# Qatar University citation style: APA, thesis rules, departments

**Which citation style does Qatar University use?** Qatar University sets no single citation style. Its Library's Citation Help guide lists styles by department: Harvard for biological and environmental sciences and civil engineering, Vancouver for pharmacy, MLA for English, ACS for chemistry and the Bluebook for law in English. For theses, the Office of Graduate Studies makes APA the default when a college names no other manual.

Published 2026-10-02 by EdCitation. https://edcitation.com/newsletter/referencing-at-qatar-university

Qatar University has no single citation style. The Library's [Citation Help guide](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation) names a style for eight of the 27 departments it lists, from Harvard in civil engineering to Vancouver in pharmacy, and tells every student to check with the professor. For a thesis, the Office of Graduate Studies says to follow your discipline's manual and, where your college designates none, APA.

EdCitation is not affiliated with Qatar University; this follows its public library guide, checked on 2 October 2026. The thesis rules come from the Office of Graduate Studies' format guide and Word templates, read the same day. For the wider region, see [referencing at universities in the Gulf](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/referencing-at-universities-in-the-gulf).

EdCitation publishes this guide. Near the end, Qatari sources go through its free [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) and [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references), with the results quoted, faults included.

## Which citation style does Qatar University use?

The one your syllabus, your professor or your thesis template names. The Library's Recommended Styles by Department page gives eight (Qatar University Library, 2025g):

| Department | Style the Library lists | Built in EdCitation? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Architecture and Urban Planning | "APA, Harvard, Chicago (In order of preference)" | Yes, all three; [APA 7](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa) first |
| Biological and Environmental Sciences | Harvard | Yes, [Harvard](https://edcitation.com/cite/harvard) |
| Chemical Engineering | "Use any style consistently" | Any of the six |
| Chemistry | ACS, for student theses, mini-theses and other student projects | No |
| Civil Engineering | Harvard | Yes |
| English Literature and Linguistics | MLA | Yes, [MLA 9](https://edcitation.com/cite/mla) |
| Law | In English, the Bluebook for citations and the Redbook for style; in Arabic, any style used consistently | No, for the Bluebook and Redbook |
| Pharmacy | Vancouver | Yes, [Vancouver](https://edcitation.com/cite/vancouver) |

EdCitation's Cite a source builds six styles only: APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 author-date, Harvard, IEEE and Vancouver. ACS, the Bluebook and the Redbook are written by hand.

### The 19 departments with no style beside them

The page leaves the style blank for Arabic Language, Biomedical Science, Business and Economics, Computer Science and Engineering, Education, Electrical Engineering, Foundation, Gulf Studies, History, Human Nutrition, International Affairs, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Physics, Psychology, Public Health, Sharia and Islamic Studies, Social Work and Sociology, Sport Science and Statistics. There the syllabus decides, and the guide's introduction says to "always check with your professor" (Qatar University Library, 2025e). The College of Education's published example syllabi ask for "citations and references in APA style" (Qatar University College of Education, n.d.).

## What do the Qatar University thesis guidelines say about references?

Follow your field's manual, keep one system throughout, and use APA when your college names none. The Office of Graduate Studies' format guide asks for one citation system from start to finish (author-date, numbered, or notes), says "if no style manual is designated by your college, the default style manual should be APA", and wants every citation to match the list exactly, in spelling and date. The list starts on a new page, double-spaced (Qatar University, 2016).

The current QU Graduate Studies thesis format lives in Word templates by college on the TAD Services page (Qatar University, n.d.). The seven English templates we opened each say to format references in "your departmental style requirement", warn that Graduate Studies spot-checks them for completeness and consistency, and set a ½ inch hanging indent where a style uses one (Qatar University, 2026a).

### Copy the template's indent, not its sample

The English templates show the indent with one entry: "Denscombe, M. Ground Rules for Good Research. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press, 2003." It is not APA: in APA 7 the year follows the name, the title is italic in sentence case, and the place goes.

### How are Arabic sources listed in a Qatar University thesis?

In three groups. The Arabic templates, for Arts and Sciences, Law, Sharia and Islamic Studies and Leadership, head the list "قائمة المصادر والمراجع" (sources and references) and divide it into Arabic-language references, foreign-language references and internet references (Qatar University, 2026b). A note in the first three says, in our translation, to put no mark before each entry and to double-space between entries, and all of them call APA "the style adopted at Qatar University" (again our translation). For Arabic sources in an English paper, see [citing Arabic sources in English papers](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/citing-arabic-sources-in-english-papers).

