Warning
This guide is no longer being maintained as the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook has been replaced by the 8th edition. Only use the 7th edition under direction of your lecturer or tutor. Please click here to go to the MLA 8th library guide.
Tips from the MLA Guide
Thesis Type
Use PhD thesis for PhD theses, MA thesis/MS thesis etc. for Masters, followed by the granting university and the year in which the degree was awarded.
Granting university name
Use the abbreviated U for University in the name of the granting university. For example, Monash U or U of Tokyo.
Theses/Dissertations
Published thesis
Cite published theses as you would a book. If the full text of the thesis can be accessed on a database such as Proquest or EThOS or in a university repository, it is considered published. Italicize the title and include the publication date. If you have the UMI number for reference you may also choose to include it.
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Thesis. Thesis type. Granting University, Year. Place of Publication: UMI number if available, Year of Publication. Medium.
Examples
Coughlin, Paul. The Same Old Song: Ironic Revisions in the Films of Joel and Ethan Coen. PhD thesis. Monash U, Clayton, 2004. Monash University Research Repository. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.
Lorentz, Jonathan. The Improvisational Process of Saxophonist George Garzone with Analysis of Selected Jazz Solos from 1995-1999. PhD thesis. New York U, New York: UMI 3332514, 2008. Proquest Dissertations and Theses. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.
Yousef, Ghulam-Sarwar. The Kelantan Mak Yong Dance Theatre: A Study of Perfromance Structure. PhD thesis. U of Hawaii: ,1976. ScholarSpace Repository. Web. 11 Sep. 2013.
Unpublished thesis
For unpublished works, the titles appear in quotation marks and not italics. End with the date the degree was awarded. Finish with the medium. If you have the degree-granting institution's microfiche number for reference you may also choose to include it.
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Thesis." Thesis type. Granting University, Place: Microfiche number if available, Year. Medium.
Example
Curnow, James. "Imagining the Next Disaster: The Third Wave of SF Disaster Cinema." MA thesis. Monash U, Clatyon: MOUN 13052, 2010. Print.
Fujimura, Kenji. "Researching Performance: Translations into Editions and Performances of the Forgotten Piano Works of William Hurlstone (1876-1906)." PhD thesis. Monash U, Clayton: MOUN 12135, 2008. Print.
Martin, Adrian. "Towards a Synthetic Analysis of Film Style." PhD thesis. Monash U, Caulfield: MOUN 10642, 2006. Print.
In text citation
Examples
The Coens' ability to create rivetting characters through brilliant dialogue is their distinguishing factor (Coughlin 2).
or
As argued by Coughlin, the Coens' have the ability to distinguish their work with clever character development through brilliant dialogue (2).