how to cite a thesis ama

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AMA Citation Style 11th Edition Guide

• 10th vs. 11th AMA Editions
• In-Text Citation/Reference List
• Book With Author/Editor
• Chapter in Book
• Electronic Books
• Journal articles
• Pre-Print/Repository
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• Clinical Trial Registries
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Citing Trial Registries

General trial registry format .

Trial Registry Specific Notes: 

• Include the Trial Registry identifier after the Registry name as shown in the examples
• Common registries include: ClinicalTrials.gov (US), anzctr.org.au (Australia and New Zealand), isrctn.org (UK), trialregister.nl (the Netherlands), umin.ac.jp/ct (Japan), and EU Clinical Trials Register/ EudraCT (Europe)
• If there is not an author or group associated with the trial, you can start the reference with the title of the trial (like example 2).

General example:

1. Author AA. Title of trial. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT123456. Updated April 1, 2021. Accessed November 2, 2021. xxx.xxx.gov

Specific Example:

2. Evaluation of phage therapy for the treatment of  Escherichia coli  and  Pseudomonas aeruginosa  wound infections in burned patients (PHAGOBURN). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02116010. Updated July 23, 2015. Accessed October 13, 2016. https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02116010

3. Rizzardini G. Clinical Study To Evaluate The Performance And Safety Of Favipiravir in COVID-19. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04336904. Updated April 8, 2020. Accessed June 15, 2020. https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04336904

4.German Cancer Research Center. Use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for enhanced early detection of colorectal neoplasms. EudraCT Identifier: 2011-005603-32/DE. Posted May 30, 2012. Accessed November 2, 2019. https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/trial/2011-005603-32/DE

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Citation Help for AMA: Master's Thesis or Project

• eBook from NetLibrary
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• Formatting Your Paper
• In-text Citations
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Multiple authors?

Example: McGill I, Glenn JK, Brockbank A. The Action Learning Handbook: Powerful Techniques for Education, Professional  Development and T raining. New York: Routledge Falmer; 2004.

Explanation: Place a comma between authors and also a comma before eds. if editors are listed. End with a period. If there are more than six authors listed, give the first three authors followed by et al.

Gearou E, Huyett K, Nelson T, Quale J. Center of Pressure Displacement in     Single-Leg Stance During Eyes Open and Eyes Closed. [master's thesis].     Duluth, MN: The College of St. Scholastica; 2001.

Explanation

Author: Gearou E, Huyett K, Nelson T, Quale J. Last name first and then abbreviate first and middle names to just the first initial with no spaces, commas, or periods in between. Place a comma between authors. End with a period. Title & subtitle of the book: Center of Pressure Displacement in Single-Leg Stance During Eyes Open and Eyes Closed. The title & subtitle are separated by a colon. Capitalize all major words of the title and subtitle. Italicize the title. End with a period. Master's Thesis: [master's thesis]. Give the words master's thesis or project in brackets with a period outside the second bracket.  Place of college or university: Duluth, MN: Separate the city and state or country by a comma. Use the standard postal abbreviations for states. Separate place from publisher with a colon. If more than one city is given, use the first only. Separate from the name of the college or university with a colon. Name of college or university: The College of St. Scholastica; Give the name of the institution at which the master's thesis was completed. Separate the name from the year with a semi-colon. Year of Completion: 2001. List the year of completion of the master's thesis, which appears on the title page. End the citation with a period. Reference: American Medical Association. AMA Manual of Style. 10th ed. Oxford, England: Oxford Universtiy Press; 2007.

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AMA Style: AMA Citations and Writing

Guides online.

• AMA Style Insider - Official blog of the AMA Manual of Style
• Guide to Citing the AMA Manual of Style (Print and Online)

Connect with River Campus Libraries

Writing and Citing Help at UR

• Writing and Citing Guide Provides links to easy to use guides to citing in MLA, APA and other popular citation styles and resources to help you hone your writing skills.
• Writing Help from the Writing, Speaking and Argument Center The Writing, Speaking and Argument Center can help you at any stage of the writing process. Whether you need a quick help sheet, or an appointment with a writing consultant, there are many resources available at here.

What's a DOI Number?

A DOI (short for D igital O bject I dentifier) is a unique number assigned to any digital object like an article , a data set , image , etc.  The doi starts with the number 10 and might contain numbers, letters, and often slashes and periods.  

The doi number is 10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.68

How to cite an article with a DOI: AMA (American Psychological Association) Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. Am. Psychol. 2000;55:1. doi:68-78. doi: 10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.68 ​

For more information on DOIs, visit  https://www.doi.org/ 

Annotated Bibliographies

• Developing a thesis statement (UW-Madison)
• Examples of Annotated Bibliography entries in APA citation style (UNC Chapel Hill)

Annotated bibliographies differ from abstracts or summaries of articles. Annotated bibliographies are a list of sources (journal or news articles, books, websites, datasets, etc.) on a particular topic. The list is usually in alphabetical order by author and employs a single citation style . The propose of an annotated bibliography is:

• To prove you have done some valid research to back up your argument and claims
• To explain the content of your sources, assess their usefulness, and share this information with others who may be less familiar with them

Some questions to help with your analysis of a source might include:

• What’s the main point or thesis of this source?
• Does the author seem to have particular biases or are they trying to reach a particular audience?
• How does this source relate to your own research and ideas?
• How does this source relate to other sources you have read? Do they have aspects of the same argument or opposing views?

Here are a few links to help you better understand and construct an annotated bibliography.

• Annotated Bibliography with examples (UW-Madison)
• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography (Cornell)

Graphic Organizers to help you build an annotated bibliography:

• Making Connections - Web Organizer

AMA Citations*

• Basics of AMA
• Journal Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Unpublished Material
• Other Formats
• Secondary Citations
• Images, Tables & Figures

In-text Citations

In-text citations are superscript and  numbered in consecutive order  in the text, tables, or figures of the work. If a reference is used multiple times in one paper, use the same number throughout. 

The Superscript number is inserted:

• Immediately next to the fact, idea or quotation being cited.    Ex. This drug is used to treat hepatitis. 1
• Outside periods and commas.   Ex. Storing latex at high heat may cause degradation,  2,3-5,7   but it is difficult to keep materials cool in a desert environment.
• Inside colons and semi-colons.  Ex. Some physicians choose to store prescription pads in locked cabinets  8 ; others keep them in their coats at all times.  9
• When more than 2 references are cited at a given place in the manuscript, use hyphens to join the first and last numbers of a closed series; use commas without space to separate other parts of a multiple citation.    Ex. As reported previously, 1,4-7,19,24

You may use author names in your text, as long as these mentions are accompanied by numbered citations. Use last names only.  For items with one or two authors, include both names. For items with 3 or more authors, include the first author's surname and then 'et al' or 'and colleagues'. 

