Chicago 17th Edition — Theses & Dissertations

Chicago Citation Generator for Theses and Dissertations

Cite PhD dissertations and master's theses from ProQuest, university repositories, and unpublished sources in Chicago Manual of Style. Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date.

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How to cite a thesis or dissertation in Chicago

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Chicago Format for Theses

PhD dissertation (Notes-Bibliography footnote):

First Last, "Title" (PhD diss., University, Year), pages, URL or database.

PhD dissertation (Bibliography):

Last, First. "Title." PhD diss., University, Year. URL or database.

Master's thesis (Author-Date):

Last, First. Year. "Title." Master's thesis, University. URL or database.

Unpublished thesis (no database):

Last, First. "Title." PhD diss., University, Year.

Chicago Thesis Citation Examples

PhD dissertation from ProQuest (Notes-Bibliography footnote)

Jane Smith, "Cognitive Bias in Algorithmic Decision-Making" (PhD diss., Stanford University, 2024), 78, ProQuest (12345678).

Standard Chicago dissertation footnote

PhD dissertation (Bibliography)

Smith, Jane. "Cognitive Bias in Algorithmic Decision-Making." PhD diss., Stanford University, 2024. ProQuest (12345678).

Bibliography entry — invert author name

Master's thesis (Author-Date)

Lopez, Carlos. 2024. "Migration and Identity in Diaspora Literature." Master's thesis, University of Toronto.

Author-Date variant — no URL needed for unpublished work

University repository thesis

Johnson, Mary. "Climate Resilience in Coastal Cities." PhD diss., University of Washington, 2024. https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/example.

Open repository — use direct URL

Unpublished thesis (no database)

Patel, Anish. "The Politics of Memory in Post-Conflict Societies." PhD diss., University of Cambridge, 2024.

Unpublished — no URL or database, just the degree-granting institution

Examples formatted in Chicago style

PhD diss. vs. Master's thesis

Chicago uses the degree label from the title page of the work. Conventions differ across countries — match the document, not the country.

US convention

Thesis = master's degree
Dissertation = PhD or doctoral
Chicago label: "PhD diss." or "master's thesis"

UK/Commonwealth convention

Dissertation = master's degree
Thesis = PhD or doctoral
Chicago label: match the title page exactly

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cite a thesis in Chicago Notes-Bibliography style?

Footnote: First Last, "Title of Thesis" (PhD diss., University Name, Year), pages, URL or database. Bibliography: Last, First. "Title of Thesis." PhD diss., University Name, Year. URL or database. Use "PhD diss." for dissertations and "master's thesis" for masters work — Chicago capitalizes the degree only at sentence start.

How do you cite a thesis in Chicago Author-Date style?

In-text: (Last Year, page). Reference list: Last, First. Year. "Title of Thesis." PhD diss., University Name. URL or database. Author-Date is more common in social-science Chicago work; the format is otherwise identical to Notes-Bibliography.

How do you cite a ProQuest dissertation in Chicago?

Include the database name and accession number: ..., ProQuest (12345678). Or use the ProQuest URL if your style guide prefers URLs over database names. Chicago 17th edition lets you choose either — most universities prefer the database name with accession number for permanence.

What is the difference between a thesis and a dissertation in Chicago citations?

Convention varies by country. In the US: thesis = master's, dissertation = PhD. In the UK and Commonwealth: dissertation = master's, thesis = PhD. Chicago uses the actual degree label from the title page — match what the document says. CiteMe pulls this from ProQuest metadata when available.

How do you cite an unpublished thesis in Chicago?

Same format as a published thesis, with no URL or database. Footnote: First Last, "Title" (PhD diss., University, Year), pages. The lack of URL signals that the thesis is unpublished or not in a public repository.

How do I cite a thesis chapter or excerpt in Chicago?

Cite the thesis as a whole and indicate the chapter or page range in your footnote. Example: First Last, "Title of Thesis" (PhD diss., University, Year), 45–67. Chicago does not use a separate "chapter" citation format for theses the way it does for edited books.

Should I include the URL or accession number for a ProQuest thesis?

Either works in Chicago 17. URL is more accessible to readers without ProQuest subscriptions. Accession number is more permanent (URLs change, accession numbers do not). When in doubt, include both: ..., https://www.proquest.com/docview/12345678 (ProQuest 12345678).