Thesis Writing Tutorials

Vital Things To Know About Unpublished Dissertation Citation Rules

Citation rules are extremely important and need to be followed by students who are writing the dissertation. The professor that has requested the written work will let you know which citation style you need to use to complete you work. If you don’t get any guidance there are certain citation styles that are commonly used based on the subject category you are writing about.

If haven’t received any specific instructions from your professor then you can use these guidelines. If you are doing science writing jobs online, and your thesis is in the field of education, psychology, or the sciences, you should use the APA Citation Style. If your field of study is in the humanities, you should use the MLA Citation Style. Finally, if your field of study is in business, history, or the fine arts, you should use the Chicago Citation Style.

Each one of these styles has a particular way unpublished dissertations are cited if you choose to use them in your thesis. They are as follows:

  • MLA style – Author last name, First name or initials. “Indicate the title of the thesis or written work.” Diss./Master of Art Thesis/ Master of Science Thesis. University, Place, year. Print.
  • APA style - Last name, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year of Publication). Thesis title. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation / Unpublished Master's thesis). University Name, Location.
  • Chicago style - Last-name, First-name. "Title of Thesis: Subtitle." Unpublished thesis type. University. Year.

Essentially, if you choose to cite the works of any unpublished works, all you need to do is use the author’s name, indicate the title in quotation marks and then tell what level of degree the author achieved as well as the name of the university and the date it was submitted in brackets. You can use these rules if there is no indication specifically as listed above.

It is important for anyone who creates any thesis that they follow the rules and cite works as you are instructed. Even if you are citing works that aren’t published, there are rules that need to be followed. If you ever have any questions on how anything should be done, it is always safe to ask your professor’s opinion. They will tell you exactly how they want something cited or even if you should include the works in your research. If you follow the instructions of your professor, you won’t make any mistakes in the structure of your work.