## What are Qatar University's referencing rules, page by page?

Few, and spread across three offices. Every rule we found, with the page that sets it:

| Rule | Where Qatar University says it |
| --- | --- |
| Check the style with your professor for each course | Qatar University Library (2025e) |
| APA means the *Publication Manual*, 7th edition, and APA Style's own examples | Qatar University Library (2025b) |
| Accuracy of citations is "your responsibility" | Qatar University Library (2025b) |
| Vancouver is numbered and follows NLM and ICMJE rules | Qatar University Library (2025h) |
| One citation system per thesis; APA if the college names none | Qatar University (2016) |
| Citations and list agree exactly; list double-spaced, on its own page | Qatar University (2016) |
| Departmental style, spot-checked; ½ inch hanging indent | Qatar University (2026a) |
| Arabic thesis: Arabic, foreign-language and internet groups | Qatar University (2026b) |
| Cite quotations and paraphrases, not common knowledge | El-Mereedi (n.d.) |
| Parenthetical citation after the closing quotation mark | El-Mereedi (n.d.) |

### What the Library's style pages point to

Each style page is a set of links, not a house rulebook. The Harvard page links guides from James Cook, Charles Darwin and De Montfort universities (Qatar University Library, 2025d), three versions, so ask which to follow. The Chicago page links a guide to the 16th edition and Turabian's manual (Qatar University Library, 2025c). The MLA page's list of guide sites opens with one labelled "MLA Citation Style (7th edition)" (Qatar University Library, 2025f): ask whether MLA 9 is accepted. The ACS page adds the CASSI tool for journal abbreviations (Qatar University Library, 2025a).

### Quoting and paraphrasing, from the Office of Graduate Studies

A handout by the office's writing and research advisor says to cite quotations and paraphrases but not common knowledge, and "when in doubt" to cite (El-Mereedi, n.d.). Commas and full stops go inside quotation marks when no citation follows; semicolons and colons go outside. Its own examples slip: "Aron and Loprest (2012)" becomes "(Aron and Loprest, 2014, p.97)" in the next example. The article is from 2012, so in APA 7 that reads (Aron & Loprest, 2012, p. 97).

## What does a Qatar University reference list look like in APA 7?

APA 7 is the thesis default, and the Library's APA page points to the seventh edition. Four real sources, set as APA Style's own examples set them. In the text:

> Sellami et al. (2024) examine the educational aspirations of Qatari students in the light of the Qatar National Vision 2030 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, n.d.). Aron and Loprest (2012) assess how well the education system serves students with disabilities, and a survey of foreign medical students reports the effects of the war in Ukraine on their studies (Turkmen et al., 2024).

Under "References", bold and centred on a new page, double-spaced, each entry hanging ½ inch:

> Aron, L., & Loprest, P. (2012). Disability and the education system. *The Future of Children*, *22*(1), 97–122. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2012.0007
>
> Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (n.d.). *Qatar National Vision 2030*. State of Qatar. https://mofa.gov.qa/en/state-of-qatar/qtr-national-vision-2030
>
> Sellami, A., Chaaban, Y., & Qadhi, S. M. (2024). An eye on the future: Student plans for higher education in Qatar. *Journal of Educational Sciences – Qatar University*, *24*(2). https://doi.org/10.29117/jes.2024.0181
>
> Turkmen, S., Kahal, S., Majed, K., Ahmed, A., Qureshi, I., Khan, Z., Khan, K., Al-kurbi, M., & Karakulukcu, S. (2024). Influence of Ukraine war on the foreign medical students. *Qatar Medical Journal*, *2024*(4), Article 66. https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2024.66

### What each entry shows

- **Sellami:** no page or article number exists in the record or on the journal's page, so APA leaves it out (American Psychological Association, 2025).
- **Turkmen:** nine authors listed, et al. in the text, "Article" before the number; Al-kurbi as the article prints it.
- **The ministry:** the agency as author, its parent as the source, and no retrieval date, which APA keeps for pages designed to change (American Psychological Association, 2026).

