thesis protocol guidelines

How to Write a Protocol

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• Mukta Wyawahare 3 ,
• Raja Kalayarasan 4 &
• Anahita Kate 5  

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The Conclusion

General Introduction

Research Questions and Research Design

WHO | Recommended format for a research protocol [Internet]. Who.int. 2017 [cited 31st July 2017]. http://www.who.int/rpc/research_ethics/format_rp/en/ .

Guidelines for Writing a Research Protocol | ORRP [Internet]. Orrp.osu.edu . 2017 [cited 31st July 2017]. http://orrp.osu.edu/irb/investigator-guidance/exempt.pdf .

Betkerur J. Guidelines for writing a research project synopsis or protocol. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2008;74:687–90.

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New Delhi: Indian Council of Medical Research; 2006. Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Subjects.

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Wyawahare, M., Kalayarasan, R., Kate, A. (2018). How to Write a Protocol. In: Parija, S., Kate, V. (eds) Thesis Writing for Master's and Ph.D. Program. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0890-1_6

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How to write a thesis protocol?

Rastogi, Amit

Department of Anaesthesiology, SGPGI, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Address for correspondence: Dr. Amit Rastogi, Department of Anaesthesiology, SGPGI, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. E-mail: [email protected]

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The thesis is the beginning of the research by any medical student. A thesis protocol is an important document that illustrates the plan and methodology for any research study. It serves as a template for the researcher and ensures that the study is done ethically and systematically. A systematically written protocol helps the researcher to plan, execute, and complete the study with reproducible results. Understanding all its components is essential for starting the research journey. A well-written thesis protocol must cover all essential aspects of study planning, including the study’s objective, design, data collection tools, statistical analysis, and ethical procedures. This review article has been written by selecting and extracting data from online search engines such as Google and Bing and manual extraction of data from online articles available in PubMed and standard textbooks.

INTRODUCTION

A thesis protocol is a document that outlines the plan and methodology for a research study. It guides the researchers and ensures that thesis has been done ethically and systematically. [ 1 ] A well-written thesis protocol provides detailed information about the study’s objectives, design, data collection methods, analysis procedures, and ethical considerations. The preparation of the thesis protocol by the researcher not only helps in understanding the ongoing activities in the described area of research but also helps in creating practical exposure to research, and hence, it bridges the connectivity between biomedical research and clinical practice. The language of the protocol should be transparent, concise, precise, and consistent without use of excessive adjectives or adverbs. The protocol of the manuscript should also underline both pros and cons of the topic and the potentialities of the idea. [ 2 ]

A typical thesis protocol has various components:

A title should be concise and informative and reflect your research idea’s essence. The research article title should convey the main focus and objectives of the study. The title should be informative, engaging, and polarize readers’ attention in the relevant field. Incorporation of the keywords that are relevant to your research topic is essential. We should avoid lengthy or convoluted titles that may confuse or overwhelm readers. In general, it is recommended that a title should consist of approximately 10–15 words. We must tailor the title in a way that it appeals to the scientific audience while accurately representing the content of your planned study.

A list of 3–7 keywords must be listed to simplify the collocation of the protocol in its field of research. [ 3 ] They reflect the theme or the main concepts, variables, or phenomena which will be explored in the study. The inclusion of appropriate keywords enhances the discoverability of the article in academic databases and search engines.

Usually, 3–5 keywords are required, and MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) can be used for keyword selection. MeSH stands for Medical Subject Headings. MeSH terminology is a standardized terminology that helps to categorize and describe the contents of any article. In the protocol writing, the MeSH serves as a controlled vocabulary thesaurus which is used for indexing and searching databases like PubMed, and it is imperative to mention if one has used MeSH terminology to conduct his literature search. If MeSH terminology is employed in the literature search, it should be mentioned in the methodology section.

Introduction

Write an introduction that clearly states the purpose, objectives, and significance of your planned study. Always start the introduction with a compelling entry statement so that it draws the reviewer’s attention. This statement could be a thought-provoking question, statistical data, a related anecdote, or a case scenario that relates to the research topic. Supplement the introduction along with some context and background information. One must explain why the research query is relevant and what is the current status of knowledge and should also highlight any gaps or limitations in the prevailing scientific literature. Provide a brief background of the research topic along with the significance of the problem or issues that will be addressed and the essentiality for study conduction. One must clearly explain the rationale behind the research and why it is relevant to investigate the given topic. Discuss the potential impact or contribution this particular study can make to the field by clearly highlighting any practical applications or implications of the future research findings by providing a general overview of the planned study’s expected outcomes or potential findings. Emphasize how these outcomes will contribute to the existing knowledge base or address the research gap identified earlier after the completion of the study.

RESEARCH QUESTION AND HYPOTHESES

Hypotheses, research questions, and research objectives are interlinked components of a research protocol that steers any research process. Each of these components is often confusing for young researchers. A research question is a focused and specific inquiry defining the study’s main topic and helps in guiding the research direction. This is often open-ended and without assuming a specific outcome. Example: “What is the relationship between postoperative epidural analgesia and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) incidence in adults?” A research objective is a specific, measurable goal that the researcher has decided, and it describes what the researcher intends to accomplish conducting the study. Every trial has a primary objective; however, there may also be several secondary objectives to be included, depending on the nature of the study. The sample size is calculated based on the primary objective. Example: “To assess the impact of postoperative analgesia on DVT incidence in 200 patients posted for Exploratory Laparotomy.” In the above example in which researcher was studying the impact of postoperative epidural analgesia on DVT incidence in 200 patients posted for exploratory laparotomy, it was the primary objective. If the researcher also wants to evaluate the number of days of hospital stay in the same number of patients in which postoperative epidural analgesia was given, it will be a secondary objective. The hypothesis is a statement that proposes an expected relationship or outcome between the variables. Example: Smoker Participants who will quit smoking 6 weeks before surgery will have reduced pulmonary complications in the postoperative period, in comparison to those who do not quit smoking. State the research question or questions that aim to be answered through the study. Formulate specific hypotheses, if applicable, which would probably be tested during the research. Clearly defining the research questions will help guide the subsequent protocol sections. Clearly state the research objectives or questions the study seeks to answer. These should be enough smart, i.e., specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Provide a brief summary of the relevant literature on the particular research topic under consideration. Researcher must highlight key studies or theories that have previously been informed about the same or nearly the same research questions and methodologies. Identification of any gaps or controversies in the prevailing literature that the present study aims to address is important. Review should not only demonstrate the knowledge of the current state of research and its relationship to the study under consideration but it must also involve systematic analysis and synthesis of existing studies and their sources related to the research topic.

• Clearly define the research question and your objective: Clarify the specific aspect or problem which is to be addressed in literature review. This will further help to narrow down the search and focus on relevant studies pertaining to the topic
• Development of search strategies: Determine the appropriate keywords, search terms, and databases to use for literature search. Academic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, or Web of Science, to access scholarly articles can be employed
• Conduct the literature search: Always begin with broader search terms and then gradually taper the search to include more specific terms related to the research topic. Take note of the searched results and save the related articles for further evaluation
• Evaluate the data sources: Always assess the quality, credibility, and relevance of the articles that have been selected. Consideration of the factors such as the author’s credentials, publication journal, methodology, and the strength of the research is important. Evaluate the probable strengths and weaknesses of the study and further their applicability to the research question. A researcher to ensure high-quality information must evaluate the authorship, publication venue, and methodology of each source of review. The peer-reviewed journals and high-impact publishers are often of high credibility. The sources involved in the review must be current and reflect the most recent updates on the topic chosen
• Information extraction: Summarizes key information from the selected studies, such as the study objectives, methodology, sample size, results, and conclusions. Further, refine all the information in a structured manner using a table or spreadsheet for the facilitation of synthesis of the literature
• Analyze and synthesize the literature: Acknowledge common themes, patterns, and gaps in the prevailing literature. Compare all the studies which identify key trends, controversies, and areas which require further exploration
• Citation and reference: We must ensure the accurate citation of references in the sources. We must follow the appropriate citation style (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago), and this citation style must be consistent in formatting throughout the review.