• Ex. Smith and Jones 2  reported on the questionnaire. Ex. Hammersmith et al 3  reported on the survey.

Reference List

At the end of the document, include a reference list with full citations to each item. Name it References. Order citations as they appear in your paper (not alphabetically!). The following tabs in this guide provide formatting information for common reference types.

*  Adapted from https://guides.lib.uw.edu/hsl/ama and AMA Manual of Style

How to Format References from Journal Articles

• The title of the journal article is in sentence case (only the first letter is capitalized).
• Abbreviate and italicize names of journals according to the listing in the  National Library of Medicine database . 
• References that have six authors or less should include all authors names (last name, initial(s). References with more than 7 authors should include the first three authors followed by "et al."
• Provide the DOI   for online journal articles. If there is no DOI listed, include the most direct url possible and the date the article was accessed. It is not necessary to include the access date if the article has a DOI.

Author AA. Title of journal article. Abbreviated Name of Journal . Year;Volume(Issue):Page Information. DOI (or URL & Accessed Date if no DOI is assigned.)

Ex.  Online journal without volume and page information (and with DOI)

Mast CT,  DeMuro-Mercon  C, Kelly CM, Floyd LE,  Ealter  EB. The impact of rotavirus gastroenteritis on the family.  BMC Pediatrics . 2009;9:11. doi:10.1186/1471-2431-9-11

Ex.  O nline journals with volume and page information (and without DOI, but with URL & accessed date)

Kapur  VK,  Obstructive sleep apnea: diagnosis, epidemiology, and economics.  Respir Care . 2010;55(9):1155-1167.  Accessed Nove mber 8, 2011.  http://www.rcjo urnal.com/co ntents/09.10/09.10.1155.pdf

Ex. Print journal

Raux H, Coulon P, Lafay F, Flamand A. Monoclonal antibodies which recognize the acidic configuration of the rabies glycoprotein at the surface of the virion can be neutralizing.  Virology.  1995;210(2):400-408.

How to Format Reference from Books and Ebooks

• The title of a  book is capitalized per  title case rules 
• The title of a  book chapter (if applicable) is in   sentence case   (only the first letter is capitalized)
• References that have  six authors or less  should include all authors names (last name, initial(s). References with  more than 7  authors should include the first three authors followed by "et al."
• For ebooks,  include the most direct url possible and the date the article was accessed

Basic Format - General

Author AA. Title of Book. Edition number. Location: Publisher; Year published. 

Basic Format - Edited Book (chapters with different authors)

Author AA. Chapter title. Editor, AA. Title of Book . Place of publication: Publisher; Year published: Page numbers.

Ex. Single Author Print Book

Herr J. Creative Resources for the Early Childhood Classroom. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth & Cengage Learning; 2013.

Ex. Chapter in a Print Book

Yagyu S, Iehara T. MYCN nonamplified neuroblastoma: Detection of tumor-derived cell-free DNA in serum for predicting prognosis of neuroblastoma. In Hayat MA, ed.  Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy, and Prognosis . Dordrecht, NY: Springer; 2013:11-17.

Ex. Part of a Monographic Series Print Book

Davidoff RA.  Migraine: Manifestations, Pathogenesis, and Management . Philadelphia, Pa: FA Davis; 1995. Contemporary Neurology Series; No 42.

Ex. Online Book

Neinstein L, ed.  Adolescent Health Care . 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott W&W; 2008.  Accessed November 9, 2011. http://www.r2library.com/marc_frame.aspx?ResourceID=931

Ex. Chapter in an Online Book

Kohn LT. Creating safety systems in health care organizations. In: Kohn, LT, Corrigan, JM, and Donaldson MS, eds.  To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System . Washington, DC: Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine; 2000. Accessed November 1, 2011. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.ptp?record_id=9728&page=155

Personal Communication -  References to material not yet accepted for publication or to personal communications (oral, written, and electronic) are not acceptable as listed references and instead should be included parenthetically in the text. The author should provide the date of the communication, as well as the form (oral or written). Highest academic degree to date should also be mentioned. 

Ex.  In a conversation with Bart Simpson, Ph.D., (November 2004)...

Ex.  According to an e-mail from Bull Winkle, Esq, (B. Winkle [[email protected]], e-mail, November 6, 2004)... 

Preprint (Ahead of Print)

Ex. van der Hoek L, Pyrc K, Jebbink MF, et al. Identification of a new human coronavirus [published online ahead of print March 21, 2004]. Nat Med

Material accepted for publication but not yet published

Ex . Carrau RI. The impact of laryngopharyngeal reflux on patient-reported QOL. Laryngoscope . In press. 

Theses or Dissertations

Ex.  MacKenzie MA.  Comparing Heart Failure and Cancer Caregiver Satisfaction with Hospice Care.  [dissertation]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania; 2014.

Government or Agency Bulletins - References to bulletins published by departments or agencies of a government should include the following information, in the order indicated:

(1) name of author (if given); (2) title of bulletin; (3) place of publication; (4) name of issuing bureau, agency, department, or other governmental division (not that in this position, Department should be abbreviated Dept; also not that if an author supplies US Government Printing Office as the publisher, it would be preferable to obtain the name of the issuing bureau, agency, or department, if possible); (5) date of publication; (6) page numbers, if specified; (7) publication number, if any; and (8) series number if given.

Ex.  American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 75: Management of alloimmunization during pregnancy . Bethesda, MD: The National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2006. 457-464.

Online Reference 

Ex. Amoxicillin. In: DRUGDEX System  (Micromedex 2.0). Greenwood Village, CO: Truven Health Analytics; c1974-2013. Accessed October 22, 2013. http://www.micromedexsolutions.com/micromedex2/librarian#

Package Inserts -  Package inserts (the printed material about the use and effects of the product contained in the package) may be cited as follows:

Ex.  BioThrax [package insert]. Lansing, MI: Emergent BioSolutions; 2012

Ex. MacKenzie MA.  Comparing Heart Failure and Cancer Caregiver Satisfaction with Hospice Care.  [dissertation]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania; 2014.

