OmniDocHow to Cite a Thesis in APA 7 Style
Learn how to build the APA 7 reference-list entry and in-text citation for a thesis, with a Zotero check so your bibliography stays accurate.
If you are writing a literature review or a methods chapter, you will eventually need to cite someone else's thesis. The problem is that APA 7 treats a thesis differently from a journal article or a book. The reference needs a degree label, a university name, and sometimes a database or repository, and small mistakes in those parts are easy to miss. This guide shows you how to cite a thesis in APA 7 style, both in the reference list and in the body of your paper.
You will get a clear format for the two common situations: a thesis you found in a database or repository, and an unpublished thesis you have only as a copy. You will also see how to check the entry in Zotero so the fields carry over correctly. The steps below work for both master's theses and doctoral dissertations.
How do you cite a thesis in APA 7? The short answer
Put the author, year, italicized title, and a bracketed degree label in the reference list, followed by the university. Then add a database, repository, URL, or DOI if the thesis is available online. In the body of your paper, cite the author and year.
| Your situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The thesis is in a database or repository | Add the degree label, university, database or repository name, and the DOI or URL | Readers can find the same document you read |
| The thesis is unpublished and not online | Use "Unpublished" with the degree label, then end with the university | There is no database or link to point to |
| You are citing a doctoral dissertation | Use "Doctoral dissertation" in the brackets instead of "Master's thesis" | The degree label tells readers the level of work |
| You are quoting the thesis directly | Add a page number to the in-text citation | APA requires a locator for direct quotations |
| You manage references in Zotero | Store the work as a Thesis item and check the type and university fields | Fields that are wrong in Zotero appear wrong in the bibliography |
Before you start
Collect these details before you write the entry. Looking for them afterward often means reopening the file and searching again.
- The author's name as it appears on the title page. APA uses the last name followed by initials, such as Kim, J. Use the name the author printed, not a version from a catalog record that might differ.
- The year the thesis was accepted or awarded. Use the year on the title page or in the repository record. This is the year in parentheses, and it also goes in the in-text citation.
- The exact degree label. Check whether the work is a master's thesis or a doctoral dissertation. The label goes inside square brackets, so guessing it can mislead readers about the level of the work.
- The university name. Write it in full, as the institution prints it. Abbreviations can confuse readers who do not know the school.
- Where you found it. A database, a university repository, or a DOI changes the end of the entry. If you have a copy from a personal folder with no source, your entry will be shorter.
Building an APA 7 thesis reference, step by step
Use this sequence for any thesis. Each step adds one part of the reference, so you can check the entry as you go.
- Start with the author and year. Write the last name and initials, then the year in parentheses, followed by a period. For example: Kim, J. (2022).
- Add the title in italics. Use sentence case, capitalizing only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon. Italicize the title, then follow it with a period placed outside the italics.
- Add the degree label in square brackets. Write "Master's thesis" or "Doctoral dissertation" inside the brackets. If the thesis is unpublished and not in a database, write "Unpublished master's thesis" or "Unpublished doctoral dissertation."
- Add the university name. Place it inside the brackets after the degree label, separated by a comma, so the bracket reads [Master's thesis, Riverside State University].
- Add the database, repository, or publisher name if one applies. If you found the thesis in a database or institutional repository, write its name after the bracket and a period. Skip this part for unpublished theses that have no source.
- End with the DOI or URL. Use the DOI if the thesis has one. If it has only a web address, write the URL. Do not add "Retrieved from" before the link, because APA 7 drops that phrase.
Here is the pattern for a thesis found in a repository:
Kim, J. (2022). Sleep and working memory in undergraduate students [Master's thesis, Riverside State University]. Riverside Repository. [DOI or URL]
Here is the pattern for an unpublished thesis with no online source:
Kim, J. (2022). Sleep and working memory in undergraduate students [Unpublished master's thesis]. Riverside State University.
In the body of your paper, cite the author and year only. Use (Kim, 2022) inside a sentence or Kim (2022) as the subject of a sentence. If you have two authors, join them with an ampersand in parentheses, such as (Kim & Lee, 2022). For a direct quotation, add the page number, as in (Kim, 2022, p. 14).
Using Zotero to hold the thesis entry
Zotero can store the thesis details and generate the reference for you, but it only does this correctly if the item is set up right. Add the source as a Thesis item rather than a generic webpage or journal article, since the thesis type affects the bracketed label and the university field. Then fill in the title, author, year, thesis type, and university, along with the DOI or URL if one exists.
If your library is connected to the literature workspace in the OmniDoc desktop client, the thesis entry and its PDF can sit in one place. You can open the PDF there to read the methods or translate a section you need to quote. Check each field after you move the entry, because the field names and output may not match the APA layout you expect.
Zotero's output is a starting point, not the final version. Compare the generated entry with the steps above before you paste it into your paper.
Check the result
Once you have the reference and the in-text citation, check them against your source. Most errors come from the degree label, the italics, or a missing database.
| Check | How to see it | If it's wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Title is italic and in sentence case | Look at the reference list and compare the title with the title page | Reapply italics and lowercase the words that are not proper nouns |
| Degree label matches the document | Read the title page or repository record for "master's" or "doctoral" | Change the bracket text to the correct label |
| University name is complete | Compare the name with the title page | Write out the full institution name |
| Database or DOI is present only if it applies | Check whether the source page shows a DOI or repository name | Add the DOI or remove the database line if you have no online source |
| In-text citation matches the reference | Find each in-text citation and confirm the author and year | Correct the year or name so it matches the entry exactly |
| Direct quotes have page numbers | Look at every quotation in your text | Add the page number from the thesis |
If a field is missing from your source, do not invent it. Leave the element out, and if your instructor requires a specific format, ask them before you submit.
❓ FAQ
1. What if my thesis has no URL or DOI?
Leave the link out and end the reference with the university name. The entry still needs the author, year, italicized title, bracketed label, and institution. If the thesis is in a database, add the database name, even without a link, when you have it.
2. Should I list the thesis advisor as an author?
No. The advisor supervised the work but did not write it, so the reference list gives only the thesis author. Include the advisor's name only if your style guide or instructor asks for it in another section of your paper.
3. How is a dissertation different from a thesis in APA 7?
The format is the same; only the bracketed label changes. Use "Doctoral dissertation" for a doctoral degree and "Master's thesis" for a master's degree. If your source uses different wording on the title page, follow the degree the institution awarded.
4. Do I cite the PDF file itself?
No. Cite the thesis as a document with its own author, year, and university, not the file name or the folder where you saved it. If the PDF is a copy from a repository, use the repository's DOI or URL in the reference.
📝 Summary
A thesis reference in APA 7 needs the author, year, italicized title, bracketed degree label, university, and a database, DOI, or URL when one exists. In your text, cite the author and year, and add a page number for direct quotations. Check the degree label and university name against the title page, and confirm the Zotero entry before you finish.
