Dissertation Handbook 21

CHAPTER 2 ELEMENTS OF A DISSERTATION CHAPTER OUTLINE Introduction Choosing a Dissertation Topic Before Conducting the Study Formatting the Dissertation

Key Points Starting to Write the Dissertation Writing Style Dissertation Dos and Donts Key Words and PhrasesExercises

Introduction If you are at the dissertation or master thesis proposal stage, this chapter will also be of great use to you. . A dissertation research proposal follows many of the same steps as the doctoral dissertation, but ends after the methodology section (chapter 3), as outlined in chapter five of this text. This chapter will provide a broad overview of the five-chapter doctoral dissertation. It introduces key concepts in the writing process and explains differences between the literature review writing process discussed in chapter one and the dissertation writing process. Choosing a Dissertation Topic 1. 1. Choose an appropriate research topic. A dissertation topic begins with the writers area of interest. Because of the amount of research you will do, you will become an expert in the area of your dissertation by the time you are done! So choose a topic that is related to your professional goals. Remember that you will be spending a significant amount of time on Key Phrase Dissertation Proposal a well-researched document that presents a review of the recent literature, research questions proposed by the doctoral student, support for the need for the study, and an outline of the methodology proposed to answer the research questions. Key Phrase Doctoral Dissertation an independent research study designed and completed by a doctoral student under the supervision of a faculty member who functions as a dissertation chair at an accredited university.

your dissertation; it is therefore important that you choose a topic that truly interests you. However, be aware that the focus of your study goes beyond the broad topic. Once you have identified an area of interest - computer technology in schools, self-efficacy in math, ADHD student behaviors, safety regulations, leadership in business, or institutional innovation, to name a few examples - the next step is to determine a significant research problem. This is usually a problem identified in the current literature. All dissertations revolve around a problem. If there were NO problem, research would not be necessary. You may spend a few months, or even a year or longer reviewing potential research problems. An excellent place to look is at the end of published articles in refereed journals. These articles often end with recommendations for further research. Examine the populations from previous studies. If a significant study does not consider your population of interest, you might repeat that study use the same methodology, research questions, etc. - to see if the results are consistent across populations. Look at the limitations and delimitations (see chapter 3 of this text for more information on limitations and delimitations) of previous studies. Can you control for variables not considered in previous studies? Also, look to see if results are consistent across studies. If two researchers find different results, you may be able to design a study that examines why. Dont wait until you have completed your coursework to identify a topic. As you write research papers for your coursework, consider each topic as a potential research subject. Consider what questions remain unanswered as you review the literature. Equally important, consider how difficult it will be to conduct the study. Can it be done within a

reasonable length of time, at a reasonable cost? In other words, before you invest a significant amount of time, be sure that the study is do-able. Before Conducting the Study 1. 2. Complete all required paperwork for the University. Before conducting your dissertation study, you will need to fill out paperwork required by your University. One of the most important forms is called the Application for Approval of Investigation Involving the Use of Human Subjects. All research that involves any Key Word Institutional Review Board A federally mandated group that has been formally designated to review and monitor research involving human subjects.

form of participation of human subjects qualifies as human subjects research, and must be reviewed and approved by your Universitys Institutional Review Board (generally referred to as the IRB). Its function is to ensure that suitable steps are taken to safeguard the rights and welfare of subjects participating in the research. You may be required to provide materials such as informed consent documents and investigator brochures to guarantee protection of the rights and welfare of study participants. Informed consent means that the subject, or a legally authorized representative such as a parent or guardian, has received an explanation of the research involved and its potential risks, and has agreed to participate. You must get IRB approval even if you are planning a secondary data analyses. This policy is mandated by federal regulations and is meant to safeguard the welfare of human subjects in research, as well as the researcher and the university. The National Cancer Institute provides a free web-based course with Key Word Secondary data analysis Use of data that was collected by individuals other than the investigator. A secondary data analysis does not require the collection of data.

