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• The University of Kansas
• Thursday, June 27

Dissertation Defense - Georgii Griaznov

Thursday, June 27, 2024 1pm to 3pm

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Georgii will be defending his dissertation as his culminating effort in the Chemistry PhD program.

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Donor's gift supports students' international research

Graduate student research

By | Katya Hrichak , Cornell University Graduate School

International fieldwork is essential for some doctoral students’ dissertation research, but for many, funding travel and expenses is a challenge. Recognizing the importance of extended, in-country research, Amit Bhatia ’01 created a fund to help close these gaps.

The Amit Bhatia ’01 Global Ph.D. Research Scholars program, administered through the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies , part of Global Cornell , supports six to seven graduate students annually as they conduct up to a year of international fieldwork to finish their dissertations. The opportunity is open to post-A exam doctoral candidates from all fields and disciplines for whom international fieldwork is critical to their dissertation research.

“When I learned about the challenges graduate students have in securing funding for international research projects, I wanted to help. I wanted to ensure that students eager to study remote or significant areas of our world did not have insurmountable hurdles,” said Bhatia.

“Establishing the Scholars Fund was a way for me to support students, support interesting new research projects around the world, and keep a strong international flavor on campus. I was also excited to make a difference for each of these students in their academic careers,” he said.

Anjana Ramkumar, an international development studies doctoral candidate, found the Bhatia Global Ph.D. Research Award to be essential to her degree progress.

“The generous support of the Bhatia Global Ph.D. Research Award was particularly valuable for me as an international student,” Ramkumar said. “Given that international students are not eligible to apply for several external grants to support their fieldwork, and that the ones that we are eligible for also tend to be highly competitive, the support offered by the Einaudi Center through this award is key in allowing students like me to carry out substantial international field research.”

Ramkumar’s grant supported nine months in Tamil Nadu, India studying traditional rice cultivation through qualitative research including interviews, observation, on-farm activities, and off-farm events.

“The Bhatia Global Ph.D. Research Award was integral in allowing me to do fieldwork for this extended duration of time,” she said.

Itamar Haritan, a doctoral candidate in anthropology who conducted research in Israel and Poland on members of the Lubliner Jewish Organization and Family Constellation practitioners, agreed.

“This award made it possible for me to conduct a full year of fieldwork without obsessing over a food and housing budget. It made it possible for me to travel the length and breadth of the country to gather stories and conduct ethnographic observations without needing to draw on my savings,” he said.

Shirley Le Penne, a doctoral candidate in government who traveled to Paris and Marseille, France, used her award for international and local travel, living expenses and accommodation, purchasing research items and books, and participating in conferences and other activities essential to her work.

“Benefitting from the Bhatia Global Ph.D. Award was crucial to the feasibility of my research,” she said. “Thanks to the award, I did not have to worry about the costs related to traveling to different locations, as well as being able to purchase a dozen expensive and important books on French law and the French criminal justice system.”

Read the full story on the Cornell University Graduate School website . 

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Empathize With Insects? University of Arizona DEI Urges Students to Treat Bugs Like ‘Marginalized’ Groups

The University of Arizona requires students to take "Diversity & Equity" attribute classes, bringing a strange project to some science courses. (Photo: Epics/Getty Images)

In perhaps one of the strangest applications of diversity, equity, and inclusion in curriculums I’ve ever seen, the University of Arizona now incorporates a class in which students are told to “live like a bug” in order to understand “marginalized” groups.

According to a new report from Timothy Minella at the Goldwater Institute, a Phoenix-based think tank, students who enroll in an entomology course at the University of Arizona are directed to “reflect in personal writing assignments on the assumptions that inform popular attitudes towards insects, identifying ways that attitudes of othering interfere with self-identity and foster systems of privilege or oppression/marginalization.”

I’ve heard some wacky and nonsensical analogies and metaphors during the countless equity trainings we were forced to slog through in the Indianapolis Public Schools , but I never had the opportunity to imagine being a bug so I could understand how my “privilege” affected a nonbinary unicorn. 

Can you imagine spending $140,000 for your kid to sit through that lecture?

Mind you, I’ve only taught units on insects to middle- and high-school students, though I have taken a graduate course on entomology. I searched through old course documents and didn’t find a single place where students would academically benefit by making tissue-paper wings and pretending to be blind, for example, as a way to spend some time with one of one’s “senses disabled.”

How that cures racism or some other bad word with “-ism” or “-phobia” at the end, I’m not sure, but I only have two education master’s degrees. Apparently, you have to have a Ph.D. in education to come up with things that stupid.

Other course syllabi at the University of Arizona aren’t as overtly cartoonish, but are just as nonsensical.

Minella’s report includes courses with extra credit for participating in “ally training” provided by the campus LGBTQ+ center, curriculum that promotes the debunked claim that U.S. institutions are “deeply embedded” with racism, the dubious assertion that not every American citizen has equal access to the “American dream,” and social guidance for students accused of saying “problematic” things. 

If someone accuses a student of saying something deemed problematic, the course syllabus for one anthropology course encourages students to “resist the temptation to become defensive. Instead, apologize, self-reflect, learn, and do better next time.”

Of course, nothing is said about verifying whether any statement is objectively problematic, but strict objectivity apparently isn’t something lauded at the University of Arizona. Professors openly present and praise one political perspective and set of policy prescriptions, while decrying all others, such as calling for black author-activist Ta-Nehisi Coates’ racial reparations and assigning students to “share your favorite quote from the article.”

As of 2022 , the University of Arizona changed the core curriculum required for all students to include 32 credit hours, 21 of which must come from classes described as “Exploring Perspectives” and “Building Connections.”

You’ve likely already guessed which attributes the University of Arizona requires in order to be considered a class that fits under one of those, but in case you haven’t, “Diversity & Equity” is at the top of the list. By 2026 , all students will be required to take at least two of these diversity and equity courses in order to graduate at all.

“When you require classes to view everything through this ‘diversity and equity’ lens like [University of Arizona] has,” Minella told The Daily Signal, “everything is going to be warped—even the science courses, as we see here.”

None of the programs at the University of Arizona include required courses on American history, government, citizenship, or the U.S. Constitution. That defies a 2019 requirement by the Arizona Board of Regents, the governing body for Arizona’s three public universities.

According to a 2021 policy revision , the Arizona Board of Regents mandates that all public universities require students to complete courses that include:

(I) how the history of the United States continues to shape the present; (II) the basic principles of American constitutional democracy and how they are applied under a republican form of government; (III) the United States Constitution and major American constitutional debates and developments; (IV) the essential founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of American Institutions of self-governance; (V) landmark Supreme Court cases that have shaped law and society; (VI) the civic actions necessary for effective citizenship and civic participation in a self-governing society—for example civil dialog and civil disagreement; and (VII) basic economic knowledge to critically assess public policy options and to inform professional and personal decisions. The University of Arizona did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment on its “Diversity & Equity” courses or confirmation that their programs lacked the requirements by the Arizona Board of Regents.

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Watch CBS News

105-year-old dons cap and gown, receives overdue degree from Stanford University

Updated on: June 17, 2024 / 2:26 PM PDT / CBS San Francisco

STANFORD -- At age 105, Virginia Hislop has lived a full life with two children, four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She has devoted much of her life to education and has served on school and college boards in central Washington, where she lives.

Despite her success, she says something was missing.

"From time to time, I wished I had finished and gotten my master's (degree)," Hislop said. "Part of it was the fact that I've been a college director for a good number of years and I didn't have the advanced degree that some of the other ones did."

Hislop had taken the required classes at Stanford University but had not yet submitted a master's thesis when the U.S. entered World War II in 1941.

"The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor," Hislop explained.

She quickly married her college sweetheart before his Army deployment. She assisted in the war effort then focused on her family but never finished her thesis.

"Fast-forward 83 years -- we don't have a thesis requirement anymore so she's actually satisfied the requirements for Master of Arts in the Graduate School of Education," said Daniel Schwartz, dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Education. "So, 83 years later, we're honoring this woman who has done so much."

Sunday afternoon at the education department's commencement ceremony, fellow graduates and Hislop's family, many of whom live in the Bay Area, gave her a standing ovation as she walked onto the stage with a little support from her cane.

"So much gratitude. She's believed in all of us and cheered us on all the way through and we get to cheer her on now. It's pretty cool," said Elizabeth Jensen, Hislop's granddaughter. "I feel like this is the crowning glory of her amazing career. This is her lifetime achievement award."

Hislop received her master's academic hoop and her diploma.

"Very satisfied, very pleased," Hislop beamed.

She was quick to remind people it's never too late to get a college degree. And this one added one more highlight to her many accomplishments.

When asked what she'd do with the diploma, she smiled.

"Add it to the others I have in the basement," she said.

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Da Lin is an award-winning journalist at KPIX 5 News. He joined KPIX 5 in 2012, but has been reporting the news in the Bay Area since 2007. Da grew up in Oakland, and before his return to the Bay Area, he spent five years covering the news at three other television stations in Texas, Southern and Central California. He also spent five years reporting at KRON 4.

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Manhattan DA drops charges against most of the Columbia University protesters

Nearly all of the people who were arrested inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall last month had their cases dropped Thursday.

Of the 46 people charged with trespassing in connection with the building’s occupation, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office dismissed cases against 31 people largely due to a lack of evidence. Prosecutors told 14 others that their cases would be dropped if they avoid being arrested in the next six months, but those defendants rejected that offer and will be due back in court on July 25.

The remaining defendant, James Carlson , has two other open cases against him involving separate charges, including flag burning . Carlson has no affiliation with the school.

Protesters had seized the building on the Manhattan campus of Columbia University on April 30 as demonstrations against the war in Gaza erupted on some U.S. college campuses and as tensions at Columbia intensified over mass suspensions.

Dozens were arrested the next day when police with riot helmets cleared the damaged and barricaded building.

Those arrested included at least 14 Columbia undergraduates, nine graduate students, two employees and six students from affiliated schools, a Columbia spokesperson previously said. At least 13 of them had no affiliation with Columbia, the school said.

The 31 people whose cases were dismissed were students or staff at Columbia, Barnard or Union Theological Seminary.

Of the defendants who would have later had their cases dismissed, pending no further arrests, 12 were not staff members or students at Columbia and two were students, the district attorney’s office said.

At a news conference after the hearing, some of them, flanked by supporters, said they rejected the prosecutors’ conditional dismissal to show solidarity with those facing the most extreme repression across the pro-Palestinian movement.

During the court appearances Thursday afternoon, a prosecutor said the defendants do not have criminal histories and that they will face internal disciplinary proceedings at Columbia.

A Columbia University official said the disciplinary process is ongoing but declined to comment further.

The prosecutor said it would have been “extremely difficult” to prove the dismissed cases because the district attorney’s office lacks evidence, including surveillance footage from cameras that were covered up. The fact that some of the defendants wore masks also made it difficult to identify their specific actions.

An attorney for the defendants asked the court to immediately dismiss the charges against all of the accused, saying there are no allegations that the defendants hurt people or damaged property.

In the downtown courtroom, some of the defendants wore face masks and some wore kaffiyehs, which are distinctly patterned Palestinian scarves. At least two wore sunglasses.

As the hearings began, police confiscated what appeared to be a protest sign found under one of the seats.

When a prosecutor told the court that Carlson was accused of burning an Israeli flag, some of the defendants seated in the room could be heard snickering. A police officer instructed them to be quiet.

Hamilton Hall was famously occupied by people protesting the Vietnam War in 1968.

Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.

Daniel Arkin is a national reporter at NBC News.

Melissa Chan is a reporter for NBC News Digital with a focus on veterans’ issues, mental health in the military and gun violence.

Texas A&M University System Selects Architect, Construction Manager For Clinical Veterinary Teaching And Research Complex

The Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has reached an important milestone in its plan to build a new Clinical Veterinary Teaching and Research Complex (CVTRC), partnering with Page, a full-service architecture, engineering and design firm, and Texas-owned Vaughn Construction to design and build its new facility.  

“We are delighted to be initiating the design phase for our long-awaited new Clinical Veterinary Teaching and Research Complex,” said Dr. John R. August , the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “We look forward to working with Page, Vaughn Construction, and the outstanding faculty and staff in our current Small Animal Teaching Hospital (SATH) to create a new small animal hospital that will meet not only our needs and the needs for clinical instruction and advanced training but also the needs of the patients and clients who depend on the SATH for state-of-the-art care for their beloved companion animals.”

“Our students, faculty and staff are extremely passionate about what they do, but the building they work in is over 40 years old,” said Dr. Stacy Eckman , the associate dean for hospital operations and chief executive officer of the school’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). “It’s much older than the hospital facilities at our peer institutions, and it no longer reflects the VMBS’ nationally ranked curriculum and exceptional patient care.”

Page brings more than 125 years of experience designing complex projects that make significant impact on the communities it serves. As a nationally recognized leader in academic medicine design, Page has worked with more than 400 institutions and has supported more than 18 million square feet of space in the Texas Medical Center, including the Paula and Joseph C. (Rusty) Walter III Tower and Centennial Tower at Houston Methodist; the Texas A&M University School of Engineering Medicine; the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medicine; and the Surgical Hospital at The University of North Carolina.

For this project, Page will collaborate with Foil Wyatt Architects, one of the country’s preeminent veterinary medicine design firms, to ensure that the new state-of-the-art facility meets the needs of patients, clinical faculty and staff, and students at the hospital.

“Page is proud to partner with Texas A&M University and the VBMS team on the new Clinical Veterinary Teaching and Research Complex. We hold Texas A&M’s veterinary program in the highest regard and understand the lasting impact this facility will have on the university, its students, and the community it serves, both animals and humans alike,” said Laura Vargas, principal, science and technology director for Page. “The leading-edge care provided by these professionals is unparalleled, and we are honored by the trust placed in us to deliver an exceptional design that will support veterinary medicine for decades to come.”

Vaughn Construction is a Texas-based commercial general contractor and construction manager that specializes in building complex and time-sensitive construction projects of any size for health care, higher education and research. Its projects have included the Texas A&M Global Health Research Building, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, the Texas A&M Nursing Education and Research Building currently being constructed at the Higher Education Center at McAllen, the Zachry Engineering Education Complex, Texas Medical Center’s TMC3 Collaborative Building, and the Texas A&M Instructional Laboratory and Innovative Learning Building, among others.

