How to cite a PhD thesis in APA

To cite a PhD thesis in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:

1. Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to seven authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For eight or more authors include the first six names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
2. Year of publication: Give the year in brackets followed by a full stop.
3. Title of the PhD thesis: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
4. URL: Give the full URL where the document can be retrieved from.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a PhD thesis in APA style 6th edition:

Author(s) of the thesis. (Year of publication). Title of the PhD thesis (PhD thesis). Retrieved from URL

If the thesis is available from a database, archive or any online platform use the following template:

1. Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
2. Year of publication: Give the year in brackets followed by a full stop.
3. Title of the PhD thesis: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
4. Publication number: Give the identification number of the thesis, if available.
5. Name of the degree awarding institution: Give the name of the institution.
6. Name of Platform: Give the name of the database, archive or any platform that holds the thesis.
7. URL: If the thesis was found on a database, omit this element.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a PhD thesis in APA style 7th edition:

Author(s) of the thesis. (Year of publication). Title of the PhD thesis (Publication number) [PhD thesis, Name of the degree awarding institution]. Name of Platform. URL