Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis References

This page contains a reference example for an unpublished dissertation or thesis.

Harris, L. (2014). Instructional leadership perceptions and practices of elementary school leaders [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Virginia.

Parenthetical citation: (Harris, 2014)
Narrative citation: Harris (2014)

When a dissertation or thesis is unpublished, include the description “[Unpublished doctoral dissertation]” or “[Unpublished master’s thesis]” in square brackets after the dissertation or thesis title.
In the source element of the reference, provide the name of the institution that awarded the degree.
The same format can be adapted for other unpublished theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate.
If you find the dissertation or thesis in a database or in a repository or archive, follow the published dissertation or thesis reference examples.

Unpublished dissertation or thesis references are covered in Section 10.6 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition