Student Policies Dissertation Policies Student Organizations

Dissertation Policies / Online Handbook

Dissertation Overview

This handbook sets forth minimum requirements to be followed in all doctoral Professional Dissertations submitted to the School of Professional Psychology, Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). This is basically a guide to format, not an exhaustive guide to style or to the process of developing and writing a Professional Dissertation. These procedures are a modification of the Wright State University, School of Graduate Studies - Graduate Thesis/Dissertation Handbook. For matters not specified in this handbook, you should consult the sixth edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Professional Dissertation Coordinator in the OAA at 775-3468.

The OAA is responsible for developing and enforcing the procedures and regulations guiding the process of writing and approving a Professional Dissertation, and for establishing matters of format and style not prescribed by this handbook. The OAA is also responsible for making these procedures and regulations known to students. The signatures Professional Dissertation Committee members on the Oral Defense Rating Scale Form certify that the content of the Professional Dissertation meets an acceptable standard of scholarship appropriate for doctoral candidates and verifies that the student has successfully passed the oral defense of the Professional Dissertation. The signature of the Dissertation Chair on the Approval Sheet indicates that the content and format of the Professional Dissertation is acceptable and that all final revisions have been made. The signature of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs on the Approval Sheet indicates that the Professional Dissertation meets all SOPP standards and is now complete.

Student Responsibilities

The student is responsible for following all of the procedures and regulations governing the preparation of an approved Professional Dissertation, including the standards and requirements of the program as outlined in this handbook. The student has the ultimate responsibility for the content, scholarship, and style of the Professional Dissertation, and for maintaining a high standard of written expression. If editorial assistance is needed, the student is responsible for securing it. The Professional Dissertation chair and committee members will work with the student on Professional Dissertation content and scholarship standards. While they may also help in the composition and construction of the Professional Dissertation document itself, please remember that proofreading and other editorial chores are not the duty of the Professional Dissertation chair and committee. The student is responsible for making any corrections and/or additions that are required by the Professional Dissertation chair, the committee members, and the OAA. Submission and retrieval of any Professional Dissertation documents to or from the OAA are also the student’s responsibilities.