Websites -  When citing data from a Website, include the following elements, if available, in the order shown below:

Author(s), if given (often, no authors are given). Title of the specific item cited (if none is given, use the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the Website. Published [date]. Updated [date]. Accessed [date]. URL [provide URL and verify that the link still works as close as possible to publication]

Ex. Living With Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes.org. Published February 9, 2015. Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/recently-diagnosed/living-with-type-1-diabetes.html

Secondary Citations:

 The AMA Manual. section 3.13.10 Secondary citations, states:  Reference may be made to one author’s citation of, or quotation from, another’s work. Distinguish between citation and quotation (ie, between work mentioned and words actually quoted). In the text, the name of the original author, rather than the secondary source, should be mentioned. (See also 3.11.12, References to Print Journals, Discussants.) As with citation of an abstract of an article rather than citation of the original document (see 3.11.9, References to Print Journals, Abstracts and Other Material Taken From Another Source), citation of the original document is preferred unless it is not readily available.  Only items actually consulted should be listed.      Ex.  Cauley JA, Lui L-Y, Ensrud KE, et al. Osteoporosis and fracture risk in women of different ethnic groups. JAMA. 2005;293(17):2102-2108. Cited by: Acheson LS. Bone density and the risk of fractures: should treatment thresholds vary by race [editorial]? JAMA. 2005;293(17):2151-2154.

If you (student) are going to recreate/reproduce an image, table or figure from another source and insert it verbatim (exactly as is) into you assignment paper, you do not have to obtain copyright permission from the copyright holder; however, you still have to cite the source. If you are submitting the paper for publications and recreate/reproduce the table or figure, you would need to obtain copyright permissions first.

Images, tables or figures from books or journal articles: Do not cite the image individually but give the citation details for the book/article/etc. Treat it as though it was a direct quote. See 3.11 References to Journal Articles in the AMA Style Guide and the AMA Style blog " How to cite a photograph or illustration ."

Ex. Table 14.14-12. Antigens and antibodies of hepatitis B virus. In: Christiansen S, Iverson C, Flanagin A, et al.  AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors . 11th ed. Oxford University Press; 2020. Accessed August 20, 2020. https://www.amamanualofstyle.com/view/ 10.1093/jama/9780190246556.001.0001/med-9780190246556 -chapter-14-div2-2090

Images, tables or figures found online: cite them as a web object: Author AA, Author BB. Title of page or object. Clarifying information if necessary. Title of web site. Published Month DD, YYYY or Updated Month DD, YYYY. Accessed Month, DD, YYYY. URL. See 3.15.3 Websites in the AMA Style Guide.

If there is a credit for the image found online, use this as your author.  If there is no credit for the image, use the authors of the web site if you believe they are responsible for the image.

Ex. AU Libraries. Data Life Cycle Models. Infographic. University of Alabama. Accessed September 29, 2021.  https://www.lib. ua.edu/wiki/sura/index.php/Data_Life_Cycle_Models

Citation Managers

Citation managers like RefWorks, EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero help you track and organize your citations, so that when you're writing your paper, you can easily cite your sources. Citation managers also help you insert citations, create endnotes and bibliographies. 

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AMA 11th Referencing Guide

• AMA: Getting Started
• Authors - numbers, rules and formatting
• Boxes, Tables and Figures
• Sample reference list
• Journal article
• Cochrane Review
• Conference paper
• Book chapter
• Pharmacopoeia, encyclopedia & dictionary entries

Theses and dissertations

• Lecture notes and class handouts
• Pharmacopoeia, encyclopedia & dictionary entries
• ABS and AIHW
• Drug Databases, etc
• Images, figures, tables
• Legislation
• Software and AI
• Personal communication
• Long quote?
• I need to use page numbers?
• There is more than one author
• The article is "in press"?
• I don't know the journal abbreviation?
• The URL is really long. Can I shorten it?
• No volume or issue number?
• Other Guides
• AMA and EndNote
• Help and Training

Titles of theses and dissertations are given in italics. References to theses should include the location of the university (or other institution), its name, and year of completion of the thesis. If the thesis has been published, it should be treated as any other book reference. 

• Fenster SD. Cloning and Characterization of Piccolo, a Novel Component of the Presynaptic Cytoskeletal Matrix. Dissertation. University of Alabama; 2000.
• Lienart, GH.  Effects of Temperature and Food Availability on the Antipredator Behaviour of Juvenile Coral Reef Fishes.  Dissertation. James Cook University; 2016. Accessed December 18, 2020. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/47533/
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AMA Citation Style: AMA

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What is AMA Manual of Style?

AMA Manual of Style is a writing resource is for the medical, social sciences and scientific publishing community.

• AMA MANUAL OF STYLE "Written by an expert committee of JAMA Network editors, this 11th edition thoroughly covers ethical and legal issues, authorship, conflicts of interest, scientific misconduct, and intellectual property, in addition to preparation of articles for publication, style, terminology, measurement, and quantification."
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How to cite using AMA in the health sciences

• Getting started
• Step 1: When to cite
• Step 2: Citing items in-text
• Book - chapter
• Book - edited
• Book - whole
• ClinicalKey (topics)
• Compounding Today
• CPS (drug or topic)
• Dissertation / thesis
• Emails or conversations
• Indigenous Knowledge
• Journal article - online (DOI)
• Journal article - online (URL only)
• Journal article - pre-print
• Journal article - print journal
• UpToDate Lexidrug (formerly Lexicomp; drug or topic)
• Merck Index Online
• Newspaper article
• Online image
• Online report
• Presentations or lectures
• Social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc)
• UpToDate (topic)
• YouTube video
• Formatting tips
• Visual presentation of data
• Help with AMA style

Neil John Maclean  Health Sciences Library University of Manitoba ph. 204-789-3342 [email protected] Schedule appointment

The content and design of this page was copied and adapted from the guide " AMA Style: the Basics for Pharmacy Writing " written and developed by Caitlin Carter, University of Waterloo Library.

Format, example and tips - Dissertation / thesis

Dissertation - Elements to include and formatting

Author(s).   Title . Dissertation. Name of the university; Copyright year. Accessed date. URL (no period after the URL)

Example - Dissertation

• Giosa JL.   Developing an Integrated Geriatric Care Planning Approach in Home Care . Dissertation. University of Waterloo; 2018. Accessed November 23, 2020.  https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/13673

Thesis - Elements to include and formatting

Author(s). Title . Master's thesis. Publisher name; Copyright year. Accessed date. URL (no period after the URL)

Example - Thesis

• Dash D.   Young Adult Experiences with a Mobile Smoking Cessation Application: A Qualitative Evaluation of Crush the Crave . Master's thesis. University of Waterloo; 2016. Accessed November 23, 2020.  https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/10199
• Title should be in italics.
• Pay attention to your capitalization in titles. All major words in the title should be capitalized.
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AMA Style (10th ed): Citing Your Sources

• References Within Your Paper
• Citing Online Materials
• Citing Print Materials
• Details to Remember

In-text citations: basics

In the document/paper/poster you are writing, materials are cited using superscript numerals. The first reference used in a written document is listed as 1 in the reference list, and a 1 is inserted into the document immediately next to the fact, concept, or quotation being cited. If the same reference is used multiple times in one document, use the same number to refer to it throughout the document.

