Although titles are often regarded as a minimal aspect of academic discourse, they play a crucial role in knowledge construction across various disciplines and genres. This study examined four ...features of titles, namely, title length, punctuation usage, structure, and content information, with a corpus comprising 1600 titles of research articles (RAs) from top journals and doctoral dissertations (DDs) from prestigious universities across four soft and hard science disciplines. The results confirm disciplinary and generic variations within the titles of these two critical academic genres. Titles in linguistics and medicine are generally longer than those in economics and computer science (CS). Slightly more titles in hard disciplines contain punctuation than do those in soft disciplines. The average title length of RAs is longer than that of DDs, and more RA titles than DD titles have punctuation in all four disciplines, with no apparent difference in the punctuation variety across the two genres, except for CS titles. Nominal group titles and compound titles are the two most common types, and prepositional phrase titles are the least common in all four disciplines and genres. The content information in titles is different in each discipline and genre. These findings are partially congruent with those of previous studies, indicating the significance of further investigating titles across disciplines and genres.
If a doctoral dissertation represents an original investigation that makes a contribution to one's field, then dissertation research could, and arguably should, be disseminated into the scientific ...literature. However, the extent and nature of dissertation publication remains largely unknown within psychology. The present study investigated the peer-reviewed publication outcomes of psychology dissertation research in the United States. Additionally, we examined publication lag, scientific impact, and variations across subfields. To investigate these questions, we first drew a stratified random cohort sample of 910 psychology Ph.D. dissertations from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Next, we conducted comprehensive literature searches for peer-reviewed journal articles derived from these dissertations published 0-7 years thereafter. Published dissertation articles were coded for their bibliographic details, citation rates, and journal impact metrics. Results showed that only one-quarter (25.6% 95% CI: 23.0, 28.4) of dissertations were ultimately published in peer-reviewed journals, with significant variations across subfields (range: 10.1 to 59.4%). Rates of dissertation publication were lower in professional/applied subfields (e.g., clinical, counseling) compared to research/academic subfields (e.g., experimental, cognitive). When dissertations were published, however, they often appeared in influential journals (e.g., Thomson Reuters Impact Factor M = 2.84 2.45, 3.23, 5-year Impact Factor M = 3.49 3.07, 3.90) and were cited numerous times (Web of Science citations per year M = 3.65 2.88, 4.42). Publication typically occurred within 2-3 years after the dissertation year. Overall, these results indicate that the large majority of Ph.D. dissertation research in psychology does not get disseminated into the peer-reviewed literature. The non-publication of dissertation research appears to be a systemic problem affecting both research and training in psychology. Efforts to improve the quality and "publishability" of doctoral dissertation research could benefit psychological science on multiple fronts.
This essay discusses the emergence of the program evaluation dissertation in our doctoral program as the preferred dissertation in practice (DiP) option. We also outline important considerations that ...must be reviewed with students when considering this approach. Our students are professional educational leaders in the settings where they conduct their dissertation research, emphasizing the importance of our doctoral faculty in addressing the potential implications of blending dissertation research with professional practice. Using the utilization-focused evaluation approach as a framework, we address professional and practical considerations to ensure effective evaluation designs to examine a specific problem of practice. These considerations include the student's relationship to the program being evaluated, the impact on their professional position, support for the evaluation, access to data collection, potential consent concerns, and the utilization of findings. We conclude with additional ethical considerations to be considered when supporting program evaluation dissertation work.
El objetivo fue explicar el Enfoque de No Escisión (ENE) en la investigación cualitativa para pasar del juicio teórico a la valoración interpretativa de categorías. Se fundamentó en los aportes ...teóricos de Yánez (2018), Díaz (2018) Durán (2019) y Arias (2019). Fue una investigación de tipo explicativa con diseño de campo. Como instrumento de registro se utilizó una lista de cotejo en una muestra de 9 tesis doctorales. Los resultados obtenidos evidenciaron que el ENE implica la triangulación teórica y de categorías de valoración interpretativa, para integrar los hallazgos de ambos resultados al discurso investigativo.
The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to survey whether dissertations have been rejected in connection with the examining committees' sessions and, if so, upon which grounds, and (2) to conduct a ...problematizing discussion about the pros and cons of written criteria for doctoral dissertations. In Survey One (1984-2003), responses came from the humanities, law, and social sciences in six established universities. In Survey Two (2004-2017), responses came from the same disciplines at ten universities. The surveys are based on searches in electronic databases and written responses from the faculty offices. The results show 18 cases of rejected dissertations. Five of the dissertations are written in law and five in arts, theater, culture, and film studies. Three areas appear to be particularly critical for the rejection: akribeia (accuracy and precision), methodological issues, and results and analysis.
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