apa thesis proposal

APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources

• Basics of APA Formatting
• In Text Quick View
• Block Quotes
• Books & eBooks
• Thesis/Dissertation

Standard Format

Formatting rules, various examples.

• Audiovisual
• Conference Presentations
• Social Media
• Legal References
• Reports and Gray Literature
• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
• Additional Resources
• Reference Page

Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed).  https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Formatting:

• Italicize the title
• Identify whether source is doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title

See Ch. 10 pp. 313-352 of APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules

• << Previous: Articles
• Next: Websites >>
• Last Updated: Jun 13, 2024 1:51 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA7th

APA Style, 7th edition - Citing Sources

• Getting Started
• Formatting the Paper

Dissertation & SPP Format Pieces

Creating a toc in apa, dnp spp toc examples, edd toc examples, important: signature page, the abstract & keywords.

• Student vs. Professional
• Writing Style
• All about the DOI
• OVERVIEW - READ FIRST!
• Dictionary Entry
• Government Report
• Journal Article
• Lecture Notes
• Legal Resources
• Lexicomp via UpToDate
• Magazine Article
• Newsletter Article
• Newspaper Article
• Online Course or MOOC
• Organization Report
• Social Media
• Tables & Figures
• Video: Films on Demand
• Video: Online
• Video: Psychotherapy.net
• Video: YouTube
• APA Paper Review (Regis Students Only)

If you are on this tab, you have probably been asked to format a dissertation or Scholarly Practice Project paper using APA format. Use the below information to help you format the different pieces of your paper.  Please check with your academic department to see if they have an official dissertation/SPP format template for your program.

A note on Table of Contents: Most APA papers do not require a Table of Contents (TOC). If you are writing a Dissertation or Scholarly Practice Project, you may be asked to include one. Please note: the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association does not have an official stance on formatting a Table of Contents page .

Below, you will find some general information and examples of Table of Contents (TOC), Abstracts and Keywords, and the Signature page that you may find helpful.

• Scribbr Creating an APA-style Table of Contents This tutorial from Scribbr is extremely helpful in formatting your APA Table of Contents.

Use the below examples as a reference point for forming your Table of Contents. These should be used as a baseline for formatting-- yours will be more specific to your headings and subject-matter.

• DNP SPP TOC Example 1
• DNP SPP TOC Example 2
• EdD Dissertation TOC Example 1
• EdD Dissertation TOC Example 2

Your signature page is one of the most important pieces of your final product. It proves that you completed the dissertation!  Below is an example of what your signature page should look like (names blanked out for privacy).

If you have any questions about the signature page or how to get it signed, please contact your program director.

ABSTRACT : An abstract is required for your Dissertation or Scholarly Practice Project and must be included before submitting your final copy to Proquest.  An abstract is a brief, comprehensive overview of your paper. Generally, it should not exceed 250 words.

KEYWORDS : You should also include keywords. Keywords are descriptive terms that encompass the themes of your paper. Think about what terms you used when searching for your topic in the databases. This is what researchers will use to find your paper!

• APA Style Abstract and Keywords Handout For more information on creating an Abstract and Keywords, please use this handout from the APA Style site.
• Professional Paper sample with Abstract Example See page one of this document for an example of an Abstract and Keywords, with annotations on where to find more information in APA Manual. From the APA Style site.
• << Previous: Formatting the Paper
• Next: Student vs. Professional >>
• Last Updated: Jun 18, 2024 10:51 AM
• URL: https://libguides.regiscollege.edu/APA7

• Mardigian Library
• Subject Guides

EDK 850 Research Design & Proposal Development

• Formatting your Dissertation in APA Style
• Getting Started
• Journal Articles/Databases
• Books/Reference Materials
• How to Request Books and Articles from Other Libraries (ILL)
• Literature Reviews
• Citation Management Tools
• Research Methods Resources for Graduate Students
• Formatting using Microsoft Word
• Education Websites
• Info about UM-Dearborn Doctoral Requirements & Deadlines

APA Style Resources

Here are some general APA Style resources. Scroll down further to see more details about citations and paper formatting. 

