Harvard Citation Generator for Theses and Dissertations
Reference master's theses and doctoral dissertations in Harvard style. Handles published (ProQuest, repository) and unpublished versions with correct access dates.
Search will start automatically once loaded…
Harvard Format for Theses and Dissertations
Published (repository):
Published (ProQuest):
Unpublished:
Harvard Thesis Reference Examples
Published doctoral dissertation (repository)
Paste the repository URL to auto-fill metadata
Published dissertation (ProQuest)
ProQuest is the "publisher" for the citation
Master's thesis (published)
Use "Master's thesis" or specific MA/MSc label
Unpublished dissertation
No URL, no access date
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you reference a thesis in Harvard style?
Harvard template: Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of the thesis'. Level thesis. Institution. Available at: URL (Accessed: date). Example: Lastname, F.I. (2023) 'Title of the doctoral dissertation'. PhD thesis. University of Example. Available at: https://repository.example.edu/example (Accessed: 15 March 2024).
What's the difference between published and unpublished theses in Harvard?
Published (deposited in a public repository, ProQuest, or institutional archive): include the "Available at: URL" and access date. Unpublished (only the institution archives a copy): omit URL and access date — the reference ends with the institution name.
How do I cite a ProQuest dissertation in Harvard?
Template: Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of the dissertation'. PhD thesis. University Name. Available at: ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global (Accessed: date). Some guides also request the ProQuest Publication Number — add it in parentheses after the title if your department requires.
Should the title be italicized in Harvard?
Harvard referencing is less standardized than APA — there are several variants (Cite Them Right, OSCOLA-Harvard, Leeds Harvard). Most use single quotation marks around the thesis title and italicize the institution or leave it plain. CiteMe follows the Cite Them Right convention (single quotes on title, plain institution).
What level labels does Harvard use?
"PhD thesis", "DPhil thesis", "MA thesis", "MSc thesis", "MPhil thesis", "Master's thesis" (generic), "Bachelor's thesis" or "Undergraduate dissertation". Use the specific label your department or institution uses.
How do I format the in-text citation for a thesis?
Harvard uses standard author-date format: (Lastname, Year) parenthetical, or narrative "Lastname (Year) argued...". No special rule for theses — the reference-list entry is where the thesis type is flagged.
Do I need an access date for Harvard thesis references?
Yes, when the thesis is retrieved from an online repository or database. Harvard referencing style requires "(Accessed: day month year)" for online sources. For print-only or unpublished theses, the access date is omitted.
Reference Other Source Types in Harvard
Reference a Thesis in Harvard
Paste a ProQuest, repository, or institutional URL — your Harvard thesis reference is ready in seconds.
Get Started Free