“Vaughn Construction has a strong 25-year history of delivering complex projects for the Texas A&M University System with our shared goal of providing exceptional facilities for students, faculty and the community,” said Judd Blume, Vaughn Construction director. “As a company with many Aggie graduates, including myself, we are always excited about the opportunity to pursue another legacy project on the main campus. We are extremely honored to have the opportunity to build a new facility for one of the top veterinary medicine programs in the country, which will continue to elevate this standard. We are very thankful to be a part of this project team.”

The CVTRC is a project that has been a long time in the making but has generated new momentum under the leadership of August, who became VMBS dean in the summer of 2020. 

In 2022, the VMBS reached several key milestones allowing the school to proceed with plans for the new small animal hospital, including receiving funding from Texas A&M University and the Texas Legislature. In March 2023, the VMBS received a $20 million lead gift from Linda and Dennis Clark ’68, business owners with a dedicated love for animals and Texas A&M University. This extraordinary gift brings the total fundraising to over $30 million, significantly advancing toward the goal of $60 million to profoundly impact our faculty, clinicians, students and programs.

“We are extraordinarily appreciative of the financial generosity that has allowed us to move forward with this once-in-a-generation project,” August said. “The new small animal hospital facility will help us expand our ability to provide teaching, specialist training, research and patient care of the very highest quality, setting the standard nationwide for academic veterinary medicine.”

Once construction is complete, the CVTRC will be on the corner of Raymond Stotzer Parkway and Agronomy Road, near the current SATH building. For more information, or to learn how you can support the new CVTRC, visit nextgenvethospital.tamu.edu .

Media contact: Jennifer Gauntt, [email protected], 979-862-4216

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Record $5.5M for Hawaiʻi Promise scholarships at UH Community Colleges

• June 18, 2024

Higher education is now more accessible and affordable for all prospective and current University of Hawaiʻi Community College students.

UH and the State of Hawaiʻi have committed $5.5 million this year for the Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship , the most ever. Enrolled students who are Hawaiʻi residents are eligible for consideration.

The funds will help to cover direct education costs not met by other forms of financial aid, including tuition, fees and an allowance for books and supplies.

“The Hawaiʻi Promise scholarship has allowed me to work towards completing my degree at a part-time status so I can still work full-time without the burden of extra tuition and book costs,” said Kapiʻolani CC student Alena Fontaine.

UH Maui College student Christina Faye said, “After losing my home along with my hometown in the Lahaina wildfire, the Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship has helped me get back on my feet by supporting me financially and not having me worry too much about spending my whole paychecks on my tuition.”

To be considered for Hawaiʻi Promise, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) . For the upcoming fall semester, students should complete the FAFSA by July 1.

For free help in completing the FAFSA , email [email protected] or call the FAFSA Hotline at (808) 842-2540, and someone will respond within 24 hours.

“We are committed to making higher education accessible for all,” said Erika Lacro, vice president for the UH Community Colleges . “The Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship is our promise to Hawaiʻi residents that cost should not be a barrier to attend our seven amazing community college campuses. We hope this scholarship will open more doors to unlimited opportunities and empower individuals to achieve their academic and career goals.”

More on the Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship

The UH Community Colleges continue to be one of the most affordable higher education options in the nation. In 2023–24, the average tuition and fees for public two-year colleges was $3,990, according to the American Association of Community Colleges, compared to a $3,200 for a UH Community College.

Helping hundreds of Hawaiʻi students

In fiscal year 2023, $3.8 million in Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship funds were awarded to 1,774 eligible students across the seven UH Community Colleges. The average award per student was $2,142.

Since its inception in 2017, the Hawaiʻi Promise scholarship has served more than 8,600 UH students.

“Being an older student and starting the path to my dream endeavor, was ONLY made possible by the Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship,” said Desiree Fleming, a Kapiʻolani CC student. “Had I known I could have qualified or have this kind of financial support toward my dream, I most certainly would have entered college sooner. I can now say that I’m a college student even at my age. I am so very thankful and blessed to have received such a gift of support!”

“The Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship was incredibly helpful for me in continuing my college education and transferring from Kapiolani CC to UH Mānoa,” said Michael Amado, a former Kapiʻolani CC student. “The scholarship not only helped with living expenses but also allowed me not to have to work as many hours so I could devote more time to my studies. …the Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship is a shining light for students who want a better future for themselves and their families.”

For more information on eligibility and how to apply for the Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship, visit hawaii.edu/promise .

— By Lesli Yogi

Related Posts:

• Free tuition, books, fees for eligible UH Community…
• Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship provides free tuition,…
• Hawaiʻi Promise, financial lifeline for UH students,…
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UH Scientists Discover Massive Energy Imbalance on Saturn

By Bryan Luhn — 713-743-0954

• Science, Energy and Innovation

A groundbreaking discovery by researchers at the University of Houston has revealed a massive energy imbalance on Saturn, shedding new light on planetary science and evolution and challenging existing climate models for the solar system’s gas giants. The findings appear in the scientific publication Nature Communications . 

“This is the first time that a global energy imbalance on a seasonal scale has been observed on a gas giant,” said Liming Li, physics professor in the UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “Not only does this give us new insight into the formation and evolution of planets, but it also changes the way we should think about planetary and atmospheric science.”

Using data from the Cassini probe mission, Xinyue Wang, a third-year doctoral student in NSM’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, found a significant and previously unknown seasonal energy imbalance on Saturn.

“Every planet gets energy from the sun in the form of solar radiation and loses energy by emitting thermal radiation,” Wang said. “But Saturn, like the other gas giants, has another energy input in the form of deep internal heat affecting its thermal structure and climate.” 

The imbalance is due to Saturn’s large orbital eccentricity which varies by nearly 20% from aphelion (the point in orbit farthest from the sun) to perihelion (the point in orbit closest to the sun) resulting in huge seasonal variations in absorbed solar energy. Unlike Saturn, Earth does not experience a significant seasonal energy imbalance due to its very small orbital eccentricity.

“Earth does have a measurable energy budget, but it’s primarily determined by absorbed solar energy and emitted thermal energy,” said atmospheric sciences professor Xun Jiang. “Earth’s internal heat is negligible and its seasons last only a few months compared to seasons that are several years long on Saturn.”

The data also suggests that Saturn’s unbalanced energy budget plays a key role in the development of giant storms which are a dominant weather phenomenon in the planet’s atmospheric system. This data may also provide some insight into weather on Earth.

“To our knowledge, the role of energy budget in the development of moist, convective storms on Earth has not been fully examined, so we plan to investigate that as well to see if there’s a connection,” Wang said.

The Cassini mission, an ambitious, collaborative effort between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, launched in 1997 and explored Saturn and its rings and moons for nearly 20 years. Professor Li was chosen as a participating scientist to monitor three onboard instruments that observed Saturn’s radiant energy budget.

Wang, along with fellow graduate students Larry Guan (physics) and Thishan D.  Karandana G and Ronald Albright (earth and atmospheric sciences), conducted the study, advised by professors Li and Jiang.

“In current models and theories of the atmosphere, climate and evolution of the gas giants, the global energy budget is assumed to be balanced,” Wang said. “But we believe our discovery of this seasonal energy imbalance necessitates a reevaluation of those models and theories.”

Li’s team now has its sights set on the other gas giants, including Uranus, where a flagship probe mission is planned in the next decade.

“Our data suggests these planets will have significant energy imbalances as well, especially Uranus, which we predict will have the strongest imbalance due to its orbital eccentricity and very high obliquity,” Wang said. “What we’re investigating now will identify limitations in current observations and formulate testable hypotheses which will benefit that future flagship mission.”

In addition to the researchers at UH, the study’s authors include scientists from NASA, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Maryland, the University of Central Florida and the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as scientists from France and Spain.

Additional study authors: 

Robert West, Senior Research Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mark Hofstadter, Senior Planetary Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Daniel Wenkert, Senior Academic Researcher, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Matthew Kenyon, Senior Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Conor Nixon, Associate Laboratory Chief, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Amy Simon, Senior Planetary Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Patrick Fry, Researcher, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin

Anthony Mallama, Astronomer, University of Maryland

Joshua Colwell, Physics Department Chair, University of Central Florida

Xi Zhang, Planetary Sciences Professor, University of California, Santa Cruz

Tristan Guillot, Senior Planetary Scientist, Université Côte d’Azur (France)

Santiago Perez-Hoyos, Physics Professor, University of the Basque Country (Spain)

Agustin Sanchez-Lavega, Physics Professor, University of the Basque Country (Spain)

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UH Education Program Awarded $3 Million to Address STEM Teacher Shortage

teachHOUSTON, the University of Houston’s renowned STEM teacher preparation program, has received a $3 million award from the National Science Foundation to help address a STEM teacher shortage and retention crisis.

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University of Houston System Ranks Among Top 100 U.S. Universities for Utility Patents

The University of Houston System ranks among the top 100 universities across the nation for the number of utility patents issued in 2023 on a list published by the National Academy of Inventors.

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University of Houston Study Shows Electric Vehicles Can Have Positive Impact on Air Quality and Public Health in Some Cities, Not All

A University of Houston study assessing the impact of vehicle electrification on air quality and public health finds mixed results for Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. The researchers emphasize the need for strategies to be tailored to different regions for effective air quality management.

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• Academic skills

Dissertation examples

Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written. Refer to your module guidelines to make sure that you address all of the current assessment criteria. Some of the examples below are only available to access on campus.

• Undergraduate examples
• Taught Masters examples

How to write an undergraduate university dissertation

Writing a dissertation is a daunting task, but these tips will help you prepare for all the common challenges students face before deadline day.

Grace McCabe

Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging aspects of university. However, it is the chance for students to demonstrate what they have learned during their degree and to explore a topic in depth.

In this article, we look at 10 top tips for writing a successful dissertation and break down how to write each section of a dissertation in detail.

10 tips for writing an undergraduate dissertation

1. Select an engaging topic Choose a subject that aligns with your interests and allows you to showcase the skills and knowledge you have acquired through your degree.

2. Research your supervisor Undergraduate students will often be assigned a supervisor based on their research specialisms. Do some research on your supervisor and make sure that they align with your dissertation goals.

3. Understand the dissertation structure Familiarise yourself with the structure (introduction, review of existing research, methodology, findings, results and conclusion). This will vary based on your subject.

4. Write a schedule As soon as you have finalised your topic and looked over the deadline, create a rough plan of how much work you have to do and create mini-deadlines along the way to make sure don’t find yourself having to write your entire dissertation in the final few weeks.

5. Determine requirements Ensure that you know which format your dissertation should be presented in. Check the word count and the referencing style.

6. Organise references from the beginning Maintain an alphabetically arranged reference list or bibliography in the designated style as you do your reading. This will make it a lot easier to finalise your references at the end.

7. Create a detailed plan Once you have done your initial research and have an idea of the shape your dissertation will take, write a detailed essay plan outlining your research questions, SMART objectives and dissertation structure.

8. Keep a dissertation journal Track your progress, record your research and your reading, and document challenges. This will be helpful as you discuss your work with your supervisor and organise your notes.

9. Schedule regular check-ins with your supervisor Make sure you stay in touch with your supervisor throughout the process, scheduling regular meetings and keeping good notes so you can update them on your progress.

10. Employ effective proofreading techniques Ask friends and family to help you proofread your work or use different fonts to help make the text look different. This will help you check for missing sections, grammatical mistakes and typos.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is a long piece of academic writing or a research project that you have to write as part of your undergraduate university degree.

It’s usually a long essay in which you explore your chosen topic, present your ideas and show that you understand and can apply what you’ve learned during your studies. Informally, the terms “dissertation” and “thesis” are often used interchangeably.

How do I select a dissertation topic?

First, choose a topic that you find interesting. You will be working on your dissertation for several months, so finding a research topic that you are passionate about and that demonstrates your strength in your subject is best. You want your topic to show all the skills you have developed during your degree. It would be a bonus if you can link your work to your chosen career path, but it’s not necessary.

Second, begin by exploring relevant literature in your field, including academic journals, books and articles. This will help you identify gaps in existing knowledge and areas that may need further exploration. You may not be able to think of a truly original piece of research, but it’s always good to know what has already been written about your chosen topic.

Consider the practical aspects of your chosen topic, ensuring that it is possible within the time frame and available resources. Assess the availability of data, research materials and the overall practicality of conducting the research.

When picking a dissertation topic, you also want to try to choose something that adds new ideas or perspectives to what’s already known in your field. As you narrow your focus, remember that a more targeted approach usually leads to a dissertation that’s easier to manage and has a bigger impact. Be ready to change your plans based on feedback and new information you discover during your research.

How to work with your dissertation supervisor?

Your supervisor is there to provide guidance on your chosen topic, direct your research efforts, and offer assistance and suggestions when you have queries. It’s crucial to establish a comfortable and open line of communication with them throughout the process. Their knowledge can greatly benefit your work. Keep them informed about your progress, seek their advice, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

1. Keep them updated Regularly tell your supervisor how your work is going and if you’re having any problems. You can do this through emails, meetings or progress reports.

2. Plan meetings Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor. These can be in person or online. These are your time to discuss your progress and ask for help.

3. Share your writing Give your supervisor parts of your writing or an outline. This helps them see what you’re thinking so they can advise you on how to develop it.

5. Ask specific questions When you need help, ask specific questions instead of general ones. This makes it easier for your supervisor to help you.

6. Listen to feedback Be open to what your supervisor says. If they suggest changes, try to make them. It makes your dissertation better and shows you can work together.

7. Talk about problems If something is hard or you’re worried, talk to your supervisor about it. They can give you advice or tell you where to find help.

8. Take charge Be responsible for your work. Let your supervisor know if your plans change, and don’t wait if you need help urgently.

Remember, talking openly with your supervisor helps you both understand each other better, improves your dissertation and ensures that you get the support you need.

How to write a successful research piece at university How to choose a topic for your dissertation Tips for writing a convincing thesis

How do I plan my dissertation?

It’s important to start with a detailed plan that will serve as your road map throughout the entire process of writing your dissertation. As Jumana Labib, a master’s student at the University of Manchester  studying digital media, culture and society, suggests: “Pace yourself – definitely don’t leave the entire thing for the last few days or weeks.”

Decide what your research question or questions will be for your chosen topic.

Break that down into smaller SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) objectives.

Speak to your supervisor about any overlooked areas.

