How to Cite a Dissertation or Thesis in Chicago 17 Format

Dissertations and theses are essential scholarly sources, particularly for graduate students building on recent research in their field. Chicago 17th Edition provides specific formatting rules that distinguish between published and unpublished works, dissertations accessed through databases, and those obtained directly from institutions. Getting these details right matters because dissertation citations signal to your committee and readers that you understand the conventions of scholarly documentation. This guide covers every variation you'll encounter.

Key Formatting Rules for Dissertations and Theses

Before looking at examples, understand these core rules from the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (section 14.215):

• Unpublished dissertations and theses use quotation marks around the title — not italics. They are treated as unpublished manuscripts.
• Published dissertations (issued as books by a commercial publisher) are italicized like any other book. This is rare for modern dissertations.
• Database-accessed dissertations remain in quotation marks but include the database name.
• The designation "PhD diss." or "master's thesis" appears in parentheses after the title, followed by the institution and year.
• The institution name should be the full official name — "University of California, Berkeley" not "UC Berkeley."
• A URL or DOI may be appended if the work was accessed online outside a major database.

Real-World Examples

1. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation

First Footnote:

1. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "Artistic Problems and Their Solution: An Exploration of Creativity in the Arts" (PhD diss., University of Chicago, 1965), 42.

Shortened Footnote:

2. Csikszentmihalyi, "Artistic Problems," 42.

Bibliography:

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. "Artistic Problems and Their Solution: An Exploration of Creativity in the Arts." PhD diss., University of Chicago, 1965.

2. Dissertation Accessed via ProQuest

First Footnote:

3. Brenda Jo Brueggemann, "The Coming Out of Deaf Culture and American Sign Language: An Exploration of the Deaf Community's Literacy Practices" (PhD diss., University of Louisville, 1995), 118, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Shortened Footnote:

4. Brueggemann, "Coming Out of Deaf Culture," 118.

Bibliography:

Brueggemann, Brenda Jo. "The Coming Out of Deaf Culture and American Sign Language: An Exploration of the Deaf Community's Literacy Practices." PhD diss., University of Louisville, 1995. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

3. Master's Thesis

First Footnote:

5. Sarah M. Hartley, "Urban Green Spaces and Mental Health Outcomes in Low-Income Communities" (master's thesis, Columbia University, 2019), 34.

Shortened Footnote:

6. Hartley, "Urban Green Spaces," 34.

Bibliography:

Hartley, Sarah M. "Urban Green Spaces and Mental Health Outcomes in Low-Income Communities." Master's thesis, Columbia University, 2019.

4. Dissertation with a URL (Institutional Repository)

First Footnote:

7. James K. Richardson, "Machine Learning Approaches to Climate Model Downscaling" (PhD diss., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2021), 67, https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/example/12345.

Shortened Footnote:

8. Richardson, "Machine Learning Approaches," 67.

Bibliography:

Richardson, James K. "Machine Learning Approaches to Climate Model Downscaling." PhD diss., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2021. https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/example/12345.

5. Published Dissertation (Issued as a Book)

When a dissertation has been commercially published as a book, cite it as a book. The title is italicized, and you do not include "PhD diss." or the institution:

First Footnote:

9. Tara Zahra, Kidnapped Souls: National Indifference and the Battle for Children in the Bohemian Lands, 1900–1948 (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008), 53.

Shortened Footnote:

10. Zahra, Kidnapped Souls, 53.

Bibliography:

Zahra, Tara. Kidnapped Souls: National Indifference and the Battle for Children in the Bohemian Lands, 1900–1948. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008.

Step-by-Step: Building Your Citation

For Footnotes (Notes)

1. Start with the note number followed by a period and space.
2. Author's name in normal order: First Name Last Name, followed by a comma.
3. Title in quotation marks, using headline-style capitalization. Place a space (no comma) after the closing quotation mark.
4. Parenthetical with degree, institution, and year: (PhD diss., Full University Name, Year), followed by a comma.
5. Page number(s) if citing a specific passage.
6. Database name or URL if applicable, preceded by a comma.
7. End with a period.

For Bibliography Entries

1. Author's name inverted: Last Name, First Name. End with a period.
2. Title in quotation marks, using headline-style capitalization. End with a period inside the closing quotation mark.
3. Degree designation and institution: PhD diss., Full University Name, Year. End with a period.
4. Database name or URL if applicable. End with a period.

