Why Theses and Dissertations Appear as Sources in Malaysian Research
Malaysian postgraduate researchers frequently cite other theses and dissertations as sources, particularly when working on topics specific to the Malaysian context where peer-reviewed journal coverage may be limited or where earlier postgraduate research provides the most relevant empirical foundation. Knowing how to cite theses and dissertations in APA correctly is therefore a practical necessity, and it is an area where many Malaysian students make consistent formatting errors because the citation format for this source type differs meaningfully from the journal article format they use most often.
APA 7th edition distinguishes between theses and dissertations that have been published — meaning they are archived in a searchable database such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, DART-Europe, or a university’s institutional repository — and those that are unpublished, existing only in physical copies held by a university library. The citation format differs between these two cases, and understanding which applies to your specific source is the starting point for getting the citation right.
Citing a Published Thesis or Dissertation
For a thesis or dissertation that has been published in an institutional repository or commercial database, the APA 7th format is: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation [Doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis, Name of Institution]. Database or Repository Name. URL or DOI.
Example from a Malaysian institutional repository: Norhamiza, R. (2023). The influence of academic self-efficacy on research productivity among Malaysian doctoral candidates [Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Malaya]. UM Research Repository. https://repository.um.edu.my/…
The descriptor in square brackets — [Doctoral dissertation] or [Master’s thesis] — identifies the type of work. The institution name follows the descriptor after a comma and before the closing bracket. The repository name is listed as the source, and the URL links directly to the archived document. This format applies whether the repository is a Malaysian university’s own institutional repository, the British Library EThOS database, or ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Citing an Unpublished Thesis or Dissertation
For a thesis or dissertation that exists only in physical form — a bound copy held in a university library — and has not been uploaded to any digital repository, the citation omits the database and URL and instead notes that it is unpublished: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation or Unpublished master’s thesis]. Name of Institution.
Example: Ahmad Zulkifli, M. H. (2018). Barriers to intercultural communication among international postgraduate students at Malaysian public universities [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
The word “Unpublished” in the descriptor is important because it tells the reader that they cannot access this document through a database — they would need to contact the university library directly to obtain a copy. Omitting this descriptor for an unpublished thesis implies it is accessible through normal channels when it is not, which could frustrate a reader trying to follow up your source.
In-Text Citations for Theses and Dissertations
The in-text citation format for theses and dissertations is identical to that for any other APA source — author surname and year in parentheses, or the author’s name integrated into the sentence with the year in parentheses. (Norhamiza, 2023) or Norhamiza (2023) found that… There is no need to indicate in the in-text citation that the source is a thesis rather than a journal article. That information is in the reference list.
One thing worth noting when citing theses and dissertations in APA for Malaysian research is page numbers for direct quotations. Theses should include page numbers for direct quotes, just as journal articles do. If you are quoting a passage directly from a thesis, include the page number in the citation: (Norhamiza, 2023, p. 87). Many students omit page numbers for thesis citations because they are less used to doing so for this source type, but the APA 7th rule requires page numbers for all direct quotations regardless of source type.
Evaluating the Academic Weight of Thesis Sources
A practical consideration beyond citation formatting: when citing theses and dissertations in your Malaysian research, be aware that these sources carry different academic weight than peer-reviewed journal articles. A thesis has been examined by a small number of evaluators under specific institutional conditions and has not gone through the broader critical scrutiny of journal peer review. This does not mean theses are unreliable — many contain excellent, original research — but it means you should use them thoughtfully.
Theses are most appropriately used as sources when they provide data or context specific to the Malaysian setting that peer-reviewed publications do not cover, when they apply a validated instrument in a local context, or when the thesis represents foundational work in an emerging area of Malaysian scholarship. They are less appropriate as the primary theoretical or empirical authority for claims that could be supported by peer-reviewed literature. Being deliberate about the role thesis sources play in your own argument demonstrates scholarly judgment that examiners appreciate.
Citing Your Own Previous Thesis
Some Malaysian postgraduate researchers — particularly those completing a doctorate after an earlier master’s degree — face the question of whether and how to cite their own previous thesis. Self-citation is acceptable in APA and does not constitute self-plagiarism as long as it is properly attributed. You cite your own master’s thesis the same way you would cite anyone else’s thesis: author surname, year, title, descriptor, institution, and repository details if published. Be transparent in your text that you are building on your own earlier work rather than presenting it as new findings: “Building on the preliminary findings of my earlier study (Author Surname, Year)…” This transparency distinguishes legitimate scholarly development from the concealed reuse that constitutes self-plagiarism.