The analysis and synthesis of literature review, along with highlighting its strengths, limitations, and implications of the research topic are imperative. A properly and systematically written literature review provides a research foundation.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• Aims – Broadly means what would be achieved by the proposed study or how this study would address the research question
• Objectives – Broadly means what will be actually done in this study.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

Describe the overall study design (e.g. observational, experimental, qualitative, quantitative) with adequate justification for the appropriateness of the particular design for the given research. Mention sampling strategies to be employed, inclusion of the target population, sample size, and any inclusion or exclusion criteria. Describe the sampling technique employed and appropriate statistics software for sample size calculation and data analysis. [ 4 ] Explanation of the interventions or treatments if required along with their method of administration in the research protocol. Mention which data collection tools will be employed – for example, surveys, interviews, laboratory tests, or data from existing sources and the equipment that will be employed. The data analysis techniques to be used must be elaborated, which are intended to be employed in the research protocol, including statistical tests and software used. If any computer programs are to be applied, it is important to mention the software used and its version in the methodology itself. IBM SPSS Inc. (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Chicago, USA), SAS (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA), Stata (Stata Statistical Software: College Station, TX: Stata Corp LP), Minitab (Statistical Analysis, State College Pennsylvania, USA) and Graph Pad (GraphPad Software Inc., California, USA) are statistical software tools commonly used.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Ethical considerations are crucial in any research to ensure that studies are conducted with integrity, respect for participants’ rights, and their adherence to ethical standards. Discuss all the possible ethical concerns which could be associated with the research and side by side describe how you will tackle the issues. Explain the methods of obtaining informed consent from participants voluntarily and how to maintain their privacy and confidentiality. Furthermore, tell about any potential risk associated with the participants’ study protocol. Insurance plan, if required, for the risk involved. Provision of participants to have the opportunity to ask questions and withdraw from the study at any time without penalty imposed must be mentioned. An institutional review board (IRB) or independent ethics committee thoroughly reviews research involving human subjects to ensure the welfare, safety, and rights of subjects. This board plays a pivotal role in maintaining ethical standards in research. They review research protocols to ensure they adhere to ethical principles and legal regulations. IRB also evaluates the potential risks and benefits of the research to the subjects. The IRBs maintain research subjects’ rights, dignity, and well-being during participation in any research project. IRBs guard the participant’s confidentiality and privacy and prevent unauthorized access to participants’ personal information. The rights of vulnerable populations, such as children, prisoners, pregnant women, and mentally impaired individuals, are also secured by IRB. Continuous review of ongoing studies is done by IRB to ensure that the research continues to meet ethical standards. If applicable, also mention any necessary approvals or permits to be obtained from relevant authorities or ethics committees. Researchers should obtain appropriate approvals before initiating the study and keep the IRB informed of any significant changes during the research process. Explain how the study will comply with ethical guidelines and obtain necessary ethical approvals.

TIMELINE AND BUDGET

A detailed timeline regarding the different stages of the research, including data collection, analysis, and write-up, must be mentioned, with proper timelines for each step. Timeline and Budget involve estimating the financial resources required for the research, including equipment, materials, participant compensation/insurance, and any other expenses. Always provide a timeline or Gantt chart that outlines the key activities and milestones of the study. While planning a research project, we must anticipate potential delays or modifications to the prescribed timeline. Some considerations may be helpful, like the incorporation of buffer time into your project timeline, which is like a cushion for unexpected delays, developing contingency plans, periodic assessments, proper resource allocation, and prioritization of the milestones of the project. The Unforeseen circumstances are a part of any complex project, and to prevent such circumstances, one must be proactive and communicative with the stakeholders.

LIMITATIONS AND POTENTIAL CHALLENGES

It is imperative to mention the strengths or limitations of the study, i.e. what this research study can achieve or cannot achieve, this is to prevent wasteful allocation of resources. Always acknowledge in the protocol of any such limitations or constraints that may affect the research and explain the plans to tackle the issue. Anticipation of the potential hurdles that might be encountered during the research period and also propose strategies to mitigate them.

Referencing is the regular method of recognizing information taken from other researchers’ work. Failure to provide reference to any idea or concept that is found in any other research falls under the category of plagiarism. A proper citation will enable the readers to follow up any reference of interest. [ 1 ] This must include all lists of references which are cited in the protocol and following the appropriate citation styles (e.g. APA, MLA). While conducting research, referencing plays a pivotal role in acknowledging the sources of information that have been used and this provides a credibility to the ongoing work. Always remember to consult the specific guidelines of your institution for the references. The two most commonly used citation systems in clinical writing are the Vancouver system and the Harvard system. [ 5 , 6 ] An appropriate referencing is crucial step to avoid plagiarism. [ 6 ]

This involves the attachment of any additional documents or supporting materials, such as questionnaires, consent forms, or sample data collection sheets. Remember to adhere to any specific guidelines or requirements set by the institution or funding agency while writing your research protocol. It is always advisable to consult with your supervisor, seniors, or peers for feedback and guidance during the protocol writing process. Remember to tailor the research protocol to the specific requirements of the study and any guidelines provided by the research institution or funding agency.

One must do a final review of the protocol for its appropriateness and completeness before final submission. This final review ensures scientific integrity; prevents delays in impact recruitment, data collection, and funding, and maintains ethical integrity. A presubmission review also helps to identify any gaps or inconsistencies that might lead to unnecessary resource allocation and time wastage of time. The final review also demonstrates the researcher’s dedication toward quality research conduction. A final review of the protocol, when done with the peer members or collaborators fetches valuable input and feedback to the research protocol.

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How to Write a Research Protocol: Tips and Tricks

Matteo cameli.

Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

Giuseppina Novo

1 Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Cardiology Unit, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

Maurizio Tusa

2 Division of Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Italy

Giulia Elena Mandoli

Giovanni corrado.

3 Department of Cardiology, Valduce Hospital, Como, Italy

Frank Benedetto

4 Division of Cardiology, Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli Hospital, Reggio Calabria, Italy

Francesco Antonini-Canterin

5 High Specialization Rehabilitation Hospital, ORAS, Motta di Livenza, Treviso, Italy

Rodolfo Citro

6 Heart Department, University Hospital “San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D’Aragona”, Salerno, Italy

The first drafting of the protocol for a new research project should start from a solid idea with one or more of these goals:

• Overcoming the limits of the current knowledge in a determinate field with the aim of bridging a “knowledge gap”
• Bringing something new in a scarcely explored field
• Validating or nullifying previous results obtained in limited records by studies on a wider population.

