How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in MLA

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 MLA 9th edition, 9th edition (2021).

MLA format for a thesis or dissertation

MLA 9th edition

Works Cited entry

Nash, John Forbes. Non-Cooperative Games. 1950. Princeton University, PhD dissertation.

In-text citation

(Nash)

Style: MLA 9th edition

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Year (required)

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Preview: MLA 9th edition

Works Cited (0)

Your citations appear here, formatted in MLA 9th edition. They are saved in this browser only: nothing is sent to us, and no account is needed.

    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

    Other sources

    Questions

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

    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 MLA?

    Works Cited entry: Nash, John Forbes. Non-Cooperative Games. 1950. Princeton University, PhD dissertation. In-text citation: (Nash)

    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.