Create a breakdown of chapters using the structure listed below (for example, a methodology chapter).

Define objectives, key points and evidence for each chapter.

Define your research approach (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods).

Outline your research methods and analysis techniques.

Develop a timeline with regular moments for review and feedback.

Allocate time for revision, editing and breaks.

Consider any ethical considerations related to your research.

Stay organised and add to your references and bibliography throughout the process.

Remain flexible to possible reviews or changes as you go along.

A well thought-out plan not only makes the writing process more manageable but also increases the likelihood of producing a high-quality piece of research.

How to structure a dissertation?

The structure can depend on your field of study, but this is a rough outline for science and social science dissertations:

Introduce your topic.

Complete a source or literature review.

Describe your research methodology (including the methods for gathering and filtering information, analysis techniques, materials, tools or resources used, limitations of your method, and any considerations of reliability).

Summarise your findings.

Discuss the results and what they mean.

Conclude your point and explain how your work contributes to your field.

On the other hand, humanities and arts dissertations often take the form of an extended essay. This involves constructing an argument or exploring a particular theory or analysis through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Your essay will be structured through chapters arranged around themes or case studies.

All dissertations include a title page, an abstract and a reference list. Some may also need a table of contents at the beginning. Always check with your university department for its dissertation guidelines, and check with your supervisor as you begin to plan your structure to ensure that you have the right layout.

How long is an undergraduate dissertation?

The length of an undergraduate dissertation can vary depending on the specific guidelines provided by your university and your subject department. However, in many cases, undergraduate dissertations are typically about 8,000 to 12,000 words in length.

“Eat away at it; try to write for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it feels relatively unproductive to you in the moment,” Jumana advises.

How do I add references to my dissertation?

References are the section of your dissertation where you acknowledge the sources you have quoted or referred to in your writing. It’s a way of supporting your ideas, evidencing what research you have used and avoiding plagiarism (claiming someone else’s work as your own), and giving credit to the original authors.

Referencing typically includes in-text citations and a reference list or bibliography with full source details. Different referencing styles exist, such as Harvard, APA and MLA, each favoured in specific fields. Your university will tell you the preferred style.

Using tools and guides provided by universities can make the referencing process more manageable, but be sure they are approved by your university before using any.

How do I write a bibliography or list my references for my dissertation?

The requirement of a bibliography depends on the style of referencing you need to use. Styles such as OSCOLA or Chicago may not require a separate bibliography. In these styles, full source information is often incorporated into footnotes throughout the piece, doing away with the need for a separate bibliography section.

Typically, reference lists or bibliographies are organised alphabetically based on the author’s last name. They usually include essential details about each source, providing a quick overview for readers who want more information. Some styles ask that you include references that you didn’t use in your final piece as they were still a part of the overall research.

It is important to maintain this list as soon as you start your research. As you complete your research, you can add more sources to your bibliography to ensure that you have a comprehensive list throughout the dissertation process.

How to proofread an undergraduate dissertation?

Throughout your dissertation writing, attention to detail will be your greatest asset. The best way to avoid making mistakes is to continuously proofread and edit your work.

Proofreading is a great way to catch any missing sections, grammatical errors or typos. There are many tips to help you proofread:

Ask someone to read your piece and highlight any mistakes they find.

Change the font so you notice any mistakes.

Format your piece as you go, headings and sections will make it easier to spot any problems.

Separate editing and proofreading. Editing is your chance to rewrite sections, add more detail or change any points. Proofreading should be where you get into the final touches, really polish what you have and make sure it’s ready to be submitted.

Stick to your citation style and make sure every resource listed in your dissertation is cited in the reference list or bibliography.

How to write a conclusion for my dissertation?

Writing a dissertation conclusion is your chance to leave the reader impressed by your work.

Start by summarising your findings, highlighting your key points and the outcome of your research. Refer back to the original research question or hypotheses to provide context to your conclusion.

You can then delve into whether you achieved the goals you set at the beginning and reflect on whether your research addressed the topic as expected. Make sure you link your findings to existing literature or sources you have included throughout your work and how your own research could contribute to your field.

Be honest about any limitations or issues you faced during your research and consider any questions that went unanswered that you would consider in the future. Make sure that your conclusion is clear and concise, and sum up the overall impact and importance of your work.

Remember, keep the tone confident and authoritative, avoiding the introduction of new information. This should simply be a summary of everything you have already said throughout the dissertation.

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Harvard University Theses, Dissertations, and Prize Papers

The Harvard University Archives ’ collection of theses, dissertations, and prize papers document the wide range of academic research undertaken by Harvard students over the course of the University’s history.

Beyond their value as pieces of original research, these collections document the history of American higher education, chronicling both the growth of Harvard as a major research institution as well as the development of numerous academic fields. They are also an important source of biographical information, offering insight into the academic careers of the authors.

Spanning from the ‘theses and quaestiones’ of the 17th and 18th centuries to the current yearly output of student research, they include both the first Harvard Ph.D. dissertation (by William Byerly, Ph.D . 1873) and the dissertation of the first woman to earn a doctorate from Harvard ( Lorna Myrtle Hodgkinson , Ed.D. 1922).

Other highlights include:

• The collection of Mathematical theses, 1782-1839
• The 1895 Ph.D. dissertation of W.E.B. Du Bois, The suppression of the African slave trade in the United States, 1638-1871
• Ph.D. dissertations of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (Ph.D. 1925) and physicist John Hasbrouck Van Vleck (Ph.D. 1922)
• Undergraduate honors theses of novelist John Updike (A.B. 1954), filmmaker Terrence Malick (A.B. 1966),  and U.S. poet laureate Tracy Smith (A.B. 1994)
• Undergraduate prize papers and dissertations of philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson (A.B. 1821), George Santayana (Ph.D. 1889), and W.V. Quine (Ph.D. 1932)
• Undergraduate honors theses of U.S. President John F. Kennedy (A.B. 1940) and Chief Justice John Roberts (A.B. 1976)

What does a prize-winning thesis look like?

If you're a Harvard undergraduate writing your own thesis, it can be helpful to review recent prize-winning theses. The Harvard University Archives has made available for digital lending all of the Thomas Hoopes Prize winners from the 2019-2021 academic years.

Accessing These Materials

How to access materials at the Harvard University Archives

How to find and request dissertations, in person or virtually

How to find and request undergraduate honors theses

How to find and request Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize papers

How to find and request Bowdoin Prize papers

• email: Email
• Phone number 617-495-2461

Related Collections

Harvard faculty personal and professional archives, harvard student life collections: arts, sports, politics and social life, access materials at the harvard university archives.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="uni students dissertation"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Guide to writing your thesis/dissertation, definition of dissertation and thesis.

The dissertation or thesis is a scholarly treatise that substantiates a specific point of view as a result of original research that is conducted by students during their graduate study. At Cornell, the thesis is a requirement for the receipt of the M.A. and M.S. degrees and some professional master’s degrees. The dissertation is a requirement of the Ph.D. degree.

Formatting Requirement and Standards

The Graduate School sets the minimum format for your thesis or dissertation, while you, your special committee, and your advisor/chair decide upon the content and length. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanical issues are your sole responsibility. Generally, the thesis and dissertation should conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field. The Graduate School does not monitor the thesis or dissertation for mechanics, content, or style.

“Papers Option” Dissertation or Thesis

A “papers option” is available only to students in certain fields, which are listed on the Fields Permitting the Use of Papers Option page , or by approved petition. If you choose the papers option, your dissertation or thesis is organized as a series of relatively independent chapters or papers that you have submitted or will be submitting to journals in the field. You must be the only author or the first author of the papers to be used in the dissertation. The papers-option dissertation or thesis must meet all format and submission requirements, and a singular referencing convention must be used throughout.

ProQuest Electronic Submissions

The dissertation and thesis become permanent records of your original research, and in the case of doctoral research, the Graduate School requires publication of the dissertation and abstract in its original form. All Cornell master’s theses and doctoral dissertations require an electronic submission through ProQuest, which fills orders for paper or digital copies of the thesis and dissertation and makes a digital version available online via their subscription database, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses . For master’s theses, only the abstract is available. ProQuest provides worldwide distribution of your work from the master copy. You retain control over your dissertation and are free to grant publishing rights as you see fit. The formatting requirements contained in this guide meet all ProQuest specifications.

Copies of Dissertation and Thesis

Copies of Ph.D. dissertations and master’s theses are also uploaded in PDF format to the Cornell Library Repository, eCommons . A print copy of each master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation is submitted to Cornell University Library by ProQuest.

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

• Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
• Find a unique and valuable research topic
• Craft a convincing research proposal
• Write up a strong introduction chapter
• Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
• Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
• Present the findings of your research
• Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

• Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
• See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
• If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
• Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

• Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
• Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
• Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
• Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

• You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
• You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
• You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

• A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
• A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
• Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
• The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

• You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
• You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
• You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

• Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
• Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
• Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
• Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

• If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
• If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

• If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
• If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
• If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

• Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
• Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

• Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
• Find a unique (original) and important research topic
• Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
• Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
• Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
• Undertake your own research
• Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

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20 Comments

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Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

This was straightforward. Thank you!

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Very educating.

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

thank you so much, that was so useful

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

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Theses and Dissertations

Cornell theses.

Check Cornell’s library catalog , which lists the dissertations available in our library collection.

The print thesis collection in Uris Library is currently shelved on Level 3B before the Q to QA regular-sized volumes. Check with the library staff for the thesis shelving locations in other libraries (Mann, Catherwood, Fine Arts, etc.).

Non-Cornell Theses

Proquest dissertations and theses.

According to ProQuest, coverage begins with 1637. With more than 2.4 million entries,  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global  is the starting point for finding citations to doctoral dissertations and master’s theses. Dissertations published from 1980 forward include 350-word abstracts written by the author. Master’s theses published from 1988 forward include 150-word abstracts. UMI also offers over 1.8 million titles for purchase in microfilm or paper formats. The full text of more than 930,000 are available in PDF format for immediate free download. Use  Interlibrary Loan  for the titles not available as full text online.

Foreign Dissertations at the Center for Research Libraries

To search for titles and verify holdings of dissertations at the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), use the CRL catalog . CRL seeks to provide comprehensive access to doctoral dissertations submitted to institutions outside the U. S. and Canada (currently more than 750,000 titles). One hundred European universities maintain exchange or deposit agreements with CRL. Russian dissertation abstracts in the social sciences are obtained on microfiche from INION.  More detailed information about CRL’s dissertation holdings .

Additional Resources

Please see our resource guide on dissertations and theses for additional resources and support.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

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OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions . OATD currently indexes 6,912,508 theses and dissertations.

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We’re happy to present several data visualizations to give an overall sense of the OATD.org collection by county of publication, language, and field of study.

You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses:

• Google Scholar
• NDLTD , the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not.
• Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published electronically or in print, and mostly available for purchase. Access to PQDT may be limited; consult your local library for access information.

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• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | Guide, Examples, & Template

A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program.

Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating to know where to begin.

Your department likely has guidelines related to how your dissertation should be structured. When in doubt, consult with your supervisor.

You can also download our full dissertation template in the format of your choice below. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter, easily adaptable to your department’s requirements.

Download Word template Download Google Docs template

• In the US, a dissertation generally refers to the collection of research you conducted to obtain a PhD.
• In other countries (such as the UK), a dissertation often refers to the research you conduct to obtain your bachelor’s or master’s degree.

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Table of contents

Dissertation committee and prospectus process, how to write and structure a dissertation, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your dissertation, free checklist and lecture slides.

When you’ve finished your coursework, as well as any comprehensive exams or other requirements, you advance to “ABD” (All But Dissertation) status. This means you’ve completed everything except your dissertation.

Prior to starting to write, you must form your committee and write your prospectus or proposal . Your committee comprises your adviser and a few other faculty members. They can be from your own department, or, if your work is more interdisciplinary, from other departments. Your committee will guide you through the dissertation process, and ultimately decide whether you pass your dissertation defense and receive your PhD.

Your prospectus is a formal document presented to your committee, usually orally in a defense, outlining your research aims and objectives and showing why your topic is relevant . After passing your prospectus defense, you’re ready to start your research and writing.

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The structure of your dissertation depends on a variety of factors, such as your discipline, topic, and approach. Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an overall argument to support a central thesis , with chapters organized around different themes or case studies.

However, hard science and social science dissertations typically include a review of existing works, a methodology section, an analysis of your original research, and a presentation of your results , presented in different chapters.

Dissertation examples

We’ve compiled a list of dissertation examples to help you get started.

• Example dissertation #1: Heat, Wildfire and Energy Demand: An Examination of Residential Buildings and Community Equity (a dissertation by C. A. Antonopoulos about the impact of extreme heat and wildfire on residential buildings and occupant exposure risks).
• Example dissertation #2: Exploring Income Volatility and Financial Health Among Middle-Income Households (a dissertation by M. Addo about income volatility and declining economic security among middle-income households).
• Example dissertation #3: The Use of Mindfulness Meditation to Increase the Efficacy of Mirror Visual Feedback for Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees (a dissertation by N. S. Mills about the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on the relationship between mirror visual feedback and the pain level in amputees with phantom limb pain).

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo.

Read more about title pages

The acknowledgements section is usually optional and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you. In some cases, your acknowledgements are part of a preface.

Read more about acknowledgements Read more about prefaces

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The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150 to 300 words long. Though this may seem very short, it’s one of the most important parts of your dissertation, because it introduces your work to your audience.

Your abstract should:

• State your main topic and the aims of your research
• Describe your methods
• Summarize your main results
• State your conclusions

Read more about abstracts

The table of contents lists all of your chapters, along with corresponding subheadings and page numbers. This gives your reader an overview of your structure and helps them easily navigate your document.

Remember to include all main parts of your dissertation in your table of contents, even the appendices. It’s easy to generate a table automatically in Word if you used heading styles. Generally speaking, you only include level 2 and level 3 headings, not every subheading you included in your finished work.

Read more about tables of contents

While not usually mandatory, it’s nice to include a list of figures and tables to help guide your reader if you have used a lot of these in your dissertation. It’s easy to generate one of these in Word using the Insert Caption feature.

Read more about lists of figures and tables

Similarly, if you have used a lot of abbreviations (especially industry-specific ones) in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

Read more about lists of abbreviations

In addition to the list of abbreviations, if you find yourself using a lot of highly specialized terms that you worry will not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary. Here, alphabetize the terms and include a brief description or definition.

