A New Format For The Ph.D. Dissertation and Masters Thesis. A Proposal by the Department of Physical Performance and Development

Transcription

1 A New Format For The Ph.D. Dissertation and Masters Thesis A Proposal by the Department of Physical Performance and Development March, 2003

2 DISSERTATION AND THESIS FORMAT Overview The chapter structure of the dissertation/thesis changes from the traditional approach to one that includes a review manuscript and a research manuscript (Table 1). Consequently, the final version will contain two manuscripts ready for submission to peer-reviewed journals. Table 1. The traditional and proposed components of the dissertation and thesis. Traditional Format Proposed Format Front Matter Front Matter Abstract Abstract Dedication Dedication Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Table of Contents Table of Contents List of Figures List of Figures List of Tables List of Tables Symbols/abbreviations Symbols/abbreviations Chapter I: Introduction Chapter I: Introduction Purpose Purpose Hypothesis and rationale for each Hypothesis and rationale for each Scope of the Study Scope of the Study Limitations Limitations Assumptions Assumptions Significance of the Study Significance of the Study Definitions of Terms Definitions of Terms Chapter II: Review of Literature Chapter II: Review of Literature Three options: a) Traditional review of literature b) Review manuscript c) both a) and b) Chapter III: Methods Chapter III: Methods Section I: Research Manuscript Setting Subjects Section II: (additional data) Procedures Methods (procedures and statistical analyses) Results Research Design Discussion Statistical Analyses Chapter IV: Results Results Descriptive Characteristics Chapter V: Discussion Chapter VI: Summary, Conclusions, and Chapter IV: Summary, Conclusions and Summary Summary Conclusions Conclusions Bibliography Bibliography Appendices Appendices A. Informed Consent A. Informed Consent B., C., D., etc. Topic-specific B., C., D., etc. Topic-specific 2

3 Proposed Format Chapter I As indicated in Table 1, this chapter remains unchanged. However, we think all faculty from PP&D would benefit from clarifying this structure and being consistent in its implementation across the department. Chapter II There are three options for the chapter II. 1. the traditional review of literature, formatted and cited as per OGS APA requirements. 2. a review manuscript that is to be decided on by your chair and remainder of your dissertation committee. 3. the traditional review of literature as well as either a review manuscript or a commentary manuscript. If the student decides on the traditional review of literature, this is to be formatted and cited as per OGS APA requirements. If the student decides on the review manuscript, it is to be written as a submission to a peer-reviewed journal. The first page of this chapter needs to explain what is being presented in the chapter. For example, the following could be stated; This chapter presents a review manuscript written for submission to the (state journal name). The references cited in this review are provided at the end of the manuscript. The style/format of the manuscript will be journal specific for this chapter. In exercise physiology/science, pertinent target journals are listed in Table 2. Data about the journal are also provided, and this information needs to be shared with the student so that an informed decision can be made concerning the target journal. This chapter replaces chapter II (Review of Literature). The third option is for students who are working on a topic that makes it difficult to write a review manuscript suitable for publication that spans all the content pertinent to their topic. In this instance, the student can complete the review of literature, and also write a small review or commentary-type manuscript. It is important for the student to know that he or she must write a comprehensive review of literature. The publication option is available so that the dissertation process is more supportive of publications. The student should not think that a review manuscript will be less work, or that it will allow the student to not have to cover the material that is required in the traditional format. Where only a subset of the topic supports a review manuscript, the student will be directed by the chair of the dissertation committee to decide on either of options 1 (traditional) or 3 (traditional plus manuscript). 3

