Dissertation guidelines 2020

` Dissertation Guidelines Graduate School/Adams Administration Building/Suite 231 1 Graduate School Publication Prepared with the assistance of the members of the Graduate Dissertation Guidelines Committee Dr. Mary Anne Templeton Dr. Anthony Dixon Dr. Win Koo Dr.

Pam Lemoine Dr. Christopher Schaffer Dr. Christina Martin Jay Brandes Jessica Kimbro Also available on the web The Graduate School 231 Adams Administration Building Troy, Alabama 36082 (334) 670-3189 This manual is consistent with Troy University’s Graduate Guidelines. All style manuals such as this lean heavily on existing style manuals.

In the development of this style manual, those prepared by Michigan State University and Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University were especially helpful. Copyrights are reserved. This document may not be copied without the written consent of the Troy University Graduate School, Troy, Alabama 36082 January 1, 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………….5 The Dissertation and the Doctoral Student ……………………………………………………6 Role of the Dissertation Student …………………………………………………6 Dissertation Proposal ……………………………………………………………7 Responsibilities of the Dissertation Student …………………………………….7 The Dissertation Chair ……………………………………………………………………….10 Selecting the Dissertation Chair……………………………………………….10 Role of the Dissertation Chair………………………………………………….10 Responsibilities of the Dissertation Chair …………………………………….10 Change of Dissertation Chair ……………………………………………………………….11 Dissertation Chair Change Due to Disagreement between Parties …………….11 Dissertation Committee Chair Willing to Continue in Role after …………….13 Leaving the University Dissertation Committee Chair Unwilling to Continue in Role after ………….13 Leaving the University Dissertation Committee Chair on Temporary Leave ………………………….13 The Dissertation Committee …………………………………………………………………14 Selecting the Dissertation Committee …………………………………………14 Role and Responsibilities of Members of the Dissertation Committee ……….14 Change in Committee Membership ………………………………………………………….15 Dissertation Committee Changes Due to Dissertation Topic Shift …………….15 Dissertation Committee Member Willing to Continue in Role …………………15 after Leaving the University Dissertation Committee Member Unwilling to Continue in Role ………….15 after Leaving the University Dissertation Committee Member on Temporary Leave …………………….16 1 CHAPTER 2: FORMATTING THE DISSERTATION ………………………………17 Dissertation Formatting Requirements ………………………………………………. 17 Required Publication Style Manuals …………………………………………………….

