Transcript CIS 675 Evaluation Plan UPSjobs.com

The Path to the Ph.D. in IS:
Part 4, The Dissertation
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While working on the dissertation:
Typical time from approved proposal to
completed dissertation: 12- 18 months
You should expect to do 2-3 drafts of the
complete dissertation. Each draft should go to
the primary advisor first and then the
committee; will take about a month to get
feedback from them all.
Note that you must apply for graduation the
semester BEFORE you want to graduate.
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Contents of the Dissertation
1. The same chapters approx 1-5 as in
your proposal, only the lit review and
other chapters will need to be updated
to reflect whatever new publications
and new research questions etc.
emerged in the meantime
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New Chapters
Results are often presented in two to three
chapters.
For a quantitative study: First results chapter
is often descriptive data (eg, univariate
analysis) showing means and standard
deviations and such for questions or
variables, also validity and reliability checks
for your measures (e.g., factor analysis and
Chronbach’s)
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Results chapters
Then there would typically be a chapter with
hypothesis by hypothesis presentation of
results ( eg, bivariate analysis) followed by a
test of your entire model
Might be a chapter on qualitative results if
you have them too
Dissertations that are primarily systems
development and testing would be presented
differently
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Conclusion Chapter
1. summarizes your total results briefly
2. Discusses limitations and possible
reasons for lack of anticipated results
3. Might present a revised model based
on results
4. Explicitly lists and describes the
contributions of the research
5. Describes future research plans
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Preparing for the Defense
1. The final draft should be in the hands of
the committee at least ONE MONTH (4
weeks) before the defense; otherwise the
defense date is postponed. ( no
exceptions)
Deliver a print copy (in person or by mail)
plus an electronic version.
Then request a meeting or telephone call
with each committee member about 2
weeks later to get feedback. (or email)…
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(Preparing for the defense)
2. At the same time: “public
announcement” is made of the defense:
Student should post the title, abstract,
place and time of the defense in the IS
Seminar Webboard (“Clubhouse”);
Advisor should announce to all CCS
faculty;
A copy must be made available for
reading (on view in dept., or web site
announced)
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Defense procedures:
Same as for the proposal, see that
presentation…
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Formatting of dissertation
Graduate studies gives a seminar at
least once a semester on the required
format for the final dissertation; take it
early and use this format from the
beginning so you won’t have to edit.
You will need special rag paper. Bring
10 copies of the sign off cover sheet on
this special paper, to the defense.
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Logistics of the defense
Reserve a room and make sure you will
have a projector, computer, and if
needed a speaker phone for a remote
participant. (Dept. Secretary can help
with these).
If using phone: give outside member
the number to call in and your cell
phone number.
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At the Defense
Emphasize the main theories and research
questions (very short lit review); methods;
findings; limitations; CONTRIBUTIONS; future
research plans.
Once again, max 30 slides, max 60 minutes
including questions that interrupt.
During the presentation, only the committee
may interrupt and question.
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(At the defense)
After the presentation, round robin for
comments and questions by all committee
members.
Then anybody may ask questions, until the
committee chair cuts it off. This part
usually lasts about an hour.
Then the committee privately deliberates,
finally calls candidate back for “the
verdict.”
Thus, three hours should be scheduled for
the whole process just in case it is needed.
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The Dissertation Defense
The most usual outcome is “minor revisions,”
which may take a month or more. Other possible
outcomes are major revisions or failure.
HOWEVER: the advisor and committee
members should be confident before a defense
is scheduled, that the result will not be failure! (If
in doubt, postpone and revise).
Usually- the committee signs the dissertation
defense document, except for the advisor, who
waits until all required revisions are completed to
sign and turn in the form.
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Who must be there?
All of your NJIT members if at all
possible
Outside members if possible;
otherwise, they must give detailed
feedback and recommendations to the
chair beforehand, (and they MAY come
in by speakerphone… )
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Post defense
Dissertation defense form must be
turned in, signed by advisor and
director of Ph.D. program or
department chair.
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Completing Requirements
After the content is accepted, the student must
complete the dissertation in the required
format(s), including the correct paper quality
and number of copies, and deliver to the
Graduate Office in time to get certified for
graduation, which is about the date that grades
are due each semester.
An HTML version will go up on the NJIT
website.
Your advisor will “present” you on the stage at
graduation (and thus is expected to attend!)
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The Dissertation Committee- publishing
results
As you finish your thesis, make a plan for turning it
into papers; target them.
In papers deriving from the Ph.D. dissertation ( or
the SOTA), the student is the first author and
usually the main advisor is the second author.
Usually, you will show the one or more committee
members who made contributions to the part of
the dissertation on which the paper is based, as
coauthors. They should be given a draft for
suggestions and to approve their inclusion as a
coauthor.
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Notes:
Also read the section on the Ph.D. in
the NJIT graduate catalog, for rules and
procedures that apply to all programs.
While you are completing your
dissertation, you will also need to be job
hunting. Peak activity is the fall of the
year and very early spring, for campus
visits; AMCIS interviews in August and
ICIS interviews in December.
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After graduation:
Stay in touch! Keep publishing!
Come back and visit the seminar and
give a presentation on life after the
Ph.d.....
? Contribute money to the IS graduate
students fund?? ( eg, B.A. Suresh
contributed some of the funds that paid
for AMCIS for students one semester)
Send us your best students!
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Dezhi Wu’s Defense, 2005
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