information about the rights and welfare of human participants in research. It will take you approximately two-hours to complete the tutorial. You can access the website at: http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp Formatting the Dissertation Dissertations traditionally begin with a title page, an abstract, and table of contents. Many students also choose to include a dedication page and/or and acknowledgments page. You may also include a copyright page immediately after the title page. When the dissertation is complete, you will also include a signature page, where your committee will sign off, indicating their acceptance and approval of the final document. When a dissertation contains more than two tables and/or figures, it may also include an index of tables and an index of figures. Although the number of chapters may vary, most dissertations consist of five chapters, each with their own separate purposes. Chapter one acts as an introduction, while chapter two presents a complete review of the literature to date. Chapter three delineates the methodology; chapter four provides the results or findings. Finally, chapter five provides the Key Phrase Research Methodology The actions and steps taken by the researcher to answer the questions posed by the study.

conclusions and policy implications as well as makes recommendations for further research. If your dissertation chair recommends a four-chapter dissertation, you will likely combine the elements of chapters one and two. All dissertations end with references and some will have appendixes.

This book presents a way to format your dissertation. Of course, the exact headings within your chapters may vary based on the design of your study, your personal writing style, and the guidance you receive from your committee. 1. 3. Follow one style throughout, starting with formatting for the title page. You

should consult your dissertation chair for the style that he/she recommends. This handbook is designed primarily for students using APA style, although many of the topics and hints are appropriate for any style of dissertation. The following points, however, are specific to APA style. (Note: Almost all colleges and universities have their own thesis and dissertation guidelines. Contact your instructor or your schools Thesis Editor for a copy of these specific guidelines, which may vary somewhat from standard APA style.) 1. 4.1 Unlike a literature review paper, the dissertation title page will most likely NOT USE an abbreviated title (see chapter one). 1. 4.2 Unlike a literature review paper, the dissertation title page will most likely NOT USE a running head. 1. 5 The title is double-spaced, upper- and lowercase letters for literature reviews, ALL UPPER CASE FOR DISSERATIONS, centered on the page. 1. 6 The title clearly states what the study is about. The title should be no more than 15 words. When you first begin writing your dissertation, you may not have finalized the title. You may want to create a temporary or working title. Until you have chosen your research questions and your study has been approved by your committee, it is quite possible that the title of your dissertation will change.

1. 7 Use a 12-point font size. Be consistent with this font size throughout your paper, although tables or figures may have smaller font size in order to fit on one page. 1. 8 Skip down 12 spaces and type "In Partial Fulfillment of" (See below) Title Skip five lines and type the following: by <Your Name>

Near the bottom of the page, type the following: A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF <UNIVERSITY NAME> In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of the Doctor of <Philosophy> in <Name of Program> <Name University>

<MM/DD/YY> See pages 296 298 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 5th Edition for additional information on the Title Page.

1. 9 Most chapters will use only two levels of headings within the body of the paper use level 1 for primary headings and level 3 for secondary headings. The chapter title (e.g., CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW) will use level 5.

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If your chapter contains three levels of headings, use level1 for primary

headings, level 3 for secondary headings, and level 4 for tertiary headings under level 3. 1. 11 The copyright page is optional, but Key Word ProQuest The ProQuest online information service provides access to thousands of current periodicals and newspapers, many updated daily and containing full-text articles from 1986. ProQuest includes a database of doctoral dissertations and theses in a variety of subjects from many universities.

you will need to include it in the ProQuest version when it is submitted. The copyright is no longer than one page. If the research study uses a published survey, a questionnaire, figures, or charts

from published materials, the copyright notices of approval must accompany these documents (usually in an appendix). 1. 12 Begin the abstract on page two. Each major new heading (chapters,

references, appendix, etc.) will begin at the top of a new page. 1. 12.1 Type the word Abstract centered on the first line of the page (use heading level one). 1. 12.2 Abstracts must be typed and double-spaced. If you want to publish the abstract of your research project in Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI), a clearinghouse of abstracts, the abstract should be no longer than 350 words. APA-publishable abstracts, however, must be no longer than 120 words. (See the guidelines from your University for exact specifications on the length of the abstract). Avoid notes, textual references, and subheadings in the abstract. The abstract is completed after chapters 4 and 5 are written. It provides a clear summary of the study, indicating both content and tone of the dissertation.

