• I.     Introduction and Overview
  • I.A. Special Notes
  • I.B. Overview of the Graduate Program
  • I.C. The Department of Psychology
  • I.D. Registration and Fees
  • I.E. University Services
  • I.F. Counseling and Psychological       Services
  • I.G. Living in Morgantown
  • I.H. Guidelines Concerning the Junior       Colleague Model and Faculty-       Graduate Student Relations in the       Department of Psychology
• II.    Advising Committee and Plan of       Study
  • II.A. Introduction
  • II.B. Advising Committee
  • II.C. Plan of Study
• III.    Program and Degree        Requirements
  • III.A. University Requirements
  • III.B. Master's Degree
  • III.C. Doctoral Degree
  • III.D. Course and Thesis Waivers
  • III.E. Course Grades
  • III.F. Colloquia, Workshops, Special        Events
  • III.G. Outside Employment
  • III.H. Leave of Absence
  • III.I. Graduation
  • III.J. Job Search
• IV.   Procedures for Thesis and        Dissertation
  • IV.A. Introduction
  • IV.B. Master's Thesis
  • IV.C. The Ph.D. Dissertation
  • IV.D. General Information and Guidelines          on Completing Thesis and          Disseration Research
• V.    Student Evaluation
  • V.A. Annual Evaluations
  • V.B. Process and Outcome for the         Annual Evaluations
  • V.C. Probation and Termination Dates for         Major Academic Milestones
  • V.D. Probation
  • V.E. Student Termination
  • V.F. Awards
• VI.   Student Financial Support
  • VI.A. Regular Academic Year Support
  • VI.B. Summer Support
  • VI.C. Policies and Procedures          Concerning Number of Years of          Funding
  • VI.D. Doctoral Student Stipend          Enhancements and HERF Awards
  • VI.E. Research/Travel Funding Sources
• VII.   Organizational Structure of the         Department of Psychology
  • VII.A. Committees
  • VII.B. Individuals
  • VII.C. Staff
• VIII.  Ethical Issues and Grievances
  • VIII.A. Ethical Standards
  • VIII.B. Training Requirements
  • VIII.C. External Approval of Research
  • VIII.D. Appropriate Use of Reference           Materials in Scientific Writing
  • VIII.E. Grievance Procedures
• IX.    Program Area Supplements
  • IX.A. Clinical
  • IX.B. Behavior Analysis
  • IX.C. Clinical Child
  • IX.D. Life-Span Developmental
  • IX.E. Clinical Professional Master's

IV.A. Introduction

Students in the doctoral program are required to complete thesis and dissertation research projects prior to obtaining the Ph.D. Each of these projects requires empirical research that is approved and overseen by a committee of faculty members selected by the student in accord with the guidelines provided below. The thesis research is conducted under the supervision of the thesis committee chair; the dissertation is developed and conducted more independently by the student with assistance and oversight provided by the dissertation committee chair.

Regulations concerning the completion of the thesis and dissertation are described in Sections IV.B and IV.C. General information and guidelines on completing the thesis and dissertation research projects are provided in Section IV.D. Students also should refer to their Area’s Program Supplement for additional regulations and guidelines.

IV.B. The Master's Thesis

1. Selection of Committee Chair

2. The Thesis Committee

3. The Thesis Proposal

4. Final Examination

5. Scheduling of Committee Meetings

IV.B.1. Selection of Committee Chair

Prior to selecting a thesis committee chair, the student often holds informal discussions with relevant faculty members about a research idea. Ideally, the agreed-upon research project will be in an area of interest to both the student and the faculty member. The chair may suggest the research area and problem, but allow the student flexibility in articulating the specific problem and developing the design of the experiment. Only regular members of the Graduate Faculty may be thesis committee chairs. Information concerning the Graduate Faculty status of faculty members is available from the Department Chair’s secretary. The chair of the thesis committee is not necessarily the student’s adviser.

IV.B.2. The Thesis Committee

The thesis committee is composed of at least three faculty members, one of whom is the designated thesis committee chair. Committee members should be selected by the student on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in the relevant research area. Students should consult the thesis committee chair when selecting committee members. The majority of the committee members (including the chair) must be regular members of the Graduate Faculty. Information concerning the Graduate Faculty status of faculty members is available from the Department Chair’s secretary. At least one committee member must be from outside the student's program area and can be from outside the Department of Psychology (in the case of Clinical and Clinical Child students at least one committee member must come from outside these two program areas). Questions about whether or not an individual qualifies as being outside the student's specialization area should be directed to the Department Chair.