• APA Style Website The APA Style Website is the official website for APA 7th edition, and includes formatting guidelines for formatting your overall paper including title page setup, tables and figures, as well as guidelines for formatting reference citations. Sample papers are included.
• Excelsior Online Writing Lab: APA Style The Excelsior OWL is an excellent resource for how to write and cite your academic work in APA Style. This is a recommended starting point if you're not sure how to use APA style in your work, and includes helpful multimedia elements.

Several print copies of the APA 7th edition Publication Manual are available for checkout at the Mardigian Library.

(Sorry, APA does not provide an eBook version of this for libraries at the present time.)

APA Style 7th edition Citations (References and In-Text Citations)

If you're new to citation, this brief video will cover an introduction to in-text citations and reference lists in APA 7th edition. Scroll down for more recommended resources about citations. 

More information including examples and sample papers can be found at the recommended websites below: 

• APA Style Website: Reference Examples Guidelines about references from the official APA Style website.
• APA Style Website: In-text Citations Guidelines for in-text citations from the official APA Style website.
• APA 7th edition quick reference handout This quick reference guide to APA 7th edition citations is handy and includes many commonly cited source types and corresponding in-text citations.
• APA In-text Citation Checklist APA's official In-text citation checklist for the 7th edition.

APA Style 7th edition Formatting for Professional Papers (including Dissertations)

• APA Style Website: Sample Annotated Professional Paper This is the official sample professional paper from the APA Style website, and includes annotations illustrating the usage of each element.
• APA Style Website: Paper Format The APA Style website's paper format page includes all of the elements of paper format that you need to follow, including information about the title page, margins and spacing, fonts and headings. Sample papers are included.

CEHHS Formatting Requirements for Ed.D. Dissertations

CEHHS uses the current version of the APA Publication Manual (7th edition) for all matters of format with the exception of some particular requirements for the Title page, pagination (especially of front matter) and top margins. Unless otherwise stated in the CEHHS Ed.D. Dissertation Guide below, defer to APA 7th edition. 

Some formatting aspects to be sure you are following correctly include: 

• Tables and Figures, including labeling thereof
• CEHHS Ed.D. Dissertation Guide
• UM-Ann Arbor Scholarspace Microsoft for Dissertations Guide
• << Previous: Research Methods Resources for Graduate Students
• Next: Formatting using Microsoft Word >>
• Last Updated: Jul 8, 2024 11:55 AM
• URL: https://guides.umd.umich.edu/educationresources

Call us at 313-593-5559

Chat with us

Text us: 313-486-5399

Email us your question

• 4901 Evergreen Road Dearborn, MI 48128, USA
• Phone: 313-593-5000
• Maps & Directions
• M+Google Mail
• Emergency Information
• UM-Dearborn Connect
• Wolverine Access

Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• How to cite a dissertation in APA Style

How to Cite a Dissertation in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on December 16, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 27, 2023.

The format for citing someone else’s dissertation or thesis in APA Style depends on whether the thesis is available from a database, published somewhere else (e.g. on a university archive or personal website), or unpublished (only available in print form directly from the author or university).

To cite a dissertation or thesis from a database, use the following format. In the square brackets, specify the type of dissertation or thesis and the university. As with other database sources, no URL or DOI is included.

Table of contents

Citing a dissertation published elsewhere, citing an unpublished dissertation in apa style.

To cite a dissertation or thesis published in a university archive (often in PDF form ) or on a personal website, the format differs in that no publication number is included, and you do list a URL.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

To cite an unpublished dissertation (one you got directly from the author or university in print form), add “Unpublished” to the bracketed description, and list the university at the end of the reference, outside the square brackets.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, December 27). How to Cite a Dissertation in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/dissertation/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to cite a journal article in apa style, how to cite a website in apa style, how to cite a report in apa style, scribbr apa citation checker.

An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations!

• How to Cite
• Language & Lit
• Rhyme & Rhythm
• The Rewrite
• Search Glass

How to Write a Research Proposal in the APA Style

The sixth edition of the “Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association” directs you how to format and structure your research proposal. This is the most common style used for proposal related to the social sciences. A research proposal in APA format should include a title, abstract, main body and references.

