How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in Chicago

Each manual words the degree differently: a Doctoral dissertation in APA, a PhD dissertation in MLA, a PhD diss. in Chicago, a PhD thesis in Harvard. Pick the degree and the right wording is used. This page follows Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography), 18th edition (2024).

Chicago format for a thesis or dissertation

Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)

Bibliography entry

Nash, John Forbes. “Non-Cooperative Games.” PhD diss., Princeton University, 1950.

Footnote

John Forbes Nash, “Non-Cooperative Games” (PhD diss., Princeton University, 1950).

Later footnotes

Nash, “Non-Cooperative Games.”

Style: Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)

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Preview: Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)

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    Where to find the details

    • The title page names the degree, the university and the year it was accepted.

    Required in most styles: author, year, thesis title, degree, university.

    Cite a thesis or dissertation in another style

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    Questions

    What do I need to cite a thesis or dissertation in Chicago?

    At minimum: author, year, thesis title, degree, university. The title page names the degree, the university and the year it was accepted.

    What does a thesis or dissertation look like in Chicago?

    Bibliography entry: Nash, John Forbes. “Non-Cooperative Games.” PhD diss., Princeton University, 1950. Footnote: John Forbes Nash, “Non-Cooperative Games” (PhD diss., Princeton University, 1950).

    Is this free?

    Yes. No account and no limit. Your bibliography is saved in this browser only, and you can export it to Word, BibTeX, RIS or CSL-JSON.

    Citations are formatted by citeproc-js by Frank Bennett (CPAL-1.0, or AGPL-1.0), the engine behind Zotero and Mendeley, running the official Citation Style Language styles (10,863 styles, commit 2e93558) and locales (commit a89adec), used under CC BY-SA 3.0. AGLC4 citations use the LexIntellect AGLC4 engine, checked against the Guide's worked examples. Always check a citation against the manual or your institution's guide before you submit.