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Thesis Tips

CAUTION:

If you use a citation manager tool (EndNote, RefWorks, Zotero, etc.), do not trust that it is 100% correct. 

Look at the citations in your reference lists ONE BY ONE and make sure they follow the rules.

Anatomy of a Journal Article Citation (APA 7th ed. Style)

Most of your references will be journal articles.

Four main parts to an article citation:

  • Author—who is responsible for writing?
  • Date—date the article was published
  • Title of Article—title of the article
  • Source—where the reader can find the article

For each section, pay attention to:

  • appropriate punctuation between sections
  • proper capitalization rules for each section
  • font formatting for each section--which parts should be in italics

Capitalization of Various Document Types (APA 7th ed. Style)

Document type

Capitalization

Example

Notes

Journal article title

Sentence-case

Simplified versus conventional complete dentures: A randomized crossover clinical trial.
  • First word and first word after colon, plus any proper nouns or acronyms capitalized

Journal title

Title-case

The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
  • In italics.
  • Not abbreviated—written out fully

Book chapter title

Sentence-case

Mechanical properties of solids.
  • First word and first word after colon, plus any proper nouns or acronyms capitalized

Book title

Sentence-case

 Phillips’ science of dental materials (Thirteenth edition.).
  • In italics
  • Include edition, if available

Thesis title

Sentence-case

Microbiologic outcomes of non-surgical treatment of peri-implant diseases with and without the use of adjunctive antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: A randomized controlled trial
  • First word and subtitle first word, plus any proper nouns or acronyms capitalized
  • In italics

APA 7th ed. Citation Helpful Resources

Capitalization of Various Document Types (AMA) 11th ed. Style)

 

Whole resource (book or journal title) = Title case capitalization

Part of the resource (article or chapter) = Sentence case capitalization

Document type

Capitalization

Example

Notes

Journal article title

Sentence-case

Simplified versus conventional complete dentures: a randomized crossover clinical trial.
  • First word and first word after colon, plus any proper nouns or acronyms capitalized. Subtitle is not capitalized

Journal title

Title-case

J Prosthet Dent
  • In italics
  • Abbreviated according to NLM

Book chapter title

Sentence-case

Mechanical properties of solids.
  • First word and first word after colon, plus any proper nouns or acronyms capitalized

Book title

Title-case

 Phillips’ Science of Dental Materials. 13th edition.
  • Every major word capitalized
  • In italics
  • Include edition, if available (editions statement not in italics)

Thesis title

Title-case

 Microbiologic Outcomes of Non-Surgical Treatment of Peri-Implant Diseases with and Without the Use of Adjunctive Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
  • Every major word capitalized
  • In italics