At the end of the document, include a reference list with full citations to each item. Order citations as they appear in your paper.

You may also use author names in your writing, as long as these mentions are accompanied by numbered citations. For materials with one or two authors, include both names. For materials with 3 or more authors, include the first author's name and then et al. 

Finding treatments for breast cancer is a major goal for scientists. 1,2 Some classes of drugs show more promise than others. Gradishar evaluated taxanes as a class. 3 Other scientists have investigated individual drugs within this class, including Andre and Zielinski 2 and Joensuu and Gligorov.  4 Mita et al's investigation of cabazitaxel 5 seems to indicate a new role for this class of drugs.

Reference list:

1. Cancer Research Funding. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/research-funding. Publication date unavailable. Updated June 6, 2011. Accessed November 3, 2012.

2. Andre F, Zielinski CC. Optimal strategies for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer with currently approved agents. Ann Oncol. 2012;23(Suppl 2):vi46-vi51.

3. Gradishar WJ. Taxanes for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Breast Cancer (Auckl.). 2012;6:159-171.

4. Joensuu H, Gligorov J. Adjuvant treatments for triple-negative breast cancers. Ann Oncol. 2012;Suppl 6:vi40-45.

5. Mita AC, Figlin R, Mita MM. Cabazitaxel: more than a new taxane for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer? Clin Cancer Res. 2012;18(24):OF1-OF6.

Where do I put the numbers?

Within the text in AMA Citation Style, references are numbered and the numbers are shown in superscript.

Reference numbers should appear:

• After the fact, quotation, or idea being cited
• Outside periods and commas
• Inside colons and semi-colons

If citing more than one reference at the same point, separate the numbers with commas and no spaces between.

• This drug is used to treat hepatitis. 1
• Storing latex at high heat may cause degradation, 2,3 but it is difficult to keep materials cool in a desert environment.
• Some physicians choose to store prescription pads in locked cabinets 4 ; others keep them in their coats at all times. 5
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How To Cite Sources: AMA

• Chicago and Turabian
• Bluebook- Legal Citation

AMA References

• Journal Articles
• Dissertations/Theses
• Online Gov't/Org Reports
• Websites (General)
• Online Newspapers
• Books/eBooks
• Class Presentations
• CE Materials

Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;vol(issue#): pages of article. DOI.

1. Ganss C, Neutard L, von Hinckeldey J, Klimek J, Schlueter N. Efficacy of a tin/fluoride rinse: a randomized in situ trial on erosion. J Dent Res . 2010;89(11):1214-1218. doi:10.1177/0022034510375291

Take note that…

• The first word of the subtitle (portion of the title after the colon) is not capitalized. This differs from some other formatting styles.
• There is no comma between an author’s last name and initials. Nor is there a period after the initials. The period only occurs at the end of the list of authors, prior to the article title.
• Most – an overwhelming majority – of all scholarly articles accessed online will have a DOI (digital object identifier). While DOIs may appear in at least two different forms (with and without the https://, etc.), the 11th edition preference is to present the DOI as metadata rather than as a resolvable URL, like so: doi:10.1177/0022034510375291
• If there is no DOI, end the reference citation at the end of the article’s pages.
• Some journals that publish primarily online no longer use continuous, volume-and-issue spanning page numbers, instead preferring to use an article number. Use that article number, if provided, in the place where you would otherwise place page numbers.
• If the journal or index in which you find an article does not provide the official abbreviated journal title, you can look the journal up in the NLM Catalog (link below)
• NLM Catalog The NLM Catalog provides access to NLM bibliographic data for journals, books, audiovisuals, computer software, electronic resources and other materials.

Author(s). Title of Dissertation . Type of document. University Name; Year. Access date [if accessed online]. URL [if accessed online]

*There are, as a rule, only two document types to choose from for this kind of material: Dissertation or Master's Thesis.

1. Austin LD. Oral Status of Residents of Long-term Care Facilities in Kentucky . Dissertation. University of Louisville; 2009.

2. McCurry CL.  A Story-Centered Approach to AP English Literature, Curriculum, and Assessment . Master's thesis. University of New Orleans; 2020. Accessed May 27, 2022. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2761/

Author(s). Title . Name of dept/bureau/etc.; Publication date/year. Additional publication numbering or series info. Accessed [date]. URL

Henry M, Mahathey A, Morrill T, Robinson A, Shivji A, Watt R; and Abt Associates. The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness. Office of Community Planning and Development, US Dept of Housing and Urban Development; 2018. Accessed January 11, 2019. https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2018-AHAR-Part-1

Format for organizational and government reports varies widely – especially if you wander into the world of numbered codes and resolutions. In these cases, use your best judgment, consult the AMA manual online  (see Chapter 3, sections 3.13.2 and 3.15.5), or (if needed) reach out to a librarian for assistance.

• BRFSS Suggested Citation Styles Scroll down to find suggested citations for BRFSS data and questionnaires. These citations may need to be augmented to fit AMA parameters, but this page provides all of the necessary information.

Author(s). Title of page or document cited. Name of Website. Date of publication, if available. Updated date, if available. Accessed date. URL

1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Understanding drug use and addiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse website. Updated June 6, 2018. Accessed September 4, 2018. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-use-addiction

Websites are tricky fun.

• Author : Sometimes the author of a particular page or section of a site is an individual, other times it’s an organization. If you see individual names as authors somewhere on the page, list them. If not, default to the organization as author.
• Title: You might notice that in this example the site’s author (the organization) is also the name of the website. When this happens, be sure to add the words “Website” to the website name. This way can avoid a citation that simply reads: “National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institution on Drug Abuse. http://...”
• Dates : Not all sites provide updated and published dates. If they are available, provide them. Always provide the date you accessed the site.

Think of these as a mashup of a journal and website citation.