Read more about glossaries

The introduction serves to set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance. It tells the reader what to expect in the rest of your dissertation. The introduction should:

• Establish your research topic , giving the background information needed to contextualize your work
• Narrow down the focus and define the scope of your research
• Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate
• Clearly state your research questions and objectives
• Outline the flow of the rest of your work

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant. By the end, the reader should understand the what, why, and how of your research.

Read more about introductions

A formative part of your research is your literature review . This helps you gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic.

Literature reviews encompass:

• Finding relevant sources (e.g., books and journal articles)
• Assessing the credibility of your sources
• Critically analyzing and evaluating each source
• Drawing connections between them (e.g., themes, patterns, conflicts, or gaps) to strengthen your overall point

A literature review is not merely a summary of existing sources. Your literature review should have a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear justification for your own research. It may aim to:

• Address a gap in the literature or build on existing knowledge
• Take a new theoretical or methodological approach to your topic
• Propose a solution to an unresolved problem or advance one side of a theoretical debate

Read more about literature reviews

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.

Read more about theoretical frameworks

Your methodology chapter describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to critically assess its credibility. Your methodology section should accurately report what you did, as well as convince your reader that this was the best way to answer your research question.

A methodology section should generally include:

• The overall research approach ( quantitative vs. qualitative ) and research methods (e.g., a longitudinal study )
• Your data collection methods (e.g., interviews or a controlled experiment )
• Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
• Any tools and materials you used (e.g., computer programs, lab equipment)
• Your data analysis methods (e.g., statistical analysis , discourse analysis )
• An evaluation or justification of your methods

Read more about methodology sections

Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses , or themes, but avoid including any subjective or speculative interpretation here.

Your results section should:

• Concisely state each relevant result together with relevant descriptive statistics (e.g., mean , standard deviation ) and inferential statistics (e.g., test statistics , p values )
• Briefly state how the result relates to the question or whether the hypothesis was supported
• Report all results that are relevant to your research questions , including any that did not meet your expectations.

Additional data (including raw numbers, full questionnaires, or interview transcripts) can be included as an appendix. You can include tables and figures, but only if they help the reader better understand your results. Read more about results sections

Your discussion section is your opportunity to explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research question. Here, interpret your results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. Refer back to relevant source material to show how your results fit within existing research in your field.

Some guiding questions include:

• What do your results mean?
• Why do your results matter?
• What limitations do the results have?

If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative interpretations of your data.

Read more about discussion sections

Your dissertation’s conclusion should concisely answer your main research question, leaving your reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and emphasizing what your research has contributed to the field.

In some disciplines, the conclusion is just a short section preceding the discussion section, but in other contexts, it is the final chapter of your work. Here, you wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you found, with recommendations for future research and concluding remarks.

It’s important to leave the reader with a clear impression of why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known? Why is your research necessary for the future of your field?

Read more about conclusions

It is crucial to include a reference list or list of works cited with the full details of all the sources that you used, in order to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your dissertation. Each style has strict and specific formatting requirements.

Common styles include MLA , Chicago , and APA , but which style you use is often set by your department or your field.

Create APA citations Create MLA citations

Your dissertation should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents such as interview transcripts or survey questions can be added as appendices, rather than adding them to the main body.

Read more about appendices

Making sure that all of your sections are in the right place is only the first step to a well-written dissertation. Don’t forget to leave plenty of time for editing and proofreading, as grammar mistakes and sloppy spelling errors can really negatively impact your work.

Dissertations can take up to five years to write, so you will definitely want to make sure that everything is perfect before submitting. You may want to consider using a professional dissertation editing service , AI proofreader or grammar checker to make sure your final project is perfect prior to submitting.

After your written dissertation is approved, your committee will schedule a defense. Similarly to defending your prospectus, dissertation defenses are oral presentations of your work. You’ll present your dissertation, and your committee will ask you questions. Many departments allow family members, friends, and other people who are interested to join as well.

After your defense, your committee will meet, and then inform you whether you have passed. Keep in mind that defenses are usually just a formality; most committees will have resolved any serious issues with your work with you far prior to your defense, giving you ample time to fix any problems.

As you write your dissertation, you can use this simple checklist to make sure you’ve included all the essentials.

Checklist: Dissertation

My title page includes all information required by my university.

I have included acknowledgements thanking those who helped me.

My abstract provides a concise summary of the dissertation, giving the reader a clear idea of my key results or arguments.

I have created a table of contents to help the reader navigate my dissertation. It includes all chapter titles, but excludes the title page, acknowledgements, and abstract.

My introduction leads into my topic in an engaging way and shows the relevance of my research.

My introduction clearly defines the focus of my research, stating my research questions and research objectives .

My introduction includes an overview of the dissertation’s structure (reading guide).

I have conducted a literature review in which I (1) critically engage with sources, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, (2) discuss patterns, themes, and debates in the literature, and (3) address a gap or show how my research contributes to existing research.

I have clearly outlined the theoretical framework of my research, explaining the theories and models that support my approach.

I have thoroughly described my methodology , explaining how I collected data and analyzed data.

I have concisely and objectively reported all relevant results .

I have (1) evaluated and interpreted the meaning of the results and (2) acknowledged any important limitations of the results in my discussion .

I have clearly stated the answer to my main research question in the conclusion .

I have clearly explained the implications of my conclusion, emphasizing what new insight my research has contributed.

I have provided relevant recommendations for further research or practice.

If relevant, I have included appendices with supplemental information.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

I have listed every source in a reference list at the end of my dissertation.

I have consistently followed the rules of my chosen citation style .

I have followed all formatting guidelines provided by my university.

Congratulations!

The end is in sight—your dissertation is nearly ready to submit! Make sure it's perfectly polished with the help of a Scribbr editor.

If you’re an educator, feel free to download and adapt these slides to teach your students about structuring a dissertation.

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Home > Graduate College > Student Work > Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

All UNI graduate programs require a culmination work, such as a dissertation, thesis, or graduate research paper , before awarding a graduate degree. This collection includes theses and dissertations submitted electronically. To view the Award Winners , click here . To view a collection of Dissertations Only , click here . To view a collection of Specialist in Education works, click here . From this page, you can browse our theses and dissertations by academic department or by the year of completion . Some theses and dissertations are not eligible for open access.

Browse Electronic Theses and Dissertations by academic department :

College of Education

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies
• Health, Recreation, and Community Services
• Kinesiology
• Special Education

College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences

• Applied Engineering & Technical Management
• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Communication and Media
• Computer Science
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Languages and Literatures
• Mathematics
• Philosophy and World Religions
• School of Music

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
• Environmental Science Program
• Science Education Program
• Women's and Gender Studies Program

Browse Electronic Theses and Dissertations by year of completion :

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

The Effect of High-Emotion Simulator Training on Students’ Reaction Time in Response to Infant Stress Cues During a Simulated Bottle Feeding , Claire Michelle Biermann Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

How Rural Identity, Self-Reliance, and Stoicism Relate to Attitudes Toward Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Iowans , Taylor Brown Open Access Thesis

Modeling Phosphorus Loading Dynamics in Milford Creek Watershed: With Comparison to a Consent Decree TMDL , Olivia Calvin Open Access Thesis

Boxes With Curves: The Necessity for School Leaders to Empower and Engage Through Culturally Competent Lenses , Priscilla Culp Open Access Dissertation

The Flute Music of Claude Arrieu: Jean-Pierre Rampal, Radio, and the French Flute School , Breanna Daley Open Access Thesis

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Burnout, Resilience, and Psychological Safety Within the Workplace , Riley Elenz Open Access Thesis

Teacher Use Of Rubrics To Assess Claim, Evidence And Reasonings In The High School Science Classroom , Brianna Finnegan Open Access Thesis

Traumatic Brain Injury and Public Stigma: The Effect of Perceived Responsibility , MacKenzie Grenko Open Access Thesis

Dog-Training Programs for Incarcerated Women , Susan Grover Open Access Thesis

A Process Evaluation of a Program Designed to Expand Access to the Iowa Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) , Justine R. Hoover Open Access Dissertation

Social Media News Consumption by College Students Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model , Colin Horning Open Access Thesis

The Spatial and Temporal Impacts of Land Use and Climate on Avian Abundance in Iowa From 2001 to 2019 , Lucas Kaufmann Open Access Thesis

Retrospective Analysis on the Impact of Increased Set Volume on Back Squat and Bench Press One Repetition Maximums in Freshman NCAA DI FCS American Football Players , Colin T. Klatt Open Access Thesis

Perceived Parental Acceptance and Minority Stress as Predictors of Mental Health Outcomes Among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Emerging Adults , Kieran R. Luedke Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Urugendo Rwo Kwibuka: A Journey to Remember , Gélase Magnificat Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Suspected vs. Diagnosed Mental Illness, Race, and the NGRI Plea , Alexa Roudabush Open Access Thesis

Effects of Q-Collar on Cognitive and Physical Performance During Cycling Time Trial , Zacary Simon Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Indigenous Economic Institutions Building: A Case Study of the Yerv Reindeer Herding Cooperative , Polina Syadeyskaya Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Positioning Paperback Books as Americana: Cultural and Historical Impacts of the Wadle Pocket Book Collection , Jake Volk Open Access Thesis

Leadership Experiences from the Perspective of High Achieving Elementary Educators , Danielle Woods Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Boundary Lines Crossed? Seeking Honor After the Vietnam War Took Their Sons , Hannah Ackerman Open Access Thesis

Othermothering: An Autoethnographic Exploration of the Subconscious and Conscious Ways Black Female Student Affairs Professionals Care for and Support Minority Students at Predominantly White Institutions , Janel Alleyne Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Do We Want Them to Understand Each Other? Perceptions of Political Perspective-Takers , Ian Beatty Open Access Thesis

Characterizing Genetic Diversity and Testing for Fisheries Induced Evolution in Southeastern Kansas Populations of Bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ) , Morganne C. Borsh Open Access Thesis

Anchored to a Community: Middle School Students’ Experience of Belonging in the Classroom: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study , Angela Thera Butler Open Access Dissertation

Stakeholder Impact on Individual Development Within a Transition Worksite Program: A Case Study , Kong Chen Open Access Dissertation

“I Can’t Do This Anymore, But I Have 1000 More Kids to Serve”: A Qualitative Study of Full-Time Residential Summer Camp Staff Burnout , Sarah Cohen Open Access Dissertation

A Graduate Recital in Piano , Christine Compton Open Access Thesis

Monitoring and Modeling Urban Heat Patterns in the State of Iowa, USA Utilizing Mobile Sensors and Geospatial Data , Clemir Abbeg Coproski Open Access Thesis 2024 Award

No Need to Set the Alarm, I’ve Been Up Since 2:30am! Why My Teaching Job Keeps Me Up at Night: A Phenomenological Research Study on Empathic Strain of Iowa Educators , Lindsey Cornwell Open Access Dissertation

Culture of learning: A qualitative case study of teacher leader perceptions on the power of a district's schemata in a distributive leadership model , Sharon Dentlinger Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Mapping for Cultural Resurgence: Reclaiming Geocultural Knowledge of Kamchatka’s Indigenous Peoples from Early Scientific Expeditions , Semyon Drozdetckii Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The Effect of a 5-Week Concurrent Training Program on ACFT Scores, Ruck March Times, and Aerobic Capacity in Army ROTC Cadets , Cody Durbin Open Access Thesis

No Contaban Con Mi Resiliencia: Mental Health of Undocumented/DACAmented Undergraduate Latino Men in the 45 Era , Jesús Lizárraga Estrada Dissertation (UNI Access Only) 2024 Award

Intimate Partner Violence Stigma: The Intersection of Race and Socioeconomic Status , Antoinette Fleming Open Access Thesis

A Graduate Recital in Piano , Heather Gillis Open Access Thesis

Assessing Transfer Student Acclimation and Help-seeking , Dylan Haase Open Access Thesis

Mapping for Impact: Actionable Spatial Literacy through Counter-Mapping , Rachel Hansen Open Access Thesis

Unlocking Possibility: The Influence of the Oulipo Movement on Language, Semantics, and Politics in Modern Literature , Sidney M. Haren Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An Evaluation of Reading Teachers: The Interaction Between Teacher Instructional Practices, Beliefs, Actions, and K-2 Student Reading Achievement , Amy Harger Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Preparing students for life after college: A mixed-methods analysis , Nichole Zumbach Harken Open Access Dissertation

“Fitting in and Doing Well”: Assessing First-Generation College Students’ Motives, Belongingness, and Academic Behaviors , Lacie K. Hines Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An Exploration of Commitment in Walk-on Athletes , Clint Huemann Open Access Thesis

The Development of Sustainable Health and Wellness Habits in Emerging Adults through Courses in Postsecondary Institutions , Allison Lee Hugo Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Disordered Eating, Anxiety, and Perfectionism Among Emerging Adult Men and Women , Karissa Jensen Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Non-Traditional Learning in STEM: How Students Autonomy and the Impact of Teacher Delivery Develops Deeper Conceptual Understanding at the Middle School Level , Sarah Kelly Open Access Dissertation

The Pandemic-Uncanny: Self-Estrangement and Environment in Out There and Bliss Montage , Kersten Khaley Open Access Thesis

Graduate Recital: Lauren Leman, Mezzo-soprano , Lauren Leman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Can White Nationalist Rhetoric Increase Prejudice Toward Mexican Immigrants? , Nathan Lewey Open Access Thesis

Principals’ Knowledge of Trauma-Informed School Practices , Elsa Leyhe Open Access Thesis

The Relationship Between Mindful Eating, Physical Health, and General Well-Being in the U.S. , Yuan Ling Looi Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A Study of Jacob Druckman’s Reflections on the Nature of Water , Paul Lansky’s Three Moves for Marimba , Emmanuel Séjourné, Concerto pour vibraphone solo et orchestre à cordes , Joseph Tompkins, March , and Kevin Volans, She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket , Ethan Martin Open Access Thesis

From Art to Propaganda: The Shift in the Concept of the “Most Dead” in True Crime Literature , Hannah McConkey Open Access Thesis

The Impact of Imagined Interactions and Mindfulness on Anxiety in Romantic Relationships , Alyssa R. McCoy Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Understanding Student Perceptions of Supplemental Instruction: Student Perceptions of Supplemental Instruction Implemented in Order to Overcome Perceived Skill Deficits , Andrew Miehe Open Access Dissertation

