how to cite a thesis chicago style

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Theses & Dissertations

Citing a published thesis, citing an unpublished thesis, citing a thesis in online database or repository.

• CMS 14.224: Theses and dissertations

Titles of unpublished works appear in "quotation marks"—not in italics . This treatment extends to theses and dissertations, which are otherwise cited like books.

The kind of thesis, the academic institution, and the date follow the title. Like the publication data of a book, these are enclosed in parentheses in a note but not in a bibliography.

If the document was consulted online, include a URL or, for documents retrieved from a commercial database, give the name of the database and, in parentheses, any identification number supplied or recommended by the database.

For dissertations issued on microfilm, see 14.120 . For published abstracts of dissertations, see 14.197 .

Note-Bibliography

First-name Last-name, "Title of Thesis: Subtitle," (Publisher, Year).

      Mihwa Choi, “Contesting Imaginaires in Death Rituals during the Northern Song Dynasty,” PhD diss., (University of Chicago, 2008).

Short Note:

Last-name, "Title of Thesis."

Choi. “Contesting Imaginaires ."

Bibliography Entry:

Last-name, First-name. "Title of Thesis: Subtitle." Year.

Choi, Mihwa. “Contesting Imaginaires in Death Rituals during the Northern Song Dynasty.” PhD diss. University      of Chicago, 2008.

Author-Date

Text Citation:

(Last-name Year)

(Mihwa 2008)

Reference Entry:

Last-name, First-name. Year. "Title of Thesis: Subtitle."

Choi, Mihwa. 2008. “Contesting  Imaginaires  in Death Rituals during the Northern Song Dynasty.”  PhD diss.       University of Chicago.

Note -Bibliography

Note #. First-name Last-name, "Title of Thesis: Subtitle," Unpublished thesis type, University. Year.

Barry C. Hosking, "The Control of Gastro-intestinal Nematodes in Sheep with the Amino-acetonitrile Derivative, Monepantel with a Particular Focus on Australia and New Zealand," PhD diss., (Ghent University, 2010).

Note #. Last-name,"Title of Thesis."

Barry C. Hosking, "The Control of Gastro-intestinal Nematodes."

Bibliography:

Last-name, First-name. "Title of Thesis: Subtitle." Unpublished thesis type. University. Year.

Hosking, Barry C. "The Control of Gastro-intestinal Nematodes in Sheep with the Amino-acetonitrile Derivative, Monepantel with a Particular Focus on Australia and New Zealand." PhD diss., Ghent University, 2010.

(Hosking 2010)

Last-name, First-name.  Year.  "Title of Thesis: Subtitle." Unpublished thesis type. University.

Hosking, Barry C.    2010.  "The Control of Gastro-intestinal Nematodes in Sheep with the Amino-acetonitrile Derivative, Monepantel with a Particular Focus on Australia and New Zealand." PhD diss., Ghent University.

Note #. First-name Last-name, "Title of Thesis: Subtitle," Database Name (Identifier if given), Year, Internet address.

      12. Meredith Stewart, "An Investigation into Aspects of the Replication of Jembrana Disease Virus, " Australasian Digital Theses Program (WMU2005.1222), 2005, http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20051222.104106.

Note #. Last-name, "Title of Thesis."

21. Stewart, "An Investigation into Aspects."

Last-name, First-name. "Title of Thesis: Subtitle." Database Name (Identifier if given), Year. Internet address.

Stewart, Meredith. "An Investigation into Aspects of the Replication of Jembrana Disease Virus ." Australasian Digital Theses Program (WMU2005.1222),  2005. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20051222.104106.

(Stewart 2005)

Last-name, First-name. Year. "Title of Thesis: Subtitle."  Database Name  (Identifier if given), Internet address.

Stewart, Meredith. 2005. "An Investigation into Aspects of the Replication of Jembrana Disease Virus ." Australasian Digital Theses Program  (WMU2005.1222),    http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20051222.104106.

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Citation Help: Dissertations & Theses

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A quick note:

The following examples follow the Notes-Bibliography style. For Author-Date style, please consult The Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.

Chicago AND Turabian Citation Examples: Dissertations & Theses

Chicago and Turabian use the exact same format for citing dissertations and theses.

Important Elements:

• Author 
• Title of Dissertation or Thesis
• Type of Document (Dissertation or Thesis)
• Name of Degree Granting Institution

Thesis or dissertation

1. Author First Last, "Title of Dissertation or Theis" (Doctoral diss. or Master's Thesis, Name of Institution, Year), pp.-pp.