Author. Title of article. Name of Newspaper . Date published. Section [if present]. Page numbers [if present]. Accesed date. URL

1. Wootson CR Jr. Dentists keep dying of this lung disease. The CDC can’t figure out why. The Washington Post. March 10, 2018. Accessed September 4, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/03/10/dentists-keep-dying-of-this-deadly-lung-disease-the-cdc-cant-figure-out-why/?utm_term=.015450faf8d3

Chances are you will most likely be citing online news sources. If this is the case, you will often not see a “section” or page numbers because news publishers reformat content for online environments and remove things like page numbers - which would mean nothing to online readers. However, if you do see this information online, include it! Additionally, if you are citing a print newspaper – or a PDF of an old print newspaper in a database, this is important information to include.

Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor(s). Book Title . Edition. Publisher name; copyright year:pages of chapter or cited section. Accessed date [for books online]. URL [for books online/ebooks]

Print Book Example

1. Dillman DA, Smyth JD, Christian LM. Mixed-mode questionnaires and survey implementation. In: Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. 4 th Ed. Wiley; 2014:398-448.

eBook Example

2. Harrington S. Citing sources is a basic skill learned early on. In: Ball CE, Loewe DM, eds. Bad Ideas About Writing . West Virginia University Digital Publishing Institute; 2017:242-246. https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf

1. If the author of the chapter cited is also the editor of the book, omit editor information. 2. To cite a book as a whole, rather than referring to an individual chapter or specific pages, do this: Author(s).  Book Title . Edition. Publisher; year of publication. Accessed date (if online/ebook). URL (if online/ebook) 3. No edition number is needed for the first edition of a text. 

Author.  Title or brief description .; year published. Accessed date. URL

Author/Presenter. Title of presentation. Type of presentation: audience/conference; Date of presentation. Accessed date, if working URL present and used [use this for conference presentations; skip for in-class lextures]. Location [or URL, if one is available that works for all viewers]

Coan LL. How people make decisions about their health: theories of health behaviors. Lecture delivered to: the Spring 2023 course of DTHY 318: Preventive Oral Health at the University of Southern Indiana; February 5, 2023. Evansville, IN.

Presentations made in class can be a little tricky; AMA is not a student-oriented style, and does not have a special format for class presentation citations. The example presented here is a local practice at USI, and does not represent any official position presented in the manual itself. The best place to look in the manual for assistance is 3.13.9.1: Items Presented at a Meeting.   For most of the presentations made in classes at USI, even if there are videos or slides shared in BlackBoard, you're better off omitting a URL (as you won't be able to provide one that works for all users).

For most serious research work done in CNHP programs at USI, Continuing Education materials are not appropriate sources. That said, occasionally a student may find them useful for background information. We offer two models here, depending on how the material in question is published. The models suggested here are local to USI -- the AMA Manual itself does not specifically address them.

Model 1: StatPearls and Similar Documents

Continuing education content published by a company called StatPearls  frequently turns up in PubMed search results, and it is typically classified by its metadata in PubMed's database as a  book . For the sake of simplicity, a slightly modified book/monograph model generally works best for StatPearls content. Typically, the publication date is actually the last date this content was updated. Other continuing education materials may also appear in this "book" format, but the most commonly seen in PubMed is published by StatPearls; obviously, if it's published by someone else but still functions like a book, replace "StatPearls" with the appropriate publication information.

Author(s). Document Title . StatPearls Publishing; publication date. Accessed date. URL [use the PubMed Bookshelf ID link, for the sake of convenient access to full text]

Mohensi M, Boniface MP, Graham C. Mononeucleosis . StatPearls Publishing; August 8, 2023. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470387/ 

Model 2: NetCE Materials and Similar Documents

Companies like NetCE  offer a wide range of continuing education courses for healthcare professionals. You may come across older/expired course content elsewhere, but the current, up to date material is only available from NetCE's own site. NetCE and other providers often offer course materials in both plain webpage and ebook formats. If you have NetCE content in ebook format (as a pdf or epub document, for example), use the book model we used for StatPearls above, with NetCE as the publisher and the listed course faculty (look toward the end of the document) as the authors. Treat the release date as the publication date.

Otherwise, cite NetCE like an authored webpage on a website:

Author(s). Title of page or document cited. Name of website/organization. Date of release. Updated date, if available. Accessed date. URL

Frey WE, Nichols M. Dental ethics: a brief review. NetCE. February 1, 2024. Accessed February 6, 2024. https://www.netce.com/coursecontent.php?courseid=2736&productid=12521

For additional information and examples about the citation and formatting guidance provided in the 11th edition, consult the online version of the manual here:

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AMA Style Guide

• In-Text Citations
• Citing Print Resources
• Citing Electronic Resources

Basics of In-Text Citations

References are numbered in  consecutive order in the text, tables, or figures.

Use superscript arabic numerals to cite material, e.g., 1    The first reference used in a written document is listed as 1 in the reference list.

Where to place the superscript?   The superscript number 1   is inserted into the document immediately next to the fact, concept, or quotation being cited.  If citing more than one reference at the same point, separate the numbers with commas and no spaces between. 

The Superscript number is inserted:

• Immediately next to the fact, idea or quotation being cited.  Ex. This drug is used to treat hepatitis. 1
• Outside periods and commas. Ex. Storing latex at high heat may cause degradation, 2,3-5,7   but it is difficult to keep materials cool in a desert environment.
• Inside colons and semi-colons. Ex. Some physicians choose to store prescription pads in locked cabinets 8 ; others keep them in their coats at all times. 9
• When more than 2 references are cited at a given place in the manuscript, use hyphens to join the first and last numbers of a closed series; use commas without space to separate other parts of a multiple citation.  Ex. As reported previously, 1,4-7,19,24

If a reference is used multiple times in one paper, use the same number throughout.

At the end of the document, include a reference list with full citations to each item. Name it References. Order citations as they appear in your paper.

Using author's names in-text: You may use author names in your text, as long as these mentions are accompanied by numbered citations. Use last names only.  For items with one or two authors, include both names. For items with 3 or more authors, include the first author's surname and then 'et al' or 'and colleagues'.

Ex. Smith and Jones 2  reported on the questionnaire.  Ex. Hammersmith et al 3 reported on the survey.