Faculty who agree to serve on a thesis committee, including the chair, must sign a Master’s Thesis Committee Request Form that is then submitted for approval by the Department Chair. The form must be submitted to the Graduate Records Assistant. The Assistant will check the form for accuracy and completeness, obtain the Chair’s signature, and submit the form to the College Graduate Office. This process must be completed before the proposal meeting. Approval of the thesis committee depends on whether the requirements for thesis committee composition (see Section IV.B.2 above) have been met.

Substituting Committee Members - Substitution is appropriate only if a faculty member resigns, is or will be on leave at the time the committee meetings are scheduled, or is unable to be present at the prospectus meeting or final defense.

Requests for substitution require formal action. The student and his or her thesis committee chair first must discuss potential substitutions and then seek written approval of the change in committee membership. As stated in the WVU Graduate Catalog, “The request for a substitute should be signed by the committee chair, the student, and both the original faculty member and the substitute faculty member. A substitute faculty member must have the same or higher graduate faculty status as the original faculty member and represent the same academic discipline or specialization.” No substitution for the chair is allowed (except when the chair leaves the University; see below), and only one substitution of a committee member is allowed. If any changes in committee membership beyond the substitution of one committee member are necessary, a new committee must be formed. The new committee must meet to approve the (original or revised) thesis proposal.

A request for substitution of a thesis committee member should take the form of a memo addressed to the Department Chair and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. The request should indicate the reason for the change and indicate the graduate faculty status of the substitute faculty member. The request should be signed by the student, and spaces should be provided for signatures from the original faculty member, the substitute faculty member, the Department Chair, and the Associate Dean. After obtaining signatures from the original and substitute faculty members, the student submits the request to the Graduate Records Assistant. The Assistant will check it for accuracy and completeness and then submit it to the Chair and Associate Dean for approval.

In the case when the chair of a committee leaves the University, but is willing to complete service on the committee, the committee must be reorganized. The official chair of the committee must be a current faculty member who is a Regular member of the graduate faculty. Normally one of the other committee members will be willing to take on this role, although another faculty member with graduate faculty status may be asked to serve. The former chair of the committee can then be designated as a member of the committee, and their graduate faculty status changed to Associate member. A memo describing these changes, with appropriate approval signatures as described above, must be submitted.

IV.B.3. The Thesis Proposal

Proposal Preparation - The student must prepare a formal proposal of the thesis research. This proposal is prepared in consultation with the thesis committee chair before the thesis committee is convened for its proposal meeting. The student should check the Program Area Supplements for any special Program Area requirements for the proposal. See also Section IV.D for additional advice concerning the proposal.

Proposal Meeting Arrangements - After the proposal is approved by the thesis committee chair, the student provides a paper copy of the document to each of the other committee members and schedules a meeting of the committee. Each member of the committee must receive the document and be informed by the student of the time and place of the meeting at least two calendar weeks before the date of this meeting. This meeting can be scheduled only after formal approval of the committee by the Department Chair.

The usual time allotted for a proposal meeting is two hours. The student is responsible for scheduling a room and making the necessary arrangements for audio-visual equipment needed for the proposal meeting. Departmental policy precludes students from providing food or beverages at the proposal meeting.

The Proposal Meeting - The student and all members of the committee must be present at the proposal meeting. A maximum of one committee member may participate via electronic means. The meeting must be adjourned if any member is absent. Proposal meetings are closed to those not on the committee.

The proposal meeting begins with a short meeting of the committee members without the student present. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure all committee members agree that the proposal is sufficiently developed for the proposal meeting to take place, and to discuss any concerns that may affect the course of the proposal meeting. The proposal meeting may be postponed or cancelled at this point by agreement of the majority of the committee.

The proposal meeting then consists of a brief presentation by the student followed by discussion of the proposal by the committee and the student. The student should assume that the committee members have read the written proposal document, and therefore the presentation should be no more than 10 minutes long, and devoted primarily to method. The rest of the meeting should be devoted to discussion and questions. The proposal meeting must include discussion and committee approval of the planned data collection procedures, including who will actually collect the data and when the data will be collected. The student is again asked to leave the room at the end of the meeting, at which point the committee members decide the outcome of the proposal meeting.

Proposal Approval - The outcome of the proposal meeting can be approval, disapproval, or approval with changes. If the proposal is approved, a copy of the proposal must be dated and signed by all committee members and given to the student to be placed in his or her file in the Student Records Office. If the proposal is not approved, the student may revise the proposal and hold another proposal meeting. If the proposal is approved with changes, the date and the words “approved with changes” should be written on the proposal, and committee members may either sign the proposal or withhold their signature until they review a written list of the changes. The student must make a list of the changes and submit the list by e-mail to the thesis committee chair and to all committee members within one week of the proposal meeting. The chair is responsible for ensuring that the list is complete (consulting with other committee members as appropriate). The chair then signs the list and returns it to the student. The student then obtains any missing signatures on the proposal and places the signed proposal and signed list in his or her file. The proposal is considered approved when both the signed proposal and the signed list of changes are placed in the student’s file.