Enhancing Soil Carbon Sequestration through Grassland Restoration of Former Row Crop Fields at Irvine Prairie , Joshua Joel Mixdorf Open Access Thesis

Application of Lortie’s Apprenticeship of Observation Model: Evidence of Iowa Teaching Standards with Amish School Teachers , Jacquelyn R. Burr Moorman Open Access Thesis

Assessment of Conservation Reserve Program Enhancements at Contract Renewal: Impact on Monarch Butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ) Habitat , Tristan L. Murphy Open Access Thesis

The Relationship between Spirituality and Resilience: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion , Tenzin Nyima Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Main Concept Analysis of Picture Description and Procedural Tasks in Patients with Huntington's Disease , Bailey Rustad Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Masters in Tuba Performance Recital Abstract , Daniel Sanchez Open Access Thesis

A Master’s Recital in Wind Band Conducting , Stephen Seaberg Open Access Thesis

Graduate Recital Yuxiao Sun, Piano , Yuxiao Sun Open Access Thesis

Strengths-Based Leadership Traits in Intercollegiate Student-Athletes , Caitlin Thilges Open Access Thesis

Dual identity, self-esteem, and well-being in Tibetan refugees , Tenzin Urgyen Open Access Thesis

Intervening for a Depressed Peer: The Effects of Resilience Empathy, and History of Depression , Brendan Weed Open Access Thesis 2024 Award

The critical role of happiness in education: Resilience, retention, and what happy teachers do differently , Jill Marie Hayes White Open Access Dissertation

OUT in Education: A Qualitative Study Examining the Intersectionality and the Lived OUT Experiences of PreK–12 LGBTQ+ Educators , Landon Wood Open Access Dissertation 2024 Award

The Flow Experience of Adults Age 50 and Older in Recreational Doubles Pickleball , Glynis Worthington Open Access Dissertation

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Quantifying genomic diversity and growth in Iowa bluegill , Jeremy Raymond Abels Open Access Thesis

Feminist qualitative study of victim blaming of sexually assaulted women in India , Alia Afzal Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Media framing of marriage practices in Afghanistan , Hakima Afzaly Open Access Thesis

Changes in the barley stem proteome in response to drought during grain filling , Mohammed Al Slamh Open Access Thesis

Wind conducting recital: A journey through 100 years of wind band repertoire , Foteini Angeli Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The impacts of adolescents' leisure activity types on psychological well-being, academic self-efficacy, self esteem, and stress , Dongyub Back Open Access Dissertation

Psychopathy and emotion regulation: The mediating role of motives and goals , Morning S. Baker Open Access Thesis

You can't live off pride: Welfare and farm aid in the Reagan era , Jeremiah David Brockman Open Access Thesis

Association between habitat and the genetic diversity of the brown-belted bumblebee ( Bombus griseocollis ) in the agricultural landscape across northeast Iowa , Clarissa Elizabeth Bruns Open Access Thesis

Using Internet reciprocal teaching to develop second graders' online text evaluation skills , Annika Buell Open Access Thesis

Mental illness stigma toward Black and White elite male athletes , Nicholas William Clark Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2023 Award

The association between parent and adult child severe mental illness stigma: The effects of gender, relationship quality, and contact , Taylor Joyce Courier Open Access Thesis

Master's flute recital , Breanna Daley Open Access Thesis

MM percussion recital , Tyler Darnall Open Access Thesis

Leading early childhood education in Iowa schools , Alaina T. Daters Open Access Dissertation

Tell me, which realm do I remember? , Danielle Dunagan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate voice recital: Jovon Eborn, baritone , Jovon Eborn Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital: Colin Evers, piano , Colin Evers Open Access Thesis

Teacher hiring and selection processes in Iowa schools , Michael C. Fisher Open Access Dissertation 2023 Award

"Land of the Silver Birch": Environmental attitudes and place-making in a Northern Minnesota Boy Scout camp, 1960-1975 , John Mark Fretham Open Access Thesis

Not our problem: Ingroup glorification facilitates moral disengagement and exclusion , Matthew Gunderson Open Access Thesis

Use of technology and its impact on higher order thinking in the science classroom , Mauree Angelina Haage Open Access Thesis

The path from paramilitary to politics: Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin, and the Good Friday Agreement: 1986-1998 , Brenann Hamilton Open Access Thesis

Training for challenging behaviors in the school setting , Kenzie Heusinkvelt Open Access Thesis 2023 Award

Educational experiences of first generation Black African students with and without dis/abilities , Shehreen Iqtadar Open Access Dissertation

The medieval ideal: Utopian medievalism in the life, thought, and works of William Morris , Benjamin Michael Kimball Open Access Thesis

Late Romantic art song from various national styles , Aricson Jakob Knoblock Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Preliminary investigation into the effects of hard and soft water on silica green sand properties , Matthew P. Krueger Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Changes in reproductive behavior and birth patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sakartvelo (The Republic Georgia) [რეპროდუქციული ქცევასა და შობადობის ცვლილებები კოვიდ-19 პანდემიის დროს საქართველოში] , Nino Mateshvili Open Access Thesis

Engaging a "coalition of the willing": Instructional coaches' social networking strategies to facilitate teachers' research use , Kimberly S. McCoy-Parker Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

The trouble with floating , Alyssa Minch Thesis (UNI Access Only)

How do we use creative and personal memories for creative communication? , Tyler Robert Montgomery Open Access Thesis

Crisis communication in the wake of the storm: Derecho 2020 , Annette M. Moudry Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

The writing identity of a Hip Hop lyricist and educator: An autoethnography , Lamont Muhammad Open Access Dissertation

Gender performance and political identity at the January 6 Capitol insurrection , Emma Elise Newton Open Access Thesis

Investigating the environment needed to shift instructional practice towards a learner-centered classroom in rural Iowa , Kelli Olson Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Frank Capra's America: The fall of political ambiguity, 1930-1950 , Lydia Lennice Pakala Open Access Thesis

Unstacking the matryoshka nesting doll: A self-study of playful language instruction for adult second language learners , Marine Pepanyan Open Access Dissertation

Master's recital: Kyle Punt , Kyle Punt Open Access Thesis

Doing corpus pragmatics: Variations in speech acts performed in conversations occurring naturally in academic contexts , Jacob Philip Rigal Open Access Thesis

Women Provos: Women in the Provisional IRA and their impact on Irish republicanism and Northern Irish society during the 1970s , Sean Alexander Riley Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Master's recital: Luke Sanders , Matthew Lucas Sanders Open Access Thesis

Sounds of the trumpet , Cody Alan Schnebel Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Lexile levels and their value to public school teachers , Kristin Schumacher Open Access Thesis

Effects of perceived reach on ratings of media bias, quality, and agreement , Matthew Sedlacek Open Access Thesis

The new independents: A historical analysis of webcomics and webtoon , Leonal A. Sepúlveda S. Open Access Thesis

Understanding morphological responses of Typha (cattail) species to nutrient pollution , Anna Marie Shapiro Open Access Thesis

A study of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata in E minor, BWV 914; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 10, No. 3 in D major; Claude Debussy’s Pour le piano L. 95 ; and Frederic Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 , Hanna Stolper Open Access Thesis

3-D printing task scheduling for idle time minimization: An optimization algorithm using Knapsack problem and artificial intelligence , Hamid Tahery Dissertation (Electronic Copy Not Available)

A graduate recital in piano , Molly Thomas Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Grit, sense of belonging, and student involvement: keys to mental health for LGBTQ students in higher education , Emma Welch Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital: Brandon Whitish, baritone , Brandon Mark James Whitish Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Prophet loss , Brooke Marie Wiese Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Ecocriticism in young adult dystopian literature: Revealing a generation's desire to reconnect with nature , Alexus Williams Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Students vs. suspects: A qualitative examination of stereotype threat and the impact on behavior of Black males , Ryan J. Williamson Open Access Dissertation

Fashioning the new arctic: A perspective on indigenous cultural economy in the Russian north , Varvara Korkina Williams Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

A familiarization protocol: Repetitions in reserve , Elvert A. Wise Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

How have you experienced being on testosterone? Narrative inquiry into the T-body experience , Noah Andrew Open Access Thesis

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex on cycling time trial performance and prefrontal cortex activation , Abigail Hope Auten Open Access Thesis

Public perception of adults with ADHD in the United States: Stigma vs. strengths , Peyton S. Barton Open Access Thesis

Jacob Brandenburg master of music recital abstract , Jacob Brandenburg Open Access Thesis

Pasting our past: Cultural memory, family photographs, and ephemeral street art , Isaac Wilson Campbell Open Access Thesis 2023 Award

Quantifying carbon sequestration for riparian-zone restoration in Ecuador , Paula Carvalho de Castro Open Access Thesis

Halo Sport ergonomic effects on older adults' cognitive, balance, and motor performance , Kristina Cavey Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in conducting , Jack Thomas Frank Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Seed mix design, planting time, and first-year mowing management to improve multifunctionality and cost-effectiveness of tallgrass prairie reconstructions , Alec James Glidden Open Access Thesis

Geospatially-intelligent three-dimensional multivariate methods for multiscale dasymetric mapping of urban population: Application and performance in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area , Nikolay Golosov Open Access Thesis

Translation into Spanish, cultural adaption and content validity of the Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire , Vilma Gómez Open Access Thesis

Arthropod fauna of Plains pocket gopher ( Geomys bursarius ) burrow systems , Brett Lyle Gourley Open Access Thesis

The socio-economic health and well-being of immigrants living in the state of Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic , Samantha Jaquelyn Habinck Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Job satisfaction and burnout among hospice nurses working on interdisciplinary teams: A multimethod study , Hillary Hamilton Open Access Thesis

Hedonic and eudaimonic happiness: Their associations with well-being and the influence of age and culture , Hiroki Hirano Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate voice recital: Alyssa Holley, soprano , Alyssa Holley Open Access Thesis

Recommender systems in higher education: The effectiveness of meta-data analysis in predicting academic success , Michael J. Holmes Open Access Dissertation

Viability of a proposed transparent fluid model for analog metal casting filling process , Andres Segura Irazoqui Open Access Thesis

A comprehensive analysis of injection strategies for improving diesel engine combustion under cold start development , Balkrishna A. Kamble Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Hybridity, border-crossings and the homeland in contemporary literature by women , Rand Omar Khalil Khalil Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Examining individual differences in attitudes toward the insanity defense , Dominique M. Kornely Open Access Thesis

Agrochemicals and rural women's health in the Volta Region of Ghana , Sedomda Kpikpitse Open Access Thesis

Community diversity influences selection on nutrient resorption in Panicum virgatum , Michael J. Lashbrook Open Access Thesis

Activity recognition based on thermopile imaging array sensors , Qingshan Liang Open Access Dissertation

Gio's story , Sermantha Louisy Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Influence of landscape on the population genetics of the rainbow darter ( Etheostoma caeruleum ) in glaciated and unglaciated environments , Jonathan Michael Luiken Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The influences driving decisions by Latinx students to enroll in upper-level high school STEM courses , Erica Malloy Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Musical composition graduate portfolio , Juan Marulanda Open Access Thesis

Master's recital: Max McBride , Max Niles McBride Open Access Thesis

24andmore: Using genome-wide SNPS to investigate the genetic diversity of Iowa walleye ( Sander vitreous ) broodstock , Rachel Ann McDonnell Open Access Thesis

Analyzing perceptions of citizen science as part of an international learning experience , Katelyn Marie Miner Open Access Thesis

Deities and dumbasses , Isaac Nielson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Identifying ways to support preservice teachers to engage in inquiry work through Project Approach: A self-study , Allison K. Pattee Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in violin , Maria del Pilar Serrano Pineda Open Access Thesis

The internalization of the model minority myth and its effect on Asian American students' academic stress , Anne E. Raecker Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Understanding the use of crisis communication in Clery Act compliance , Allyson L. Rafanello Open Access Dissertation

Mid-level manager's perspectives of competencies for entry-level campus housing professionals , Nicholas F. Rafanello Dissertation (UNI Access Only) 2022 Award

The systematics of Physaria sensu stricto from Wyoming and surrounding areas , Jason Ratcliff Open Access Thesis

Virus induced gene silencing of Fusarium verticillioides pathogenicity genes in maize , Jennifer M. Redfern Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Quality and quantity of social support in college students with ADHD symptomatology , Chloe J. Reeble Open Access Thesis 2022 Award

Redefining what's manly: Using masculine attributes to describe counseling services for men , Riley Nicholas Rodemaker Open Access Thesis

Associations between insecure attachment style and borderline personality disorder: The role of sleep disruptions , Elijah Schaefer Thesis (UNI Access Only)

How HPA stress response relates to anxiety: Sex differences and estradiol , Carrie Shea Open Access Thesis

Exploring the rhetorical constitution of a safe space for women in Begum Rokeya and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's works , Rifat Rezowana Siddiqui Open Access Thesis

The beef debate: Religion, history, and harmony in India , Shreya Singh Open Access Thesis

Financial literacy on college campuses and its relationship to student retention, completion, and debt , Jaclyn K. Smith Open Access Thesis

Digital conditions of self & social construction: A critical synthesis of our digital ecosystem & the implications for identity, knowledge, & ideology , Alexander Sojka Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Effects of exposure to video games on sexual harassment , Chelsea Renee Washburn Open Access Thesis

Exploring the experiences of one team of teachers: Well-being and navigating the demands of the education profession , Abby Weiland Open Access Dissertation 2023 Award

Graduate voice recital: Athena-Sadé Whiteside, mezzo-soprano , Athena-Sadé Whiteside Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The zones of regulation in schools , Kyle Andrew-Kelly Wiebers Open Access Thesis

Model evidence links (MELs) and the impact of critical thinking on open ended responses , James Gregory Zabel Open Access Dissertation

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Negative halo effects in parent ratings of ADHD and conduct problems , Helena Frances Alacha Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Western media coverage of international news: A content analysis of Associated Press coverage of Africa , Adukwu Samuel Atadoga Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in trombone , Obediah Bauer Open Access Thesis

Trend in male engagement in maternal and newborn health services in Ethiopia , Wubite Bekele Bogale Open Access Thesis

Investigating the production of cores by using reclaimed foundry green sand , Kristopher Lee Boss Open Access Thesis

3D printing technology on spare parts business supply chain management: A case study in appliance industry , Salih Boysan Open Access Dissertation