Secondary Citations:

 The AMA Manual. section 3.13.10 Secondary citations, states:  Reference may be made to one author’s citation of, or quotation from, another’s work. Distinguish between citation and quotation (ie, between work mentioned and words actually quoted). In the text, the name of the original author, rather than the secondary source, should be mentioned. (See also 3.11.12, References to Print Journals, Discussants.) As with citation of an abstract of an article rather than citation of the original document (see 3.11.9, References to Print Journals, Abstracts and Other Material Taken From Another Source), citation of the original document is preferred unless it is not readily available. Only items actually consulted should be listed.     Ex.  Cauley JA, Lui L-Y, Ensrud KE, et al. Osteoporosis and fracture risk in women of different ethnic groups. JAMA. 2005;293(17):2102-2108. Cited by: Acheson LS. Bone density and the risk of fractures: should treatment thresholds vary by race [editorial]? JAMA. 2005;293(17):2151-2154.

Finding treatments for breast cancer is a major goal for scientists. 1,2  Some classes of drugs show more promise than others. Gradishar evaluated taxanes as a class. 3  Other scientists have investigated individual drugs within this class, including Andre and Zielinski  2  and Joensuu and Gligorov.  4  Mita et al's investigation of cabazitaxel  5  seems to indicate a new role for this class of drugs.

• Cancer Research Funding. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/research-funding. Publication date unavailable. Updated June 6, 2011. Accessed November 3, 2012.
• Andre F, Zielinski CC. Optimal strategies for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer with currently approved agents.  Ann Oncol.  2012;23(Suppl 2):vi46-vi51.
• Gradishar WJ. Taxanes for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.  Breast Cancer (Auckl.) . 2012;6:159-171.
• Joensuu H, Gligorov J. Adjuvant treatments for triple-negative breast cancers.  Ann Oncol.  2012;Suppl 6:vi40-45.
• Mita AC, Figlin R, Mita MM. Cabazitaxel: more than a new taxane for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer?  Clin Cancer Res.  2012;18(24):OF1-OF6.

Adapted from USC Norris Medical Library  AMA:Citing Your Sources

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AMA Style Basics

Below you will find example citations for the most common resource types following AMA Manual of Style Guidelines. For more information and additional reference type examples please refer to Section 1 Chapter 3 of the manual, available online for Purdue faculty, staff, and students.

Journal Article

Author Last Name First Initial Middle Initial. Title of article. Accepted Abbreviation of Journal Title Year; Volume:Inclusive Page Numbers. doi.(if available)

In listed references, the names of all authors should be given unless there are more than 6, in which case the names of the first 3 authors are used, followed by “et al.”.

Examples Morris JL, Kraus DM. New antiretroviral therapies for pediatric HIV infection. J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther  2005;10:215-247. Overholser BR, Kays MB, Forrest A, et al. Sex-related differences in the pharmacokinetics of oral ciprofloxacin. J Clin Pharmacol 2004;44:1012-1022. Roumie CL, Zillich AJ, Bravata DM, et al. Hypertension treatment intensification among stroke survivors with uncontrolled blood pressure.  Stroke 2015;46:465-470. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.007566. Letter [or Editorial] Tisdale JE. Role of the pharmacist in managing hypertension in patients with diabetes [letter]. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2006;63:1129.

• To find the proper abbreviation of journal go to the National Library of Medicine PubMed Journals Database at  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Journals

Internet Sites

Authors (if indicated). Organization responsible for the site. Title of page or document. Available at: URL. Accessed Month day, year.

Examples Food and Drug Administration.  MedWatch.  Available at:  http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/index.html.  Accessed June 13, 2007. American Diabetes Association.  Gestational diabetes.  Available at:  http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp. Accessed June 13, 2007.

Editor’s Last Name First Initial Middle Initial followed by “eds”. Title of Book . Edition number. City of publication, State Abbreviation: Name of Publisher; Year.

Example Tisdale JE, Miller DA, eds. Drug-Induced Diseases: Prevention, Detection and Management . 1st ed. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; 2005.

Book Chapter

Chapter Author Last Name First Initial Middle Initial. Title of chapter. In: Name of Book . Edition Number. Editors Last Name First Initial Middle Initial, eds. City of publication, State Abbreviation: Name of Publisher; Year.

Examples Calis KA, Sheehan AH. Formulating effective responses and recommendations:  A structured approach. In: Drug Information: A guide for pharmacists. 4th ed. Malone PM, Kier KL, Stanovich JE, eds. New York: McGraw Hill; 2012. Scott SA. The prescription. In: Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy . 21st Edition. Beringer P, Gupta PK, DerMarderosian A, et al., eds. Philadelphia PA: The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia; 2005.

Personal Communication Example – written as statements within the text, including email and listserv messages; permission should be obtained from the author: In a conversation with A. H. Sheehan, PharmD (August 2007)… There have been no reports of toxic reactions…(J. Smith, MD, email communication, June 1, 2006) Government Agency Publication Example US Department of Health and Human Services. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Obesity Education Initiative Expert Panel on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Washington, DC: U.S. Public Health Service, 1998. Poster Presentation Example Schellhase EM, Abel SA, Carlstedt BC. An interdisciplinary collaboration: the development of a pharmacology course for a doctor of physical therapy program. Presented at: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Annual Meeting; June 2, 2003; San Diego, CA.

Web-based citation tools

Two sites that will put your citation information into AMA style are citationmachine.net amd easybib.com .

Journal abbreviations

AMA style requires that you use abbreviated journal titles.  Journal abbreviations can be found through the NLM Catalog of Journals Referenced in the NCBI Databases.   Type the full journal name into the search box, then look for the NLM Title Abbreviation for that journal.

AMA Citations in Microsoft Word

See links for downloading and installing the AMA plug-in for MS Word at 2:20.

The links are:

https://bibword.codeplex.com/releases/view/19778 for the plug-in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fRk0ddjou4 for how to install a plug-in.

Most important things to remember

• Use superscript Arabic numbers within the text to cite information (e.g., 1, 2, 3 …).
• Place the corresponding references in a numbered list at the end of your paper.  The references are listed in the order they were cited in the paper, not alphabetically by author's last name.
• The format for author names is "Surname1 AB, Surname2 CD,...".  Note that there is a comma between each full name, but there is no punctuation within each name. 
• If a reference has up to six authors, include them all.  If there are more than six authors, list the first three, followed by "et al."
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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Print Sources

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource provides guidance on how to cite print sources using American Medical Association (AMA) Style, 11th Ed.

References to Print Journals

All references to print journals should include the following elements:

• Author’s surnames and initials
• Title of article and subtitle (as applicable)
• Abbreviated name of journal
• Volume number
• Issue number
• Part or supplement number, when pertinent
• Inclusive page numbers

Names of journals are abbreviated and italicized ( Medical Education  becomes  Med Educ  as in example 3 below - see the  List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus ). Do not omit digits from inclusive page numbers. The year of the publication is followed by a semicolon; the volume number and the issue number (in parentheses) are followed by a colon; the initial page number, a hyphen, and the final page number, followed by a period, are set without spaces.

