Preparing a Dissertation(or Thesis)(or Capstone)

Common Sense GuidelinesAndSome Rules

Submission steps

•Submit to committee and program director▫iThenticate check▫Committee reads/reviews

•Defend•Incorporate any changes corrections•Submit to GSBS•Make any changes•Register copyright•Submit to ETD server

Timelines▫Same for Dissertation/Thesis/Capstone.

Published in academic calendar.▫Count on at least a week to get it back.▫Word document or PDF is OK for post

defense review, after committee changes incorporated.

▫I will check out a chapter early if you would like.

Request for Final Oral Exam

Plagiarism Detection

•Software search for duplication.•Submit word document:

▫<5MB by email; >5MB by jump drive.▫If your document is >5MB, you can strip

out: Front matter References Illustrations

•Changing one word is not paraphrasing.•Quotations are OK!

The Template

It is there to help you

•Revision coming soon.• It is optional! • Remember -the version submitted should

look like the template – how you get there is up to you.

Why register your copyright?

•For your protection•Not required•Copyright.gov•Small fee

What is Required for Final Submission?

Only the ETD

▫No Bound copy required by GSBS or library.▫Even when doing an ETD you may well want

bound copies for your mentor or parents or your bookshelf.

▫So margins count even in an ETD!▫You submit to the ETD server after I approve.▫Final submission a PDF

▫Supplemental files allowed

Reducing PDF File Size

Requires Adobe Acrobat Pro which can be obtained for free by any UTMB student or employee by

going to https://ar.utmb.edu/acrobat/Default.asp

Steps to Reduce File Size• Open the PDF you would like to reduce using Adobe

Acrobat Pro– Close all Adobe Reader files that you may have open– On a windows computer this can be done by right

clicking on the PDF and choosing Open With: Adobe Acrobat (Version Number)

• In the Menu go to Document->Reduce File Size…– On Adobe Acrobat Pro 7.0 Reduce File Size… can be

found under File• Pick the highest compatible with: option– Should by Acrobat 9.0 or later, but if not pick the next

highest option• Click Okay• Choose where you want to save the reduced file– You can overwrite the existing file

• Click Save

Steps to Reduce File Size, cont.• Your Done, review the document and make sure

everything is still a high enough quality– The first time should work with out a problem unless

you have very high quality images that don’t work well with the initial compression

Note: This process can be repeated as many times as you like, but be careful because if done to many times it can make the text, tables, figures, or illustrations unreadable. This sort of equates to if you reduce the DPI of an image to much it will become grainy or look distorted.

Report of Final Oral Exam

But I Came Here to Ask About the Dissertation !

Title Page

How should you organize it?

There is a lot of leeway here.

• Common setup: Introduction/Background, Methods, Data/hypothesis (by aims), Conclusions.

• This may not fit your document.• This is dependent on your area and topic.

Do I Need a Methods Chapter?• Use if the methods are roughly the same for

each subsequent section. Do NOT repeat the same methods sections in multiple chapters. Do NOT self quote the same descriptions.

If each chapter uses unique methods, it is usually better to put a methods section in each chapter.

If there are lots of common methods, it is usually better to use a separate methods chapter.

What if I’ve Already Published Everything?

•Congratulations!•But …

Read Like A Book

•Your dissertation should, that is.•You need a coherent presentation, not

simply a collection of articles.

How to do that? Even if you have already published all or most of the

information, you will have to do some reformatting. Be sure the same style is used in each chapter –

there are frequently different styles for different journals, so: Do not just paste them in sequentially. Do not repeat the same stuff in every introduction, it

may have been needed in separate articles, but not when it is all put together.

Do not use “we” and “our” all the time like you would in a paper.

Do change the different journal styles to be consistent. Do cite the article if published as a footnote to the

chapter title, including permission to reproduce.

PERMISSIONS!

•Copyright permission is needed even if it is your article or figure. If you have done a number of illustrations yourself and they look really professional, let me know they are yours when you send the document – otherwise I will probably ask where you took them from.

•Check the journal instructions to authors for their policy.

What about Fair Use?

•If in doubt do a four factors evaluation. Even if not in doubt, this is a good idea.▫Purpose▫Nature▫Amount▫Effect

Common Problems: Repetition

•Often occurs if you are using your papers as chapters.

•Do not repeat introductions.•Do not repeat methods.•Never include chapter abstracts.

Common Problems: Page Numbering

•Front matter uses Roman Numerals.•Numbers don’t start appearing until the

acknowledgements (p iv).•Chapter one starts on page 1.•All page numbers: bottom, centered.•Numbers continue consecutively, through

appendices and references and biosketch

Common Problems: Citations

•In text references: three options. Use the style that is appropriate to your discipline. ▫Footnoted: Standard for Medical

Humanities, Use Chicago Humanities Style.▫Numbered: either consecutively (normal)

or keyed to alphabetical reference list.▫ Author - date: e.g., Smith, 2001; Smith &

Jones, 2002; Smith et al., 2003.

Common Problems: Citations▫If using contextual author – date citations

(Jones, 2005) spell out two authors (Smith and Jones, 2004), use (Jones et al., 2005) for three or more, listing only the first author.

▫If more than one citation at a time, order them within the parenthesis alphabetically or (preferably) chronologically, oldest first. Never randomly. Use the same system throughout.

▫Be Consistent!

Common Problems: References Cited

▫Bibliography – discipline accepted style as long as full titles, full pagination and authors, i.e., no super-abbreviated styles like Science or Nature.

▫Authors: list them all if 12 or fewer.▫Every source has an author!▫Pagination – complete and inclusive

required. So 606-621, never 606-21.▫Be consistent!

More on References: Titles▫Journal titles – always spell out single word

titles.▫Abbreviations are OK in multi-word titles

Do not mix abbreviations and spell outs Always use the same abbreviation for the same word. It can’t be Phys and Physiol in different journals if the word is Physiology in both

Acronyms are only acceptable if used by the journal itself. So JAMA is OK, PNAS is not

Be Consistent!

Even More on References•References: more is better than less.

▫If you have references within a table, they must be in your reference list

▫If you are numbering references, do not start over at each chapter

▫Numbered references can be either alphabetical or by order of appearance/citation (preferred)

▫URL content changes, so include the date they were accessed

▫Cities should always have the 2-letter state postal code included

Common Problems: Spacing▫Spacing – no huge white space

▫(like this)

Continue on with text, even if the table you just referred to will start on the next page.

▫Spacing – no hanging titles This is an exception to the no white space

rule

Common Problems: Figures, Tables

▫Placement: after first mentioned at the first convenient place

▫Don’t split Tables or Figures over pages, if possible▫ The legend should be on the same page as the figure

▫Don’t start fresh numbering with each chapter. There may only be one Figure 1! 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 etc. is OK

▫ It is preferable to have them in the text as mentioned, but permissible to place at the end of a chapter

▫ If placement is difficult, you can center a table of figure on a page and give it the entire page

Appendices

▫Need titles▫Margins still count▫They must be readable, even if you have

to reformat▫Should not introduce new references

that are not in your bibliography▫Pages are numbered consecutively with

the text

Biosketch

•Include one•A formal CV is not needed

The Cardinal Rule

Always think of the reader!