17 Paper, Photocopying, and Quality ………………………………………………17 Font Formatting …………………………………………………………………17 Word Processing ……………………………………………………………….18 Widows and Orphans …………………………….18 Tables, Figures, and Appendices …………………………………………………….23 Dissertations may have more than one appendix ……………………………23 Foreign Languages ………………………………………………………………….23 CHAPTER 3: CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION OF DISSERTATION ……………24 Order of the Dissertation …………………………………………………………………….24 Parts of the Dissertation …………………………………………………………….24 Preliminary Pages ……………………………………………………………………24 Fly Page ………………………………….24 Dissertation Acceptance Page ……………………………………………………….26 Human or Animal Subjects Review …………………………………………………27 Copyright Page ………………………………………………………………………28 2 Dedication & Acknowledgements ………………………………………………….28 Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………29 List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………….30 List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………….30 List of Plates, Symbols, Abbreviations, and/or …………………………………….31 Specialized Nomenclature Text Pages ………………………………………………………………………………….31 Body of Dissertation ……………………………………………………………….32 Glossary, Footnotes, and Endnotes …………………………………………………33 Reference Materials …………………………………………………………………34 References or Literature Cited ………………………………………………………34 Appendices ………………………………………………………………………….35 Use of Copyrighted Material …………………………………………………………35 Use of Reprints in Dissertation …………………………………………………….35 CHAPTER 4: DEGREE COMPLETION AND FINAL DISSERTATION APPROVAL ……………………………………………………………………….37 Submission of Final Draft and Defense ……………………………………………….37 Gaining Dissertation Committee Approval …………………………………………37 Scheduling a an Oral Dissertation Defense …………………………………………37 Oral Defense of Dissertation ……………………………………………….38 Submission of Dissertation to Graduate School …………………………………….38 Submission of Final Copies of Dissertation to Library …………………………….39 Recording by Troy University Registrar ……………………………………………39 Distributing Copies of Dissertation …………………………………………………39 3 APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………………….40 Appendix A: Schedule for Dissertation Completion ……………………………….40 Appendix B: Dissertation Committee Assignment Form ………………………….42 Appendix C: Graduate School Dissertation Checklist ………………………………43 Appendix D: Sample Vita………………….44 Appendix E: Dissertation Order …………………………………………………….45 Appendix F: Sample Title Page …………………………………………………….47 Appendix G: Sample Dissertation Acceptance Page ……………………………….48 Appendix H: Sample Abstract …………………………………………………….49 Appendix I: Sample Human or Animal Subjects Form …………………………….50 Appendix J: Sample Copyright Statement ………………………………………….51 Appendix K: Sample Dedication & Acknowledgements ………………………….52 Appendix L: Sample of Table of Contents ………………………………………….53 Appendix M: Sample of List of Tables …………………………………………….54 Appendix N: Sample of List of Figures …………………………………………….55 4 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The completion of a doctoral dissertation is the culmination of graduate training at Troy University. It allows candidates for a doctoral degree the opportunity to pursue original research designed and prepared by the doctoral student under the supervision of a committee composed of qualified graduate faculty members. As a result, the dissertation can be a significant component of the graduate study experience for the student and the University community. Doctoral students, with approval of their major advisor, enter the dissertation process after the completion of the doctoral comprehensive examination if applicable.

Under specific circumstances and advisement of the dissertation chair students may be eligible to begin dissertation work upon approval. By entering this process, the doctoral student is committing to a year or more of dissertation work. It is important to note that dissertation development, research, writing, and completion are driven by student initiative. While substantial resources are available to the dissertation student, the responsibility for the successful completion of the dissertation rests with him or her.

The faculty will play a substantial role in the direction of the project. Nonetheless, the student must take charge of seeing that a quality dissertation is presented for consideration in a timely manner, not to exceed 8 years, and is in compliance with the specific requirements in the Troy University Dissertation Guidelines (hereafter referred to as Dissertation Guidelines). The dissertation is an important University document, both academically and for students personally, as it is considered a genesis for future professional publications. It will become a lasting legacy of their doctoral experience.

For this reason, the dissertation student must exercise utmost care in the preparation of the final dissertation for submission. In turn, the University is committed to processing the document for publication, binding, and library archiving. The Dissertation Guidelines has been prepared to support the work of the doctoral student who is required to present a formal written document as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the graduate doctoral degree at Troy University. It is the official manual of Troy University related to the dissertation format, approval processes, and time requirements.

In order to make certain that dissertations from Troy University display the significance that is placed on them, the doctoral student writing the dissertation is required to follow the strict formatting and submission guidelines contained in these Guidelines. 5 These Dissertation Guidelines set forth the dissertation requirements established by The Graduate School of Troy University. The Dissertation Guidelines are designed to produce documents that are uniform in style, but also allow some flexibility for the particular requirements of various disciplines. Individual departments, schools and colleges may impose additional requirements or may specify requirements in greater detail.

It is incumbent on the student to learn what, if any, special departmental/school/college requirements may apply. The dissertation should be prepared in accordance with the instructions of these Dissertation Guidelines and the requirements of the specific graduate program. Any proposed deviation from these Dissertation Guidelines must be referred to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval before the Dissertation is completed in final form. The rules in this Dissertation Guidelines take precedence over previous publications issued prior to January 1, 2021.

Please consult the Troy University webpage for changes that may have occurred since this publication. The research that the doctoral student has done, short of final preparations of the dissertation, is outside the province of the Dissertation Guidelines (see Appendix A & E). The assumption is made that the research is complete, a comprehensive outline of the main text has been prepared, and the final draft has been examined and approved by the Dissertation Chair and Dissertation Committee, and the time for word processing the final form is at hand. The Dissertation Guidelines also assumes that the student has good command of the English language.