Materials with Named Authors and Group Name

References may occur to material that is prepared by a committee or other group. The following forms should be used under such conditions:

References to Print Books

All references to print books should include the following elements:

• Authors’ surnames and first and middle initials ( Provide names of all authors unless there are more than 6, at which point you should include the first 3 followed by “et al.”)
• Chapter title (when cited)
• Surname and first and middle initials of book authors or editors (or translators, if any) (Editors  should be indicated by “ed.”, or “eds.” if more than one, and translators by “trans.”)
• Title of book and subtitle, if any
• Volume number and volume title, when there is more than one volume
• Edition number (do not indicate first editions)
• Name of publisher
• Year of copyright
• Page numbers, when specific pages are cited

When referring to an entire book, not pages or specific sections, use the following format:

References should include the last name and first and middle initials of the author(s), italicized title case format for all titles (capitalize all words except prepositions such as  of, between, through ), articles (such as  a, the , and  an ), and conjunctions (such as  but, and, or ; however, capitalize them if they begin the title or the subtitle) the city and state of publication, the publisher, and the year of publication/creation.

Lastname FirstMiddle initial, ed/trans. Book Title in Title Case . Publisher; Year of publication.

References to Book Chapters

Chapters from books should be capitalized in the same format as journal articles (sentence case format) and should not use quotation marks. Additionally, inclusive page numbers for the each chapter should be provided.

The title of the book, however, should be title cased and italicized, following the print book format.

A colon should follow the publication date and no space should be provided between the colon or the page number(s) and hyphen.

Lastname FirstMiddle initials. Article title in sentence case. In: Lastname FirstMiddle initial, ed/trans. Book Title in Title Case . Publisher; Year of publication:page range.

Editors and Translators

Names of editors, translators, translator-editors, or executive, consulting, and section editors are given as follows:

Volume Number

If the work cited includes more than 1 volume, use Arabic numerals for volume numbers, even in cases where the publisher used Roman numerals.

Edition Number

As with the volume number, use Arabic numerals to indicate an edition, even if the publisher has used Roman numerals, but do not indicate a first edition. If a subsequent edition is cited, the number should be given. Abbreviate “New revised edition” as “New rev ed”; “Revised edition” as “Rev ed; “American edition” as “American ed”; and British edition” as “British ed.”

Government or Agency Bulletins

References to bulletins published by departments or agencies of a government should include the following information, in the order indicated:

• Name of author (if given)
• Title of bulletin
• Name of issuing bureau, agency, department, or other governmental division (note that in this position, Department should be abbreviated Dept; also note that if an author supplies US Government Printing Office as the publisher, it would be preferable to obtain the name of the issuing bureau, agency, or department, if possible)
• Date of publication
• Page numbers, if specified
• Publication number, if any
• Series number if given
• Online accessed date (if applicable)
• Web address (if applicable)

Theses and Dissertations

Italicize the titles of theses and dissertations. After the title, indicate whether the document was a master’s thesis or dissertation. References to theses should include the location of the university (or other institution) and year of completion. If the thesis or dissertation has been published, it should be treated as any other book reference.

Package Inserts

Package inserts (the printed material about the use and effects of the product contained in the package) may be cited as follows:

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AMA Website Citation | Guide with Examples

Published on September 12, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 1, 2023.

To cite a website or webpage in AMA citation format , you need to include the author’s name, the page title (in sentence case), the website name (title case), the URL, the publication date, and the access date.

An AMA in-text citation for a website just consists of the number of the relevant reference, written in superscript. Make sure to pay attention to punctuation (e.g., commas , periods).

Table of contents

Citing a website with no author, citing a website with no title, access dates and publication dates, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about ama style.

Sometimes a page won’t clearly indicate a specific author. If the page is attributed to a group or organization, you can treat this group as the author. Write the name out in full rather than trying to initialize and reverse it as you would with a personal name.

If there’s no organization to attribute the page to or the organization name is identical to the website name, then you can just skip the author element and start with the page title instead.

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When the page you’re citing doesn’t show a clear title, AMA recommends replacing it with the name of the organization responsible for the website. If this is identical to the name of the website itself, only write it once.

AMA citations can include three kinds of date:

• A publication date (the day on which the source was published) is included when one is available and when no more recent update date is indicated: “Published March 30, 2018.”
• An update date (the day on which the page was most recently updated or revised) is included when shown on the page. If both a publication date and an update date are shown, include only the update date: “Updated April 25, 2018.”
• An access date (the day on which you accessed the page) is always included when you cite a source with a URL, regardless of whether another date is included or not. It’s helpful in case the content changes over time: “Accessed September 1, 2022.”

When two dates are included, the publication or update date comes first, followed by the access date, and finally the URL.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT , AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?

 Working with sources

• Paraphrasing
• Critical thinking
• Boolean operators
• Synthesizing sources

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

Yes, you should normally include an access date in an AMA website citation (or when citing any source with a URL). This is because webpages can change their content over time, so it’s useful for the reader to know when you accessed the page.

When a publication or update date is provided on the page, you should include it in addition to the access date. The access date appears second in this case, e.g., “Published June 19, 2021. Accessed August 29, 2022.”

Don’t include an access date when citing a source with a DOI (such as in an AMA journal article citation ).

An AMA reference usually includes the author’s last name and initials, the title of the source, information about the publisher or the publication it’s contained in, and the publication date. The specific details included, and the formatting, depend on the source type.

References in AMA style are presented in numerical order (numbered by the order in which they were first cited in the text) on your reference page. A source that’s cited repeatedly in the text still only appears once on the reference page.

In AMA citation format , if you cite the same source more than once in your paper, it still only has one entry on your AMA reference page , numbered based on the first time you cite it.

This means you’ll always use the same number for the AMA in-text citation for that source, not a different number each time. You can add different page numbers to the citations to talk about specific parts of the source in each case, e.g. 1 (pp13–15)

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Caulfield, J. (2023, June 01). AMA Website Citation | Guide with Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/ama/ama-website-citation/

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Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite an undergraduate thesis in AMA

To cite an undergraduate thesis in a reference entry in AMA style 11st edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name, and initials of up to six authors (e.g. Watson J). For more authors only the first three are listed, followed by et al.
• Title of the undergraduate thesis: Italicize the title and capitalize the first letter of each major word.
• Location: Give the name of the city in which the publishing entity was located at the time of publication.
• Name of the degree awarding institution: Give the name of the institution.
• Year of publication: Give the year of publication.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of an undergraduate thesis in AMA style 11st edition:

Author(s) of the thesis . Title of the undergraduate thesis . [Undergraduate thesis]. Location : Name of the degree awarding institution ; Year of publication .

