Citing an Unpublished Dissertation

An unpublished dissertation is one that hasn’t been formally published, which means it may not be readily accessible in databases or online. These dissertations are typically only available through the university or institution where they were submitted. Because of this, citing an unpublished dissertation requires special attention to the details. You may need to provide more specific information, such as

• The university name
• The year it was completed
• Details about how you accessed the dissertation

Since unpublished dissertations are not part of public databases, it’s important to ensure that your citation provides enough context for others to locate the source, if possible. Let’s look at how to cite an unpublished dissertation in various citation styles.

Citing an Unpublished Dissertation in APA 7th Edition

For an unpublished dissertation in APA style, the format is slightly different. Here are some key points to remember:

• Unlike published dissertations, you won't include a database or publication number in the citation.
• No italics for the title of the dissertation (APA doesn’t italicize titles of unpublished works).
• Mention that the dissertation is unpublished and specify the university name.

Here's how you should cite it:

APA format	Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University Name]
APA reference entry	Patel, R. K. (2021). Exploring the impact of bilingualism on cognitive development (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Miami.
APA in-text citation	(Patel, 2021)

Citing an Unpublished Dissertation in MLA 9th Edition