Health Professions Division Dissertation Guide

13 • Is responsible for timely and accurate communication with the chair and committee members through all phases of the dissertation process. • Relies on the committee chair as the primary mentor and approving authority on all aspects of the dissertation process. • Works closely with the committee chair throughout the dissertation process andworks with the committee chair and members to develop a feasible and relevant dissertation proposal. • Submits dissertation research to IRB for approval soon after proposal is approved by committee. • Seeks outside editorial and statistical/methodological assistance as needed. • Checks with chairperson and committee members before making any changes inprocess or analysis. • Submits drafts of chapters for feedback. • Prepares for a successful oral defense (proposal and dissertation report). • Is responsible for writing at a scholarly level. • Works independently on all dissertation documents, including the proposal and dissertation report (complete and sign the Certification of Authorship form, See Appendix B) and is responsible for giving appropriate credit for all word content, ideas, and thoughts where it is due. • Secures copy editing through a professional editor as per program guidelines at his/her expense. Governance of Serving on Doctoral Committees In some instances, a change in the composition of the committee may be needed due to unforeseen circumstances. If a change of advisor/chair is required, the Program Director must be notified, and the process described previously regarding agreement to serve as Advisor must be followed. In that case, the faculty member who agrees to serve as Advisor must review and upon approval, sign the dissertation tracking form and indicate approval of the idea paper. If there is no change of advisor, the process described previously for committee formation must be followed. All committee members, including the chair, must be approved by the Program Director. Generally speaking, committee chairs must be full-time, part-time, or adjunct NSU faculty. All CV, including areas of expertise, are maintained on file for all NSU faculty. If the candidate requests approval for a committee member who is external to NSU, the candidate must submit that individual’s CV directly to the Program Director for consideration and final approval. The candidate must also provide narrative information with the CV that describes the expertise of the proposed committee member and a description of the role of that committee member in the dissertation process. Once the Program Director has reviewed all information about all committee members, including the chair, the candidate will be advised if the individual is qualified to serve. Once approval is received, it is the candidate’s responsibility to obtain the appropriate signature (Appointment of Dissertation Committee form) and submit it to the program chair.