## Which EdCitation style is closest, and what do you change by hand?

Five of the styles Qatar University names have a counterpart in EdCitation. The fixes below are the ones our runs on 2 October 2026 called for.

| Qatar University asks for | Start in EdCitation's | Then fix by hand |
| --- | --- | --- |
| APA (thesis default; Education; Architecture's first choice) | [APA 7](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa) | Restore the capitals of a plan's name; delete "Retrieved … from" on a page not designed to change; on QScience journals, delete the publisher from the journal name and add "Article" before the number; add any initial the record lacks. |
| Harvard (Biological and Environmental Sciences, Civil Engineering) | [Harvard](https://edcitation.com/cite/harvard) | EdCitation follows Cite Them Right; match the punctuation of the guide your instructor names. |
| Vancouver (Pharmacy) | [Vancouver](https://edcitation.com/cite/vancouver) | The same QScience fixes; the Library's page points to the NLM's rules. |
| MLA (English Literature and Linguistics) | [MLA 9](https://edcitation.com/cite/mla) | Confirm MLA 9 is accepted. |
| Chicago (Architecture's third choice) | [Chicago 18 author-date](https://edcitation.com/cite/chicago) | Notes and bibliography by hand. |
| ACS, Bluebook, Redbook | Not built | Write them from the manuals. |

### Five steps from syllabus to a Qatar University list

1. Find the style in the syllabus, the department page or your TAD template. EdCitation's free [Check your paper](https://edcitation.com/check) reads an assignment's instructions into a checklist, citation style included.
2. Paste each DOI, title or page address into [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) and pick the style.
3. On a web page, correct the author and site in the form before the entry is built.
4. Work down the table above; in an Arabic thesis, sort the entries into the three groups.
5. Paste the list into [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) and open the source behind any "check this".

## What did EdCitation return on Qatari sources?

[Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) is the best place to start a Qatar University list, because every entry comes from a record and none is composed. It reads the publisher's record, or the page itself, sets the entry in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 author-date, Harvard, IEEE or Vancouver, and screens the source for retraction, free and with no account. The Library's EndNote page says to review EndNote's output for accuracy; the runs below show the same holds for any tool. EdCitation never writes any part of a student's paper: it finds and checks the sources, and every sentence stays the student's own. We ran four sources and a five-entry list on 2 October 2026.

### What Cite a source returned

For DOI 10.29117/jes.2024.0181, from Qatar University's own *Journal of Educational Sciences*, APA returned the worked example word for word; so did 10.1353/foc.2012.0007, Aron and Loprest's article.

For 10.5339/qmj.2024.66, from the *Qatar Medical Journal* on QScience, APA gave "Majed, K., Ahmed, Qureshi, I." and "Qatar Medical Journal, Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, 2024(4), 66." The fourth author lost the initial: the publisher's record gives the given name as Ahmed, the same as the surname, and PubMed Central names Ahmed Ahmed, so write "Ahmed, A.". Delete the publisher and put "Article" before 66. Vancouver gave "Qatar Med J. 2024;Hamad bin Khalifa University Press2024(4):66.": delete the publisher there too.

For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page, nothing named an author, and APA gave:

> Qatar national vision 2030. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://mofa.gov.qa/en/state-of-qatar/qtr-national-vision-2030

With the ministry as author and "State of Qatar" as the site in the form:

> Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (n.d.). Qatar national vision 2030. State of Qatar. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://mofa.gov.qa/en/state-of-qatar/qtr-national-vision-2030

Restore the capitals of the vision's name and delete the retrieval date. The National Planning Council's vision page and the education ministry's higher education page came back with "That page could not be read. Some sites block automated readers." Write those entries from the pattern above.

### What Verify references found

We pasted five entries into [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references):

- Aron and Loprest dated 2014, as the handout has it: "check this", "A record with this title exists, but it was published in 2012, not 2014."
- Akyel and Yalçin's 1990 *ELT Journal* article, quoted in the same handout: verified, "Title, year and first author match a published record."
- Sellami, and Turkmen with "Ahmed, A." and "Article 66": verified, "The DOI resolves to this record and the title matches."
- The ministry's page: verified, "The page is at this address, and its title matches."

The Office of Graduate Studies wants every citation to match the list. For a whole thesis, [References from a file](https://edcitation.com/tools/references-from-a-file) checks every reference in the uploaded paper and matches each in-text citation to the list (Pro, $8 a month; see [pricing](https://edcitation.com/pricing)).

## Quick questions

### Which citation style does Qatar University use?

It depends on the department: the Library lists Harvard for biological and environmental sciences and civil engineering, Vancouver for pharmacy, MLA for English and ACS for chemistry. Elsewhere the syllabus decides.

### What is the default style for a Qatar University thesis?

APA, when your college designates no other manual, says the Office of Graduate Studies. EdCitation's [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa) builds APA 7 entries from the record; then make the fixes in the table above.