Impact of positive psychology in PK-12 settings , Daniel Paul Butler Open Access Dissertation 2022 Award

Labor's unsettled vagrancy: The rise and fall of the hobo labor movement, 1865-1929 , Laura Kathryn Carpenter Open Access Thesis

Advertising patriotism: Gender and sacrifice in Ladies' Home Journal , 1942-1945 , Travis John Carrier Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The overground railroad of the Jim Crow era: A rhetorical analysis of the Negro Motorist Green Books , Cecilia Louise Cerja Thesis (UNI Access Only)

On the zeta Kirchhoff index of several graph transformations , Danny Cheuk Open Access Thesis

An elephant is in the lake: How a nice girl navigated growing up amidst murder and madness in suburban Chicago , Mary Chipman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Through their eyes: Exploring the relationship between college females' body perceptions and recreation center messaging , Sydney Leigh Ann Cindrich Open Access Thesis 2020 Award

Recoverability of large vs small muscle groups , Jacob Alan Clark Open Access Thesis

Efficiency of low-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) access methods , Brittany Davis Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital: Taylor Dengler, soprano , Taylor Anne Dengler Open Access Thesis

Prediction of heat treatment distortion and optimization of manufacturing tolerances for machined components , Akaff Diam Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

The effect of cutting condition selection on tool life in sand milling , Craig Ertl Open Access Thesis

Clinical education learning environments: Difference between actual and preferred clinical experiences of athletic training students , Matthew Edward Frericks Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Grading and equity: Inflation/deflation based on race, gender, socio-economic and disability statuses when homework and employability scores are included , Robert Thomas Griffin Open Access Dissertation 2020 Award

Utilization of machine learning algorithms to support retail chain store location decisions , Petr Grin Open Access Thesis

Richard Walther Darré, National Socialism, and Bauernpolitik , Andrew P. Harnois Open Access Thesis

Self-stigma and disclosure of depression in the workplace , Bailey Rose Holm Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Physiological performance characteristics of Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) , Savanna Storm Hunt Open Access Thesis

Young athletes' perceptions of playing through pain , Aubri Keesee Open Access Thesis

Step twin cities? : Exploring uneven spaces in Waterloo-Cedar Falls business landscapes , Natalia Khortseva Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Prompted reflective thinking and implications for mathematics teacher efficacy in an elementary mathematics methods course , Brooke Krejci Open Access Dissertation

Bleeding cuts, magical spells, sealed hymens: A study of the rite of Tasfih in Algeria , Ahlam Laouar Open Access Thesis

Implementation of a joint power delivering and communication technology for smartphones over the 3.5 mm audio jack , Ziyuan Li Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Indices of metabolic stress following resistance exercise , Steven Alexander Long Open Access Thesis

Productivity and community composition change in prairie biomass feedstocks , Kathleen Loretta Madsen Open Access Thesis

Carbon sequestration and weedy invasion in CRP fields , Destiny Danielle Magee Open Access Thesis

Guardian, a novel , John Ross Mason Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Alaska national parks and indigenous peoples: Collaboration for a protected future , Siobhan McTiernan Open Access Thesis

Hi God: An autoethnography of loneliness in graduate school , Grace Elisabeth Mertz Open Access Thesis

Festivals as a sustainable development tool: Case study of Teriberka, Russia , Maria Monakhova Open Access Thesis

Doctoral psychology students' attitudes toward evidenced-based practice , Jordan Ashley Newburg Open Access Thesis

Levels of cyclin B in THP-1 cells incubated in hibernating and non-hibernating bullfrog plasma, Lithobates catesbeianus , Tharuka D. Pathmaperuma Open Access Thesis

Challenging social systems under the threat of pollution: Replication and extension of Eadeh and Chang (2019) , Dylan J. Pieper Open Access Thesis

"I was a trailblazer": A phenomenological study of the baseball playing experience of girls , AJ Richard Open Access Thesis

Examining African American male mentors relationships with African American boys: Benefits, barriers, recruitment, and retention , Quenton Angelo Richardson Open Access Dissertation

"This is how we play destroy": Deconstruction and the construction of a cyborg future in Poppy's Am I a Girl? , Stevie Eve Sanchez Open Access Thesis

A ground based investigation of snow metamorphism using an energy flux model and hyperspectral imaging across cropland, grassland and barren surface in northeast Iowa , Ayan Sasmal Open Access Thesis

Master's recital: Isaac Schwartz , Isaac Schwartz Open Access Thesis

How quality management has been impacted in the face of COVID-19 , Eldina Siljkovic Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Jenna Skarphol, mezzo-soprano and Dr. Andrea Johnson, piano , Jenna Skarphol Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Evercross , Randi Ann Smith Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Pluralistic ignorance of campus norms , Evan Stilgenbauer Open Access Thesis

Evaluation of the csr1-2 allele from Arabidopsis thaliana CS3102 as an imazapyr herbicide resistance marker for biolistic transformation of the shoot apical meristem , Amanda J. Stump Open Access Thesis

Technology based grammar instruction , Erin Mary Summerhays Open Access Thesis

Stained glass, synthetic web: The simultaneous rise and fall of something person , Seth Thill Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available) 2020 Award

A master's recital in conducting , Meredith Kay Tipping Open Access Thesis

The impact of severe mental health on peers in supporting roles: A look at secondary trauma and college students , Courtney Tripp-Stuck Open Access Thesis

Vietnam: A soldier's story , Ryan Charles Villarreal Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in violin , Bethany Washington Open Access Thesis

An exploration in Ramsey theory , Jake Weber Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Elizabeth Wiley, soprano, and Dr. Korey Barrett, pianist , Elizabeth Wiley Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Effects of a sport nutrition education intervention on nutritional knowledge, dietary behaviors, and self-efficacy in NCAA Division I softball players , Kylie Wilson Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Anna Zetterlund, contralto , Anna Zetterlund Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

A master's recital in flute , Kimberly Ann Abeyta Open Access Thesis

Perception of preservice teachers on the implementation of multicultural education , Winnie Esther Akinyi Open Access Thesis

A study of non-profit leaders' risk-taking propensity and managerial leadership styles , Younis Q. Al Hassan Open Access Dissertation

Impact of social support on Saudi women with type II diabetes living in Saudi Arabia , Fatimah Al-Khidhr Open Access Thesis

Exploring the knowledge and behavior needed to prevent osteoporosis among Saudi women , Zahra Al Khidhr Open Access Thesis

Women's occupational health and safety in the informal economy: Maternal market traders in Accra, Ghana , Joyceline Amoako Open Access Thesis

Early childhood professional learning facilitators: A self-study within a new delivery model , Allison Jane Barness Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

An investigation of pre-service teacher and faculty knowledge on RTI , Nichole M. Beckman Open Access Thesis

Increasing student perceptions of success and inclusion through strategic programming of underrepresented composers , Joyce J. Beyer Open Access Thesis

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of physical education teachers in Saudi Arabia about drug prevention education: Potential for health education , Fahad Bin Radhyan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Pre-service teacher knowledge and attitudes about the trans body in the classroom: Implications for teacher education , Kyrie Dora Borsay Dissertation (Electronic Copy Not Available)

An investigation into the prediction of double-skin penetration within chromite molds and cores in heavy section steel casting using process simulation software , Nathaniel Bryant Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in composition , Adam Walter Carlsen Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Seeing the forest for the trees: Elementary STEM environments that nurture creativity and innovation , Lisa Jo Chizek Open Access Dissertation

Constraints to African American college women's leisure-time physical activity and use of campus recreation services and facilities: A retrospective ethnographic exploration of experiences , Domino Ebony Chumrley-Birch Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

A study to explore linkages between reports of institutional racial oppression, internalized racial oppression, and self-efficacy in African American youth in predominately white colleges and universities (PWIS) , Belinda Creighton-Smith Dissertation (UNI Access Only) 2020 Award

The effect of cold stratification and perigynia removal on the germination of three prairie carex species , Christina M. Boeck Crew Open Access Thesis

Post-trip blues: Full time college students' emotional and motivational post-trip transition from adventure break trips , Nichole Crockford Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in flute , Tamara Kathleen Drury Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The relationship of walkability, social capital and the built environment in a Blue Zones® demonstration site community , Thomas Manford Flack Open Access Dissertation

Are the deaf stigmatized? , Christina M. Fortuna Thesis (UNI Access Only)

ADHD symptoms and non-suicidal self-injury in the college transition , Anna Marie Garner Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Analysis of a paleoglacier reconstruction model for valley glaciers of the Wind River Range, Wyoming , Taylor Rae Garton Open Access Thesis

Morphological and morphometric analysis of Nekemias arborea and Ampelopsis aconitifolia (Vitaceae) , Sally Rose Gray Open Access Thesis

"Half-breeds," squatters, land speculators, and settler colonialism in the Des Moines-Mississippi confluence , Matthew Hill Open Access Thesis

Understanding ESL undergraduate students' beliefs about learner-centered instruction , Mahjabeen Hussain Open Access Dissertation 2020 Award

An investigation of machine learning for classification of vehicle engine issue reports , Almir Ibragimov Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Cultural practices and the transmission of Ebola in Sierra Leone: Lessons learned from a medical anthropology perspective , Abubakarr Jalloh Open Access Dissertation

Outcomes of an intensive exercise-based swallowing program for persons with Parkinson's disease: A single-case experiment , Jocelyn Jenks Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Student-teacher relationships: How to find a common ground in relationship building , Jason Knittel Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Writing workshop and creativity despite standardization: An exploration of elementary teachers' practices , Darcie Kay Kress Open Access Dissertation

"Something beyond ordinary love": (Re)covering the extraordinary in Compton Mackenzie's Extraordinary Women , Hannah Lane Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An investigation of solar panel thermal images collected from an unmanned aerial vehicle , Ginger Ivy Jo L'Heureux Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A performance-demonstration of rhythm section instruments, trumpet, electric wind instrument, synthesizer, compositions, and arrangements by DeMetrio Lyle , DeMetrio Lyle Open Access Thesis

Empowering children's social ecology: Reenvisioning postconflict reconstruction and education in rural Liberia , Kristen N. McNutt Open Access Thesis

Therapist self-doubt when facing severe psychopathology in adolescent males , Zachary Mark Meehan Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Beyond "Born This Way": Reconsidering trans narratives , Ashley Elizabeth Meyers Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in clarinet , Sayyod Mirzomurodov Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in trombone , Thomas Mortenson Open Access Thesis

The price of progress: American agricultural innovations in relation to economic and social change, 1920-1989 , Zachary Cass Moye Open Access Thesis

Separability of maize varieties using an unmanned aircraft and hyperspectral sensor in Iowa , Daniel Murphy Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Analysis of a boat alignment device and method , Troy Allen Myers Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Tangled twilight. Destiny, horror, and transformation in nature: American culture of progress during the Vietnam War 1965-1975 , Alexander Newkirk Open Access Thesis

Impact of parent mentoring and participation in FIRST robotics on middle and high school age female perceptions of engineering careers , Kirsten Olson Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in flute , Shiqun Ou Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Trainers' perspectives of teacher professional development , Harun Parpucu Open Access Dissertation

Analysis of a fragmented mitochondrial genome in a chewing louse, Geomydoecus aurei , Alexandra Cleone Place Open Access Thesis

Investigation of the changes of preservice teachers' efficacy beliefs in teaching students with special needs , Pujaningsih Pujaningsih Open Access Dissertation

From meme to memegraph: The curious case of Pepe the Frog and white nationalism , Fernando Ismael Quinones Valdivia Open Access Thesis

High-resolution satellite imagery analysis of coastal tundra vegetation disturbances caused by all-terrain vehicles (ATVs): A case study in Teriberka, Russia , Md Atiqur Rahman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master of music recital in clarinet , Lucas Randall Open Access Thesis

The impact of sexual assault on sexual risk-taking , Melanie Alison Reyes Open Access Thesis

The erosion of democracy: Gerrymandering in the United States , Matthew P. Ruiz Open Access Thesis

Aut is love , Nathan Selove Open Access Thesis

Identifying and overcoming barriers to college student success , Crystal Sivia Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Preschool teachers' beliefs and actions concerning creativity in the classroom , Latisha Lynn Smith Open Access Dissertation

Graduate recital in oboe , David Thompson Open Access Thesis

The legality of aerial bombing during World War II in Europe , Robert I. Umsted Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in viola , Gabriel Mateo Forero Villamizar Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in composition , Denzel Washington Open Access Thesis

Influence of external and internal factors on financial advisors' guidance of clients in the area of charitable giving , Angela J. Gorsuch Widner Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

Evaluating livelihood vulnerability of farming communities to winter storms in Iowa , Yiyi Zhang Open Access Thesis 2020 Award

Motivation to call police: The exploration of racial and risk averse motivation , Alivia Lauren Zubrod Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Graduate recital in piano , Mariya Akhadjanova Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The girl who lost her shadow: A collection of short fiction , Paola Alfano Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Voltage regulation of unbalanced distribution network with distributed generators through genetic algorithm , Islam Ali Open Access Dissertation

Instructors' attitudes and perceptions toward critical thinking: A case study of interior design instructors in Saudi Arabia , Afnan Al Ramis Open Access Thesis

The effectiveness of a "patient discharge information" booklet in patient education programs in Saudi Arabia , Amani Mohammed Al Rebeh Open Access Dissertation

Exploring the academic, social, and cultural experiences of English language learners from Saudi Arabia at a Midwest university in the U.S. , Sukainah A. Al Subia Open Access Dissertation

Affective risk perception in automotive environments , Dane Atkins Open Access Thesis

The effects of mycorrhizal inoculant and micronutrients on early plant establshment during a tallgrass prairie reconstruction , Christopher L. Barber Open Access Thesis

Analyzing how we think about gender: Reevaluating the categories of transgender and cisgender in society , Anna M. Blaho Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Effects of a neuromuscular facilitation intervention on an excessive q-angle , Steven Blair Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Does performance on an attention test predict executive function test scores in young and older adults? , Aaron Joseph Brummel Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Graduate recital in violin , Naima Burrs Open Access Thesis

The effects of teacher-focused science content courses on preservice elementary teachers' outcome expectancy , Mark Robert Busch Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Blood coagulation properties in hibernating and non-hibernating American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) , Stephen Cain Open Access Thesis

Longitudinal monitoring of various indicators of performance throughout a season for a NCAA Division I women's volleyball team , Mathieu Castello Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Faculty to faculty incivility in Iowa nursing education programs , Candace Chihak Open Access Dissertation