A research proposal born with the intent to convince the others that your project is worthy and you are able to manage it with a complete and specific work plan. With a strong idea in mind, it is time to write a document where all the aspects of the future research project must be explained in a precise, understandable manner. This will successively help the researcher to present it and process and elaborate the obtained results.[ 1 ] The protocol manuscript should also underline both the pros and the potentialities of the idea to put it under a new light.[ 2 ]

Our paper will give the authors suggestions and advices regarding how to organize a research protocol, step by step [ Table 1 ].

Main sections and subsections in a complete research protocol

A research protocol must start from the definition of the coordinator of the whole study: all the details of the main investigator must be reported in the first paragraph. This will allow each participant to know who ask for in case of doubts or criticalities during the research. If the study will be multicentric, in the first section must be written also the number of the involved centers, each one possibly matched with the corresponding reference investigator.

Second section: Specific features of the research study

After completing the administrative details, the next step is to provide and extend title of the study: This is made for identifying the field of research and the aim of the study itself in a sort of brief summary of the research; the title must be followed by a unique acronym, like an ID of the protocol. If the protocol has been already exposed and approved by the Ethical Committee, it is appropriate to include also protocol number.

A list of 3–7 keywords must be listed to simplify the collocation of the protocol in its field of research, including, for example, disease, research tools, and analyzed parameters (e.g. three-dimensional echocardiography, right ventricle, end-stage heart failure, and prognosis).

The protocol must continue stating the research background that is the rational cause on the base on which the study is pursued. This section is written to answer some of these questions: what is the project about? What is already available in this field in the current knowledge? Why we need to overcome that data? and How will the community will from the present study?

As for an original research manuscript, the introduction to the project must include a brief review of the literature (with corresponding references). It is also fundamental to support the premises of the study, to underline the importance of the project in that particular time period and above all, of the materials and methods that will be employed. The rationale should accurately put in evidence the current lack in that field of scientific knowledge, following a precise, logical thread with concrete solutions regarding how to overcome the gaps and to conclude with the hypothesis of the project. A distinct paragraph can be dedicated to references, paying attention to select only the previous papers that can help the reader to focus the attention on the topic and to not excessively extend the list. In the references paragraph, the main studies regarding the object of the research but also state-of-art reviews updating the most recent discoveries in the field should be inserted.

The section should successively expose the study design: monocentric or multicentric, retrospective or prospective, controlled or uncontrolled, open-label or blinded, randomized or nonrandomized, and observational or experimental. It should also be explained why that particular design has been chosen.

At this point, the author must include the primary objective of the research, that is, the main goal of the study. This is a crucial part of the proposal and more than 4–5 aims should be avoided to do not reduce the accuracy of the project. Using verbs as “to demonstrate,” “to assess,” “to verify,” “to improve,” “to reduce,” and “to compare” help to give relevance to this section. Add also a description of the general characteristics of the population that will be enrolled in the study (if different subgroups are planned, the criteria on the base of which they will be divided should be specified); primary and secondary end-points, including all the variables that represent the measure of the objective (e.g., all-cause death, cardiovascular death, hospitalization, and side effects of a drug) follow in this section.

All the single parameters and variables that will be assessed during the study must be accurately and precisely listed along with the tools, the methods, the process schedule timing, and the technical details by which they will be acquired; Here, the author should explain how the Investigators who work in the other involved centers have to sent their results and acquired data to the Core Laboratory (e.g. by filled databases or by sending images).

A special attention must then be paid to clarify the planning of each examination the study patients will undergo: basal evaluation, potential follow-up schedule, treatment strategy plan, comparison between new and already-in-use drugs, dose and dosage of the treatment in case of a pharmacological study. This part can be enhanced by flowcharts or algorithms that allow a more immediate comprehension and interpretation of the study strategy.

This section may result more complete if one more subsection, illustrating the expected results, is included. Considering the idea at the base on the project, the endpoints and the pre-arranged objectives, the author can explain how its research project will

• Contribute to optimize the scientific knowledge in that specific field
• Give real successive implications in clinical practice
• Pave the way for future scientific research in the same or similar area of interest, etc.

The study population must be specified in detail, starting from inclusion criteria (including age and gender if it is planned to be restricted) and exclusion criteria: the more precise are the lists, the more accurate the enrollment of the subjects will be to avoid selection biases. This will also help to raise the success rate of the project and to reduce the risks of statistical error during the successive analysis of the data. The sample size should be planned and justified on the base of a statistic calculation considering the incidence and prevalence of the disease, frequency of use of a drug, etc., and possibly also indicating if the study considers a minimal or maximal number of subjects for each enrollment center (in case of multicentric studies).

This section of the protocol should end with some indications regarding timing and duration of the study: Starting and end of enrollment date, starting and end of inclusion date, potential frequency of control examinations, and timing of the analysis of the acquired data. If already settled, it can be useful to indicate also the type of statistical analysis that the investigators will apply to the data.

It is always necessary to prepare an informed consent to be proposed to the patient where premises, methods, and aims of the research together with advantages (e.g., some visits or diagnostic examinations for free) and possible risks derived from the participation to the study.

In this short section, various pieces of information regarding safety of the study must be added (a classification is fundamental in case of studies that expect the use of invasive procedures or drugs use). Usually, for nonobservational studies, an insurance coverage must be considered.

If the investigators have requested or plan to request funding or financial support, all the obtained resources must be listed to avoid conflicts of interest.

C ONCLUSION

Writing a complete and detailed document is a paramount step before starting a research projects. The protocol, as described in this paper, should be simply and correctly written but must clarify all the aspects of the protocol. The document could be divided into three different sessions to give all the parts the appropriate attention.

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What is a thesis?

What is a dissertation, getting started, staying on track.

A thesis is a long-term project that you work on over the course of a semester or a year. Theses have a very wide variety of styles and content, so we encourage you to look at prior examples and work closely with faculty to develop yours. 

Before you begin, make sure that you are familiar with the dissertation genre—what it is for and what it looks like.

Generally speaking, a dissertation’s purpose is to prove that you have the expertise necessary to fulfill your doctoral-degree requirements by showing depth of knowledge and independent thinking.

The form of a dissertation may vary by discipline. Be sure to follow the specific guidelines of your department.

• PhD This site directs candidates to the GSAS website about dissertations , with links to checklists,  planning, formatting, acknowledgments, submission, and publishing options. There is also a link to guidelines for the prospectus . Consult with your committee chair about specific requirements and standards for your dissertation.
• DDES This document covers planning, patent filing, submission guidelines, publishing options, formatting guidelines, sample pages, citation guidelines, and a list of common errors to avoid. There is also a link to guidelines for the prospectus .
• Scholarly Pursuits (GSAS) This searchable booklet from Harvard GSAS is a comprehensive guide to writing dissertations, dissertation-fellowship applications, academic journal articles, and academic job documents.

Finding an original topic can be a daunting and overwhelming task. These key concepts can help you focus and save time.

Finding a topic for your thesis or dissertation should start with a research question that excites or at least interests you. A rigorous, engaging, and original project will require continuous curiosity about your topic, about your own thoughts on the topic, and about what other scholars have said on your topic. Avoid getting boxed in by thinking you know what you want to say from the beginning; let your research and your writing evolve as you explore and fine-tune your focus through constant questioning and exploration.

Get a sense of the broader picture before you narrow your focus and attempt to frame an argument. Read, skim, and otherwise familiarize yourself with what other scholars have done in areas related to your proposed topic. Briefly explore topics tangentially related to yours to broaden your perspective and increase your chance of finding a unique angle to pursue.