Abstracts include the statement of the problem, the research methods used to analyze the problem, a brief description of the research design, a listing of the key results, a brief description of the significance of the results, selected key conclusions, and selected key recommendations. First-person narrative is never used in the abstract. 1. 12.3 Do not indent one-paragraph abstracts use block formatting. Literature review abstracts are always one paragraph. If your dissertation abstract is more than one paragraph, indent each paragraph (unless your university guidelines state otherwise). 1. 13 The page numbers of the title page, abstract, dedication (optional), acknowledgements (optional) and table of contents use ROMAN NUMERALS. Although the title page is page one, there is no number on this page. 1. 14 The optional dedication section is no longer than one page, double-

spaced, and follows the abstract page. 1. 15 The optional acknowledgments section is no longer than one page, doublespaced, and follows the abstract or dedication page if one is included. Many writers choose to recognize the help of friends, colleagues, mentors, dissertation chairperson or other faculty, assistants, editors, and family members on this page. Research funding, grants, and permission to reprint copyrighted materials also should be acknowledged on this page. 1. 16 If there are more than two tables or two Key Word Table Data presented in columns and rows to efficiently present a large amount of information. Key Word Figure Any type of illustration other than a table.

figures in the paper, create a separate list for

tables and figures when creating the Table of Contents. Key Points There are many rules outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 5th Edition for formatting your paper. However, there are some key points to note: 1. 17 The dissertation uses the following heading and sub-heading styles:

(Note: do NOT bold or underline your headings) Level 1: Use level 1 headings for primary headings in each chapter. See the guidelines in following chapters of this text for more detail. Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Level 2: Level 2 is rarely used unless you are subdividing your chapter first by level 1, then level 3, and then level 4. Centered, Italicized, Upper, and Lowercase Level 3: Subdivide level 1 headings with level 3 headings. Flush left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Level 4: Subdivide level 3 headings with level 4 headings. Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. Note: a level four heading is actually the first sentence of the paragraph. Therefore, start the first sentence immediately following the heading. Level 5: Use level 5 for chapter and section headings (e.g., References, Appendixes, etc.) CENTERED UPPER CASE See pages 113 - 115 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 5th Edition for additional information on headings. 1. 18 The entire paper should be typed and double-spaced.

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Number tables with Arabic numerals in the order they appear do not

number tables by chapter (e.g., not Table 1.1 ; the first table is Table 1, the tenth table is Table 10, regardless of where it appears in the document). 1. 20 Place table titles above the table. Table titles: Titles should be listed exactly as worded in the text. Title of table formatting for manuscripts requires the title typed flush left at the top of the table, capitalization of the initial letters of the principal words, italicizing the title (but not the words Table 1), and double space if the title takes up more than one line, and beginning subsequent lines under the first line. See pages 155 - 156 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 5th Edition for additional information on table titles. Figure captions Use sentence case and double space if the caption takes up more than one line; keep second and subsequent lines flush left. Italicize Figure 1(but not the actual caption). 1. 21 Number figures with Arabic numerals in the order they appear do not

number figures by chapter (e.g., not Figure 1.1; the first figure is Figure 1, the tenth figure is Table 10, regardless of where it appears in the document). 1. 22 1. 23 Place figure captions below the figure. Figure legends should have the same kind and proportion of lettering

as the rest of the figure. See pages 199 - 200 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 5th Edition for additional information on figure captions and legends.

