Lectures, Papers, Theses/Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations completed in graduate programs are considered scholarly sources even if they are not published. This is because their review by a faculty committee is the equivalent of a peer-review process.   When you cite a thesis or dissertation, you should specify the type of degree. Here are the most common types:

·       D.Min. = doctor of ministry,

·       Ph.D. = doctor of philosophy

·       D.Phil. = doctor of philosophy

·       Th.M. = master of theology,

·       M.A. = master of arts

·       M.Div. = master of divinity

Your citation should also indicate whether the work is a “thesis” or a “dissertation.” For all master’s degrees, use “thesis.”  The term “dissertation” is typically reserved for the Ph.D. or D.Phil. However, some D.Min programs use “thesis” while others use “dissertation.”  In your citations, the word “dissertation” should be abbreviated as “diss.”

Footnote Format

1 Forename Surname, “Title of Dissertation: Subtitle of Dissertation” (Degree type, Name of School, Year defended), ##.

2 Surname, “Shortened Title,” #.

Footnote Examples

1 Josef Valentin Berthold, “Regaining the Missional Edge in the Lancaster Mennonite Conference” (D.Min. diss., Biblical Theological Seminary, 2015), 25.

2 Berthold, “Missional Edge,” 67-68.

Bibliography Format

Surname, Forename. “Title of Dissertation: Subtitle of Dissertation.” Degree type, Name of School, Year defended.

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