General Structure

APA format recommends that you type your proposal with a highly legible 12-point font, such as Times New Roman. It needs to be double-spaced. When you write a new paragraph, indent fives spaces or use the Tab key. Your paper should have a 1-inch margin on all sides. At the top of each page, insert a running head in the header. To format this correctly, write the title of your proposal in the upper left hand side and the page number in the upper right hand side. Your running head is limited to 50 characters, including spaces. If you must shorten your title, select the keywords.

For your research proposal, your title page should include your paper’s title, your name and your university’s name. Other information that may appear on the title page includes submission date, budget period, total funds requested or advisor’s name, depending on your proposal’s audience. APA style recommends that your title is no more than 12 words in length. All text on this page should be double-spaced. When listing names, do not include any titles or degrees. The running head is different on the title page than the rest of your paper. Format your running head so it says “Running head” followed by a colon and your title.

In APA format, your abstract is the second page of your paper. Despite appearing at the beginning of your paper, plan to write your research proposal last. This is a brief summary of your entire paper. In a 150- to 250-word paragraph, state your problem, and propose a solution for it. To properly format this page, center the word “Abstract” without any additional formatting on the first line of the page. Following a double-space, write your paragraph. Do not indent this paragraph. After your summary, indent five spaces and write the word, “Keywords” in italics followed by a colon. Then list keywords related to your proposal.

In-Text Citations

Every sentence that references another person’s work must include an in-text citation. The APA recommends that you use the author-date method. Write the author’s name and the publication year within parentheses at the end of the referencing sentence. For example, “One study found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic (Gass & Varonis, 1984).”

At the end of your proposal, APA style advises that you create a references page that lists citations for all of your references. Label this page with the word “References” centered on the first line of the page. Then list all the sources used within your proposal in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. For any references that are longer than one line, indent all subsequent lines by five spaces.

When writing references, APA style recommends that you give the author’s last name and then use initials for all other names. For a single author book, write the author’s last name, a comma, first initial and a period. Next, write the publication year in parentheses. Place a period outside the last parenthesis. Then write the title of the book in italics and sentence case, a period, the city, a comma, the state, a colon, the publisher’s name and a period. A reference may look like this:

Zerby, C. (2002). Devil’s details: A history of footnotes. Montpelier, VT: Invisible Cities Press.

• University of North Carolina Charlotte: Outline for Research Reports and Proposals Using APA Style
• Purdue University: APA Formatting and Style Guide: General Format
• University of Michigan: Proposal Writer's Guide: The Title
• Penn State University: APA In-Text Citation Guide
• Purdue University: APA Formatting and Style Guide: Reference List: Books
• College of Charleston: APA Citation Style for a Bibliography/Works Cited Page

Fitzalan Gorman has more than 10 years of academic and commercial experience in research and writing. She has written speeches and text for CEOs, company presidents and leaders of major nonprofit organizations. Gorman has published for professional cycling teams and various health and fitness websites. She has a Master of Arts from Virginia Tech in political science and is a NASM certified personal trainer.

APA format: Basic Guide for Researchers

The American Psychological Association (APA) is an official style format that is used by researchers and authors for academic and scientific writing. It is basically a standardized style guide used in psychology, education, and social science. It provides a framework for structuring research papers, presenting findings in a clear and concise manner and for accurately cite sources. The other commonly used style guides are the MLA and the Chicago style formats.  

How to write your research paper in APA format    

In the APA style, you need to adhere to specific formats and guidelines throughout the research paper. Some of these are explained below:  

The APA format allows different types of fonts. Some of the recommended ones include 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, 11-point Calibri and 11-point Arial. The chosen font should be consistently used throughout the document. Figure images have to be in sans serif font with size between 8 and 14 points. Footnotes should be smaller than the text font and the line spacing will also be different.  

APA style provides for five levels of headings, each having its own format. Level 1 is the main heading, level 2 corresponds to the sub-heading of level 1, level 3 corresponds to the sub-heading of level 2 and so on. The headings should be double spaced and should not be numbered or lettered.  

Line spacing:

Generally, the APA format recommends double spacing throughout the text with few exceptions.  