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the AMA style guidelines in action:

An undergraduate thesis with one author

Baslow W . The applicability of the Qualitative System Analysis as decision-making tool in public administration by the example of the municipality Ludwigsburg . [ Undergraduate thesis ]. Lüneburg, Germany : Leuphana University of Lüneburg ; 2015 .

Plana ASJ . Noncooperative game theory: General overview and its application to the study of cooperation . [ Undergraduate thesis ]. Barcelona, Spain : University of Barcelona ; 2015 .

This citation style guide is based on the AMA Manual of Style (11 th edition).

More useful guides

• Citation Help for AMA: Master's Thesis or Project
• AMA Manual of Style: Theses and Dissertations

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Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

In this citation guide, you will learn how to reference and cite an undergraduate thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation. This guide will also review the differences between a thesis or dissertation that is published and one that has remained unpublished. The guidelines below come from the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020a), pages 333 and 334. Please note that the association is not affiliated with this guide.

Alternatively, you can visit EasyBib.com for helpful citation tools to cite your thesis or dissertation .

Guide Overview

Citing an unpublished thesis or dissertation, citing a published dissertation or thesis from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation: reference overview, what you need.

Since unpublished theses can usually only be sourced in print form from a university library, the correct citation structure includes the university name where the publisher element usually goes.

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case [Unpublished degree type thesis or dissertation]. Name of institution.

Ames, J. H., & Doughty, L. H. (1911). The proposed plans for the Iowa State College athletic field including the design of a reinforced concrete grandstand and wall [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. Iowa State University.

In-text citation example:

• Parenthetical :  (Ames & Doughty, 1911)
• Narrative :  Ames & Doughty (1911)

If a thesis or dissertation has been published and is found on a database, then follow the structure below. It’s similar to the format for an unpublished dissertation/thesis, but with a few differences:

• The institution is presented in brackets after the title
• The archive or database name is included

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case (Publication or Document No.) [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Database name.

Examples 1:

Knight, K. A. (2011). Media epidemics: Viral structures in literature and new media (Accession No. 2013420395) [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Trotman, J.B. (2018). New insights into the biochemistry and cell biology of RNA recapping (Document No. osu1523896565730483) [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center.

In the example given above, the dissertation is presented with a Document Number (Document No.). Sometimes called a database number or publication number, this is the identifier that is used by the database’s indexing system. If the database you are using provides you with such a number, then include it directly after the work’s title in parentheses.

If you are interested in learning more about how to handle works that were accessed via academic research databases, see Section 9.3 of the Publication Manual.

In-text citation examples :

• Parenthetical citation : (Trotman, 2018)
• Narrative citation : Trotman (2018)

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year Published). Title in sentence case [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Name of archive or collection. URL

Kim, O. (2019). Soviet tableau: cinema and history under late socialism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh]. Institutional Repository at the University of Pittsburgh. https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/37669/7/Olga%20Kim%20Final%20ETD.pdf

Stiles, T. W. (2001). Doing science: Teachers’ authentic experiences at the Lone Star Dinosaur Field Institute [Master’s thesis, Texas A&M University]. OAKTrust. https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2001-THESIS-S745

It is important to note that not every thesis or dissertation published online will be associated with a specific archive or collection. If the work is published on a private website, provide only the URL as the source element.

In-text citation examples:

• Parenthetical citation : (Kim, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Kim (2019)
• Parenthetical citation : (Stiles, 2001)
• Narrative citation : Stiles (2001)

We hope that the information provided here will serve as an effective guide for your research. If you’re looking for even more citation info, visit EasyBib.com for a comprehensive collection of educational materials covering multiple source types.

If you’re citing a variety of different sources, consider taking the EasyBib citation generator for a spin. It can help you cite easily and offers citation forms for several different kinds of sources.

To start things off, let’s take a look at the different types of literature that are classified under Chapter 10.6 of the Publication Manual :

• Undergraduate thesis
• Master’s thesis
• Doctoral dissertation

You will need to know which type you are citing. You’ll also need to know if it is published or unpublished .

When you decide to cite a dissertation or thesis, you’ll need to look for the following information to use in your citation:

• Author’s last name, and first and middle initials
• Year published
• Title of thesis or dissertation
• If it is unpublished
• Publication or document number (if applicable; for published work)
• Degree type (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral)
• Thesis or dissertation
• Name of institution awarding degree
• DOI (https://doi.org/xxxxx) or URL (if applicable)

Since theses and dissertations are directly linked to educational degrees, it is necessary to list the name of the associated institution; i.e., the college, university, or school that is awarding the associated degree.

To get an idea of the proper form, take a look at the examples below. There are three outlined scenarios:

• Unpublished thesis or dissertation
• Published thesis or dissertation from a database
• Thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database

American Psychological Association. (2020a). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

American Psychological Association. (2020b). Style-Grammar-Guidelines. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative

Published August 10, 2012. Updated March 24, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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To cite a published thesis in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, publication year, title of the thesis, institute name, archive name, and URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for an in-text citation and reference list entry of a thesis, along with examples, are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Use the author surname and the publication year in the in-text citation.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Cartmel (2007)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Cartmel, 2007)

Reference list entry template and example:

The title of the thesis is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose the thesis and the institute awarding the degree inside brackets following the publication year. Then add the name of the database followed by the URL.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the thesis [Master’s thesis, Institute Name]. Name of the Database. URL

Cartmel, J. (2007). Outside school hours care and schools [Master’s thesis, Queensland University of Technology]. EPrints. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/17810/1/Jennifer_Cartmel_Thesis.pdf

To cite an unpublished dissertation in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, year, title of the dissertation, and institute name. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of an online thesis, along with examples, are given below:

Author Surname (Year)

Averill (2009)

(Author Surname, Year)

(Averill, 2009)

The title of the dissertation is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose “Unpublished doctoral dissertation” inside brackets following the year. Then add the name of the institution awarding the degree.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of the Institute.

Averill, R. (2009). Teacher–student relationships in diverse New Zealand year 10 mathematics classrooms: Teacher care [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Victoria University of Wellington.

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