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Dissertation Online Handbook

Sections of the Professional Dissertation

Order of Sections

The prescribed order is given below. Sections with an asterisk are optional except that lists of figures and tables are required when figures and tables appear in the text. Professional Dissertations that do not follow the prescribed order will be rejected for improper format.

Title Page

The title page must conform exactly in spacing and capitalization to the sample provided by the SOPP.  Your name should be given in full and must be followed by previous degree(s). The date at the bottom of the page should indicate the year in which your degree will be conferred. The title should clearly describe the contents of the Professional Dissertation. If possible, word substitutes should be used for formulas, symbols, superscripts, Greek letters, and so on. Margins of the title page must conform to margin requirements provided below.

Copyright

A copyright gives the author of a Professional Dissertation the right to exclude others from reproducing or displaying one's original work. Doctoral Professional Dissertations are often copyrighted. If you are interested in obtaining information concerning the copyrighting of your Professional Dissertation, you should contact Printing Services by phone at (937) 775-2117 or visit their Web site.

Approval Sheet

An approval sheet must be submitted with the final copy of the Professional Dissertation deposited in the OAA. Approval sheets are to be prepared by the student and are not supplied by the OAA. The approval sheet may be duplicated, but all signatures on them must be originals. The approval sheet should conform to the sample which is a link on the left. Margins of the Approval Sheet must conform to the margin requirements, 1  1/2" left margin, others 1". Only one approval sheet is required for deposit with the Professional Dissertation.

Abstract

The abstract should succinctly summarize the contents of the Professional Dissertation, stating the problem, the procedure or methods used, the results, and significant conclusions. It should not exceed 350 words and is usually less.

Table of Contents

The inclusion of a Table of Contents is optional. Guidelines for the format of a Table of Contents are not provided in the APA Publications Manual. For this reason, students should consult with the Chair concerning the format for the Table of Contents.