how to reference a doctoral thesis

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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guide will also review the differences between a thesis or dissertation that is published and one that has remained unpublished.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Citing an unpublished thesis or dissertation, citing a published dissertation or thesis from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database,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Since unpublished theses can usually only be sourced in print form from a university library, the correct citation structure includes the university name where the publisher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 Title in sentence case [Unpublished degree type thesis or dissertation].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plans for the Iowa State College athletic field including the design of a reinforced concrete grandstand and wall [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis].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 It’s similar to the format for an unpublished dissertation/thesis, but with a few differences: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.

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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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APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: Dissertations & Thesis

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Citing Dissertations & Theses in APA Format

Dissertations & Theses

Dissertations and theses are formatted the same way in APA 7th edition. Theses are generally the culminating work for a master's or undergraduate degree and dissertations are often original research completed by doctoral students. Here are examples of a dissertation & a thesis, and how they would be formatted: 

Examples: 

Dissertation found in Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global: 

Reference:  

Banks, B. (2020). Addressing institutional racism in healthcare: A case study (Publication No. 28154307) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota]. Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global. 

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):  

(Banks, 2020).

In-Text Citation (Direct Quote):

(Banks, 2020, p. 157).

Master's thesis from a University scholarship database: 

Sears, L. B. (2017). The public voice and sustainable food systems: Community engagement in food action plans [Unpublished master's thesis]. University of Kansas.  https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/26899  

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Sears, 2017). 

(Sears, 2017, p. 24). 

Carrie Forbes, MLS

Pages Referenced

Citation information has been adapted from the APA Manual (7th Edition). Please refer to page 333 of the APA Manual (7th Edition) for more information.

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Dissertation or thesis available from a database service:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (year of publication).  Title of dissertation or thesis (Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis).  Retrieved from Name of database.  (Accession or Order No.)

For an unpublished dissertation or thesis:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (year of creation).  Title of dissertation or thesis (Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis).  Name of Institution, Location.

See Ch 7 pp. 207-208 APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules

Formatting:

• Italicize the title
• Identify whether source is doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title
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How to cite a PhD thesis in Harvard

To cite a PhD thesis in a reference entry in Harvard style include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the PhD thesis: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J.) of up to three authors with the last name preceded by 'and'. For four authors or more include the first name followed by et al., unless your institution requires referencing of all named authors.
• Year of submission: Give the year in round brackets.
• Title of the PhD thesis: Give the title as presented in the source. Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Degree description: Type of degree.
• Degree-awarding institution: Give the name of the institution.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a PhD thesis in Harvard style:

Author(s) of the PhD thesis . ( Year of submission ) Title of the PhD thesis . Degree description . Degree-awarding institution .

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

A PhD thesis with one author

Confait, M. F . ( 2018 ) Maximising the contributions of PHD graduates to national development: the case of the Seychelles . PhD thesis . Edith Cowan University .

An unpublished PhD thesis

Bowkett, D . ( 2015 ) Investigating the ligandability of plant homeodomains . Unpublished PhD thesis . University of Oxford .

This citation style guide is based on the Cite Them Right (10 th edition) Harvard referencing guide.

More useful guides

• Harvard Referencing: Theses
• Referencing with Harvard: Thesis or dissertation
• Citing and referencing: Theses/Dissertations

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Q. How do I reference a PhD dissertation or MA thesis in APA style?

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Answered By: Theresa Bell (she/her/hers) Last Updated: Nov 04, 2021     Views: 64781

APA Style (7th ed.)

Unpublished print dissertations/theses retrieved from university

Author, A. (year). Title of dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation OR master's thesis]. Name of Institution.

• In-text citation: (Author, year, p. X)
• See pages 333-334 in the APA Style manual for information and examples.

Published dissertation/thesis retrieved from online database

Dissertation

Author, A. (year). Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation, Name of Institution Granting Award]. Database Name.

Myers, S. (2018). In British Columbia's nature programs where hearts are rooted: A multiple case study of nature education in early childhood education [Doctoral dissertation, Royal Roads University]. Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global.

• In-text citation: (Myers, 2018, p. 45)

Author, A. (year). Title of thesis [Master's thesis, Name of Institution Granting Award]. Database Name.

Dawson, N. M. (2019). ła w eyasens gayułas: Ancestral teachings to reclaim the roles of Kwakwaka'wakw women in governance and leadership [Master's thesis, Royal Roads University]. Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global.

