Citelle · Library
Chicago 18 bibliography: cite a doctoral dissertation
Cite a doctoral dissertation in a Chicago 18 bibliography with the title in quotation marks, PhD diss., university, year and URL.
The dissertation in the bibliography
In this bibliography entry the dissertation title is in quotation marks. PhD diss. follows, then the awarding university and the year, and the URL of the copy you read comes last with a period. This is a bibliography entry, not a generated footnote.
Stone's dissertation appears in the bibliography as: Stone, Maya. “A Sample Dissertation.” PhD diss., Example University, 2024. https://example.org/dissertation.
Settings for a bibliography dissertation
Dissertation publication status has two choices, and the workbench checks that the other fields agree with the one you pick. A published repository copy needs a Source URL and Online version; an unpublished copy must have no URL, repository or publication number.
- Choose Chicago 18 bibliography entry and Doctoral dissertation, with Version consulted set to Online version.
- The author is Maya Stone and the year 2024. A Sample Dissertation goes in Reviewed title-case title, and this entry prints it inside quotation marks.
- Leave Document designation on Doctoral dissertation and set Dissertation publication status to Published in a repository or archive.
- Type Example University as Awarding or responsible institution and https://example.org/dissertation as Source URL.
- Press Create reference.
Repository, city and number
Example Repository and London are part of the record on this page, but this bibliography entry prints neither. The workbench does not require a repository name for Chicago and does not print an assigned publication number in this form. If the dissertation is unpublished, choose Unpublished institutional dissertation with Print version and remove the URL; a URL combined with that status holds the entry.
The thesis in Citelle
Citelle's Thesis type takes a University / institution field and a URL or DOI, and its Chicago entry always labels the work PhD diss. For a different degree, correct that by hand. In Chicago (notes), a Pro style, Copy in-text gives the shortened-note text Stone, A Sample Dissertation. without quotation marks, treating the title like a book title; check that against the note examples linked here, since this bibliography entry uses quotation marks.
For the bibliography itself, the app's Chicago (notes) entry for a thesis follows the same pattern as this example: quoted title, PhD diss., institution and year, then the link.
Dissertation slips
- Putting the repository in the university's place.
- Citing the later book version as the dissertation.
- Leaving out the year that follows the university.
- Calling a master's thesis a PhD dissertation.
- Copying the URL of a search page instead of the stable address of the repository record.
Gather the source details
- Verify the author, title and completion year.
- Record the awarding institution and actual document designation.
- Distinguish an unpublished institutional copy from a repository publication.
- Keep any repository name, publication number or source location required for that version.
- Author
- Maya Stone
- Title as supplied
- A sample dissertation
- Publication year
- 2024
- Containing work or site
- Example Repository
- Awarding or responsible institution
- Example University
- Publication place
- London
- Source location
- https://example.org/dissertation
Tools
Sources
Next guide: MLA 9: cite a doctoral dissertation