Have you found useful ideas or data in someone else’s dissertation or thesis to support an argument in your own work? Our guide below explains how to cite a thesis or dissertation correctly in the Chicago footnote style.
The Chicago Manual of Style’s footnote referencing system uses superscript numbers to point to citations. For instance:
Usually at the end of a sentence, like this.1
The footnote format for a thesis or dissertation in Chicago referencing is similar to the one used for a book. The main difference is that you should use quote marks instead of italics for the title:
n. Author name, “Title of paper” (type of paper, academic institution, year of completion), page number, URL/database name (document ID).
Of course, you only need to give a URL or database name and ID if you accessed the paper online! To cite page 42 of John Smith’s printed PhD thesis, then, your footnote would look like this:
1. John Smith, “Useful Ideas for Research” (PhD diss., University of Learning, 2006), 42.
If you’re citing only an abstract, simply add the word “abstract” after the title:
2. Tom Persson, “Great Thoughts and Stuff,” abstract, (master’s thesis, Educational Establishment of City Name Here, 2012), 81, https://CityNameUniversity.edu/1901.11/39144.
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For repeat citations, use the standard shortened footnote format.
The bibliography entry for a thesis or dissertation will be similar to the first footnote citation. However, there are a few differences in the format:
So, bibliography entries for these sources should look like this:
Author Surname, Author First Name. “Title of paper.” Type of paper, academic institution, year of completion. URL/database ID.
Thus, you would present your bibliography entries as follows:
Persson, Tom. “Great Thoughts and Stuff.” Abstract. Master’s thesis, Educational Establishment of City Name Here, 2012. https://CityNameUniversity.edu/1901.11/39144.
Smith, John. “Useful Ideas for Research.” PhD diss., University of Learning, 2006.
The points above will help you cite a dissertation or thesis in Chicago footnote referencing. Want further help checking your references and writing are error free? Our team of expert proofreaders is available 24/7.
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