• In-text citation: (Dawson, 2019, p. 60)

Published dissertation/thesis retrieved from university archive or personal website

Author, A. (year). Title of thesis [Master's thesis, Name of Institution Granting Award]. URL of university archive or personal website

M a nuel, R. (2017). Like semaphore in the dark: There must be a better way to communicate [Master's thesis, Royal Roads University]. VIURRSpace. https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/17238/Manuel_royalroads_1313O_10623.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

• In-text citation: (Manuel, 2017, p. 39)

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

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APA (7th ed.) referencing guide (Online): Thesis / Dissertation

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Thesis or Dissertation

Below you will find guidance and examples of how to set out a reference for a Thesis or Dissertation in the body of your work and in the reference list at the end.

In text citations

In-text citation requires that the last name of the author and the year of publication be inserted into the text.

Miranda (2019) questions whether... OR ....(Miranda, 2019).

Published Thesis or  Dissertation

Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Title of doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis, Name of Institution]. Name of database. URL

Miranda, C. (2019). Exploring the lived experiences of foster youth who obtained graduate level degrees: Self-efficacy, resilience, and the impact on identity development (Publication No. 27542827) [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/2309521814.html?FMT=AI

Wolton, J. L. (2018). "We are probably Wales' best kept secret": An exploration of the role of Care & Repair Cymru caseworkers in facilitating independent living for older people in Wales (Publication No. 27792563). [Doctoral dissertation, Swansea University]. Swansea University Repository. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa49017

Unpublished Thesis or  Dissertation

Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Title of Doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis [Unpublished Doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis). Name of Institution.

Pope, S. (2013). Parental participation in the child protection process [Unpublished Master’s thesis]. Swansea University.

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Thesis, dissertation or exegesis?

Theses and dissertations from online sources, theses and dissertations in hardcopy format.

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Terminology

Thesis and dissertation can mean different things, depending on which institution the work is from.  For study purposes and for your APA reference you need to know the level of the work.

• Always check the title page, or subsequent pages, to determine exactly what the work is
• Use the information there for your APA reference

At Auckland University of Technology (and other NZ universities)

Thesis is either for a doctoral or a master's degree.

Dissertation is either for a master's or a bachelor's degree with honours.

Exegesis is the written component of a practice-based thesis where the major output is a creative work;  e.g. a film, artwork, novel.

In some other parts of the world such as North America, a dissertation may be for a doctoral degree and a thesis for a master's degree.  

See Section 7.05  in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition .

Reference format for a thesis from a commercial database:

Reference format for a thesis from an institutional repository:

A Doctoral dissertation (USA) from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database

Reference list entry:

• Include the name of the database and the order number of the document
• Use this style for theses retrieved from a commercial database

Thesis from a NZ institutional repository :

• Include the full URL for the thesis/dissertation and the full name of the degree-granting institution/university
• Also include the location of the university, if outside the United States.

In-text citations guide  

Reference format for unpublished thesis/dissertation:

• Give the correct full name of the university, not its abbreviation or brand name.
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Thesis/dissertation – apa reference list, capitalization.

• The document title is in sentence case – Only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. Always capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon or a dash.
• The title of the thesis or dissertation is in title case – Each word in the name is capitalized, except for articles (a, an, the), prepositions (against, between, in, of, to), conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), and the infinitive 'to'.

Thesis/Dissertation – Unpublished/Print version

For papers written in United States list City and State. For countries outside United States list City and Country.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis  (Unpublished doctoral dissertation [OR] Unpublished master's thesis). Academic Institution , City , State [OR] Country .

• Considine, M. (1986). Australian insurance politics in the 1970s: Two case studies . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
• Kassover,A. (1987). Treatment of abusive males: Voluntary vs. court-mandated referrals (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

Thesis/Dissertation – From a commercial database (e.g., ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database)

Author , A ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Name of database . ( Accession or Order Number )

Cooley, T. (2009).  Design, development, and implementation of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): The Hartford Job Corps Academy case study (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3344745)

Thesis/Dissertation – Institutional Database (i.e. University website)

For U.S. thesis do not include university or locations. Include the university and location (City and Country) for a non-U.S. online thesis.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis). Retrieved from http:// url.com

• Adams, R. J. (1973). Building a foundation for evaluation of instruction in higher education and continuing education (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/
• Barua, S. (2010). Drought assessment and forecasting using a nonlinear aggregated drought index  (Doctoral dissertation, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia). Retrieved from http://vuir.vu.edu.au/1598

Thesis/Dissertation – Web

For U.S. thesis do not include locations. Include the location (City and Country) for a non-U.S. online thesis.

Author , A . A . ( Year ). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, Institution issuing degree). Retrieved from http:// www.url.com

• Bruckman, A. (1997). MOOSE Crossing: Construction, community, and learning in a networked virtual world for kids (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Retrieved from http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~asb/thesis

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Leeds Harvard: Thesis or dissertation

Reference examples.

Family name, INITIAL(S). Year. Title . Type of qualification, academic institution.

Dang, V.A. 2007 . Three essays in financial economics . Ph.D. thesis, University of Leeds.

Citation examples

Author and date.

When the author name is not mentioned in the text, the citation consists of the author’s name and the year of publication in brackets.

It was emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent (Jones, 2017).

If you have already named the author in the text, only the publication year needs to be mentioned in brackets.

Jones (2017) emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent.

Three or more authors

If a source has three or more authors, the name of the first author should be given, followed by the phrase "et al."

It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent (Jones et al., 2017).

Jones et al. (2017) emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent.

Leeds Harvard does not use ibid to refer to previously cited items. If you are citing the same item twice in a row (i.e. you do not cite any other items in the text between the two citations) you must write the full citation again. As usual, if you are directly quoting or paraphrasing specific ideas, you should include a page number (if there is one). 

Jones et al. (2017, p.24) emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent and argued that referencing is a key part of academic integrity (2017, p.27). Furthermore, having a broad range of references in a text is an indicator of the breadth of a scholar's reading and research (Jones et al., 2017, p.14).

When to include page numbers

You should include page numbers in your citation if you quote directly from the text, paraphrase specific ideas or explanations, or use an image, diagram, table, etc. from a source.

"It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent" (Jones, 2017, p.24).

When referencing a single page, you should use p. For a range of pages, use pp.

p.7 or pp.20-29.

If the page numbers are in Roman numerals, do not include p. before them.

(Amis, 1958, iv)

Common issues

When you're referencing with Leeds Harvard you may come across issues with missing details, multiple authors, edited books, references to another author's work or online items, to name a few. Here are some tips on how to deal with some common issues when using Leeds Harvard.

Skip straight to the issue that affects you:

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Dissertation and Theses: Unpublished

Dissertation and theses: published, contact kelly.

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General, Electronic:

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Dissertation.” Diss. Place of Study, Year. Title of Database . Web. Date Month Year of Access.

Forrester, Pearl. “Psychological Distress and Repeated Television Viewing.” Diss. Miskatonic University, 1990. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses . Web. 13 May 2010.

General, Print:

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Dissertation.” Diss. Place of Study, Year. Print.

Forrester, Pearl. “Psychological Distress and Repeated Television Viewing.” Diss. Miskatonic University, 1990. Print.

General Rule:

Author's Last-name, First-name. Title of Disstertaion . Diss. Place of Study, Year. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Format.

Diamond, Oscar. How to Care for Your Diabetic Cat . Diss. West Virginia University, 1999. New York: Knopf, 2000. Print.

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Welcome to the University Wiki Service! Please use your IID ( [email protected] ) when prompted for your email address during login or click here to enter your EID . If you are experiencing any issues loading content on pages, please try these steps to clear your browser cache .

.css-1lrpez4{margin-top:unset;}.css-1lrpez4:hover > span,.css-1lrpez4:focus-within > span{opacity:1;-webkit-transform:none;-ms-transform:none;transform:none;-webkit-transform-duration:0.1s;-ms-transform-duration:0.1s;transform-duration:0.1s;} Dissertation Process: Overview .css-14vda7h{font-size:15px;margin-inline-start:0.5rem;opacity:0;position:absolute;-webkit-transform:translateX(-4px);-ms-transform:translateX(-4px);transform:translateX(-4px);-webkit-transition:opacity 0.2s ease-out 0s,-webkit-transform 0.2s ease-out 0s;-webkit-transition:opacity 0.2s ease-out 0s,transform 0.2s ease-out 0s;transition:opacity 0.2s ease-out 0s,transform 0.2s ease-out 0s;}

[data-colorid=cskwi3bmpo]{color:#333333} html[data-color-mode=dark] [data-colorid=cskwi3bmpo]{color:#cccccc}[data-colorid=qdp4h1aw03]{color:#333333} html[data-color-mode=dark] [data-colorid=qdp4h1aw03]{color:#cccccc} doctoral dissertation process.

The process for completing a Doctoral dissertation is fourfold. 