Degree Designations

Use the following standard labels:

Note: "master's" is lowercase with an apostrophe. "PhD" has no periods in Chicago style.

Common Errors

Special Cases

Dissertation with a DOI

If a dissertation has a DOI (increasingly common for recent works), include it at the end of the citation. Chicago prefers DOIs formatted as full URLs:

Bibliography:

Park, Jiyeon. "Neuroplasticity and Second Language Acquisition in Adult Learners." PhD diss., University of Michigan, 2022. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/example.

Dissertation from a Non-English Institution

Use the institution's name in its original language or its established English equivalent. If the dissertation title is in another language, you may include a translation in brackets:

First Footnote:

11. Marie Dupont, "Les effets du bilinguisme sur la cognition" [The effects of bilingualism on cognition] (PhD diss., Université de Paris, 2020), 89.

Bibliography:

Dupont, Marie. "Les effets du bilinguisme sur la cognition" [The effects of bilingualism on cognition]. PhD diss., Université de Paris, 2020.

Dissertation with No Page Numbers (Digital-Only)

If the dissertation is digital and lacks fixed page numbers, omit the page reference or use a section or chapter heading instead:

12. Richardson, "Machine Learning Approaches," chap. 4.

Unpublished Dissertation Not Yet Completed

For an incomplete or forthcoming dissertation that you have accessed as a draft with the author's permission, describe the status:

13. Ana Torres, "Microplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems" (PhD diss., Stanford University, forthcoming), 15, Microsoft Word file.

Dissertation Accessed Through an Institutional Repository

If accessed through a university's open-access repository rather than a commercial database, include the repository URL:

Bibliography:

Hartley, Sarah M. "Urban Green Spaces and Mental Health Outcomes in Low-Income Communities." Master's thesis, Columbia University, 2019. https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/example.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between citing a dissertation and a thesis in Chicago style?

The formatting is identical except for the degree label. Doctoral-level works use "PhD diss." (or "EdD diss.," "PsyD diss.," etc.), while master's-level works use "master's thesis." Both use quotation marks around the title and include the institution name and year in parentheses. The key distinction is the degree designation, not the format structure.

Should I use italics or quotation marks for the dissertation title?

Use quotation marks for unpublished dissertations and theses, which is the vast majority of cases. Only use italics if the dissertation has been commercially published as a book by a press such as a university press or trade publisher. If you accessed it through ProQuest, an institutional repository, or directly from the author, it counts as unpublished — use quotation marks.

Do I need to include the ProQuest publication number?

Chicago 17th Edition does not require the ProQuest publication number. Including the database name ("ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global") is sufficient. However, if your instructor or publisher requests it, you can add it after the database name: "ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (28150926)."

How do I handle a dissertation with multiple advisors or committee members?

Only cite the author of the dissertation — not the advisor or committee members. The advisor's name is not part of a standard Chicago dissertation citation. If you need to mention the advisor for context, do so in your text rather than the citation.

Should I include the dissertation in my bibliography if I only cite it once in a footnote?

Yes. In Chicago's notes-bibliography system, all works cited in footnotes should appear in the bibliography, regardless of how many times they are cited. The only exception is personal communications and certain types of brief references that your style guide or instructor may exempt.

Validation Checklist

Before submitting, verify each element of your dissertation citation:

• Title is in quotation marks (not italics) for unpublished works
• Title uses headline-style capitalization (major words capitalized)
• Degree designation is correct: "PhD diss." (no periods in PhD) or "master's thesis" (lowercase, with apostrophe)
• Full institution name used — no abbreviations
• Year is included after the institution name
• Parentheses enclose only the degree, institution, and year in footnotes
• Database name or URL included if accessed electronically
• Bibliography entry has inverted author name (Last, First)
• Bibliography entry uses a period (not comma) to separate the degree/institution block from database info
• Footnote includes specific page number when citing a particular passage
• Shortened footnote uses a brief but recognizable form of the title
• If commercially published as a book, cited as a book with italicized title and publisher

For complete Chicago 17th Edition formatting rules across all source types, see our comprehensive Chicago 17th Edition citation guide.