Content and Subject

The thesis or the dissertation will be a scholarly contribution to knowledge and present research conducted by the student under the supervision of the thesis/dissertation committee chair. The student must be the sole author of the manuscript, co-authored thesis or dissertation is not permitted. In addition, the dissertation should exhibit originality in the sense that it does not duplicate someone else's work.

The role and nature of dissertation vary in the different academic disciplines. A 1990 study conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) The Role and Nature of the Doctoral Dissertation, summarizes a wealth of information on policies, practices, and points of view related to the research component of doctoral programs in the United States and Canada. The article offers in-depth discussion on terms such as originality, significance, independence and collaboration, in relation to the dissertation.

Two other CGS publications may also be useful to doctoral students and their committee chairs, namely The Doctor of Philosophy Degree and Research Student and Supervisor: An Approach to Good Supervisory Practice. For more information, see Council of Graduate Schools - Publications, Policy Statements and Resolutions.

Proposal Approval
The subject of a thesis or dissertation must be approved by the student's committee. When the research involves human subjects, animals, recombinant DNA, radioactive substances, scuba diving or hazardous materials, special approval from the appropriate office(s) is required before the research is undertaken. See Research and Publication < Compliance.

Approval of the thesis or dissertation proposal is reported to the Graduate Division via the submission of Form II. Upon approval by the Graduate Division, the student may enroll in Thesis 700 or Dissertation 800.

Use of Previously Published Material
The thesis or dissertation may not have been published previously in its entirety. With the approval of the graduate program and the committee chair, a student may include previously published material in the thesis or dissertation. In all graduate programs where the inclusion of such material is permitted, several conditions apply:

• The published material must be the product of the thesis or dissertation research conducted by the student while enrolled in the graduate program, and must not have been used to obtain another degree.
• The published material must be logically integrated into the thesis or dissertation in a coherent manner. Binding reprints of the publication to the manuscript is unacceptable.
• In general, the student should be the sole or primary author of the published material. Co-authored articles may be included only if the student's contribution is clearly defined and indicated in the introduction or preface section of the manuscript.
• Publication references for the published material must be included. In the case of co-authored material, written permission from all copyright owners must be obtained.