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.
