of Website, URL.

Here are some examples to give you a better idea of how this citation works:

Edsel, Colin Perry. A Study of the Role of Students of Economics in Determining the Impact of Supply and Demand in Advanced Societies. 2014. University of Westminster, BSc thesis. Edsel, Colin Perry. A Study of the Role of Students of Economics in Determining the Impact of Supply and Demand in Advanced Societies. 2014. University of Westminster, Ph.D. dissertation. Edsel, Colin Perry. A Study of the Role of Students of Economics in Determining the Impact of Supply and Demand in Advanced Societies. 2014. University of Westminster, Ph.D. dissertation. Statistics in Motion, www.statisticsinmotion.com/role-of-students-of-economics.

For in-text citations, you should follow this structure:

(Last Name of the Author page number)

Here is an example of in-text citation:

(Cesaro 254)

Citing MLA Thesis Help

So far, this detailed guide has introduced you to the structure necessary for citing a dissertation in MLA format. However, it’s okay if you’re still a little confused about how to go about this successfully. This is where a reliable dissertation service comes in. While you can get all the tips you need on how to cite a thesis paper in MLA format from your college, professor, teacher, or even other students at school, you can take advantage of possibility to pay for thesis .

All you have to do is order for your custom dissertation or thesis, and you’ll be assigned experts online that are ready to deliver within a short time. In all of these, it’s essential to pay extra attention to the specific instructions of your teacher or professor as the guidelines here are recommendations to help you achieve the best work. If this doesn’t follow the structure laid down by your college or university, you may end up missing vital marks.

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Formatting the Thesis

All Gallatin theses should abide by certain conventions regarding style and physical production. While the formats will not necessarily be identical, the documents should generally be consistent with the following guidelines.

Every thesis, whether research, performance or project, should include the following items:

• a title page ;
• a one-page, single-spaced abstract;
• a table of contents, with page numbers; if necessary, a table of illustrations, tables or figures;
• the body of the text, with appropriate headings for chapters, sub-sections or other parts;
• appendices or portfolios as appropriate;
• a complete bibliography (not annotated).

The following items may be included if the student wishes, and should be placed on one or more roman-numerated pages following the abstract and before the table of contents:

• a copyright
• a dedication
• acknowledgments

Layout Specifications

• Type Size and Style The same typeface is to be used throughout the thesis. Students should choose a standard book font, such as Century, Garamond, Goudy, Palatino, or Times New Roman (this is not an inclusive list).  An 11-point or 12-point font is appropriate for a thesis.
• Pagination The paper should be numbered in arabic numerals, starting at 1 for the first page of text; pages before that (abstract, table of contents, preface, etc.) should be numbered in roman numerals, as indicated in the style book. Numbers should be placed consistently on the page: in the top middle, or top right, or bottom middle or bottom right.
• Margins and Spacing Margins should be 1" on the left, right, top and bottom. The thesis should be double-spaced.
• Proofreading The final copy of the thesis must be thoroughly and correctly proofread. The thesis readers will give the student written and/or oral indications of typographical (as well as spelling and grammatical) errors that they find in the document. The student will then make these corrections and submit the final copy of the thesis no more than 30 days after the defense, using the Final Thesis Submission Form.
• Copyright To learn how to obtain a certificate of copyright for the thesis, visit the Web site of the United States Copyright Office.

Style Guide

Each thesis must conform to the style requirements of one of the following manuals: American Psychological Association (APA); Modern Language Association (MLA); Chicago Manual of Style. These books govern such matters as: formats for citations and bibliographies; page layouts and pagination; the use of specialized terms, etc. Whatever form the student chooses should be used consistently.

• Plagiarism and grammar
• Citation guides

Cite a Thesis in MLA

Don't let plagiarism errors spoil your paper

Consider your source's credibility. ask these questions:, contributor/author.

• Has the author written several articles on the topic, and do they have the credentials to be an expert in their field?
• Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
• Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
• Book: What have reviews said about it?
• What do you know about the publisher/sponsor? Are they well-respected?
• Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
• Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
• Does the author or the organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
• Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or to spread an agenda? Is there commercial intent?
• Are there ads?
• When was the source published or updated? Is there a date shown?
• Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented to your argument?
• Does the source even have a date?
• Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
• If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?
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Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition) UNDER CONSTRUCTION

• Theses and Dissertations
• Title of source
• Title of container
• Contributor
• Publication date
• Supplemental Elements
• Advertisements
• Books, eBooks & Pamphlets
• Class Notes & Presentations
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Government Documents
• Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
• Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)
• Journal Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Religious Texts
• Social Media

Citation Templates

Print versions, electronic versions.

• Videos & DVDs
• When Information Is Missing
• Works Quoted in Another Source
• In-Text Citations
• Sample Works Cited List
• Sample Annotations This link opens in a new window
• Plagiarism This link opens in a new window

Dissertations and theses

Dissertations and theses are written to fulfil an academic degree requirement, usually at the Masters or PhD level. They usually have only 1 author.

For the most part, treat them like books with supplemenal elements.