A one inch margin is to be provided on each side of the paper. For dissertations and thesis, experts’ advice considering specific instructions provided by your institution.  

Paragraph alignment and indentation:

Text should be aligned to the left margin leaving the right margin uneven or “ragged”. The first line of each paragraph in the text should be indented 0.5 inches from the left margin.  

Under the APA format , there are also certain guidelines to be followed while preparing different sections of the research paper. These include –   

• Title page: All manuscripts must have a title page. The title should be concise, and must accurately reflect the contents of the paper. The author’s name and institutional affiliation should be centred, and positioned just below the title.  
• Abstract: A key part of academic manuscripts, an abstract must provide a brief summary of the research paper, including the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. It should be written within 250 words and should be the second page of your paper. The heading needs to be given as “Abstract” which is centred and bold. The text of the abstract should be written in a single paragraph, double spaced and must not be indented. Three to five keywords can be given one line below the abstract. These should not be italicized or bold but must be written in lower case. They should be separated by commas and there should not be any ending punctuation at the end of the keywords.  
• Introduction: The introduction is an essential part of scientific manuscripts and should be presented in an interesting and engaging manner. It should be able to convey clearly a critical overview of existing empirical knowledge and highlight knowledge gaps in the topic of study. Additionally, the aim of the research, a well formulated hypothesis, and a description of what you intend to address in the study must be clearly mentioned.  
• Methods: This is another critical part of an academic paper that requires researchers to describe the methods and procedures that were used during the study or experiment. Providing a detailed description contributes to ensuring the reproducibility and replicability of the study. The methods section should explain the research design that was adopted, details of the participants of the study, the equipment or materials used and the variables of the study.  
• Results: Here, researchers have to provide a brief summary of the results of their study. It is important that data is presented in a tabular format or in the form of graphs and figures to make it more interesting and to be easily understood by the reader. It is important to keep in mind that a clear narrative must accompany the statistics provided.  
• Discussion: Researchers must use the discussion section to provide their interpretation of the results of their research and explain its significance. Subsequently, it is in this section that they must present whether or not their results support their hypothesis.  
• References: Each and every source mentioned in a research paper must be referenced and accurately cited in this section.  

References and citations in APA format  

In the APA format, the author-date citation system is followed. Here, a brief in-text citation is provided in the text of your paper of a research paper. It can even appear in tables, figures, footnotes or appendix. Only the author and date of publication is provided here. The readers can refer to the corresponding entry in the reference list where the full citation is provided.   

While writing in-text citations, it is important to ensure that spelling of author names and publication dates are same in the in-text and reference list. The reference provides an alphabetical listing. Following are some examples of citations in APA format for different sources.  

• Books : The author surname with first and middle initials is written first. Only the title of the book is italicized. For eg.  
• Author Surname, A.B. (Publication Year). Title of the book . Publisher.  
• Journal article: Author surname, A.B. (Publication Year). Article Title: Subtitle. Journal title, Volume (issue), page range. URL or DOI.  
• Newspaper or magazine article : Surname. (Date of Publication). Title of the article. Title of the Newspaper or Magazine . URL.  

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.  

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!  

Related Reads:

• What is the Importance of a Concept Paper and How to Write It 

How to Write an Academic Paragraph (Step-by-Step Guide)

How to choose a dissertation topic.

• How to Write the First Draft of a Research Paper with Paperpal? 

How to Write a Research Proposal: (with Examples & Templates)

You may also like, how to write a research proposal: (with examples..., how to write a phd research proposal, five things authors need to know when using..., 7 best referencing tools and citation management software..., maintaining academic integrity with paperpal’s generative ai writing..., research funding basics: what should a grant proposal..., how to write an abstract in research papers..., how to write dissertation acknowledgements.

Published Dissertation or Thesis References

This page contains reference examples for published dissertations or theses.

Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer satisfaction at a fast food hamburger chain: The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Miranda, C. (2019). Exploring the lived experiences of foster youth who obtained graduate level degrees: Self-efficacy, resilience, and the impact on identity development (Publication No. 27542827) [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/2309521814.html?FMT=AI

Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016). The interaction of state and trait worry on response monitoring in those with worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms [Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona]. UA Campus Repository. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/620615

• Parenthetical citations : (Kabir, 2016; Miranda, 2019; Zambrano-Vazquez, 2016)
• Narrative citations : Kabir (2016), Miranda (2019), and Zambrano-Vazquez (2016)
• A dissertation or thesis is considered published when it is available from a database such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global or PDQT Open, an institutional repository, or an archive.
• If the database assigns publication numbers to dissertations and theses, include the publication number in parentheses after the title of the dissertation or thesis without italics.
• Include the description “Doctoral dissertation” or “Master’s thesis” followed by a comma and the name of the institution that awarded the degree. Place this information in square brackets after the dissertation or thesis title and any publication number.
• In the source element of the reference, provide the name of the database, repository, or archive.
• The same format can be adapted for other published theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate (e.g., “Undergraduate honors thesis”).
• Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis if the URL will resolve for readers (as shown in the Miranda and Zambrano-Vazquez examples).
• If the database or archive requires users to log in before they can view the dissertation or thesis, meaning the URL will not work for readers, end the reference with the database name (as in the Kabir example).

Published dissertation or thesis references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.6 and the Concise Guide Section 10.5

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

University Thesis and Dissertation Templates

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Theses and dissertations are already intensive, long-term projects that require a lot of effort and time from their authors. Formatting for submission to the university is often the last thing that graduate students do, and may delay earning the relevant degree if done incorrectly.

Below are some strategies graduate students can use to deal with institutional formatting requirements to earn their degrees on time.

Disciplinary conventions are still paramount.

Scholars in your own discipline are the most common readers of your dissertation; your committee, too, will expect your work to match with their expectations as members of your field. The style guide your field uses most commonly is always the one you should follow, and if your field uses conventions such as including all figures and illustrations at the end of the document, you should do so. After these considerations are met, move on to university formatting. Almost always, university formatting only deals with things like margins, font, numbering of chapters and sections, and illustrations; disciplinary style conventions in content such as APA's directive to use only last names of authors in-text are not interfered with by university formatting at all.

Use your university's formatting guidelines and templates to your advantage.

If your institution has a template for formatting your thesis or dissertation that you can use, do so. Don't look at another student's document and try to replicate it yourself. These templates typically have the necessary section breaks and styles already in the document, and you can copy in your work from your existing draft using the style pane in MS Word to ensure you're using the correct formatting (similarly with software such as Overleaf when writing in LaTeX, templates do a lot of the work for you). It's also often easier for workers in the offices that deal with theses and dissertations to help you with your work if you're using their template — they are familiar with these templates and can often navigate them more proficiently.

These templates also include placeholders for all front matter you will need to include in your thesis or dissertation, and may include guidelines for how to write these. Front matter includes your table of contents, acknowledgements, abstract, abbreviation list, figure list, committee page, and (sometimes) academic history or CV; everything before your introduction is front matter. Since front matter pages such as the author's academic history and dissertation committee are usually for the graduate school and not for your department, your advisor might not remember to have you include them. Knowing about them well before your deposit date means you won't be scrambling to fill in placeholders at the last minute or getting your work returned for revision from the graduate school.

Consider institutional formatting early and often.

Many graduate students leave this aspect of submitting their projects until it's almost too late to work on it, causing delays in obtaining their degree. Simply being aware that this is a task you'll have to complete and making sure you know where templates are, who you can ask for help in your graduate office or your department, and what your institution's guidelines are can help alleviate this issue. Once you know what you'll be expected to do to convert to university formatting, you can set regular check-in times for yourself to do this work in pieces rather than all at once (for instance, when you've completed a chapter and had it approved by your chair). 

Consider fair use for images and other third-party content.

Most theses and dissertations are published through ProQuest or another publisher (Harvard, for instance, uses their own open publishing service). For this reason, it may be the case that your institution requires all images or other content obtained from other sources to fall under fair use rules or, if an image is not considered under fair use, you'll have to obtain permission to print it in your dissertation. Your institution should have more guidance on their specific expectations for fair use content; knowing what these guidelines are well in advance of your deposit date means you won't have to make last-minute changes or removals to deposit your work.