Students are cautioned that any data collected for inclusion in the thesis before formal approval of the proposal may be disallowed by the committee. Committees may request that students collect pilot data before proceeding with the proposed study. The committee may ask to review the pilot data before approving the proposal (with or without changes).

External Approval of Thesis Research - Any research conducted by WVU faculty, staff, and students must be approved by the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) or the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) prior to the beginning of data collection. See Section IV.D.3 for further information. Note that Departmental approval is also needed if participants are to be recruited from psychology classes (see Policy on Research Studies Using Undergraduate Subjects for further information). Students are responsible for ensuring that their thesis research has been approved by the IRB or ACUC even if they do not write the IRB/ACUC proposal. Students must submit for placement in their files along with their thesis proposal a signed statement containing the following passage: “I attest that I have read the IRB or ACUC protocol that covers my research project, that the protocol has been approved by the IRB or ACUC, and that my research will be or has been conducted in strict adherence to that protocol. The cover page indicating IRB or ACUC approval of the protocol is attached.”

IV.B.4. Final Examination

The final examination for the Master's degree is an oral defense of the thesis. At least three weeks prior to the final examination date, the student should obtain a Shuttle Sheet Request Form and have it signed by the thesis committee chair and each other member of the committee. The form then should be submitted to the Graduate Records Assistant, who will check it for accuracy and completeness, submit it to the Department Chair for approval, and then forward it to the College Graduate Office. (See Submission Deadlines at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/theses/submit-deadline.htm and posted outside the Student Records Office each semester for the absolute last date a Shuttle Sheet can be requested each semester.) The Shuttle Sheet Request will only be processed by the Graduate Records Assistant if the student has submitted the statement of IRB/ACUC approval described in section IV.B.3. The Shuttle Sheet Request sets up the final examination and signifies that the student’s committee members agree to be present on the scheduled date. When the College Graduate Office receives the request, they will review the student’s records, note any incomplete grades, and send a completed Shuttle Sheet to the Graduate Records Assistant. A cover page on the Shuttle Sheet will inform the student of any academic or administrative deficiencies (incompletes, failure to apply for graduation or to register for classes, etc.).

The Completed Thesis Document - Before the thesis committee can meet for the final examination, the student must prepare a draft of the written thesis. The student should check the Program Area Supplements for any special Program Area requirements and should refer to The West Virginia University Guide to the Preparation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations; available at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/theses/index.htm). After the thesis draft is approved by the thesis committee chair, the student delivers a paper copy of the document to committee members and schedules a meeting of the committee. Each member of the committee must receive the document at least two calendar weeks before the date of this final examination meeting.

Final Examination Meeting Arrangements - The usual time allotted for a final examination is two hours. The student is responsible for scheduling a room and making the necessary arrangements for any audio-visual equipment needed. Departmental policy precludes students from providing food or beverages at the examination.

Final Examination Meeting - The student and all members of the student's committee must be present at the examination (see Section IV.B.2 concerning substitution of committee members.) A maximum of one committee member may participate via electronic means. The meeting must be adjourned if any member is absent. If the defense of the thesis is approved by the committee, each member must sign the ETD Submission Signature Form (download from http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/theses/submit-forms.htm) and the Shuttle Sheet. If corrections or changes are required, thesis committee members have the right to see the fully revised document before signing the ETD Submission Signature Form. The chair of the committee should not sign the ETD Submission Signature Form until all corrections and changes to the thesis have been made.

If the committee decides that the student has failed the defense of the thesis, the committee may decide whether or not to schedule a reexamination (which must be approved by the College Dean). If the committee decides not to allow a reexamination, the committee is disbanded and the student’s future in their program (which could include termination or beginning a new thesis with a new committee) will be determined by their Program Area Training Committee.

The Shuttle Sheet must be sent back to the College Graduate Office within 48 hours of the end of the meeting.

The final examination meeting begins with a short meeting of the committee members without the student or any outside guests present. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure all committee members agree that the thesis document is sufficiently developed for the final examination meeting to take place, and to discuss any concerns that may affect the course of the meeting. The meeting may be postponed or cancelled at this point by agreement of the majority of the committee.

The final meeting presentation should be on the order of a research presentation at a conference symposium, that is, no more than 20 minutes to cover rationale, methods, results, and discussion. As with the proposal meeting, the remaining time should be devoted to discussion and questions. Final meetings are open to all members of the University community (i.e., faculty, staff, and students). Upon completion of the discussion and questioning, everyone except the committee members must leave the room so the committee can deliberate and make a decision about passing or failing the student on the oral defense of the thesis.

