MLA works cited example: Dissertation (published). Author is given last name first: Damberg, Cheryl L. Dissertation title is Healthcare Reform: Distributional Consequences of an Employer Mandate for Workers in Small Firms. It is italicized. Label is Diss. Institution is Rand Graduate School. Year is 1995. City of publication is Santa Monica. Publisher is Rand. Year is 1996. Medium is Print.