How to Cite Theses and Dissertations Using APA 7th Edition
Knowing how to cite theses and dissertations using APA 7th edition is important for Malaysian postgraduate students who draw on unpublished doctoral or master’s research as part of their literature review. Theses and dissertations are legitimate scholarly sources that report original research, and they must be cited correctly when used. The APA 7th edition format for citing theses and dissertations differs from the format for journal articles and books in specific ways that are easy to get wrong.
This guide covers every type of thesis or dissertation source you are likely to cite in a Malaysian thesis, including sources from Malaysian institutional repositories.
Unpublished Theses from University Repositories
The APA 7th edition format to cite theses and dissertations from university repositories:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation [Doctoral dissertation/Master’s thesis, Name of University]. Repository Name. URL
Example for a Malaysian thesis from a university repository:
Ahmad Fadzli, M. R. (2022). Transformational leadership and employee engagement in Malaysian public universities [Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Malaya]. UM Research Repository. http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/…
Example for an international thesis:
Johnson, K. L. (2023). Digital transformation in higher education institutions [Doctoral dissertation, University of Melbourne]. Melbourne Digital Repository. https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/…
Theses from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
For theses and dissertations sourced through ProQuest, the format to cite theses and dissertations is slightly different because ProQuest is a commercial database rather than an institutional repository:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation, Name of University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. https://www.proquest.com/docview/[ID]
Include the ProQuest URL or the publication number (available on the ProQuest page for the dissertation) to allow readers to locate the source.
Citing Malaysian Theses from MyTO
MyTO (Malaysian Theses Online), the national portal for Malaysian theses hosted by Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia, is a valuable source for Malaysian postgraduate research. To cite theses and dissertations from MyTO:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis [Doctoral dissertation/Master’s thesis, Name of Institution]. MyTO. https://myto.perpusnas.gov.my/…
Published Dissertations
Some dissertations are subsequently published by academic publishers as monographs. When you cite theses and dissertations that have been formally published, treat them as books rather than as theses — use the standard book citation format with the publisher’s name rather than the university and repository information.
In-Text Citation Format
The in-text citation format for theses and dissertations follows the standard APA author-date format: (Ahmad Fadzli, 2022) or Ahmad Fadzli (2022) depending on whether the citation is parenthetical or narrative. There is no special in-text format that distinguishes thesis citations from journal article or book citations.
Common Errors When Citing Theses
The most common errors when students cite theses and dissertations in their own Malaysian thesis include: omitting the degree type label in square brackets (the [Doctoral dissertation] or [Master’s thesis] designation is required); omitting the institution name; confusing the repository URL with the institutional website URL; and treating a published dissertation as an unpublished thesis (always use the published book format if the dissertation was formally published).
Conclusion
To cite theses and dissertations using apa 7th edition accurately in your Malaysian thesis using APA 7th edition, identify the source type (institutional repository, ProQuest, or MyTO), include the degree type label in square brackets, include the institution name, and provide the repository URL or database identifier. These elements together allow readers to locate the original source reliably.