• A student will prepare and defend a dissertation proposal consisting of the first three chapters before all members of the dissertation committee, including the chair.
• Once the proposal is approved by the committee, the student must complete the advancement to doctoral candidacy application process.
• Upon successful advancement, the student will conduct the research activities under the guidance of the dissertation chair and committee. 
• The student will defend the completed dissertation before the committee.  After successfully defending and satisfactorily completing any required revisions, the student would earn the Ph.D.

Prepare   Dissertation/Treatise proposal

• To determine if a faculty member is on the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC), which might impact their eligibility to be on your dissertation committee, talk to your advisor.  It is the responsibility of the student to secure a faculty supervisor and committee that meets the requirements of the Graduate School.
• The committee for a Doctoral dissertation must be comprised of four individuals.  The chair of the committee must be a faculty member with GSC status in the Department.  The second and third committee members must be faculty or and/or senior lecturers with GSC status in the Department. The fourth member must be an outside member, who holds a doctorate degree, who is not a member of the student’s GSC. The fourth member, if external to the University, will need to submit a curriculum vitae and a letter indicating his/her willingness to serve on the dissertation committee. 
• Prepare your proposal (traditionally, this is the first 3 chapters of your dissertation/treatise; however, you should work with your dissertation chair to determine the contents of your proposal).
• Once your dissertation committee chair approves your proposal draft, schedule a meeting for the oral proposal presentation and distribute copies to committee members.  
• Schedule a room, with the Graduate Coordinator, in which to present your proposal.

Apply for Advancement to Candidacy

Advancement into candidacy requires an application and approval by the student’s supervising professor, the departmental Graduate Advisor, and the UT Graduate Dean.

The name and rank of each person serving on the doctoral committee and an abstract of the doctoral research are submitted. The doctoral abstract can be broad and is changeable as the student progresses in the program. Once the on-line portion is submitted, it must be approved through UT Direct by the student's supervising professor, the Graduate Advisor, and the Graduate Dean.

PLEASE NOTE: The Graduate Advisor will not approve the on-line portion of the application unless the student completes all the paper forms in the application packet required by the Department. If you have questions about this process, please contact the Graduate Office.

• Read all the information listed under “Human Subjects” (User Guide, Special Topics, Training, IRB Access, IRB members, IRB Policies & Procedures at UT, Forms and Templates, FAQs, and Contacts.  Read the information entitled “About IRB” (including information on Researchers, What is Human Subjects Research? and Dates & Deadlines).
• Fill out the appropriate paperwork on Human Subjects Review and complete the  IRB Approval process . 
• Take the U T Copyright and Plagiarism Tutorial  and print out the certification for proof of completion. Include a copy of this certification when you submit your dissertation/treatise.

Complete Dissertation/Treatise Research Activities

• Two dissertation/treatise courses are required to be taken in consecutive semesters. 
• An advising hold on your registration record will be in place until you meet the IRB Approval Pre-requirement.
• Work with your chair to determine your progress.
• Complete data collection and analysis (for peace of mind, be sure to back up your work).
• Write the final dissertation/treatise draft.
• Submit your draft to your chair for approval.

Dissertation Guidelines

In most cases, the a Doctoral dissertation will include five chapters:

• Chapter I contains an introduction to the study and its context.
• Chapter II contains an examination of the relevant literature. 
• Chapter III presents a thorough discussion of the methodology for the research. 
• Chapter IV features a careful, insightful, and comprehensive coverage of the results of the research. 
• Chapter V includes interpretation, discussion, and implications of the research results. 

Of course, the focus of each chapter and the chapter order are only what is typical and thus do not necessarily apply to all dissertations. All decisions on these matters are completely in the hands of the dissertation chair and committee.  

It is expected that the writing, the use of citations, the review and understanding of the research literature, and the research skills would reflect the highest quality standards. In addition, the style guidelines are typically those of the APA format, those made available by the University, or any other legitimate style appropriate to the study and accepted by the dissertation committee.

Complete Final Oral Exam

Scheduling of the Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation/Treatise) will be predicated upon the quality of the execution, analysis, and writing of the dissertation/treatise and will be conducted only with Dissertation/Treatise Committee approval. While the Dissertation/Treatise Committee alone votes on the acceptability of the student's Final Orals, any member of the Graduate Faculty may participate during the Examination.

Oral Exams are to be scheduled by the student and the Office of Graduate Studies. The Request for Final Oral Examination must be formally submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies at least two weeks prior to the Examination. Normally, students must submit to members of the Dissertation/Treatise Committee a final draft of the dissertation at   least four weeks   prior to the Examination.