Barriers to seeking psychological help among Iowa's registered sex offenders , Sage Comstock Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A study of high school dropout rates in a Midwestern community , Shinita Irene Crawley Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

"Among the unspeakable foundations": Melville's use of the book of Job in Moby-Dick , Andrew S. De Luca Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

3D printed relief valve analysis and validation , John Anthony Dutcher III Open Access Thesis

Student engagement in higher education: Measuring the differences in community engagement , Stanley S. Ebede Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

Serious leisure as a catalyst to community development as defined by community engagement , Marie Elomba Adebiyi Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Mindset theory among education professors in a Midwestern private college , David D. Fox Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Graduate voice recital: Megan Grey, mezzo soprano & Dr. Korey Barrett, piano , Megan Grey Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The moral motivations of negative attitudes toward transgender people , Hailey Annette Hatch Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Resilience in undergraduate students: The relation between personality, social support, and cortisol levels , Elisheva Joy Havlik Open Access Thesis

Pedagogical contraband: A phenomenological approach to understanding student engagement during simulations , Stephen Austin Henderson Open Access Dissertation

Banging spinning hallelujahs , Moriah Henkelman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

It starts with "F": A collection of short stories , Arielle Irvine Open Access Thesis

Spatial disparities and socio-economic conditions : A food desert analysis of greater Des Moines, Iowa , David Jensen Open Access Thesis

Perceptions of wellbeing and happiness: Exploring and examining perspectives of college youth , Theodora Jn-Baptiste Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Women in STEM: does role congruence affect major choice and retention? , Alba Karuni Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Waiting for the mail: A collection of short stories , James Matthew Keane Open Access Thesis

The effects of book club participation on reading comprehension in children with disabilities , Elizabeth Ann Kosmicki Open Access Thesis

Student variables and teacher perceptions: Examining the decline of reading proficiency at sixth grade , Jo Ellen Latham Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

They that go down to the sea in ships: Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s Two Years Before the Mast and the Sublime , Laurie Anne Lee Open Access Thesis

Leia Lensing, graduate voice recital , Leia Mae Lensing Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A performance-demonstration of rhythm section instruments, compositions and arrangements by Nicholas Leo , Nicholas Leo Open Access Thesis

The moth-eaters & other stories , Adrianne Lea Lloyd Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2019 Award

From Bosnia to Waterloo, Iowa: Bosnian refugee and immigrant experiences, 1996-2017 , Zijad Mahmutovic Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Adult- and peer-created motivational climates in sport and injury rehabilitation , Rachel Majewski Open Access Dissertation

Perceived causes and methods of examination malpractice in the Malawian education system: A case study of secondary schools in South East Education Division (SEED) , Fiddelis Blessings Makaula Open Access Dissertation

In the hollow of a tree , Lisa A. McClurg Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Turnaround leadership: A case study of principal leadership practices in a persistently low-achieving school during the turnaround process , Stephanie N. Mohorne Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Examining the relationship between social ties and perceived effect of stress on health among employees , Demi Marie Monaghan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The effects of massage therapy on delayed onset muscle soreness , Carli Mueller Open Access Thesis

Exploring the experiences of adolescent students attending a virtual school , Allan G. Nelson Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

Live thy neighbor , Milica Njezic Open Access Thesis

Landscape and climate drivers of harmful algal blooms in Iowa , Aaron Padilla Open Access Thesis

Master's recital: Chase Pebworth, tuba , Chase Pebworth Open Access Thesis

Christopher Phalen, graduate conducting recital abstract , Christopher Richard Phalen Open Access Thesis

Integration of refugees from Burma in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in Iowa , Christopher J. Pierce Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Gender differences in perceived stigma among sexual minorities and their related health practices , Sara Kay Richardson Open Access Thesis

Affects and absences: Public memory at the Oklahoma City National Memorial , Jeremy Roberts Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Teachers' pedagogical practices, shift, and professional growth in online courses , Maryam Rod Szabo Open Access Dissertation

The effects of nutrient resorption, photosynthetic rate, and leaf longevity on the success of Typha × glauca , Clarissa Marie Ruiz Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

An exploration of teacher dispositions: Expectation of potential , Kathleen Louise Saleh Open Access Dissertation

Mental health literacy: The knowledge of mental health literacy and help-seeking attitudes among NCAA Division I student-athletes and non-athletes , Danielle E. Schuck Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in voice , Emily Secor Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The Food Babe fearmonger: transcending spheres of argument through the dual use of personal and pseudo-technical expertise , Abigail Shew Open Access Thesis

Study of low dose nitrite stress on human mononuclear cells: An in-vitro case-control study on osteoarthritis , Junu Shrestha Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

An investigation of early childhood outdoor play areas and social and emotional play , Brandy A. Smith Open Access Dissertation

Reconstructing the phylogeny and characterizing the patterns of molecular evolution of the tetraploid freshwater suckers (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) , Zachary Evan Sperstad Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Factors affecting performance on a screening tool in persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , Jordan Deanna Stierwalt Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Analysis of the relationship between religion and forgiveness , Desislava S. Stoycheva Open Access Dissertation

Spatiotemporal assessment of condition, seasonal trends, and determinants of agriculturally derived nutrients in the upper Cedar River watershed, Iowa , Sushil Tuladhar Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master's recital in conducting , Logan Scott Vander Wiel Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in voice , Lara Elizabeth Wasserman Open Access Thesis

Post-swallow residue in relation to lingual pressure generation in persons with Parkinson's disease , Ross Westemeyer Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Conservation genetics and habitat associations of Rhinichthys cataractae , a fish of conservation need in Iowa , Anna Constance Wieman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Analysis of ambient particulate concentration near a coal storage pile , Jennifer Wittenburg Open Access Thesis

Sand distribution effect on three dimensional printed sand properties , Kip Woods Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Examining early childhood special education teachers' practices for supporting children's social emotional competence , Suad Mohammed Abuzaid Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Ecocritical post-colonial studies on humans, land, and animals , Alia Afzal Open Access Thesis

Intergroup contact theory and global perspective in students who study abroad , Salomi Aladia Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Examining the supportive employment practices used by Project SEARCH: A descriptive study , Saeed A. Almalki Open Access Dissertation

Current practices of co-teaching in an elementary inclusive school: Moving toward effective co-teaching relationship , Mona Nassir Al Nassir Open Access Dissertation

Examining the quality of special education pre-service teachers' co-planning and co-teaching , Ohoud M. Arrushaid Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Analyzing Rana Plaza crisis discourse from a postcolonial perspective: Implications for identity and crisis communication studies , Mir Ashfaquzzaman Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital , Kelly Behling Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Valproic acid: A neural outgrowth model for the autism spectrum disorder , Hannah M. Bergan Open Access Thesis

A "Little House on the Prairie" education: Creating a Wilder identity , Victoria Anez Bertelsen Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Viride: An Iowa gothic , Rachel Iolene Bing Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An experimental study of non-metallic inclusions precipitation and its effect on impact toughness variations in low alloy steel subjected to complex deoxidation , Pavel Bizyukov Open Access Dissertation

Saving local communities using scrip money to fight the Great Depression in north central Iowa , Bryan Carl Bjorklund Open Access Thesis

The impact of peer coaching on peer relationships and the distribution of knowledge in pre-service teachers , Kelsey J. Bowers Open Access Thesis

Differential gene expression analysis of metolachlor treated human liver cells by microarray , Navinder Paul Kaur Brar Open Access Thesis

An instrumental case study of understanding familial communication in families with hearing parents and deaf children , Polly Brekke Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

For two or two hundred: A workbook for making a difference , C. A. Brimmer Open Access Thesis

Aquatic managers of northeast Iowa : a description of current practices of staff training and implementation detailing competencies, frequency, and evaluation , Tracy N. Carey Open Access Thesis

Food insecurity and the elder male: exploring the gap from needing food to the utilization of assistance programs , Gale Carlson Open Access Dissertation

A master's recital in horn , Casey M. Chlapek Open Access Thesis

Living and teaching for social justice: teacher educators' stories and experiences , Courtney Kay Clausen Open Access Dissertation

Wearable and other stories , Jennifer Corrigan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Intergenerational conversation: Authentic learning through critical reflection of a community engagement learning experience , Amy Davison Open Access Dissertation

Students' perceptions of the impacts of dual enrollment programs on later college experiences , Caralee K. Doak Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Protests, pageants, and publications: Narratives of labor agitators, 1913-1914 , Jayme Edmund Open Access Thesis

The power of team in IEP meetings , Caroline Elser Open Access Dissertation

The civic and political engagement of Latinos in Omaha, Nebraska , Christian Israel Espinosa Torres Open Access Thesis

Association of various concentrations of cat's claw herb (Uncaria tomentosa) on lymphocyte proliferation and nitric oxide expression: An in-vitro study of osteoarthritis , Noha Fadlalddin Open Access Dissertation

Lead content of lip balms: A cross sectional convenience sample with exposure assessment estimating an average daily intake for young children , Julie Grunklee Open Access Thesis

Spatial competition in airport markets: An application of the Huff model , Joel Heilman Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in violin , Hannah Rae Howland Open Access Thesis

Head above water weighing: A valid method to measure body fat storage? , Molly Lin Hussey Open Access Thesis

Improving learning center usage verification processes using Six Sigma , Latricia C. Hylton Open Access Dissertation

A graduate recital in piano , Elisabed Imerlishvili Open Access Thesis

A multiscale assessment of wind energy resources and suitability in the Russian Arctic , Narmina Iusubova Open Access Thesis

The programmatic manipulation of planar diagram codes to find an upper bound on the bridge index of prime knots , Genevieve R. Johnson Open Access Thesis

Breaking out the monster in Lara Croft , Ashley Patricia Jones Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Smartphone based ubiquitous sensing platform leveraging audio jack for power and communication , Ranjana Joshi Open Access Dissertation

An analysis of youth participation in athletics , Jonathan Wayne Klein Open Access Thesis

Using blended learning to improve undergraduate introduction to literature courses: A mixed methods approach , Julie Leigh Klein Open Access Dissertation

Multiplex relationships and the impact on rural science education , Peter Nicholas Knutson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Certified nonprofit professionals early career decisions and college student loan debt , Kristina Elizabeth-Ann Kofoot Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A demonstration of proficiency on rhythm section instruments and saxophone performance by Sean Koga , Sean Koga Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Comparison of forward lean during Bulgarian split squat at high and low box heights , Craig Konrardy Open Access Thesis

Exploring relational self-efficacy: The influences of shyness and attachment , Jake Daniel Kuklinski Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A graduate recital in piano , Jennifer Regina LeGarde Open Access Thesis

Leishmania infantum infection at the cellular and organismal levels : foamy macrophages and sex-dependent responses , Ryan David Lockard Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2018 Award

Iowa schoolmarms: The significance of rural schools and the feminization movement, 1865-1920 , Ashley Nicole Loper Open Access Thesis

A graduate recital in piano , Yizhou Luo Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Identifying meaningful patient health outcomes among the athletic population , Tricia Lyn Majewski-Schrage Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Afro culture and performance within the bar space , Jessany Maldonado Open Access Thesis

Gender differences in cognitive dissonance reduction strategies for partner's physical attractiveness , Lijing Ma Open Access Thesis

Obsessive-compulsive disorder stigma: Accurate and inaccurate portrayals in electronic media , Camille Mirabelle Marie Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2018 Award

Graduate voice recital abstract , MaKayla McDonald Open Access Thesis

The influence of child safety warning signs on vehicle speeds , Luke Alan Miller Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master of music recital in bassoon , Annalea Milligan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Estimating energy fluxes and evapotranspiration of corn and soybean with an unmanned aircraft system in Ames, Iowa , Áthila Gevaerd Montibeller Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Kelly Noltner, soprano & James Jenkins, piano , Kelly Noltner Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Seth Nordin in recital , Matthew Seth Nordin Open Access Thesis

Perceptions of transgender populations: An educational module to increase knowledge and reduce negative attitudes , Dacia Kay Oberhelman Open Access Thesis

Factors influencing wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) home range size in Iowa: A comparison between suburban and rural populations , Joshua Gregory Otten Open Access Thesis

The effects of metolachlor exposure on the THP-1 alveolar monocyte and macrophage function , Jared S. Parmater Open Access Thesis

Gender differences associated with combat-related and military sexual assault-related post-traumatic stress disorder , Marjorie Perkins Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master's recital in conducting , Lucas Harry Petersen Open Access Thesis

Sick of deviants: How the behavioral immune system may impact responses to violated norms , Neal G. Pollock Open Access Thesis

Effects of lumbopelvic stabilization program in young, non-elite, community-based gymnasts , Miranda Katherine Pomije Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Blair Remmers, Tenor & James Jenkins, Piano , Blair Remmers Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Anti-proliferative effect of hibernating American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus, blood plasma on the THP-1 cells , Sean L. Robbins Open Access Thesis

A survey of butterfly diagrams for knots and links , Mark Ronnenberg Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in viola , Andrea Carolina Del Pilar Sánchez Ruiz Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The impact of content knowledge, specialized content knowledge, peer analysis and self-analysis on pre-service physical education teachers' error detection abilities , Debra S. Sazama Open Access Dissertation

Properties of left-separated spaces and their unions , Eric Scheidecker Open Access Thesis

Impact of teacher scientist partnerships on high school students' perceptions of science , Kevin John Schneider Open Access Thesis

Is Iowa making the grade?: An assessment of K-12 health education programs in public schools , Jamie L. R. Sebring Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Inside Queen Victoria's household: The ladies of the royal nursery and schoolroom, 1839-1889 , Kayla Jo Seppelt Thesis (UNI Access Only)

JFK: A body of evidence - 1955-1965 , Vicki J. Simpson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in voice , Noelle Smith Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Proof of concept and feasibility assessment of manufacturing a portable bio-char reactor , Saeed Zaher Soleimani Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A case study analyzing the traits, programs, actions, and beliefs necessary to overcome the correlative relationship between high free and reduced lunch rates and low standardized test scores , John Speer Open Access Dissertation

Student affairs approaches to religion and spirituality in U.S. public higher education , Kayla J. Stafford Open Access Thesis

Anthropocentrism, the other face of patriarchy: an investigation into patriarchal attitudes and perceptions of non-human nature , Alexis St. Claire Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in voice , Haley L. Steele Open Access Thesis