• Since dissertations and theses are often re-worked into articles and books, it is important to note when your source was written to fulfill an academic degree requirement
• The publisher is the degree-granting instution
• Do not include the program, department, school, division, or similar information
• Usually placed before the container of the online repository which houses the publication
• Automatic citation generators often treat online theses and dissertations as websites or journal articles, so will be missing the key information

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Publication Date. University name, Degree conferred .

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Publication Date. University name, Degree conferred . Online Repository , URL.

In-Text Citation

(Author's Last Name ##)

Replace ## with page number(s) for quotes or where the idea is discussed.

Smith, Kate Elizabeth. The Influence of Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy on American Fashion, 1952-1965 . 2001. Michigan State University, MA Thesis.

Austin, Katherine. Rasquache Baroque in the Chicana/o Borderlands . 2012. McGill U, PhD thesis. eScholarship , https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/8p58ph61j. Accessed 6 Jan. 2023.

• eScholarship is McGill University's online repository of dissertations and theses
• Followed McGill's lead and used "thesis" instead of "dissertation"

Grullon, Jaymi Leah. Campy Musical Black Queer Forms: Finding Utopia in Lil Nas X's World of "Montero ". St. John's University, MA Thesis. St. John's Scholar , https://scholar.stjohns.edu/theses_dissertations/477

• St. John's Scholar is the university's online repository of dissertations and theses

Hutchinson, Jennifer. Emotional Response to Climate Change Learning: An Existential Inquiry . 2021. Antioch University, Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. EBSCOhost , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=ddu&AN=29DBEAFBF585BC45&site=eds-live&scope=site.

• Found record in OwlCat, so used EBSCOhost as the repository
• Could be more specific and replace the EBSCOhost info with: OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center , http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1602019356792951.
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Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a PhD thesis in MLA

To cite a PhD thesis in a reference entry in MLA style 9th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) name: Give the last name and name as presented in the source (e. g. Watson, John). For two authors, reverse only the first name, followed by ‘and’ and the second name in normal order (e. g. Watson, John, and John Watson). For three or more authors, list the first name followed by et al. (e. g. Watson, John, et al.)
• Thesis title: Titles are italicized when independent. If part of a larger source add quotation marks and do not italize.
• Year of publication: Give the year of publication as presented in the source.
• University: Give the name of the institution.
• Degree: Type of degree.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a PhD thesis in MLA style 9th edition:

Author(s) name . Thesis title . Year of publication . University , Degree .

Take a look at our works cited examples that demonstrate the MLA style guidelines in action:

A PhD thesis with one author

Confait, Marina Fatima . Maximising the contributions of PHD graduates to national development: the case of the Seychelles . 2018 . Edith Cowan U , PhD thesis .

Bowkett, David . Investigating the ligandability of plant homeodomains . 2015 . Oxford U , PhD thesis .

This citation style guide is based on the MLA Handbook (9 th edition).

More useful guides

• MLA 8th ed. Style Guide: Dissertations, Theses
• MLA, 8th Edition: Master's Thesis or Project
• How do I cite a dissertation in MLA style?

More great BibGuru guides

• MLA: how to cite a video game
• Chicago: how to cite a 10-k report
• Chicago: how to cite a TV show episode

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Graduate Education

Office of graduate and postdoctoral education, 12 grad students named as finalists for 2024 three minute thesis competition.

Mar 26, 2024

After six intense preliminary rounds, twelve exceptional scholars have emerged from a pool of 65 talented candidates, earning their place as finalists in Georgia Tech's highly anticipated annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. On Friday, April 5, 2024, these finalists will hit the stage, harnessing their research expertise, to deliver compelling presentations in a three-minute format.

Congratulations to the following twelve finalists:

Karina Bhattacharya MID Industrial Design 

Vinodhini Comandur, Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering 

Mo Jarin, Ph.D. Environmental Engineering 

Anamik Jhunjhunwala, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering 

Valeria Juarez, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering 

Alexandra Patterson, Ph.D. Bioengineering 

Jeffrey Pattison, Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering 

Kantwon Rogers, Ph.D. Computer Science 

Mallika Senthil, MS Biomedical Engineering 

Wenting Shi, Ph.D. Chemistry and Biochemistry 

Shreyas Srivathsan, Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering 

Raghav Tandon, Ph.D. Machine Learning 

This year’s 3MT competition takes place on Friday, April 5, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Atlantic Theater in the John Lewis Student Center. The entire Georgia Tech community is encouraged to attend the competition, which occurs as the finale of the 2024 Grad Student Appreciation Week. 3MT will also be streamed online and can be viewed at https://gatech.zoom.us/j/98696536715 .  Audience members and online viewers can vote for their favorite presenter to win the People’s Choice Award.  

Ph.D. winners can win up to $2,000 in research travel grants. The master's winner will receive a $1,000 research travel grant.   

Tech’s 3MT competition is coordinated by the Office of Graduate Education in partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), The Naugle Communications Center, and the Language Institute.  

For more information, visit grad.gatech.edu/3mt . 

Brittani Hill | Marketing and Communications Manager 

Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education 

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