• Submit the   Doctoral Application to Graduate   the first week of the semester in which you plan to graduate). 
• Submit your dissertation/treatise to your Dissertation Committee   at least four weeks   before your defense.
• Schedule your  Final Oral Examination   two weeks   before the desired date using the   Request for Final Oral   form. Your committee signatures signifies that they approve of your request for the final oral exam and serves as a receipt that they received your dissertation/treatise draft. 

Please then submit the Request for Final Oral Examination form, along with the Dissertation “front matter” to the Graduate School at   [email protected]   at least   two weeks   before the defense date.

• Work with your chair to determine the elements and presentation method needed for your final oral exam.
• Effective Fall 2020, the Graduate School will not schedule your final defense within   two weeks   of the last class day of the semester. Reference the   UT Academic Calendar   for deadline information.

After a successful defense,

• Make the appropriate corrections to your dissertation/treatise as suggested by your committee and upload the formatted dissertation/treatise by the deadline to the Texas Digital Library website,   https://utexas-etd.tdl.org/ .
• Seek signatures from your committee on the   "Report of Dissertation/Treatise"   form and submit by the Graduate School deadline:   Report of Dissertation form
• Submit all paperwork to the Office of Graduate Studies   ( [email protected] )   following the   deadlines of the semester   in which you wish to graduate.
• Submit  IRB Protocol Closure Report  (Electronic Closure) to Office of Research of Support and Compliance.  

Attend Graduation and Celebrate!!!

• Check the  Graduation Deadlines for Doctoral Candidates  for graduation information.
• Check the  commencement website for ceremony information . 

Extension of Candidacy Policy and Process

Dissertation/treatise completion requirements.

• According to the Graduate School guidelines (Graduate School Handbook), students who have been admitted to doctoral candidacy have two years to complete their degree. The candidacy of each student is reviewed after two years and annually thereafter. At the end of the second year, the Office of Graduate Studies informs the Department Graduate Advisor that a student’s candidacy must be reviewed and a recommendation be made concerning an “Extension of Candidacy” or “Termination of Candidacy.”
• At the end of the second year of candidacy, an Extension of Candidacy for one last year may be requested and must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) of the department according to the process outlined in this policy.
• An extension of candidacy may be approved for up to one year (2 long semesters plus 1 summer semester) only. The student must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.
• Under extraordinary circumstances, candidates may request an additional extension of candidacy provided the dissertation/treatise committee chair and the program head support such a request.

Extension of one last year

• The department graduate advisor informs the dissertation/treatise committee chair and the program head of the need for an extension request.
• The student, in collaboration with the chair of the dissertation/treatise committee and the program head, writes and submits a completion plan to the graduate advisor. This plan must include detailed activities and dates to complete and defend the dissertation or treatise, and a support statement from the dissertation/treatise committee chair.
• The graduate advisor presents the request for Extension of Candidacy to the Graduate Studies Committee for approval.
• The dissertation/treatise committee chair makes a brief report providing any additional information. The Graduate Studies Committee makes a decision regarding the extension request including any conditions, or termination of the student’s program.
• The graduate advisor informs the student of the decision including any conditions that might apply.
• The Graduate Advisor submits the Extension of Candidacy Recommendation to the Office of the Graduate Studies.
• This is the last extension of candidacy a student may request. 

Additional Extension

Only under exigent circumstances, as verified by the Chair of the dissertation/treatise committee and the program chair, a student may request an additional extension.

DOWNLOAD FORM:    Extension of Candidacy Application Form

Request to Delay Publication

Initial request for delay of publication.

If you wish to request a temporary delay of publication of your thesis, report, dissertation, or treatise, you must make this request before graduation. The request should be made by using this form. If no request to delay publication is made, the document will be freely available online.

Note that it is not appropriate to use a delay of publication to avoid securing copyright permissions required for publication. Any required publication permissions must be obtained prior to submitting the ETD. The graduate dean makes the final decision regarding delayed publication.

Restrictions and/or holds on publishing requested from ProQuest do not apply to the dissertation archived at the TDL.

Extension Request for Delay of Publication

Authors who already have an approved delay of publication, but wish to extend the time of the delay, may request an extension (up to seven years from the date of graduation).

Request to End Delay of Publication Prior to Scheduled Date

Authors who have an approved delay of publication, but wish to publish their ETD prior to the date initially requested, may request to end the delay of publication.

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