### Which edition of APA does the QU Library point to?

The seventh. The Library's APA page lists the *Publication Manual*, 7th edition, and links APA Style's own reference examples; the thesis format guide says only "APA".

### How do I list Arabic sources in a Qatar University thesis?

The Arabic templates split the list into Arabic-language, foreign-language and internet references, with no mark before each entry and double spacing between entries.

### Does EdCitation write any part of my Qatar University thesis?

No. EdCitation finds sources, builds each reference from its record and checks lists; your research, your argument and every sentence you submit are your own.

## References

- American Psychological Association. (2025). *Journal article references*. APA Style. [https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/journal-article-references](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/journal-article-references)
- American Psychological Association. (2026). *Webpage on a website references*. APA Style. [https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/webpage-website-references](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/webpage-website-references)
- Aron, L., & Loprest, P. (2012). Disability and the education system. *The Future of Children, 22*(1), 97–122. [https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2012.0007](https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2012.0007)
- El-Mereedi, M. (n.d.). *Acknowledging, paraphrasing, and quoting sources* [PDF]. Office of Graduate Studies, Qatar University. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/ld.php?content_id=11337160](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/ld.php?content_id=11337160)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (n.d.). *Qatar National Vision 2030*. State of Qatar. [https://mofa.gov.qa/en/state-of-qatar/qtr-national-vision-2030](https://mofa.gov.qa/en/state-of-qatar/qtr-national-vision-2030)
- Qatar University. (n.d.). *TAD services*. Graduate Studies. [https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/research/graduate-studies/current-students/TAD-Services](https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/research/graduate-studies/current-students/TAD-Services)
- Qatar University. (2016). *Thesis/dissertation format and layout* [PDF]. Office of Graduate Studies. [https://www.qu.edu.qa/SiteImages/static_file/qu/research/documents/office-of-graduate-studies-master-thesis-templateMarch2016-en.pdf](https://www.qu.edu.qa/SiteImages/static_file/qu/research/documents/office-of-graduate-studies-master-thesis-templateMarch2016-en.pdf)
- Qatar University. (2026a). *College of Arts and Sciences thesis and dissertation template* [Word document]. Office of Graduate Studies. [https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/Research/graduate-studies/current-students/Documents/cas_thesis_template__en.docx](https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/Research/graduate-studies/current-students/Documents/cas_thesis_template__en.docx)
- Qatar University. (2026b). *College of Arts and Sciences thesis and dissertation template, Arabic* [Word document]. Office of Graduate Studies. [https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/Research/graduate-studies/current-students/Documents/cas_thesis-template_ar.docx](https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/Research/graduate-studies/current-students/Documents/cas_thesis-template_ar.docx)
- Qatar University College of Education. (n.d.). *Examples of syllabi for professional education courses* [PDF]. [https://www.qu.edu.qa/siteimages/static_file/qu/students/documents/1.5.b_example_syllabi_all_programs.pdf](https://www.qu.edu.qa/siteimages/static_file/qu/students/documents/1.5.b_example_syllabi_all_programs.pdf)
- Qatar University Library. (2025a). *ACS*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1875505](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1875505)
- Qatar University Library. (2025b). *APA*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1876036](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1876036)
- Qatar University Library. (2025c). *Chicago*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation/chicago](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation/chicago)
- Qatar University Library. (2025d). *Harvard*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation/harvard](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation/harvard)
- Qatar University Library. (2025e). *Introduction*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation)
- Qatar University Library. (2025f). *MLA*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1875356](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1875356)
- Qatar University Library. (2025g). *Recommended styles by department*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1875480](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/c.php?g=281524&p=1875480)
- Qatar University Library. (2025h). *Vancouver*. Citation Help. [https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation/vancouver](https://libguides.qu.edu.qa/citation/vancouver)
- Sellami, A., Chaaban, Y., & Qadhi, S. M. (2024). An eye on the future: Student plans for higher education in Qatar. *Journal of Educational Sciences – Qatar University, 24*(2). [https://doi.org/10.29117/jes.2024.0181](https://doi.org/10.29117/jes.2024.0181)
- Turkmen, S., Kahal, S., Majed, K., Ahmed, A., Qureshi, I., Khan, Z., Khan, K., Al-kurbi, M., & Karakulukcu, S. (2024). Influence of Ukraine war on the foreign medical students. *Qatar Medical Journal, 2024*(4), Article 66. [https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2024.66](https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2024.66)