Use recognised abbreviations for universities and degrees. According to the NWU manual for master’s and doctoral studies, the following terms are used:
| English | Afrikaans |
|---|---|
| Mini-dissertation | Skripsie |
| Dissertation | Verhandeling |
| Thesis | Proefskrif |
For international theses and dissertations use the terms on the title page. Full stops are optional in the abbreviations for qualifications, eg: M.Sc. or MSc (Magister Scientiae), Ph.D. or PhD (Philosophiae Doctor).
Saah, P. 2017. Exploring Mintzberg’s managerial roles of academic leaders at a selected higher education institution in South Africa. Mafikeng: North-West University. (Mini-dissertation – MBA).
Text reference:
(Saah, 2017:103).
Doctoral theses and master’s dissertations are widely available on institutional repositories. Include the permanent link (“handle”) to the thesis / dissertation in the reference list.
Note: when giving a permanent link, a date of access is not necessary.
International theses / dissertations accessed from a commercial database e.g. ProQuest:
Carroll, A.R. 2018. Ecosystems, communities, and species: understanding mammalian response to ancient carbon cycle perturbations. Ann Arbor, MI: University of New Hampshire. (Dissertation – PhD). http://nwulib.nwu.ac.za/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.nwulib.nwu.ac.za/docview/2058145688? accountid=12865 Date of access: 13 Apr. 2019.
Text reference:
(Carroll, 2018:59).