Citing and referencing: Theses

A guide to the styles recommended by Monash schools and departments for students and researchers

Theses/Dissertations

Print thesis

Format

Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Year. Granting University, description.

Examples

Martin, Adrian. Towards a Synthetic Analysis of Film Style. 2006. Monash U, PhD thesis.

Fujimura, Kenji. Researching Performance: Translations into Editions and Performances of the Forgotten Piano Works of William Hurlstone (1876-1906). 2008. Monash U, PhD thesis.

Hilder, Cathy. Digital Initiatives Towards Preserving Indigenous Culture in the Northern Territory: A Study of the Recording, Sharing and Preservation of Indigenous Cultural by the Northern Territory Library. 2009. Charles Darwin U, Honours thesis.

Explanation

Theses should be cited according to the same conventions as books, with the document type at the end of the citation (e.g. "PhD thesis").

If you are citing an undergraduate thesis, be aware that this may not be considered a scholarly source.

 

Thesis accessed online

Format

Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Year. Granting University, description. Database, DOI or URL.

Examples

Smith, Aisling Nandini. “To You it’s Just Words”: David Foster Wallace’s Fiction and Affect Theory. 2019. Monash U, PhD thesis. Bridges, doi:10.26180/5cda15c4d5e66.

Lorentz, Jonathan. The Improvisational Process of Saxophonist George Garzone with Analysis of Selected Jazz Solos from 1995-1999. 2008. New York U, PhD thesis. ProQuest, proquest.com/dissertations-theses/improvisational-process-saxophonist-george/docview/304533513/se-2.

Wain, Lucy Ann. Women, Crime and Punishment in Fourteenth-Century London. 2018. Monash U, Masters thesis. Bridges, doi:10.4225/03/5a6fa852f047c.

Explanation

Theses should be cited according to the same conventions as books, with the document type at the end of the citation (e.g. "PhD thesis").

Terminology for theses varies between countries and institutions. For example, in the United States it is termed a dissertation. Use the terminology provided on the document itself. 

Include the DOI if it has one, otherwise use the URL.