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Although papers generally use 1 margins on all sides, for your

dissertation the left margin will most likely be slightly larger than the right (usually 1.5). Check with your thesis editor or University guidelines for exact margin sizes. Starting To Write The Dissertation 1. 25 Complete a significant portion of your background research before writing

your research questions and designing your study. Before you can write your questions and design your study, you need to thoroughly understand what has already been researched on your topic. You may write your dissertation starting with chapter one, but you will research, outline, and understand the content of chapter two first! Because chapter two presents a background of the current literature on your topic, it is important for you to clearly understand that background before designing your study. Information in the literature will likely lead you to re-design your study several times as you research and write. Finally, chapter two will end with the implications for further research: these are implications from published researchers stating the importance of follow-up studies like yours. This is evidence that your study is important. 1. 26 Be certain that the study you design will advance knowledge in your

subject area. Chapter one outlines the research methodology. Before designing the research study, look to see what other researchers recommend be studied. 1. 27 Chapter three will detail the research procedures (methodology) that will

be followed. Chapter three gives details, expanding directly on the information provided in Chapter one. Here is where you will draw on your knowledge of statistics and research design to spell out how the study will be conducted.

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Chapter four presents the results of the study. In many ways chapter four

follows the order outlined in chapter three. If you propose in chapter three that you will look at the correlations between the variables of the study, for example, you will present in chapter four the results of that inquiry. In other words, in chapter three you state WHAT you are going to do. In chapter four you state WHAT RESULTED. In the example just stated, chapter four would likely contain both a correlation table and text describing it. 1. 29 Chapter five discusses and analyzes the results presented in chapter four. Just as chapter four follows the order and dictates of chapter three, chapter five presents the conclusions and implications of what you found in chapter four. Thus, chapter five will likely follow the order and dictates of chapter four. 1. 30 References are included in a separate section at the end of the dissertation. 1. 31 Appendixes provide the reader with detailed information that would be distracting in the main text. Items that should be included in an appendix include the research instruments or supplemental tables. Transcripts may also be included as an appendix, particularly for qualitative studies. Use the same heading format for the appendix as for the main work, starting with heading level five. 1. 32 If there are a number of different items included in the appendix (for

example, survey instruments, letters, or other documents) each item should be listed under a new appendix. Label each as Appendix A, Appendix B and so on. 1. 33 Be sure to monitor and write your reference section as you write each chapter of the dissertation. If you consistently keep track of all of the references you use, you will have an easy time constructing the reference section.

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Be sure that every citation in the text has a reference. Be sure that every reference has at least one citation in the text. Do not fill

your reference pages with material that was not cited! 1. 36 Keep personal references out of your dissertation. Dont say: This

researcher found; a better phrase: The results indicate. In quantitative studies, never refer to yourself keep I out of it. In qualitative studies however, when you the researcher are the primary instrument (e.g., conducting in-person interviews), it is acceptable to refer to yourself in the document when discussing the methodology.

Dissertation Dos Consult your University guidelines for the final formatting of your paper. Develop a good working relationship with your advisor. Do choose words that are accurate and clear. Do use italics for book titles in the text. Do start your reference section as soon as you start using references and keep the list up to date. Do construct your abstract as a selfcontained, succinct yet precise, and non- evaluative structure.. Do use one style (e.g., APA, Chicago, or MLA) consistently throughout your dissertation. Do use published researchers recommendations for future research when designing your own study. Do use the same font style and size throughout.

Dissertation Donts Do not hyphenate unless absolutely necessary. Dont expect your advisor to structure the interaction or resolve advising problems. Do not use biased or pejorative language. Do not underline to add emphasis. Do not add any citations to the text without knowing exactly where it came from! Do not add references if there is no corresponding citation! Do not use personal references (e.g., The writer found, the investigator concluded). If your abstract and references are longer than one page, do not put the title Abstract or References on the additional pages. study so big it will take Do not make your you years to collect and analyze the data. Do not use headline fonts, small caps, script, handwriting, or decorative fonts.

Key Words Table Figure

Key Phrases Dissertation Proposal Doctoral Dissertation Informed Consent Research Methodology Research Question Institutional Research Board Secondary Data Analysis

Exercises: 1. Review your recent literature reviews from previous classes. Identify one or two questions you felt were not answered in the literature. 2. Look for articles published within the last 6 months and review researcher recommendations for further research. 3. Collect the necessary institutional research board (IRB) documentation and application materials. Practice filling out the forms for submission.