How do I reference a thesis… in the Cranfield Author-date style?

Because theses are not published in the traditional manner, if you’re using them in your research, you will need to identify them as such in your references. This means that a thesis reference looks slightly different from book or report type references.

A print thesis or dissertation
What to include in an Author-date reference:

• Author (surname, initials)
• (Year of publication)
• Title
• Name of degree award eg BSc, PhD, MSc
• Degree-awarding body

Here are some examples of what your bibliographic references might look like:

D’Allance, V. (2012) Banking efficiencies in Russia and Brazil in context of the global financial crisis. MSc thesis. Cranfield University.

Knight, E.R.W.F. (2010) The finance of climate change: transitioning to a low carbon economy.  PhD thesis. University of Oxford.

MacKie, D.J. (2013) The effectiveness of strength-based executive coaching in enhancing transformational leadership. PsyD thesis. University of Leicester.

An online thesis or dissertation
If you have retrieved a thesis online, some additional information is required.

What to include in the reference:

• Author (surname, initials)
• (Year of publication)
• Title
• Name of degree award, e.g. BSc, PhD, MSc
• Degree awarding body
• Available at: URL
• (Accessed: date)

Here are some examples of what your bibliographic references might look like:

Champniss, G. (2013) All for one and one for all: encouraging prosocial behaviours through brand-convened consumer groups. PhD thesis. Cranfield University.  Available at: http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8067.   (Accessed: 23/03/2015).

Marin-Uribe, P.L. (1995) The impact of liberalization on market structure in the European airline industry. PhD thesis. London School of Economics and Political Science.  Available at: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.307656. (Accessed: 24/03/2015).

As always if you have any questions about referencing, pop into MIRC or contact us.