Critical Reading

Critical reading is the opposite of passive reading. Instead of merely reading for information to absorb, critical reading also involves careful, sustained thinking about what you are reading. This process may include analyzing the author’s motives and assumptions, asking what might be left out of the discussion, considering what you agree with or disagree with in the author’s statements and why you agree or disagree, and exploring connections or contradictions between scholarly arguments. Here is a resource to help hone your critical-reading skills:

http://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/criticalread.pdf

Conversation

Your thesis or dissertation will incorporate some ideas from other scholars whose work you researched. By reading critically and following your curiosity, you will develop your own ideas and claims, and these contributions are the core of your project. You will also acknowledge the work of scholars who came before you, and you must accurately and fairly attribute this work and define your place within the larger discussion. Make sure that you know how to quote, summarize, paraphrase ,  integrate , and cite secondary sources to avoid plagiarism and to show the depth and breadth of your knowledge.

A thesis is a long-term, large project that involves both research and writing; it is easy to lose focus, motivation, and momentum. Here are suggestions for achieving the result you want in the time you have.

The dissertation is probably the largest project you have undertaken, and a lot of the work is self-directed. The project can feel daunting or even overwhelming unless you break it down into manageable pieces and create a timeline for completing each smaller task. Be realistic but also challenge yourself, and be forgiving of yourself if you miss a self-imposed deadline here and there.

Your program will also have specific deadlines for different requirements, including establishing a committee, submitting a prospectus, completing the dissertation, defending the dissertation, and submitting your work. Consult your department’s website for these dates and incorporate them into the timeline for your work.

Accountability

Sometimes self-imposed deadlines do not feel urgent unless there is accountability to someone beyond yourself. To increase your motivation to complete tasks on schedule, set dates with your committee chair to submit pre-determined pieces of a chapter. You can also arrange with a fellow doctoral student to check on each other’s progress. Research and writing can be lonely, so it is also nice to share that journey with someone and support each other through the process.

Common Pitfalls

The most common challenges for students writing a dissertation are writer’s block, information-overload, and the compulsion to keep researching forever.

There are many strategies for avoiding writer’s block, such as freewriting, outlining, taking a walk, starting in the middle, and creating an ideal work environment for your particular learning style. Pay attention to what helps you and try different things until you find what works.

Efficient researching techniques are essential to avoiding information-overload. Here are a couple of resources about strategies for finding sources and quickly obtaining essential information from them.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_in_literature_detailed_discussion/reading_criticism.html

https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques

Finally, remember that there is always more to learn and your dissertation cannot incorporate everything. Follow your curiosity but also set limits on the scope of your work. It helps to create a folder entitled “future projects” for topics and sources that interest you but that do not fit neatly into the dissertation. Also remember that future scholars will build off of your work, so leave something for them to do.

Browsing through theses and dissertations of the past can help to get a sense of your options and gain inspiration but be careful to use current guidelines and refer to your committee instead of relying on these examples for form or formatting.

DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard.

HOLLIS Harvard Library’s catalog provides access to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global .

MIT Architecture has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

Rhode Island School of Design has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

University of South Florida has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

Harvard GSD has a list of projects, including theses and professors’ research.

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Table of Contents

GUIDELINES FOR DNB THESIS PROTOCOL & THESIS SUBMISSION

The guidelines for dnb thesis writing & submission are given below:.

For more details you can check in  National Board Website

Free Download:

Annexure Publication Thesis Summary Demo file Declaration cum Undertaking for Fresh Thesis Covering letter to NBE Declaration cum Undertaking for Modified Thesis

I. INTRODUCTION

• The DNB/DrNB Trainees are required to submit a thesis at the prescribed time line and as per the rules and regulations of NBEMS.
• Research shall form an integral part of the education programme of all trainees registered for DNB/DrNB degrees of NBEMS.
• The basic aim of requiring the trainees to write a thesis/dissertation is to familiarize him/her with research methodology.
• The members of the faculty guiding the thesis/dissertation work for the candidate shall ensure that the subject matter selected for the thesis/dissertation is feasible, economical and original.

II. GUIDELINES FOR THESIS PROTOCOL

The protocol for a research proposal (including thesis) is a study plan, designed to describe the background, research question, aim and objectives, and detailed methodology of the study. In other words, the protocol is the ‘operating manual’ to refer to while conducting a particular study.

The candidate should refer to the NBEMS guidelines for preparation and submission of thesis protocol before the writing phase commences. The minimum writing requirements are that the language should be clear, concise, precise and consistent without excessive adjectives or adverbs and long sentences. There should not be any redundancy in the presentation

 The development or preparation of the Thesis Protocol by the candidate will help her/him in understanding the ongoing activities in the proposed area of research. Further it helps in creating practical exposure to research and hence it bridges the connectivity between clinical practice and biomedical research. Such research exposure will be helpful in improving problem solving capacity, getting updated with ongoing research and implementing these findings in clinical practice.

 Research Ethics: Ethical conduct during the conduct and publication of research is an essential requirement for all candidates and guides, with the primary responsibility of ensuring such conduct being on the thesis guide. Issues like Plagiarism, not maintaining the confidentiality of data, or any other distortion of the research process will be viewed seriously. The readers may refer to standard documents for the purpose.

III. PROTOCOL REQUIREMENTS

• The thesis protocol should be restricted to the following word limits:
•  It is mandatory  research work to have Ethics committee approval before initiation of the research work.
•  The concerned NBEMS accredited hospital shall be required to evaluate the thesis protocol at its own level through Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) and approve the thesis protocol for carrying out the . The constitution of Institutional Ethics Committee has to be in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by NBEMS.
• After the thesis protocol has been assessed and evaluated by Institutional Ethics Committee and has been approved for carrying out the research work, the same has to be submitted to NBEMS by the concerned hospital as per format specified in  Annexure – Thesis Protocol Approval (TPA).

IV. TIMELINE FOR PROTOCOL SUBMISSION

The following penal provisions shall be levied on trainees who fail to comply with the aforementioned timelines

           Note: The above indicated timelines and penal provisions shall be applicable for trainees getting registered from July 2020 admission session onwards.

V. CONSTITUTION OF INSTITUTIONAL ETHICS COMMITTEE:

• The accredited hospital should have an Ethics Committee (EC) which is Multidisciplinary and multi-sectorial in composition. The Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) shall review all ethical aspects of the project proposals received by it from DNB/DrNB trainees in an objective manner & shall provide advice to researchers on all aspects of the welfare and safety of all the concerned after ensuring the scientific soundness of the proposed research through appropriate Scientific Review Committee.
• The accredited hospital / institute is required to have an Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) as per Notification issued by the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India vide Notice No. U-11024/01/2018-HR (Part-2)/8015255 dated 12 th September, 2019. It should be registered with the National Ethics Committee Registry for Biomedical and Health Research (NECRBHR) through their website www.naitik.gov.in.
• Ethics Committee Role: It is necessary for all research proposals on biomedical, social and behavioural science research for health involving human participants, their biological material and data to be reviewed and approved by an appropriately constituted EC to safeguard the dignity, rights, safety and well- being of all research
• Ethics Committee Responsibility: The institution is responsible for establishing an EC to ensure an appropriate and sustainable system for quality ethical review and monitoring. The EC is responsible for scientific and ethical review of research proposals. ECs are entrusted with the initial review of research proposals prior to their initiation, and also have a continuing responsibility to regularly monitor the approved research to ensure ethical compliance during the conduct of research. The EC should be competent and independent in its  functioning.
• Terms of Reference (TOR) for Ethics Committee: Every EC should have written SOPs according to which the committee should function. The EC can refer to ICMR guidelines in preparing the SOPs for all biomedical and health
• Composition of Ethics Committee:
• ECs should be multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral.
• There should be adequate representation of age and
• Preferably 50% of the members should be non-affiliated or from outside the
• The number of members in an EC should preferably be between 8 – 15 and a minimum five  members   should   be   present   to meet   the   quorum of
• The EC  should   have   a   balance   between   medical   and   non-medical members/technical and non-technical members, depending upon the needs of the institution.