Copies of the Thesis - The final approved version of the thesis must be submitted electronically to the WVU Library. Information about this process is available at http://www.wvu.edu/~thesis/. This address also provides a link to the WVU Guide to the Preparation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. Students are not expected to provide a final paper copy of the thesis to the chair and other members of the committee, unless requested to do so.

The College Graduate Office in Room 103 Woodburn Hall has current information about submission deadlines, procedures, and fees.

IV.B.5. Scheduling of Committee Meetings

Because most faculty in the Department of Psychology are appointed on contracts that require service from August 16 to May 15 of the year, students have no claim on faculty members’ time from May 16 through August 15. Committee meetings may only be scheduled on days when the Department of Psychology is open for business (i.e., meetings may not take place on weekends or University holidays) from August 16 through May 15. No constraints are placed on the time of day for a meeting, but all committee members must agree to both the date and time of the meeting.

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IV.C. The Ph.D. Dissertation

1. Doctoral Candidacy

2. Selection of Committee Chair

3. The Dissertation Committee

4. The Dissertation Proposal

5. Final Examination

6. Scheduling of Committee Meetings

IV.C.1. Doctoral Candidacy

A student can form his or her dissertation committee only after being admitted to doctoral candidacy (see Section III.C.2).

IV.C.2. Selection of Committee Chair

Prior to selecting a dissertation committee chair, the student should hold informal discussions with relevant faculty members about a research idea. Ideally, the agreed-upon research project will be in an area of interest to both the student and the faculty member. However, the student is expected to take leadership in both suggesting the research problem and designing the experiment under the guidance of the chair. Only regular members of the Graduate Faculty may be dissertation committee chairs. Information concerning the Graduate Faculty status of faculty members is available from the Department Chair’s secretary. The chair of the dissertation committee is not necessarily the student’s adviser.

IV.C.3. The Dissertation Committee

The dissertation committee is composed of at least five faculty members, one of whom is the designated dissertation committee chair. Committee members should be selected by the student on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in the relevant research area. Students should consult the dissertation committee chair when selecting committee members. The majority of the committee members (including the chair) must be regular members of the Graduate Faculty. Information concerning the Graduate Faculty status of faculty members is available from the Department Chair’s secretary. At least one member must be from outside the Department of Psychology and at least one other member must be from outside the student's program area (in the case of Clinical and Clinical Child students at least one committee member must come from outside these two program areas). Questions about whether or not an individual qualifies as being outside the student’s specialization area should be directed to the Department Chair.

Faculty who agree to serve on a dissertation committee, including the chair, must sign a Doctoral Dissertation Committee Request that is then submitted for approval by the Department Chair. The form must be submitted to the Graduate Records Assistant. The Assistant will check the form for accuracy and completeness, obtain the Chair’s signature, and submit the form to the College Graduate Office. This process must be completed before the proposal meeting. Approval of the dissertation committee depends on whether the requirements for doctoral committee composition (see Section IV.C.3 above) have been met.

Substituting Committee Members - Substitution is appropriate only if a faculty member resigns, is or will be on leave at the time the committee meetings are scheduled, or is unable to be present at the proposal meeting or final defense.

Requests for substitution require formal action. The student and his or her dissertation committee chair first must discuss potential substitutions and then seek written approval of the change in committee membership. As stated in the WVU Graduate Catalog, “The request for a substitute should be signed by the committee chair, the student, and both the original faculty member and the substitute faculty member. A substitute faculty member must have the same or higher graduate faculty status as the original faculty member and represent the same academic discipline or specialization.” No substitution for the chair is allowed (except when the chair leaves the University; see below), and only one substitution of a committee member is allowed. If any changes in committee membership beyond the substitution of one committee member are necessary, a new committee must be formed. The new committee must meet to approve the (original or revised) thesis proposal.

A request for substitution of a dissertation committee member should take the form of a memo addressed to the Department Chair and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. The request should indicate the reason for the change and indicate the graduate faculty status of the substitute faculty member. The request should be signed by the student, and spaces should be provided for signatures from the original faculty member, the substitute faculty member, the Department Chair, and the Associate Dean. After obtaining signatures from the original and substitute faculty members, the student submits the request to the Graduate Records Assistant. The Assistant will check it for accuracy and completeness and then submit it to the Chair and Associate Dean for approval.