4 Table 2. Target journals for the review (chapter 2) and research (chapter 3) manuscripts Journal Type Page Costs ($/page) Quality Rank Reality Rank Review Only Sports Medicine Rev none 1 1 Research and/or Review Acta Physiologica Scandinavia Res, Rev? 7 American Journal of Physiology Res, Rev? 2 Aviation, Space & Environ. Medicine Res, Rev 0 11 Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology Res, Rev British Journal of Sports Medicine Res, Rev European Journal of Applied Physiology Res, Rev none 6 1 International Journal of Sports Medicine Res, Rev 35 5 International Journal of Sports Nutrition Res, Rev 0 13 Journal of Applied Physiology Res, Rev 80 1 Journal of Exercise Physiology (internet) Res, Rev * Journal of Physiology-London Res, Rev? 3 Journal of Sports Med. & Phys. Fitness Res, Rev 0 15 Medicine and Science in Sports & Exerc. Res, Rev 80 4 Sportscience (internet) Res, Rev 0 14 Strength and Conditioning Research Res, Rev Rev=review; Res=research; = $50. submission cost. Note that the ranking is based solely on the quality of content in these publications. Other factors, such as the page costs, duration of review, delay in publication after acceptance, extent of circulation, citation indexing, editorial support during review process etc. should also be considered when deciding on a target journal ; *=once included in major medical/applied science citation indexing, this will become the focal journal within exercise physiology. Application for inclusion in medical indexing is planned for Chapter III Section I This will be a research manuscript, written as a submission to a peer-reviewed journal. The first page of this chapter needs to explain what is being presented in the chapter. For example, the following could be stated; This chapter presents a research manuscript written for submission to the (state journal name). The references cited in this review are provided at the end of the manuscript. The data used in this manuscript may or may not represent the total data collected during the dissertation. Where additional data was collected and does not appear in the manuscript, the remainder of this data and related discussion will be presented in an additional section of this chapter, formatted according to OGS requirements. The style/format of this chapter will be journal specific. As for chapter II, in exercise physiology/science, pertinent target journals are listed in Table 2. This chapter replaces prior chapters III (Methods), IV (Results), and V (Discussion), unless additional data needs to be presented. As stated above, where additional data are collected, which can occur when 4

5 the research manuscript is a subset of the total dissertation, the additional content is presented in a second section of chapter 3. Section II For many dissertations, the research manuscript only represents a subset of the data from the proposed hypotheses and methods. In this situation, the student is to present the additional methods, results and discussion of these finings in this second section of chapter III. This material is to be presented based on the OGS guidelines for dissertations and theses. As such, content for chapter I, this section of chapter II, and chapter IV must be consistent in format, and all citations used in these sections and chapters are to be provided in bibliography format at the end of the dissertation. Citations are to be by APA format. Chapter IV Despite retaining the same name as the traditional version, this chapter needs to be written with a different focus due to the prior alterations made to the format. We propose that students should provide the following; Summary 1. a brief overview of the unique contribution made by the review manuscript 2. a brief overview of the unique contribution made by the research manuscript 3. inclusion of additional data results and discussion to the overall contribution of the dissertation Conclusions 1. a section that consolidates the new knowledge gained from the review and research 1. a section that extends the findings and conclusions, providing recommendations that influence the application of the knowledge into professional practice and additional research. Bibliography This section provides the references, formatted in APA style, used in the entire dissertation (manuscripts and chapter I, chapter 3 section II, and chapter IV). Appendices These remain the same. Other conditions of the hybrid dissertation option include: 1. At the point of confirming the thesis/dissertation topic, the graduate student and committee chair shall agree upon the dissertation writing format. 2. At the time of the dissertation defense, the review article and journal article need to be in final form and prepared for submission, or have been submitted. 3. Doctoral students must submit their dissertation to the Dean of Graduate Studies within 90 days of their final examination for the dissertation. Following University policy, if the manuscript is 5

6 not submitted within that time the student must schedule and complete a second final examination for the dissertation. 4. All of the standard formatting requirements as outlined in the Office of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines will be followed. Photocopies of published articles will not be accepted. 5. Chapters 1 and 4 will employ the APA citation/reference style. Chapters 2 and 3 will adopt the citation/reference style of the targeted journal(s). The reference list of these citations occurs at the end of the dissertation (before Appendices). A complete list of all dissertation references (from chapters 1, 2, 3, 4) in APA reference style will also be included before Appendices. 6. For chapters 2 and 3, it is recommended that manuscript publication authorship guidelines follow those established by the Committee of Medical Journal Editors in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals ( ). 7. For any article which has been accepted for publication by the time of the student graduation, a written copyright release will be obtained from the publisher granting permission to include the article in the dissertation and make it available to the library system and the UMI database. End 6