The composition may be as follows:

• Chairperson
• One – two persons from basic medical science area
• One – two clinicians from various Institutes
• One legal expert or retired judge
• One social scientist/ representative of non-governmental voluntary agency
• One philosopher / ethicist/ theologian
• One lay person from the community
• Member Secretary
• In case the institution does not have an Institutional Ethics registered with NECRBHR, the accredited hospital may tie institution  to utilise   its   NECRBHR       registered    A Committee (IEC) up with a nearby Memorandum of Understanding in this regard shall be required to be submitted to Accreditation Department of NBEMS.

VI. THESIS WRITING GUIDELINES

• The proposed study must be approved by the Institutional Ethics
• The thesis should be restricted to the size of 80 pages (maximum). This includes the text, figures, references, annexure, and certificates etc. It should be printed on both sides of the page and every page has to be numbered. Do not leave any page blank. To achieve this, following points may be kept in view:
• Typewriting of the Thesis work should always be done on an A4 size sheet having dimensions 21cm X 7 cm.
• The thesis should be typed in 5 space using a clear and vi id font, preferably, Times New Roman/Arial/ Garamond size 12 font, 1” margins should be left on all four sides. Major sections viz., Introduction, Review of Literature, Aim & Objectives, Material and Methods, Results, Discussion, References.
• Appendices should start from a new
• Study proforma (Case record form), informed consent form, master chart and patient information sheet may be printed in single
• Only contemporary and relevant literature may be Restrict the introduction to 2 pages, Review of literature to 10-12 pages, and Discussion to 8- 10 pages.
• The techniques may not be described in detail unless any modification/innovations of the standard techniques are used and reference(s) may be
• Illustrative material may be It should be printed on paper only. There is no need to paste photographs separately.
• Use numerals (1,2,3….) at the bottom in the centre of the pages to number all the
• Use roman numerals for the preliminary pages in the lower-case to number front
• All the new chapters to begin from new
• Align all the chapter headings in the
• The displaying page of chapter title must be placed at the  beginning of the chapter.
• Always avoid typing any heading near the page bottom or at the end of a
• Title and numbering along with data caption that clearly describes the nature of table and
• Illustrate the caption at the bottom of the table and figure and on the same
• The text description must be above and on the same page related to any table, figure and
• Keep the headings distinct by a larger font as compared to the whole
• Maintain all the headings of the same level by using the same font and
• Keep the headings aligned to the left side as the chapter headings remain in the
• Since most of the difficulties faced by the residents relate to the work in clinical subject or clinically-oriented laboratory subjects, the following steps are suggested:
• The number of cases should be such that adequate material, judged from the hospital attendance/records, will be available and the trainee will be able to collect case material within the period of data collection, i.e. around 6-12 months so that he/she is in a position to complete the work within the stipulated
• The aim and objectives of the study should be well
• As far as possible, only clinical/laboratory data of investigations of patients or such other material easily accessible in the existing facilities should be used for the
• Technical assistance, wherever necessary, may be provided by the department
• concerned. The resident of one specialty taking up some problem related to some other specialty should have some basic knowledge about the subject and he/she
• should be able to perform the investigations independently, wherever some
• specialized laboratory investigations are required a co-guide may be co-opted from the concerned investigative department, the quantum of laboratory work to be carried out by the trainee should be decided by the guide & co-guide by mutual consultation.
•  The clinical residents are not ordinarily expected to undertake experimental work or clinical work involving new techniques, not hitherto perfected OR the use of chemicals or radioisotopes not readily They should; however, be free to enlarge the
• scope of their studies or undertake experimental work on their own initiative but all
• such studies should be feasible within the existing facilities.
• The DNB/DrNB residents should be able to freely use the surgical pathology/autopsy data if it is restricted to diagnosis only, if however, detailed historic data are required the resident will have to study the cases himself with the help of the guide/co-guide. The same will apply in case of clinical data.
• Statistical methods used for analysis should be described specifically for each objective, and name of the statistical program used mentioned.

VII. GENERAL LAYOUT OF A DNB/DrNB THESIS:

1.     Cover Page or Outer Cover- It should carry the following details:

a.     Title of Thesis

b.     Trainee’s Name

c.      Year of Thesis

d.     NBEMS Logo

e.     Name of Institute

f.       Guide’s Name (Optional)

 2.     Title- A good title should be brief, clear, and focus on the central theme of the topic; it should avoid abbreviations. The Title should effectively summarize the proposed research and should contain the PICO elements.

 3.     Declaration- Under the declaration, trainees shall submit the declaration as per  format specified for Fresh Thesis or Modified Thesis.

 4.     Introduction- It should be focused on the research question and should be directly relevant to the objectives of your study.

 5.     Review of Literature – The Review should include a description of the most relevant and recent studies published on the subject.

 6.     Aim and Objectives – The ‘Aim’ refers to what would be broadly achieved by this study or how this study would address a bigger question / issue.

 7.     The ‘Objectives’ of the research stem from the research question formulated and should at least include participants, intervention, evaluation, design.

 8.     Material and Methods- This section should include the following 10 elements: Study setting (area), Study diagnostic accuracy,duration; Study design (descriptive, case-control, cohort, experimental (randomized/non-randomized)); Study sample (inclusion/exclusion criteria, method of selection), Intervention, if any, Data collection, Outcome measures (primary and secondary), Sample size, Data management and Statistical analysis, and Ethical issues (Ethical clearance, Informed consent, trial registration).

 9.     Results- Results should be organized in readily identifiable sections having correct analysis of data and presented in appropriate charts, tables, graphs and diagram etc.

 10.  Discussion- It should start by summarizing the results for primary and secondary objectives in text form (without giving data). This should be followed by a comparison of your results on the outcome variables (both primary and secondary) with those of earlier research studies.

 11.  Summary and Conclusion- This should be a précis of the findings of the thesis, arranged in four paragraphs: (a) background and objectives; (b) methods; (c) results; and (d) conclusions. The conclusions should strictly pertain to the findings of the thesis and not outside its domain.

 12.  References- Relevant References should be cited in the text of the protocol (in  superscripts).

 13.  Appendices- The tools used for data collection such as questionnaire, interview schedules, observation checklists, informed consent form (ICF), Master Chart, participant information sheet (PIS) and Thesis Protocol Approval should be attached as appendices.

VIII. GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION OF MODIFIED THESIS

1. Thesis must be modified strictly in accordance with the observation made by the  assessor.

2.Modified thesis should be hard bound and the front cover page should be printed in the standard format. However, it should be labeled as MODIFIED THESIS.

