Journal Article Format Dissertations

If the journal format is selected, then the final dissertation submitted to the committee, and eventually to the Graduate School, must also include:

a revised dissertation proposal which includes any changes required by the committee after the Preliminary Oral Examination along with a revision of the methodology section to describe the procedures actually used
committee members may ask to examine tables and other information for which there is not space in the journal articles, and the student may be asked to include appendices that archive methodological details, data analyses, data, and other information that would flesh out the research for a reader who wants more than an article would provide. An example might be including the coding manual in an appendix. Ideally, recommendations about appendices should be made at the Dissertation Proposal Meeting so that the student can prepare them in advance of the Final Oral Examination; however, the committee may also request supplemental appendices be added after the Final Oral Examination.

General Guidelines for Chapters

There should be a strong introduction (Chapter 1) that sets the stage for the two or more studies including the gap in the literature the studies address and their significance. There should be a section that discusses the theory that guides the research. Students may also want to include a section on ‘self as researcher’ if it aligns with their research paradigm. Following that is a brief overview of study 1 and study 2 including research questions, hypotheses, methodology.

Chapters 2 and 3 (or more) are the two (or more) papers that follow the publishing guidelines/format of the journals to which the student will submit them. Chapter 4 involves a comprehensive discussion that connects the dots between the articles, sets them back into the literature by discussing how they contribute to the gaps identified in the introduction, and reinforces the significance of the findings to the literature. Limitations and implications are also included in Chapter 4 (final chapter).

In essence, the articles have bookends - one is a stage-setter and the other is the wrap around/integration of the studies.

The appendices are the supporting documents that cannot be included in the articles due to page limitations, for example, tables of preliminary data analyses, coding documentation of qualitative analysis, measures, etc. Your committee may request additional data be included in the appendices. You should also include a copy of your dissertation proposal, including a revised methodology section that reflects the actual procedures used.