1. Dana S. Levin, "Let's Talk about Sex . . . Education: Exploring Youth Perspectives, Implicit Messages, and Unexamined Implications of Sex Education in Schools" (PhD diss., University of Michigan, 2010), 101-2.

Shortened note

2. Author Last, "Shortened Title," pp.

2. Levin, "Let's Talk about Sex," 98.

Bibliography Entry

Author Last, First. "Title of Dissertation or Thesis." Doctoral diss. or Master's Thesis, Name of Institution, Year.

Levin, Dana S. "Let's Talk about Sex . . . Education: Exploring Youth Perspectives, Implicit Messages, and Unexamined Implications of Sex Education in Schools." PhD diss., University of Michigan, 2010.

Examples courtesy of  The Turabian 8th edition .

Chicago/Turabian Examples by Source

•    Articles
•    Audio & Video
•    Books
•    Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
•    Dissertations & Theses
•    Websites, Including Social Media
•    Other Source Types

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Useful Resources for Chicago/Turabian

Check out the  Chicago Manual of Style's Shop Talk website  for more great information about using the Chicago Manual of Style through the links below!

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Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide

Chicago-style source citations come in two varieties: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date. If you already know which system to use, follow one of the links above to see sample citations for a variety of common sources. If you are unsure about which system to use, read on.

Notes and Bibliography or Author-Date?

The notes and bibliography system is preferred by many working in the humanities—including literature, history, and the arts. In this system, sources are cited in numbered footnotes or endnotes. Each note corresponds to a raised (superscript) number in the text. Sources are also usually listed in a separate bibliography. The notes and bibliography system can accommodate a wide variety of sources, including unusual ones that don’t fit neatly into the author-date system.

The author-date system is more common in the sciences and social sciences. In this system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually in parentheses, by author’s last name and year of publication. Each in-text citation matches up with an entry in a reference list, where full bibliographic information is provided.

Aside from the use of numbered notes versus parenthetical references in the text, the two systems share a similar style. Follow the links at the top of this page to see examples of some of the more common source types cited in both systems.

Most authors choose the system used by others in their field or required by their publisher. Students who are unsure of which system to use will find more information here .

For a more comprehensive look at Chicago’s two systems of source citation and many more examples, see chapters 14 and 15 of The Chicago Manual of Style.

• MyExperience

Chicago Citation Style, 17th Edition: Thesis or Dissertation

• Bibliography
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• Plagiarism This link opens in a new window

Thesis or Dissertation (14.215)

Example 1 – Print

N:           1. Lindsey Bingley, "From Overalls to Aprons? The Paid and Unpaid Labour of Southern Alberta Women, 1939-1959" (master's thesis, University of Lethbridge, 2006), 58.

B:     Bingley, Lindsey. "From Overalls to Aprons? The Paid and Unpaid Labour of Southern Alberta Women,              1939-1959." Master's thesis, University of Lethbridge, 2006.

Example 2 – Online (Commercial Database)

N:           1. Libra Rose Hilde, "Worth a Dozen Men: Women, Nursing, and Medical Care during the American Civil War" (PhD diss., Harvard University, 2003), 295, ProQuest ( 3091579).

B:     Hilde, Libra Rose. "Worth a Dozen Men: Women, Nursing, and Medical Care during the American              Civil War." PhD diss., Harvard University, 2003. ProQuest (3091579).

Example 3 – Online (Institutional Repository)

N:           1. Hiroshi Ishida, "A Geography of Contemporary Maori Agriculture." (PhD diss., University of Auckland, 1966), 110-16, https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/2489.

B:     Ishida, Hiroshi. "A Geography of Contemporary Maori Agriculture" PhD diss., University of Auckland,              1966. https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/2489.

Help & Guide Contents

Home General Guidelines     Notes     Bibliography Books     One Author or Editor     Multiple Authors or Editors     Author and Editor     Author and Translator     Organization as Author     Anonymous Work     Chapter from an Edited Work     Multivolume Work     Edition Other than the First     Dictionary or Encyclopedia     E-Book Articles     Journal Article     Magazine Article     Newspaper Article     Book Review Websites     Basic Webpage     Blogs and Social Media     Government Website Audiovisual Media     Audio/Video Recording     Online Multimedia Other Sources     Interview or Personal Communication     Lecture or Presentation    Primary Source Published in an Edited Collection     Thesis or Dissertation     Pamphlet or Brochure     Sacred Text     Indirect Source     Government Document     Paintings, Illustrations, Tables Plagiarism

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Dissertation (thesis): how to cite in Chicago Style – notes and bibliography (17th ed.)?