In the case when the chair of a committee leaves the University, but is willing to complete service on the committee, the committee must be reorganized. The official chair of the committee must be a current faculty member who is a regular member of the graduate faculty member. Normally one of the other committee members will be willing to take on this role, although another faculty member with graduate faculty status may be asked to serve. The former chair of the committee can then be designated as a member of the committee, and their graduate faculty status changed to associate member. A memo describing these changes, with appropriate approval signatures as described above, must be submitted.

IV.C.4. The Dissertation Proposal

Proposal Preparation - The student must prepare a formal proposal of the dissertation research. This proposal is prepared in consultation with the dissertation committee chair before the dissertation committee is convened for its proposal meeting. The student should check the Program Area Supplements for any special Program Area requirements for the proposal. See also Section IV.D. for additional advice concerning the proposal.

Proposal Meeting Arrangements - After the proposal is approved by the dissertation committee chair, the student provides a paper copy of the document to each of the other committee members and schedules a meeting of the committee. Each member of the committee must receive the document and be informed by the student of the time and place of the meeting at least two calendar weeks before the date of this meeting. This meeting can be scheduled only after formal approval of the committee by the Department Chair.

The usual time allotted for a proposal meeting is two hours. The student is responsible for scheduling a room and making the necessary arrangements for audio-visual equipment needed for the proposal meeting. Departmental policy precludes students from providing food or beverages at the proposal meeting.

The Proposal Meeting - The student and all members of the committee must be present at the proposal meeting. A maximum of one committee member may participate via electronic means. The meeting must be adjourned if any member is absent. Proposal meetings are closed to those not on the committee.

The proposal meeting begins with a short meeting of the committee members without the student present. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure all committee members agree that the proposal is sufficiently developed for the proposal meeting to take place, and to discuss any concerns that may affect the course of the proposal meeting. The proposal meeting may be postponed or cancelled at this point by agreement of the majority of the committee.

The proposal meeting then consists of a brief presentation by the student followed by discussion of the proposal by the committee and the student. The student should assume that the committee members have read the written proposal document, and therefore the presentation should be no more than 10 minutes long, and devoted primarily to method. The rest of the meeting should be devoted to discussion and questions. The proposal meeting must include discussion and committee approval of the planned data collection procedures, including who will actually collect the data and when the data will be collected. The student is again asked to leave the room (along with any guests) at the end of the meeting, at which point the committee members decide the outcome of the proposal meeting.

Proposal Approval - The outcome of the proposal meeting can be approval, disapproval, or approval with changes. If the proposal is approved, a copy of the proposal must be dated and signed by all committee members and given to the student to be placed in his or her file in the Student Records Office. If the proposal is not approved, the student may revise the proposal and hold another proposal meeting. If the proposal is approved with changes, the date and the words “approved with changes” should be written on the proposal, and committee members may either sign the proposal or withhold their signature until they review a written list of the changes. The student must make a list of the changes and submit the list by e-mail to the dissertation committee chair and to all committee members within one week of the proposal meeting. The chair is responsible for ensuring that the list is complete (consulting with other committee members as appropriate). The chair then signs the list and returns it to the student. The student then obtains any missing signatures on the proposal and places the signed proposal and signed list in his or her file. The proposal is considered approved when both the signed proposal and the signed list of changes are placed in the student’s file.

Students are cautioned that any data collected for inclusion in the dissertation before formal approval of the proposal may be disallowed by the committee. Committees may request that the student collect pilot data before proceeding with the proposed study. The committee may ask to review the pilot data before approving the proposal (with or without changes).

External Approval of Dissertation Research - Any research conducted by WVU faculty, staff, and students must be approved by the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) or the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) prior to the beginning of data collection. See Section IV.D.3 for further information. Note that Departmental approval is also needed if participants are to be recruited from psychology classes (see Policy on Research Studies Using Undergraduate Subjects for further information). Students are responsible for ensuring that their dissertation research has been approved by the IRB or ACUC even if they do not write the IRB/ACUC proposal. Students must submit for placement in their files along with their dissertation proposal a signed statement containing the following passage: “I attest that I have read the IRB or ACUC protocol that covers my research project, that the protocol has been approved by the IRB or ACUC, and that my research will be or has been conducted in strict adherence to that protocol. The cover sheet indicating IRB or ACUC approval of the protocol is attached.”

