How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in AMA 11
Complete guide with examples for citing published and unpublished theses and dissertations in AMA 11th edition.
Unpublished Thesis or Dissertation
For an unpublished thesis, include the author, title, type of work, institution, and year.
Reference List Entry
Author AA. Title of Thesis [master's thesis or PhD dissertation]. Institution Name; Year.
Example: Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation
Citation
Tremblay S. Social Media Use and Adolescent Identity Formation in Rural Quebec [PhD dissertation]. McGill University; 2025.
In‑Text Citation (Superscript)
Tremblay5 found that...
Published Dissertation (Database or Repository)
If the dissertation is available in a database, include the database name and accession or order number.
Example: ProQuest
Chen Y. Machine Learning Approaches to Climate Migration Prediction [PhD dissertation]. University of Toronto; 2024. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Publication No. 31234567.
Thesis from an Institutional Repository
Example
Nguyen L. Urban Heat Islands and Equity: A Case Study of Vancouver Neighbourhoods [master's thesis]. University of British Columbia; 2023. Accessed April 8, 2026. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0123456
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I specify "master's thesis" or "doctoral dissertation"?
Yes. Include the type of work in square brackets after the title.
Do I include the university location?
No. AMA style omits the city of the institution; only the university name is required.