  3.       A hard bound thesis should be accompanied with:

a.     A summary of thesis and modification incorporated.

b.     Print out of online application form duly signed and stamped by all mentioned authorities

 4.       A declaration of thesis work “title” being bonafide in nature and done by the trainee himself at the institute of DNB/DrNB training need to be submitted bound with modified thesis . The certificate must specify that thesis have been modified as per  suggestion of the assessor. This certificate must be signed by the trainee himself/herself, the thesis guide and head of the institution, failing which thesis shall not be considered.

 5.       Modifications done in the thesis should be appropriately flagged.

 6.       Modified thesis is required to be submitted within 6 weeks of issuance of the communication.

IX. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

• As per NBEMS norms, writing a thesis is essential for all DNB/DrNB trainees towards partial fulfillment of eligibility for award of DNB/DrNB
• Application for assessment of thesis (Fresh/modified) can be submitted online only through National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences website natboard.edu.in. There is no other method for application submission. Application submitted through any other mode shall be summarily rejected.
• DNB/DrNB Trainees are advised to go through these guidelines carefully before submission of the Thesis and filling the application
• The trainee should ensure that all the information entered during the online submission of application form is correct and factual. Information provided by the trainee in the online application form shall be treated as correct and NBEMS will not entertain, under
• any circumstances, any request for change in the information  provided by the candidates.
• NBEMS itself does not edit /modify/alter any information entered by the trainees at the time of online submission of application form under any circumstances. There is no provision of change in any Such requests shall not be entertained.
• All the correspondence through post should be addressed to the Executive Director, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, Medical Enclave, MahatmaGandhi Marg, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi-110029. Candidates are requested to superscribe the envelope with the subject matter of the correspondence for expeditious processing.The jurisdiction for court cases/disputes shall be at New Delhi only.
• Incomplete submission forms will not be considered
• Online application available at https://natboard.edu.in/thesisonline/index
• Along with your thesis, send the summary of your thesis as per the earlier format in hard copy. Soft copy for thesis has to be uploaded on website.
• Declaration that, the Thesis & Research work “Title” is ‘bonafide’ in nature, and has been carried out by the DNB/DrNB Trainee, need to be submitted bounded with the Thesis. This declaration is to be signed by the Trainee, Guide, Co-Guide (if any) and the Head of the Institution, with rubber-stamp.
• Any change in your correspondence address after submission of thesis should be intimated to NBEMS at email [email protected] so as to affect timely dispatch of the outcome for your thesis assessment and other Communications.

X. TIMELINE FOR THESIS SUBMISSION

• The following timelines are to be followed for submission of thesis:

2.The following penal provisions shall be levied on trainees who fail to comply with the aforementioned timelines:

Note: The above indicated timelines and penal provisions shall be applicable for  trainees with immediate effect and shall be applicable on all admission sessions.

XI. THESIS ASSESSMENT FEE

• Fees for Thesis Assessment is as follows:

*(Payment Gateway Charges as applicable shall be levied using a credit or debit card issued by banks in India or through Internet banking.)

• Trainees who fail to submit their Thesis by the cutoff date shall be allowed to submit their Thesis with a late fee of 10,000/- for upto one month after the scheduled cut off.
• In case the trainee fails to submit the thesis even after then, they shall loose eligibility for the respective DNB/DrNB Final Examination and will have to abide by the cut off for next session of examination if they wish to appear.

XII. THESIS SUBMISSION TO NBEMS

Thesis should be bound and the front cover page should be printed in the standard A bound thesis should be accompanied with:

• Print out of online  application form duly signed and stamped by all mentioned authorities
• Synopsis of thesis
• Copy of letter of registration with NBEMS
• Thesis Protocol Approval

A declaration of thesis work being bonafide in nature and done by the trainee himself/herself at the institute of DNB/DrNB training need to be submitted bound with thesis for Fresh Thesis or Modified It must be signed by the trainee himself/herself, the thesis guide and head of the institution, failing which thesis shall not be considered.

XIII. COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL

• For inquiries pertaining to thesis, you may write to [email protected].
• Following Information must be provided in queries addressed to National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences regarding Thesis Status:
• Registration Number
• Date of submission of thesis

*Queries sent without aforesaid information shall not be entertained.

• No inquiries regarding thesis assessment status prior to 4 months after thesis submission will be entertained.
• Queries shall    not   be   entertained   from    persons    claiming    themselves    to be representative, associates or officiates of the applicant candidate.
• Mention your Name, Subject, Registration and Date of submission of thesis in any correspondence pertaining to thesis with NBEMS.

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Doctoral Thesis Guidelines

Introduction

Preparing to Submit the Thesis

Application for the Degree Oral Final Examination – Signature Page

Online Submission of the Thesis

ETDs @ ProQuest ORCID Harvard Author Agreement Redaction Embargoes Surveys

Distribution of the Thesis

Open Access After Submission Bound Thesis Fee Additional Bound Copies

Copyright and Publishing Considerations

Understanding Your Copyright and Fair Use Copyright Registration Acknowledging the Work of Others Use of Copyrighted Material Steps for Using Published and To-Be Published Work

Formatting Guidelines

Text Margins Pagination Title Title Page Abstract Body of Thesis Figures and Tables Footnotes Bibliography Supplemental Material  

Citation & Style Guides

Thesis Submission Checklist

INTRODUCTION All DrPH degree candidates at the Harvard Chan School are required to successfully complete and submit a thesis to qualify for degree conferral. This website provides information on the requirements for how to format your thesis, how to submit your thesis, and how your thesis will be distributed.  Please follow the submission and formatting guidelines provided here. Back to top

PREPARING TO SUBMIT THE THESIS The electronic submission of your thesis and the original Signature Page are due on the dates specified on the Harvard Chan School’s Academic Calendar Summary for each degree awarding period (November, March, and May). These items must be submitted using the ETDs @ ProQuest tool in order for the degree to be voted. No exceptions will be made to this rule. Back to top

Application for the Degree There are three degree granting periods: November, March, and May. To apply for graduation, students must complete the Application for Degree on the my.Harvard portal by the deadline posted on the Harvard Chan School’s Academic Calendar .

Deadline extensions are not possible. Students who miss the deadline must apply for the subsequent degree conferral date (November, March, or May). The student is responsible for meeting submission deadlines. Back to top

Oral Final Examination — Signature Page All Doctoral Committee members are required to sign the Signature Page at the time of the Doctoral Final Oral Examination indicating their final approval of the thesis.

A scanned copy of the Signature Page should appear before the title page of the PDF online submission of the thesis; no page number should be assigned to the Signature Page. The title on the Signature Page must read exactly as it does on the title page of the thesis. The Signature Page will be included in all copies of the thesis.

Click here for instructions on how to merge the Signature Page into the thesis PDF.

The Signature Page for DrPH students must be formatted as follows:

This Doctoral Thesis, [ Title of Doctoral Project ], presented by [ Student’s Name ], and Submitted to the Faculty of The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Public Health , has been read and approved by:

______________________________________ (typed name below line – signature above)

________________________________________ (typed name below the line – signature above)

Date : [ Doctoral Project Official Approval Date (month day, year) ]

Back to top

ONLINE SUBMISSION OF THE THESIS  

ETDs @ ProQuest All DrPH candidates are required to submit a digital copy of the thesis to the Registrar’s Office as a PDF file via ETDs @ ProQuest by the deadline established for each degree conferral date. Theses must be submitted in their final format, as described in the section Formatting Guidelines . Students must check their formatting carefully before submitting. Formatting errors will prevent the students’ theses from being accepted and approved.