IV.C.5. Final Examination

The final examination for the doctoral degree is an oral defense of the dissertation. At least three weeks prior to the final examination date, the student should obtain a Shuttle Sheet Request Form and have it signed by the dissertation committee chair and each other member of the committee. The form then should be submitted to the Graduate Records Assistant, who will check it for accuracy and completeness, submit it to the Department Chair for approval, and then forward it to the College Graduate Office. (See Submission Deadlines at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/theses/submit-deadline.htm and posted outside the Student Records Office each semester for the absolute last date a Shuttle Sheet can be requested each semester.) The Shuttle Sheet Request will only be processed by the Graduate Records Assistant if the student has submitted the statement of IRB/ACUC approval described in section IV.C.4. The Shuttle Sheet Request sets up the final examination and signifies that the student’s committee members agree to be present on the scheduled date. When the College Graduate Office receives the request, they will review the student’s records, note any incomplete grades, and send a completed Shuttle Sheet to the Graduate Records Assistant. A cover page on the Shuttle Sheet will inform the student of any academic or administrative deficiencies (incompletes, failure to apply for graduation or to register for classes, etc.).

The Completed Dissertation Document - Before the dissertation committee can meet for the final examination, the student must prepare a draft of the written dissertation. The student should check the Program Area Supplements for any special Program Area requirements and should refer to The West Virginia University Guide to the Preparation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations (electronic version available at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/theses/index.htm. After the dissertation draft is approved by the dissertation committee chair, the student delivers a paper copy of the document to committee members and schedules a meeting of the committee. Each member of the committee must receive the document at least two calendar weeks before the date of this final examination meeting.

Final Examination Meeting Arrangements - The usual time allotted for a final examination is two hours. The student is responsible for scheduling a room and making the necessary arrangements for any audio-visual equipment needed. Departmental policy precludes students from providing food or beverages at the examination.

Final Examination Meeting - The student and all members of the student's committee must be present at the examination (see Section IV.C.3 concerning substitution of committee members.) A maximum of one committee member may participate via electronic means. The meeting must be adjourned if any member is absent. If the defense of the dissertation is approved by the committee, each member must sign the ETD Submission Signature Form (download from http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/theses/submit-forms.htm) and the Shuttle Sheet. If corrections or changes are required, dissertation committee members have the right to see the fully revised document before signing the ETD Submission Signature Form. The chair of the committee should not sign the ETD Submission Signature Form until all corrections and changes to the dissertation have been made.

If the committee decides that the student has failed the defense of the dissertation, the committee may decide whether or not to schedule a reexamination (which must be approved by the College Dean). If the committee decides not to allow a reexamination, the committee is disbanded and the student’s future in their program (which could include termination or beginning a new dissertation with a new committee) will be determined by their Program Area Training Committee.

The Shuttle Sheet must be sent back to the College Graduate Office within 48 hours of the end of the meeting.

The final examination meeting begins with a short meeting of the committee members without the student or any outside guests present. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure all committee members agree that the dissertation document is sufficiently developed for the final examination meeting to take place, and to discuss any concerns that may affect the course of the meeting. The meeting may be postponed or cancelled at this point by agreement of the majority of the committee.

The final meeting presentation should be on the order of a research presentation at a conference symposium, that is, no more than 20 minutes to cover rationale, methods, results, and discussion. As with the proposal meeting, the remaining time should be devoted to discussion and questions. Final meetings are open to all members of the University community (i.e., faculty, staff, and students). Upon completion of the discussion and questioning, everyone except the committee members must leave the room so the committee can deliberate and make a decision about passing or failing the student on the oral defense of the dissertation.

Copies of the Dissertation - The final approved version of the dissertation must be submitted electronically to the WVU Library. Information about this process is available at http://www.wvu.edu/~thesis/. This address also provides a link to the WVU Guide to the Preparation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. Students are not expected to provide a final paper copy of the dissertation to the chair and other members of the committee unless requested to do so.

The College Graduate Office in Room 103 Woodburn Hall has current information about submission deadlines, procedures, and fees.

IV.C.6. Scheduling of Committee Meetings

Because most faculty in the Department of Psychology are appointed on contracts that require service from August 16 to May 15 of the year, students have no claim on faculty members’ time from May 16 through August 15. Committee meetings may only be scheduled on days when the Department of Psychology is open for business (i.e., meetings may not take place on weekends or University holidays) from August 16 through May 15. No constraints are placed on the time of day for a meeting, but all committee members must agree to both the date and time of the meeting.

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IV.D. General Information and Guidelines on Completing Thesis and Dissertation Research

1. Departmental and Other Support of Thesis and Dissertation Research Costs

2. Student Responsibilities

3. Institutional Review Board and Animal Care and Use Committee Approval

4. Guidelines for Thesis and Dissertation Proposals (see also Program Supplements)

5. Resources

6. Timely Completion of Theses and Dissertations

7. Formatting Theses and Dissertations

IV.D.1. Departmental and Other Support of Thesis and Dissertation Research Costs

Funds to cover certain expenses associated with the conduct of thesis and dissertation research may be available through both the Department of Psychology and the University. The sources for such funds are described in Section VI.E.