Questions regarding the format of the dissertation that are not adequately answered in the Dissertation Guidelines may be directed to the Dean of the Graduate School. The Dissertation and the Doctoral Student Role of the Dissertation Student The dissertation process is driven by the student. The dissertation student should work closely with the Dissertation Chair throughout the duration of the project. The Dissertation Chair is considered the primary major advisor.

The student should consult with the Dissertation Chair concerning departmental dissertation requirements and procedures beyond the scope of these Dissertation Guidelines. In summary, although the Dissertation Chair may provide 6 significant assistance, the completion of the dissertation is entirely dependent upon the efforts of the doctoral student. Dissertation Proposal The members of the Dissertation Committee should be appointed as soon as possible after the student has begun doctoral work, and in general, no later than the end of 18 credit hours into the program (see Appendix B). The proposal is a document that formally presents the student’s written description of the projected doctoral dissertation.

The Dissertation Committee is responsible for reviewing the proposal to determine the feasibility of the project. The proposal shall be submitted to, and approved by, the Dissertation Committee as soon as possible after the student has successfully passed the comprehensive examination if applicable but no more than three terms thereafter. Unless extraordinary circumstances exist, such as but not limited to hospitalization, significant family issues or illness, etc., failure to submit the dissertation proposal after the three term deadline may result in the total rejection of the proposed dissertation topic. Should the dissertation topic be rejected by the committee, the student must receive approval from the Dissertation Chair and Dissertation Committee to propose an entirely different topic.

Requests for extensions due to extraordinary circumstance must be made in advance and accompanied by appropriate written documentation to the Dissertation Chair. The Dissertation Chair will meet with the dissertation committee members to accept or reject the explanation for the proposed extension. In unique cases, and with approval of the Dissertation Chair and Committee, the student may propose the dissertation topic prior to taking the comprehensive exam if applicable. The committee’s approval endorses the research plan and indicates the committee supports initiating or continuing the dissertation project.

As such, if the proposal is accepted by the dissertation committee, the student may apply for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the study. However, the student may not be allowed to register for dissertation hours until after comprehensive examination have been passed. Responsibilities of the Dissertation Student While different programs have distinct procedures, the following are common elements of the process that all doctoral students who are part of the dissertation process should understand. 7 • Identify and select a Dissertation Chair.

• Work with Dissertation Chair to select members of the Dissertation Committee. • Register for dissertation for variable credits for at least one credit hour but not to exceed six credit hours in a term. The Dissertation Chair will discuss with the student the variable hours needed per term for the student to complete the dissertation in a timely manner. The student must be enrolled in a minimum of one credit hour throughout the dissertation process, including the term of the defense, until the dissertation has been successfully defended.

• Present a schedule for Dissertation completion (see Appendix A), as part of the dissertation proposal to the Dissertation Chair. The schedule should consider personal and professional time limitations. The student should be prepared to complete the dissertation in a reasonable and appropriate time framework as determined by the Dissertation Chair. • Apply and gain approval for the dissertation research study from the Institutional Review Board or Animal Research Board, if applicable (see Appendix I).

(Reference IRB training requirements for certification. • Remain in contact with the Dissertation Chair and other members of the Dissertation Committee while working on the dissertation. The student must frequently meet with the Dissertation Chair to provide progress or difficulty encountered in research or writing. • Present, either in person or via email, a draft dissertation prepared to the best of the student’s ability to the Dissertation Chair.

• Incorporate Dissertation Chair’s feedback to improve dissertation draft. Expect and allow time for multiple revisions. • Distribute or email copies to all Dissertation Committee members after the Dissertation Chair has approved the draft Dissertation. • Incorporate Dissertation Committee members’ feedback into the dissertation.

• Obtain approval from all Dissertation Committee members on improvements to the dissertation draft since last review. • Discuss with all Dissertation Committee members the times and dates of their availability.