The online-submission tool can be found at:  http://www.etdadmin.com/hsph.harvard

A how-to video for submitting a thesis via ETDs is available on the Countway Library website .

ORCID ETDs @ ProQuest supports ORCIDs.  ORCIDs are persistent digital identifiers that link you to your professional activity.  You may register for an ORCID either before or during submission if you do not yet have one.  To do so, you may go here .

The Harvard Library ORCID page provides information about the value of having an ORCID iD and how Harvard plans to use ORCID data. Additionally, please visit the Harvard ORCID Connect site to connect your existing ORCID iD to Harvard University.

Harvard Author Agreement When submitting work through ETDs @ ProQuest, you will be consenting to the Harvard Author Agreement , which grants the University a non-exclusive license to preserve, reproduce, and display the work. This license, which is the same the Harvard Chan School faculty use under the School’s Open Access Policy, does not constrain your rights to publish your work subsequently. Back to top

Redaction Very few theses require redaction, which is the process of obscuring or removing sensitive information for distribution. ETDs @ ProQuest does support redacted versioning for these very rare cases where there is sensitive or potentially harmful material in the thesis (e.g., commercially sensitive information, sensitive personal data, risk of harmful retribution, etc.).

If your work is one such rare instance, then you may select the “I think I need to submit a redacted version of my thesis” on the file upload screen. You will then be prompted to contact the Office for Scholarly Communication, which will help you with your request. Back to top

Embargoes To forestall any potential challenges that a student may face in the publication process (e.g., if the candidate has a publication pending with a publisher or has previously published some of the content in the thesis and there is a publisher’s embargo that must be honored), the Harvard Chan School has instituted a default one-year embargo for submissions through ETDs @ ProQuest.   The embargo starts on the date of the thesis submission deadline. With an embargo, the full text of the thesis will be unavailable for view or download for a limited period of time.  The citation and abstract for the work, however, will be publicly available.

If a student would like to make her/his work available immediately by opting out of the embargo process, she/he may do so by selecting the No Embargo option during the submission process.

If, due to extenuating circumstances, a student is required to embargo part or all of their work beyond one year, she/he must request an extension during the submission process. An extension can be requested for up to two years. This request is subject to the approval of the student’s department chair(s) and the University Librarian.

Any embargo applied to the DASH version of the thesis will be applied to the Countway Library and Harvard Chan School department versions of the work.

Students do not need to take any action to remove an embargo.  The embargo will automatically be lifted in DASH at the end of the selected and approved period.  If a student would like to change the duration of his/her embargo request, then please contact the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] or 617-432-1032. Back to top

Surveys The School of Public Health is asked to participate in the Survey of Earned Doctorates. This is an annual census of research doctorate recipients in the United States.  Data collected from these surveys are used to make federal policy decisions regarding graduate education.

Students are required to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates upon submission of their thesis. A Certificate of Completion will be sent to you, as well as to the Registrar’s Office.

Please click here to complete your survey.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE THESIS

Open Access For information on open access, we recommend the Office of Scholarly Communication’s (OSC) Director Peter Suber’s brief introduction . He has also written about providing open access to theses . The OSC has produced several videos of Harvard faculty and students discussing open access. Two may be of particular interest: the first features Professors Gary King and Stuart Shieber , and the second features a recent Harvard graduate, Ben Finio . Back to top

After Submission Once you have applied for your degree and submitted your thesis online, it is checked for compliance by the Registrar’s Office and, if accepted, is piped to the following downstream systems:

• DASH : Your work will be sent to DASH (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard), Harvard’s open access repository. Search engines index DASH, which means your work will be more discoverable and more frequently cited. You will be making DASH access decisions for your work at the point of submission. This will be the access copy of the thesis.
• HOLLIS : The metadata about your work will be sent to HOLLIS . This will make your work discoverable through the Harvard Library catalog.
• DRS2 : Your work will be stored in Harvard Library’s digital preservation repository, DRS2 . This will be the preservation copy of the thesis.

By default, theses will be made available through DASH one year after students submit their theses via ETDs @ Harvard for degree completion (see Embargoes ). DASH is operated by Harvard Library’s Office for Scholarly Communication and is the University’s central service for openly distributing Harvard’s scholarly output.

Note that any embargo applied to the DASH version of the thesis will be applied to the Countway Library and department versions of the work. Back to top

Bound Thesis Fee Currently we are not receiving bound thesis copies.  Doctoral students will not be charged bound thesis fees. Back to top

Additional Bound Copies Students may secure extra copies of their work for their own purposes.  These additional copies may be purchased through  Acme Bookbinding . or through ETDs @ ProQuest . Back to top

COPYRIGHT AND PUBLISHING CONSIDERATIONS

Understanding Your Copyright and Fair Use The Office for Scholarly Communication has created copyright-related resources for your reference.

The first addresses your copyrights and identifies some considerations when publishing (see “ Planning to publish? ”). It is important that you envision any future use you may like to make of your work. Any publishing contract you sign can affect your potential future uses, such as use in teaching, posting your work online on either a personal or departmental website, or any potential future publication. Before you sign a publication agreement, you can negotiate with a publisher to secure licensing terms that best suit your needs. It is important that you read any contract you sign and keep a copy for your own records.

The second resource discusses fair use (see “ Fair use ”), what it is, the laws that have determined its shape over time, and tips for ensuring that use of third-party material (including quotes, images, music, film, etc.) in your thesis is fair. Back to top

Copyright Registration Your work is copyrighted as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form. You are not required to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office to enjoy protection of your work. However, if you choose to do so, you may register your work with the Copyright Office online . Back to top

Acknowledging the Work of Others Students are responsible for acknowledging any facts, ideas, or materials of others used in their own work. Students should refer to the statement on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in the Harvard Chan School’s Student Handbook . Back to top

Use of Copyrighted Material A thesis is a scholarly work, and as such use of third party material is often essential. Fair use applies to the reproduction of any third party material, including your own previously published work, that you may use in your thesis.

If you have questions about copyright and fair use, please contact the Office for Scholarly Communication . Back to top

Steps for Using Published and To-Be Published Work When submitting an article for publication that you intend to use in your thesis, you should secure permission to do so (along with permission to reuse your own work as you would like) from your publisher in your publishing agreement. If the default contract does not let you retain these rights already, then you should use an author addendum to secure these rights (see “ Planning to publish? ”).

You may use your own previously published material as part of your thesis with the permission of the publisher. Again, refer to your publication agreement for details. If your contract does not specify these rights, then contact the publisher to negotiate this use. Back to top

FORMATTING GUIDELINES The following are instructions on how to format your thesis. If, after reading the instructions here, you have additional questions about the requirements, please contact the Registrar’s Office at (617) 432-1032; [email protected]. Back to top

Text   All text should be double-spaced on one side of the page with footnotes single-spaced. The font size should be at least 10 point, but no larger than 12 point.  The font and font size should be consistent throughout.  All text should be black. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Margins The margins of the thesis must be 1 inch on all sides. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Pagination Students’ theses must follow the pagination guidelines as illustrated below. It is customary not to have a page number on the page containing a chapter/paper heading. Drawings, charts, graphs, and photographs should be referred to as figures and should be numbered consecutively within the text of the thesis with Arabic numerals. Each figure should carry a suitable caption; e.g., Fig. 42. Arrangement of Experimental Equipment. Check pagination carefully and account for all pages.

