When Unpublished Manuscripts Appear as Sources
Malaysian postgraduate researchers occasionally encounter manuscripts that have been shared but not yet published — a draft paper shared by a colleague before journal submission, a working paper circulated at a conference, or a completed thesis chapter from another student that the writer has seen and wants to reference. Knowing how to cite unpublished manuscripts in APA correctly ensures these sources are attributed accurately without implying they have undergone a level of scholarly review they have not received.
APA 7th distinguishes between different types of unpublished work based on their status and accessibility. The citation format for each type is slightly different, and applying the right format matters because it communicates to readers the epistemic status of the source — how far it has progressed through the scholarly vetting process.
The APA 7th Format for Unpublished Manuscripts
For a manuscript that is complete but has not been submitted for publication, or that has been submitted but not yet accepted, APA 7th uses the following format: Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of manuscript [Unpublished manuscript]. Department Name, Institution Name.
Example: Rashid, N. A. (2024). Institutional support and doctoral completion intention in Malaysian public universities [Unpublished manuscript]. Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya.
For a manuscript that is under review at a journal, APA 7th specifies a slightly different descriptor: [Manuscript submitted for publication]. The institution where the work was produced remains in the publisher position since the journal has not yet accepted the work. Do not name the specific journal under review — this information is typically confidential during the review process and is not necessary for citation purposes.
In-Text Citations for Unpublished Manuscripts
In-text citations for unpublished manuscripts follow standard APA author-date format: (Rashid, 2024). The reader will understand the source type from the reference list entry. When citing unpublished work in your thesis text, briefly acknowledging the source status is good scholarly practice: “In an unpublished manuscript currently under review, Rashid (2024) argues that…” This transparent flagging of the source’s status allows readers to weight the evidence appropriately — recognising that it has not yet cleared the peer review hurdle that published sources have.
Ethical Considerations When Citing Others’ Unpublished Work
Before citing another researcher’s unpublished manuscript in your thesis, confirm that you have explicit permission to do so. Citing someone’s unpublished work without their knowledge or permission is a breach of academic courtesy and may constitute intellectual property infringement. If you have seen a colleague’s manuscript through informal sharing — an email attachment, a conference handout — and want to cite findings from it, contact the author first to confirm their consent and to verify that you have the most current version. Unpublished manuscripts sometimes change substantially between the version that circulated informally and the version eventually published. Citing an unpublished manuscript in APA correctly, with appropriate permission and honest acknowledgement of its status, reflects the same scholarly integrity that all citation practices require.
