Thesis vs Dissertation — What Is the Difference?
The terminology varies between countries, so check what the source actually is before you cite it:
| Country | "Thesis" | "Dissertation" |
|---|
| United States / Canada | Master's level work | Doctoral (PhD) level work |
| United Kingdom / Australia | Doctoral (PhD) level work | Can refer to either level |
| Many European systems | Final-year undergraduate project | Doctoral research |
In your citation, use whatever label the awarding institution uses on the document itself — "PhD thesis," "doctoral dissertation," "Master's thesis," etc. Most citation styles accept either term as long as you specify the degree level.
What Information Do You Need?
- Author: the student's full name as listed on the thesis
- Title: exact title as it appears on the thesis
- Degree level: PhD dissertation, Master's thesis, undergraduate thesis
- Institution: full name of the university
- Year: year the degree was awarded (not the submission year if different)
- Database or repository: ProQuest, EThOS, institutional repository — include if accessed online
- URL or DOI: for online access
APA 7th Edition
APA distinguishes between published theses (in a database like ProQuest) and unpublished theses. Both include the institution name; the database version also includes the database name and accession/item number.
Published thesis — ProQuest Dissertations
Almeida, S. M. (2022). Machine learning approaches in real-time urban traffic prediction [PhD dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/docview/123456789
Published thesis — institutional repository
Park, J. Y. (2023). Computational methods for protein folding prediction [Master's thesis, University of Cambridge]. Apollo — University of Cambridge Repository. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.12345
Unpublished thesis
Chen, J. K. (2022). Deep reinforcement learning for autonomous vehicle navigation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Stanford University.
In-text — APA
(Almeida, 2022, p. 34) or Almeida (2022) found that…
IEEE
PhD dissertation
[1] S. M. Almeida, "Machine learning approaches in real-time urban traffic prediction," Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. Comput. Sci., MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2022.
[2] J. Y. Park, "Computational methods for protein folding prediction," M.S. thesis, Dept. Biochem., Univ. Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.12345. [Accessed: Jan. 10, 2024].
IEEE thesis format: include the abbreviated department name (Dept. Comput. Sci.) and the full city/country. Use "Ph.D. dissertation" or "M.S. thesis" — IEEE uses these abbreviations, not "doctoral dissertation."
Harvard
Thesis in a repository
Almeida, S.M. (2022) Machine learning approaches in real-time urban traffic prediction. PhD thesis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Available at: https://www.proquest.com/docview/123456789 (Accessed: 10 January 2024).
Unpublished thesis
Park, J.Y. (2023) Computational methods for protein folding prediction. Master's thesis. University of Cambridge. Unpublished.
In-text
(Almeida, 2022, p. 34)
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Vancouver
Thesis
1. Almeida SM. Machine learning in early sepsis detection: a prospective validation study [PhD dissertation]. Cambridge: University of Cambridge; 2022.
2. Park JY. Computational methods for protein folding prediction [master's thesis on the Internet]. Cambridge: University of Cambridge; 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 10]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.12345
Chicago Author-Date
Reference list
Almeida, Sofia M. 2022. "Machine Learning Approaches in Real-Time Urban Traffic Prediction." PhD diss., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Park, Ji-Yeon. 2023. "Computational Methods for Protein Folding Prediction." Master's thesis, University of Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.12345.
In-text
(Almeida 2022, 34)
Chicago Notes-Bibliography
Footnote
¹ Sofia M. Almeida, "Machine Learning Approaches in Real-Time Urban Traffic Prediction" (PhD diss., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022), 34.
Bibliography
Almeida, Sofia M. "Machine Learning Approaches in Real-Time Urban Traffic Prediction." PhD diss., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022.
MLA 9th Edition
Works Cited
Almeida, Sofia M. Machine Learning Approaches in Real-Time Urban Traffic Prediction. 2022. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD dissertation. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Park, Ji-Yeon. Computational Methods for Protein Folding Prediction. 2023. University of Cambridge, Master's thesis. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.12345.
In-text — MLA
(Almeida 34)
Quick Reference — Thesis Citation Elements by Style
| Element | APA 7th | IEEE | Harvard | Vancouver | Chicago |
|---|
| Title format | Italics | "Quoted" | Italics | Plain | "Quoted" |
| Degree label | [PhD dissertation] | Ph.D. dissertation | PhD thesis | [PhD dissertation] | PhD diss. |
| Institution | After label, in period | Dept., Univ., City | After degree | City: Institution | In parentheses |
| Database/repo | Yes — name + URL | Optional + URL | Available at: | [Internet] + URL | Optional |
Common Mistakes
- Calling a Master's thesis a "PhD dissertation": the degree level must be stated correctly — check the document
- Omitting the institution name: always name the awarding university — it establishes the academic context
- Using a ProQuest URL instead of DOI: if a DOI is available, always prefer it over a database-specific URL
- Treating an unpublished thesis as "unpublished" in APA when it IS in ProQuest: APA distinguishes published (database) vs truly unpublished — specify which
- Missing the access date for online theses: include an accessed date for theses found in online repositories