All page numbers should be consecutive and centered at either the bottom or top of the page.
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Title The title of the thesis should be brief and should indicate the general subject treated. Nine words are usually sufficient to describe the investigation. Students are strongly encouraged to embed keywords into their title, so that the title will be retrievable on computerized listings. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Title Page The title page must contain the following information, well-spaced and centered on the page:

For DrPH Students:

TITLE OF DOCTORAL THESIS

STUDENT’S NAME

A Doctoral Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Doctor of Public Health

Harvard University

Boston, Massachusetts.

Date (the month in which degree will be awarded, year of graduation (e.g., May 2021)

Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Abstract The abstract should not exceed 350 words. It should immediately follow the Title Page, and should state the problem, describe the methods and procedures used, and give the main results or conclusions of the research. The abstract should be double-spaced. The author’s name and the title of the thesis, as well as the name of the thesis advisor, should be included on the abstract page. The author’s name should be right justified, the title of the thesis centered, and “Thesis Advisor: Dr. ____________” should be left-justified at the top of the abstract page.

Thesis Advisor: Dr. [Advisor’s name]                                                    [Author’s name]

[Title of thesis]

           The text of the abstract, not to exceed 350 words, should be double-spaced.  The first line of each paragraph is indented.  Full justification of the text is not recommended.

Students will also be required to submit a text version of the abstract via the online-submission tool. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Body of Thesis The thesis should consist of manuscripts suitable for publication in a scientific medium appropriate to the candidate’s field and/or approved reprints of the published work(s) (see Steps for Using Published and To-Be Published Work and Use of Copyrighted Material ).

Technical appendices should be added where necessary to demonstrate full development of the thesis material. Papers published under joint authorship are acceptable provided the candidate has contributed a major part to the investigation. The degree candidate is expected to be senior author on at least one of the papers. In the case of manuscripts published under joint authorship, the co-authors or the advisor may be consulted by the readers or the CAD to clarify the nature and extent of the candidate’s contribution. In addition to evaluating the quality and significance of the work, those responsible for accepting the thesis [the Department(s) and Doctoral Project Committee] may determine whether the format is suitable for publication in a scientific medium appropriate to the degree candidate’s field(s). Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Figures and Tables Figures and tables must be placed as close as possible to their first mention in the text. They may be placed on a page with no text above or below, or they may be placed directly in the text. If a figure or table is alone on a page with no narrative, it should be centered within the margins of the page.

Figures and tables referred to in the text may not be placed at the end of the chapter or at the end of the thesis. Figure and table numbering must be either continuous throughout the thesis or by paper (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2). For example, there cannot be two figures designated in a thesis as “Figure 5.”

Headings of tables should be placed at the top of the table. While there are no specific rules for the format of table headings and figure captions, a consistent format must be used throughout the thesis. (See Citation and Style Guides )

Captions of figures should be placed at the bottom of the figure. If the figure takes up the entire page, the figure caption should be placed alone on the preceding page and centered vertically and horizontally within the margins. Each page receives a separate page number. When a figure or table title is on a preceding page, the second and subsequent pages of the figure or table should say, for example, “Figure 5 (Continued).” In such an instance, the list of figures or tables will list the page number containing the title. The word “Figure” should be written in full (not abbreviated), and the “F” should be capitalized (e.g., Figure 5). In instances where the caption continues on a second page, the “(Continued)” notation should appear on the second and any subsequent page. The figure/table and the caption are viewed as one entity and the numbering should show correlation between all pages. Each page must include a header.

Horizontal figures and tables must be positioned correctly and bound at the top, so that the top of the figure or table will be at the left margin (leave a 1 inch margin on the long edge of the paper above the top of the table).

Figure and table headings/captions are placed with the same orientation as the figure or table when on the same page. When on a separate page, headings/captions are always placed in vertical orientation, regardless of the orientation of the figure or table. Page numbers are always placed as if the figure were vertical on the page.

Figures created with software are acceptable if the figures are clear and legible. Legends and titles created by the same process as the figures will be accepted if they too are clear, legible, and run at least 10 or 12 characters per inch. Otherwise, legends and captions should be printed with the same font used in the text. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Footnotes Footnotes are reserved for substantive additions to the text and should be indicated by an asterisk in the text. Extensive use of footnotes is not encouraged. The footnote should be placed at the bottom of the page. A horizontal line of at least two inches should be typed above the first footnote on any page. Footnotes should be placed so that at least one inch is left at the bottom of the page. Use single-spacing within footnotes. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Bibliography To document the sources of information, a bibliography must be included at the end of the papers or thesis. References may be numbered or listed alphabetically. If references in the bibliography are numbered, then corresponding in-text references should be indicated by listing the number in parentheses after the name of the author.

Bibliographic Example:

23. Gibbs, C.S.: Filterable virus carriers. J. Bact., 23, 1932, 113.

In-Text Example:

“. . . as Gibbs (23) has stated.”

The initial number should be omitted if references are listed alphabetically.

Within any bibliographic section there should be consistency and adherence to an acceptable journal style for a bibliography. Each reference in the bibliography must contain the name of the author, title of the paper, name of publication, volume, date, and first page.

More than one publication by the same author in the same year should be indicated both in the bibliography and in the text by the use of underlined letters, etc., after the date of publication. The standard system of abbreviation used by the Quarterly Cumulative Index should be followed for the abbreviations of journal titles.

If students’ individual papers have different bibliographic styles, then it is not necessary to change the bibliographic style of one to match the other. Consistency within each bibliographic section is the most important element. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

Supplemental Material Supplemental figures and tables must be placed at the end of each chapter/paper in an appendix. If additional digital information (including text, audio, video, image, or datasets) will accompany the main body of the thesis, then it should be uploaded as supplemental material via the ETDs @ Harvard online submission tool. Back to top  |  Back to Formatting Guidelines

CITATION & STYLE GUIDES

• The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
• Crews, Kenneth D. Copyright Law and the Doctoral Dissertation. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2000.
• Day, Robert A. and Barbara Gastel. How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper. 6th ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2006.
• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Modern Language Association of America, 2008. Strunk, William. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. New York, NY: Penguin Press, 2005.
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2010.
• Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Chicago
• Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing. 7th ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2007.

THESIS SUBMISSION CHECKLIST ☐ Is the Signature Page unnumbered and positioned as the first page of the PDF file? ☐ Is there a blank page after the Signature Page? ☐ Does the body of the thesis begin with Page 1? ☐ Is the pagination continuous? Are all pages included? ☐ Is every page of the thesis correctly numbered? ☐ Is the placement of page numbers centered throughout the manuscript? ☐ Is the Title Page formatted correctly? ☐ Is the author’s name, in full, on the Title Page of the thesis and the abstract? ☐ Does the author’s name read the same on both and does it match the Signature Page? ☐ Is the abstract included after the Title Page? ☐ Does the abstract include the title of the thesis, the author’s name, and the thesis advisor(s)’ name? ☐ Is the title on the abstract the same as that on the title page? ☐ Are the margins 1” on all sides? ☐ Is the font size 10-12 point? ☐ Are all charts, graphs, and other illustrative materials perfectly legible? ☐ Do lengthy figures and tables include the “(Continued)” notation? ☐ Has all formatting been checked? ☐ Is the Survey of Earned Doctorates  completed? ☐ Has the Survey of Earned Doctorates’ confirmation email or certificate been uploaded to ETDs @ Harvard?

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