IV.D.2. Student Responsibilities

The student writes the proposal and final document for the thesis and dissertation. Any assistance with data collection and analysis from individuals other than Department faculty members or committee members must be specified at the proposal meeting and approved by the committee. Deviations from the proposed methods and analysis must be approved by the committee.

IV.D.3. Institutional Review Board and Animal Care and Use Committee Approval

The Institutional Review Board and the Animal Care and Use Committee are extra-Departmental committees, the purpose of which is to ensure the safety and protection of, respectively, human and animal participants in research projects. Students should familiarize themselves with the IRB or ACUC guidelines for research with humans or animals, as is appropriate to their research. Before any research (including collection of pilot data) with humans or animals is initiated, the research must have official written approval from the IRB or ACUC. Ordinarily this approval involves submitting a protocol describing the research; however, students should consult with their research supervisor before seeking IRB or ACUC approval to ensure that the supervisor does not already have approval from the appropriate committee to conduct the research project. In cases where students conduct research under a previously approved IRB or ACUC protocol, the student is responsible for obtaining, reading, and adhering to the procedures described in the approved protocol. Students are advised that approval of research by either the IRB or the ACUC entails review at several levels and protocols should be submitted well in advance of the anticipated starting date of a research project.

The IRB and ACUC guidelines include procedures for submitting a protocol. A copy of the Guidelines, together with relevant forms, may be obtained from university IRB and ACUC offices at the Office of Sponsored Programs and are available electronically at http://www.wvu.edu/~rc/irb/guidform.htm and http://www.wvu.edu/~rc/acuc/index.htm.

Research that involves recruiting participants from psychology classes must also be approved by the Department. See Policy on Research Studies Using Undergraduate Subjects for guidelines.

IV.D.4. Guidelines for Thesis and Dissertations Proposals (see also Program Supplements)

Topic and Method - Acceptable topics and methods for theses are determined by the thesis committee. Dissertations are expected to be an original contribution to knowledge.

Scope and Length - Note that the guidelines in this paragraph may be superseded by information in the individual Program Area supplements. The proposal should describe the research problem only in sufficient depth and breadth that the rationale for the study is clear to the committee members. The methods should be presented in sufficient detail that the procedures of the research could be replicated on the basis of the proposal alone. In most cases, the proposal document will be no more than 25 pages of text, excluding cover page, references, and supporting materials. The student should check with his or her chair and committee to determine if they prefer a brief introduction in the proposal that will be expanded for the final document, or if they prefer a complete introduction in the proposal that will require minimal modifications for the final document. The proposal, along with the list of changes requested by the committee at the proposal meeting, is a formal agreement between the student and the committee as to what will constitute the thesis or dissertation project. However, students are also encouraged to pursue additional logical analyses or research questions that arise in the course of conducting the proposed research.

Recommended Sections:

Introduction - The introduction should include a relevant and concise literature review based on a thorough search of appropriate computerized databases and relevant books and journals. In most cases, the literature review should be restricted to the specific issues to be investigated and a more complete literature review should be provided in the final thesis or dissertation (check the Program Area supplement for further guidance on the form of the introduction). The student is responsible for knowing that the problem to be investigated has not been studied previously in the proposed way.

Statement of the Problem - The statement of the problem should summarize the issues to be investigated and should include explicitly and clearly stated questions, hypotheses, or predictions that are clearly derived from the literature review.

Method - The method section should be as complete as possible. Ideally, the method section in the final thesis or dissertation will be virtually identical to this section of the proposal, but with the past tense instead of the future tense. It may be modified if changes in the method were approved by the committee. This section must be detailed and include information about the design, selection of research participants, tests, manipulations, instructions, and so forth. Also, attention should be given to issues such as the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the independent and dependent variables.

The proposed method must be sufficient to answer the research questions. Doing so may require only citation of previous research in which the procedures were used, or it may require pilot work.

Data Analysis - The section on data analysis should indicate how conclusions will be drawn from the data, that is, how the data will be used to address the research questions or hypotheses. This section should include information on how the dependent variables are measured, and if the measurements are to be reduced in some way to obtain descriptive statistics, the methods of reduction and the rationales for using them need to be specified. This section should also indicate what inferential statistics or other analysis strategies will be used.

References - The reference section must be complete and use accurate APA style.

Appendices - Copies of instruments and forms to be used in the research should be provided in appendices. Copyrighted materials must not be photocopied, but rather should be described and properly referenced in earlier sections. Original copies of copyrighted instruments may be provided with the proposal or loaned to committee members for reference during the proposal or final examination meeting. Unless appropriate approvals are granted by copyright holders, copyrighted materials should not be included in the appendices of the final document to be submitted to the ETD website.