Create a spot-on reference in chicago 17 and 16, general rules.

Citing dissertations, master's theses, etc. under the requirements of The Chicago Manual of Style is specific due to the particularities of this type of source. Thus, a bibliographic reference should include the university responsible for the preparation and defense of the work and the type of work. The title of the dissertation is put between quotation marks. Use the following templates for references:

Reference in a bibliography:

Author . " Title ." Work type , University , year . URL .

Author , " Title " ( work type , University , year ), number of the cited page , URL .

Short note:

Author , " Title ," number of the cited page .

For a dissertation published online, it is allowed to indicate the database from which it is available and its publication number in the database instead of the URL address.

To order and indicate correctly all reference elements, we recommend using our online reference generator .

Examples of references in a bibliography

Bolton, Emma Victoria. "The Barriers and Facilitators to Stopping Inappropriate Medicines ('Deprescribing') for Older People Living in Care Homes." PhD thesis, University of Leeds, 2020. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/27649/ .

Alotaibi, Sarah. "A Biophysically-Based Skin Reflectance Model for Face Analysis." PhD thesis, University of York, 2019. White Rose eTheses Online.

Examples of notes

1. Emma Victoria Bolton, "The Barriers and Facilitators to Stopping Inappropriate Medicines ('Deprescribing') for Older People Living in Care Homes" (PhD thesis, University of Leeds, 2020), 11, http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/27649/ .

2. Sarah Alotaibi, "A Biophysically-Based Skin Reflectance Model for Face Analysis" (PhD thesis, University of York, 2019), 41, White Rose eTheses Online.

3. Bolton, "Stopping Inappropriate Medicines ('Deprescribing')," 11.

4. Alotaibi, "Skin Reflectance Model," 42.

Other citation styles:

• What is APA Style (7th ed.)?
• Examples of bibliographic references in APA (7th ed.)
• APA 7 vs APA 6: key differences
• How to cite authors?
• How to format the references page with APA (7th ed.)?
• In-text citations
• Archival document
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• Dissertation (thesis)
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• Newspaper article
• Press release
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• Social media post
• Software / mobile app
• Video (online)
• Video game / computer game
• What is MLA Style (8th ed.)?
• Examples of references in works cited in MLA (8th ed.)
• How to format the works cited page in MLA (8th ed.)?
• What is Chicago Style?
• Examples of bibliographic references in Chicago Style – notes and bibliography (17th ed.)
• How to format the bibliography page?
• Notes and in-text citations
• Examples of bibliographic references in Chicago Style – author-date (17th ed.)
• What is Harvard referencing style?
• Examples of bibliographic references in Harvard style
• Online video
• What is IEEE Style?
• Examples of bibliographic references in IEEE Style
• How to format the references pages in IEEE Style?
• What is Vancouver Style?
• Examples of bibliographic references in Vancouver Style

Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a PhD thesis in Chicago

To cite a PhD thesis in a reference entry in Chicago style 17th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the thesis: Give first the last name, then the name as presented in the source (e. g. Watson, John). For two authors, reverse only the first name, followed by ‘and’ and the second name in normal order (e. g. Watson, John, and John Watson). For more than seven authors, list the first seven names followed by et al.
• Title of the thesis: Give the title in quotation marks.
• Degree: Type of degree.
• University: Give the name of the institution.
• Year of publication: Give the year of publication as presented in the source.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a PhD thesis in Chicago style 17th edition:

Author(s) of the thesis . " Title of the thesis ." Degree , University , Year of publication .

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

A PhD thesis with one author

Confait, Marina Fatima . " Maximising the contributions of PHD graduates to national development: the case of the Seychelles ." PhD thesis , Edith Cowan University , 2018 .

Bowkett, David . " Investigating the ligandability of plant homeodomains ." PhD thesis , Oxford University , 2015 .

This citation style guide is based on the Chicago Manual of Style (17 th edition).

More useful guides

• Chicago Citation Quickguide
• How to Cite A Dissertation
• Citing and referencing: University theses and dissertations

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