Dissertation

A successful dissertation should represent the most extensive and intensive scholarly work the student has performed to date. Inherent in the process of completing the dissertation is the expectation that students will take initiative to engage in a high level of scholarship that contributes significantly to the national dialogue.

A dissertation must address a significant research question and demonstrate the author can interpret findings and formulate conclusions that are the result of independent thinking and sustained evaluation of source materials. These findings must be expressed in clear and grammatically correct language that is organized into a cogent and coherent argument.

In the dissertation process, doctoral candidates should:

• prepare a dissertation prospectus outlining the planned research, including statement of the problem and methodology which typically consists of first chapters (Introduction to the problem, literature review, when appropriate, and methods section including research design, overview of materials/instruments being used, research methods and analyses;
• present the dissertation prospectus to the doctoral committee for approval;
• after doctoral committee approval, work with the chairperson to make appropriate revisions and submit application to Institutional Review Board;
• work with the chairperson to forward one copy of the approved prospectus with the prospectus approval form to the Dean of the School of Education for approval;
• complete the dissertation research and writing;
• work with the doctoral committee to set and publicize a date for the final oral examination after dissertation research and paper are complete, and;
• successfully defend the dissertation.

Satisfactory completion of the dissertation requirement includes passing the oral examination covering the dissertation and related areas. In preparation of the dissertation and final oral examination, the candidate should work with the doctoral committee chairperson and consult with other members of the dissertation committee, as needed, and as required by the chairperson. Students should follow the Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting the Dissertation.

Any member of the graduate faculty may attend the final oral examination and may participate in questioning and discussion, subject to reasonable limitations imposed by the student’s dissertation committee. Only members of the committee may vote or make recommendations concerning the acceptance of the dissertation and final examination.

The student's dissertation committee is responsible for judging the acceptability of the dissertation from all standpoints, including writing quality, mechanical considerations, and technical and professional competency.

A student will be recommended for the degree only if at least 80% of the dissertation committee members judge both the dissertation and the performance at the final oral examination as satisfactory.

The dissertation committee chairperson retains responsibility for reviewing the final copy of the dissertation and securing other committee members' signatures.

The committee chairperson will sign only after all final revisions have been made to the dissertation and signatures of other committee members have been obtained. An original copy of the signed approval form should be placed in the student’s file.

The signature page (with dissertation copy) must then be shared with the Dean for his/her approval.

Students are urged to consult with the Graduate School before the final submission of their dissertations. After final approval of the Graduate School, all dissertations must be submitted electronically through Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) admission.

Students may prepare their ETD using any word processor or document preparation system. Dissertations must be submitted as a single PDF document. ETD may include color diagrams, color images, hypertext links, audio, video, animations, spreadsheets, databases, simulations, and other approved formats, where appropriate. Doctoral students are required to pay a fee to cover the cost of the electronic submission of the dissertation.

Students may contact the SIUC Bookstore about binding their dissertations if they would like bound copies for their department, their committee members, or themselves. Bound copies ordered from ProQuest may take six months to a year.

Any research involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the SIUC Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to the start of the research project

If a student’s dissertation involves human subjects, a completed Southern Illinois University Institutional Review Board application must be included in the final copies submitted to the Graduate School. Please note: If the research does not involve human subjects a waiver must be obtained from the Institutional Review Board and included in the final copies.

If this form is not included, then the document will not be accepted by the Graduate School. For more information, contact the SIUC Institutional Review Board at 618-453-4540 or visit the websites listed above.

Plagiarism is a serious offense punishable by possible expulsion from the program. Students must be sure to avoid any hint of this offense. The SIU Plagiarism Committee (2007) defined plagiarism as “presenting existing work as one’s own”.

Any ideas, language or visual design taken from another source, including one’s own work, must be fully acknowledged unless the information is common knowledge. What is considered ‘common knowledge’ may differ from subject to subject.

To avoid plagiarizing, one must not adopt or reproduce material from existing work without acknowledging the original source. Existing work includes but is not limited to ideas, opinions, theories, formulas, graphics, and pictures.

Examples of plagiarism, subject to interpretation, include, but are not limited to:

• Directly quoting another’s actual words, whether oral or written;
• Using another’s ideas, opinions, or theories; paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others, whether oral or written;
• Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material; and
• Offering materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgment.

See the Graduate Council website for further details and to obtain the full report of SIU plagiarism policies.