IV.D.5. Resources

The APA Publication Manual contains a section on theses and dissertations in Chapter 6. This information, in combination with the WVU Guide to the Preparation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations ( http://www.wvu.edu/~thesis/) and the rest of the APA Publication Manual, provides guidelines for formatting the thesis or dissertation. In general, the thesis or dissertation is formatted in “final” publication format rather than as a “copy” manuscript, with the exception that the body of the text is double spaced. A copy of the APA Publication Manual is available in the Student Records Office for student use.

Dissertations and theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields by John D. Cone and Sharon L. Foster (former Department of Psychology faculty members) (2nd edition, 2006; American Psychological Association) may be purchased from APA. This book provides advice on all portions of the thesis and dissertation process, from selecting a topic to publishing the results.

Various books on scientific writing are available in the Student Records Office. The University Writing Center in 240 Stansbury Hall (293-3107, extension 410) can provide assistance with writing. The Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services on the third floor of the Student Services Building (293-4431) can provide assistance for students with writer’s block or other anxieties related to completing the thesis or dissertation.

Information on electronic theses and dissertations is available at http://www.wvu.edu/~thesis/. The Office of Academic Computing (293-2900) also offers regular training sessions to assist students with electronic theses and dissertations and provides telephone consultations for students with questions about the process (293-2900 or 293-3106).

Sample theses and dissertations completed by students in psychology can be consulted on the World Wide Web (http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/etds/index.htm#Assistance).

IV.D.6. Timely Completion of Theses and Dissertations

Students are expected to complete their theses and dissertations in a timely manner (see Section V.C concerning milestone completion), but students sometimes encounter impediments to this process. The purpose of this section is to provide guidance and advice to students to help them complete their theses and dissertations in an appropriate amount of time. Some of the information in this section is derived from a survey of Department of Psychology graduate students about their Master’s theses.

Target Dates - Section V.C specifies probation and funding termination dates for thesis and dissertation proposal completion and thesis completion. However, target dates for the thesis proposal and thesis completion should be considered to be one semester earlier than the probation dates. Thus, students who are required to complete a Master’s thesis should plan to have their thesis proposal approved by the end of the Spring semester in their first year and to complete their thesis by the end of the Spring semester in their second year. The target date for dissertation proposal completion varies according to program and whether or not a student is required to complete a thesis (see Program Area Supplements).

Sample Time Line for Thesis or Dissertation Completion - The following sample time line illustrates how a thesis or dissertation can be completed according to the target dates. Variations from this time line may occur with different types of studies (large vs. small literature to review, more or less difficult and time-consuming data collection, complex vs. straightforward analyses, etc).

Suggestions on Completing Theses and Dissertations in a Timely Manner

Get started early. Begin discussing (and reading about) ideas for the thesis with potential committee chairs soon after beginning the program. Begin thinking about (and reading about) ideas for the dissertation while completing the thesis. Allow extra time for obtaining some needed articles and books through interlibrary loan.

Select a reasonable project. Read only the directly relevant literature initially; the rest can be read later. Pick a subject population that will be reasonably easy to obtain. Do not plan a study that requires a huge sample size (unless you are certain you can obtain the subjects). If necessary, conduct pilot work to determine the feasibility of obtaining subjects and of the experimental procedure. Make a reasonable estimate of the amount of time data collection will require by getting advice from others who have conducted similar studies.

Meet regularly with the committee chair. Commit to completing a specific task before each meeting.

Assume that there will be many revisions of both the proposal and the final document. Discuss with your chair whether he or she prefers submission of the document in sections or as a whole. If submitted in sections, work on other sections while waiting for feedback. Develop intermediate target dates and a plan for getting feedback on drafts.

Overlap tasks. Enter and code data and assess the analysis plan while collecting data. Run analyses on partial data to debug your analyses. Expand the introduction and rewrite the method section while collecting data.

Devote consistent amounts of time to the project.

Break the project into small, manageable tasks. Do not try to write the entire document or do all of the analyses at once.

IV.D.7. Formatting Theses and Dissertations

Follow the APA Publication Manual (5th edition, 2001) on all matters of style not covered in this section. In particular, see Chapter 6 (especially pp. 321-326).

Follow the format requirements for theses and dissertations described in the WVU Guide to the Preparation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations available at http://www.wvu.edu/~thesis/. Stylistic suggestions given in this guide should be followed unless they are in conflict with either the APA Publication Manual or with instructions given in this Handbook (including the Program Area Supplements).

References may be single spaced with a double space separating each reference rather than completely double spaced. They should appear in a hanging-indentation format.

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