Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Graduate School-Newark
 
About the University
Graduate Study At the University
Admission
Tuition and Fees
Financial Aid
Student Services
Academic Policies and Procedures
Degree Requirements
Programs, Faculty, and Courses
Course Information
Biology 120
Chemistry 160
Computational Biology 197
Criminal Justice 202
Economics 220
English 350 (Includes American Literature 352)
Environmental Science 375
Environmental Geology 380
Global Affairs 478
History 510
Integrative Neuroscience 546
Program
Prequalifying Students (First Two Years)
First-Year Program
Second-Year Program
Early Research Project
Advancement to Candidacy
Qualifying Examination
Examination Formats
Doctoral Dissertations
Doctoral Dissertation Format
Teaching Requirements
Graduate Courses
UMDNJ Courses
Jazz History and Research 561
Liberal Studies 606
Management 620
Mathematical Sciences 645
Nursing 705
Physics, Applied 755
Political Science 790
Psychology 830
Public Administration 834
Urban Systems 977 (Joint Ph.D. Program with NJIT and UMDNJ)
Governance of the University
Divisions of the University
Camden Newark New Brunswick/Piscataway
Catalogs
  Graduate School-Newark 2004-2006 Programs, Faculty, and Courses Integrative Neuroscience 546 Doctoral Dissertation Format  

Doctoral Dissertation Format

The doctoral dissertation must be in one of two formats: the traditional format or the compendium of journal articles format.

Traditional Format. The traditional format consists of at least five sections: (1) introduction, (2) methods, (3) results, (4) discussion, and (5) literature cited. Other sections, such as acknowledgments and dedications, may be included at the candidate`s discretion. The introduction is a qualifying review of literature that pertains to the dissertation. In acquainting the reader with relevant literature to the dissertation topics, the candidate is expected to discuss important inconsistencies in that body of literature and provide reasons for performing the dissertation research. The candidate should discuss specific problems with current hypotheses and outline hypotheses he or she plans to test with dissertation experiments. 

The methods section provides a detailed look at the methods to be used to complete the dissertation research. It should include a justification of the methods chosen and a statistical analysis.

The results section describes in detail the results of the dissertation experiments and is supplemented by tables, graphs, drawings, and/or photographs.

In the discussion section, the author looks at the results in detail, particularly in relation to problems and hypotheses identified in the introduction. The candidate is expected to consider any negative or inconclusive results and give reasons for the failure of any experiments to yield usable data. The author also should point out future experiments that might be tried, based on the data collected.

Compendium Option. In contrast to the traditional style, this option is a mixed format in which manuscripts submitted to the press or submitted for publication comprise a major portion of the dissertation. This format must include four sections: (1) introduction, (2) publications, (3) discussion, and (4) literature cited. The candidate may include other sections at his or her discretion.

Although each manuscript in a compendium will have its own introduction, the author is expected to provide an overall introduction to the dissertation in order to orient the reader and set the stage for the manuscripts to follow. The candidate should follow the guidelines for the introduction in the traditional format and avoid retracing information contained within each manuscript. The only exception to this rule is when some duplication is absolutely necessary to provide an integrated and continuous introduction to the manuscripts in the body of the dissertation.

The publications section consists of the actual manuscripts that make up the heart of the dissertation. At least three of those manuscripts must have been published already. In most cases, the candidates should be the first author of most of the papers used in this format. The doctoral dissertation committee must approve any exceptions to this rule. The paper presented should form a cohesive body of work that supports a theme or themes that were expressed clearly in the introduction.

The discussion section provides an overall discussion of all papers in the publications section. As in the traditional format, its purpose is to tie together and interpret the results of all experiments cited.

The final section, literature cited, is a complete bibliography of all literature mentioned in the introduction and discussion sections. It should be in the format of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation defense is scheduled approximately one month after the candidate submits the complete dissertation to each of the committee members. The defense consists of a publicly announced, open colloquium. This is followed by a closed session with the dissertation committee. All members of the dissertation committee must be present for the final defense.


 
For additional information, contact RU-info at 732/932-info (4636) or colonel.henry@rutgers.edu.
Comments and corrections to: Campus Information Services.

© 2005 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.