Career development and trajectories: Women in senior-level management positions in nonprofit organizations and government agencies , Jennifer Diane Stevens Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Rachel Storlie, soprano & Robin Guy, piano , Rachel Storlie Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A demonstration of proficiency on rhythm section instruments, compositions, and arrangements by Sam Stranz , Sam Stranz Open Access Thesis

Psychoeducational module to promote knowledge and reduce stigma towards recreational marijuana users , Stephanie J. Strong Open Access Thesis 2018 Award

Graduate recital in viola , Isaak Walter Sund Open Access Thesis

An investigation of the assessment practices of elementary general music teachers in Iowa , Michelle Linn Hyde Swanson Open Access Thesis

The effects of Adlerian play therapy on adopted children's externalizing behaviors: A single case design , Sunnycho S. Teeling Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Outcomes, perceptions, and experiences in one CPED-aligned educational doctorate (EdD) program , Jolene Kay Farley Teske Open Access Dissertation

A qualitative comparison of general chemistry and advanced placement chemistry students' misconceptions regarding solution chemistry , Megan J. Vandersee Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in flute , Azeem Zakiyy Ward Open Access Thesis

Local health departments in Iowa: Are they keeping up with the shift from communicable to chronic disease? , Jeremy M. Whitaker Open Access Dissertation

Code of conduct , Kathryn Keene Wohlpart Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Constructing identities in the West Branch landscape: Herbert Hoover's life and legacy as a common man, 1935-1992 , Ryan Lucas Wurtz Open Access Thesis

The new North: Patents and knowledge economy analysis in Alaska , Salma Zbeed Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in saxophone , Cehuai Zhang Open Access Thesis

A graduate's recital in piano , Huajun Zhang Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Preservice special education teachers' perceptions of their knowledge and skills of augmentative and alternative communication , Rashed A. Aldabas Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Using Contents and Containers to investigate problem solving strategies among toddlers , Zaid Alkouri Open Access Dissertation

Saudi Arabian mothers of children with sickle cell disease as givers of social support , Fatimah Sameer Alrubh Open Access Thesis

Repetitive saliva and water swallowing frequency counts in healthy young adults , Joanna Baranska Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Using one-to-one computing for differentiated instruction in Iowa: An investigation of the impact of teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning , Jodi A. Bermel Open Access Dissertation

Jordan Boehm in recital , Jordan Boehm Open Access Thesis

The effects of blended learning on critical thinking in a high school Earth Science class , Renee Nicole Borglum Open Access Thesis

Comparison of three base stealing techniques in Division I collegiate baseball players , Sean Boss Open Access Thesis

Differences in landing impulses between the traditional and swing blocking style in volleyball , Jana Geertruida Braakhuis Open Access Thesis

Evaluating the ability of a synthetic model knee to mimic varying degrees of anterior cruciate ligament integrity , Megan P. Brady Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Visualizing belonging : Deliberation and identification in the Vestavia Hills mascot controversy , Scott Neil Bredman Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2017 Award

Graduate recital in voice , Melissa Kay Brown Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Momentum: Stories , Cody Michael Chesmore Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in conducting , John Chiles Open Access Thesis

The effect of participating on service trips on community engagement and student development , Kristofer M. Czerwiec Open Access Thesis

The cultural and rhetorical elements of American picaresque , Cory James Dahlstrom Open Access Thesis

Female athletes' perceptions towards alcohol and performance: a psychological approach , Stephanie Dalmacio Open Access Thesis

Dying to live forever Sophia Harris journal 1860 to 1861 , Shirley Ilene Davis Open Access Thesis

Music as a means of connecting, understanding, and being understood , Michael Chase Dickerson Open Access Thesis

The effect of ice bag application on musculoskeletal pain during application , Daniel John Drees Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Three men in the wilderness: Ideas and concepts of nature during the Progressive Era with Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and John Muir , Jeffrey A. Duke Open Access Thesis

Adolescents' self-disclosure and risk-taking online , Rachel Ellingson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Examining aided input intervention in a classroom setting for children labeled with significant disabilities , Jennifer L. Flores Open Access Dissertation

A master's recital in clarinet , Stacia Kay Fortune Open Access Thesis

Analyzing winter migration fidelity and movement of the wild Taimyr reindeer herd, Rangifer T. tarandus , Emily T. Francis Open Access Thesis

Romantic melancholy: European post-Enlightenment protest in the Age of Reason , Erin Renee Frink Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An investigation of prosocial and health risk behaviors as predictors of academic motivation , Tess Garceau Open Access Thesis

A follow-up of patient reported outcomes in chronic plantar heel pain participants treated with Graston Technique: A mixed methods approach , Troy Richard Garrett Open Access Dissertation

A qualitative study of the perceptions of public school teachers and administrators on the teachers' association and the collective bargaining process in an Iowa urban school setting , Eric J. Gjerde Open Access Dissertation

Promoting bullying prevention and intervention through forgiveness education , Amy Gregory Open Access Thesis

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Dissertations and Theses

Main navigation.

Congratulations on being close to the finish line with your dissertation or thesis.

After you’ve applied to graduate and enrolled, dissertations and theses may be submitted online through the Dissertation & Thesis Center in Axess.  

Once you finish submitting your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted. 

The electronic submission process is free of charge and allows you the ability to check your pre-submission requirements and when ready, upload a digital copy of your dissertation or thesis. 

You can learn more about the center on the How to Use the Dissertation & Thesis Center webpage.

• FAQs: Dissertation & Theses
• How to Submit Your Signature Page
• How to Use the Dissertation & Thesis Center
• How to Request to Use Copyrighted Material

Note: The online submission process is not available for master's theses or undergraduate honors theses. Please consult with your department directly regarding submission procedures.

Follow these guides to ensure you meet all the requirements for submitting your dissertation or thesis. 

• Prepare Your Work for Submission
• Submit Your Dissertation or Thesis
• Steps After Submission

Submission Deadlines for Conferral

You must apply to graduate and enroll before you can access the Dissertation & Thesis Center in Axess.

The Dissertation & Thesis Center opens to submissions on the first day of instruction each quarter for which the student has applied to graduate.

The quarterly deadlines are set as late in the quarter as possible, providing the time necessary for review of the dissertation or thesis, including review of final degree requirements by the Registrar's Office and the departments. 

You are strongly encouraged to submit your work at least two weeks prior to the deadline to ensure that all requirements can be met in time for the conferral of your degree. 

Once you finish submitting your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted. 

After the final reader approves the dissertation, it typically takes about seven (7) business days for the university to process the submission.  

Deadlines by Quarter

Dissertation deadlines are strictly enforced.  No exceptions are made. By noon on the final submission deadline date, all of the following steps must be completed:           

• The student enrolls and applies to graduate;
• The student confirms the names of reading committee members in Axess, and designates a Final Reader;
• The student submits reading committee signatures;
• The student completes the necessary University Milestones;
• The student’s candidacy is valid through degree conferral;
• The student submits the final dissertation or thesis in Axess;
• The designated Final Reader certifies the final draft of the dissertation or thesis submitted in Axess.

For help, contact the Student Services Center .                                                                        

For faculty and staff information on Dissertations, visit Inside Student Services.

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• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started

Published on 26 March 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree.

The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the level and field of study. However, there are some key questions that can help you understand the requirements and get started on your dissertation project.

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Table of contents

When and why do you have to write a dissertation, who will supervise your dissertation, what type of research will you do, how should your dissertation be structured, what formatting and referencing rules do you have to follow, frequently asked questions about dissertations.

A dissertation, sometimes called a thesis, comes at the end of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. It is a larger project than the other essays you’ve written, requiring a higher word count and a greater depth of research.

You’ll generally work on your dissertation during the final year of your degree, over a longer period than you would take for a standard essay . For example, the dissertation might be your main focus for the last six months of your degree.

Why is the dissertation important?

The dissertation is a test of your capacity for independent research. You are given a lot of autonomy in writing your dissertation: you come up with your own ideas, conduct your own research, and write and structure the text by yourself.

This means that it is an important preparation for your future, whether you continue in academia or not: it teaches you to manage your own time, generate original ideas, and work independently.

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During the planning and writing of your dissertation, you’ll work with a supervisor from your department. The supervisor’s job is to give you feedback and advice throughout the process.

The dissertation supervisor is often assigned by the department, but you might be allowed to indicate preferences or approach potential supervisors. If so, try to pick someone who is familiar with your chosen topic, whom you get along with on a personal level, and whose feedback you’ve found useful in the past.

How will your supervisor help you?

Your supervisor is there to guide you through the dissertation project, but you’re still working independently. They can give feedback on your ideas, but not come up with ideas for you.

You may need to take the initiative to request an initial meeting with your supervisor. Then you can plan out your future meetings and set reasonable deadlines for things like completion of data collection, a structure outline, a first chapter, a first draft, and so on.

Make sure to prepare in advance for your meetings. Formulate your ideas as fully as you can, and determine where exactly you’re having difficulties so you can ask your supervisor for specific advice.

Your approach to your dissertation will vary depending on your field of study. The first thing to consider is whether you will do empirical research , which involves collecting original data, or non-empirical research , which involves analysing sources.

Empirical dissertations (sciences)

An empirical dissertation focuses on collecting and analysing original data. You’ll usually write this type of dissertation if you are studying a subject in the sciences or social sciences.

• What are airline workers’ attitudes towards the challenges posed for their industry by climate change?
• How effective is cognitive behavioural therapy in treating depression in young adults?
• What are the short-term health effects of switching from smoking cigarettes to e-cigarettes?

There are many different empirical research methods you can use to answer these questions – for example, experiments , observations, surveys , and interviews.

When doing empirical research, you need to consider things like the variables you will investigate, the reliability and validity of your measurements, and your sampling method . The aim is to produce robust, reproducible scientific knowledge.

Non-empirical dissertations (arts and humanities)

A non-empirical dissertation works with existing research or other texts, presenting original analysis, critique and argumentation, but no original data. This approach is typical of arts and humanities subjects.

• What attitudes did commentators in the British press take towards the French Revolution in 1789–1792?
• How do the themes of gender and inheritance intersect in Shakespeare’s Macbeth ?
• How did Plato’s Republic and Thomas More’s Utopia influence nineteenth century utopian socialist thought?

The first steps in this type of dissertation are to decide on your topic and begin collecting your primary and secondary sources .

Primary sources are the direct objects of your research. They give you first-hand evidence about your subject. Examples of primary sources include novels, artworks and historical documents.

Secondary sources provide information that informs your analysis. They describe, interpret, or evaluate information from primary sources. For example, you might consider previous analyses of the novel or author you are working on, or theoretical texts that you plan to apply to your primary sources.

Dissertations are divided into chapters and sections. Empirical dissertations usually follow a standard structure, while non-empirical dissertations are more flexible.

Structure of an empirical dissertation

Empirical dissertations generally include these chapters:

• Introduction : An explanation of your topic and the research question(s) you want to answer.
• Literature review : A survey and evaluation of previous research on your topic.
• Methodology : An explanation of how you collected and analysed your data.
• Results : A brief description of what you found.
• Discussion : Interpretation of what these results reveal.
• Conclusion : Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your findings contribute to knowledge in your field.

Sometimes the order or naming of chapters might be slightly different, but all of the above information must be included in order to produce thorough, valid scientific research.

Other dissertation structures

If your dissertation doesn’t involve data collection, your structure is more flexible. You can think of it like an extended essay – the text should be logically organised in a way that serves your argument:

• Introduction: An explanation of your topic and the question(s) you want to answer.
• Main body: The development of your analysis, usually divided into 2–4 chapters.
• Conclusion: Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your analysis contributes to knowledge in your field.

The chapters of the main body can be organised around different themes, time periods, or texts. Below you can see some example structures for dissertations in different subjects.

• Political philosophy

This example, on the topic of the British press’s coverage of the French Revolution, shows how you might structure each chapter around a specific theme.

This example, on the topic of Plato’s and More’s influences on utopian socialist thought, shows a different approach to dividing the chapters by theme.

This example, a master’s dissertation on the topic of how writers respond to persecution, shows how you can also use section headings within each chapter. Each of the three chapters deals with a specific text, while the sections are organised thematically.

Like other academic texts, it’s important that your dissertation follows the formatting guidelines set out by your university. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

Formatting guidelines concern things like:

• line spacing
• page numbers
• punctuation
• title pages
• presentation of tables and figures

If you’re unsure about the formatting requirements, check with your supervisor or department. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

How will you reference your sources?

Referencing means properly listing the sources you cite and refer to in your dissertation, so that the reader can find them. This avoids plagiarism by acknowledging where you’ve used the work of others.

Keep track of everything you read as you prepare your dissertation. The key information to note down for a reference is:

• The publication date
• Page numbers for the parts you refer to (especially when using direct quotes)

Different referencing styles each have their own specific rules for how to reference. The most commonly used styles in UK universities are listed below.

You can use the free APA Reference Generator to automatically create and store your references.

APA Reference Generator

The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:

• In the UK, you write a dissertation at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a thesis to complete a PhD.
• In the US, it’s the other way around: you may write a thesis at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a dissertation to complete a PhD.

The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.

Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).

Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:

• An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000–15,000 words
• A master’s dissertation is typically 12,000–50,000 words
• A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000–100,000 words

However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.

At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.

A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, May 05). What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started. Scribbr. Retrieved 18 June 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/what-is-a-dissertation/

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working elements of your project.

Weekly Goals Sheet (a.k.a. Life Map) [Word Doc]

This editable handout provides a place for you to fill in available time blocks on a weekly chart that will help you visualize the amount of time you have available to write. By using this chart, you will be able to work your writing goals into your schedule and put these goals into perspective with your day-to-day plans and responsibilities each week. This handout also contains a formula to help you determine the minimum number of pages you would need to write per day in order to complete your writing on time.

Setting a Production Schedule (Word Doc)

This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding research protocol limitations, (3) making note of deadlines, and (4) understanding your personal writing habits.

Creating a Roadmap (PDF)

Part of organizing your writing involves having a clear sense of how the different working parts relate to one another. Creating a roadmap for your dissertation early on can help you determine what the final document will include and how all the pieces are connected. This resource offers guidance on several approaches to creating a roadmap, including creating lists, maps, nut-shells, visuals, and different methods for outlining. It is important to remember that you can create more than one roadmap (or more than one type of roadmap) depending on how the different approaches discussed here meet your needs.

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What is a dissertation?

Sabrina Collier

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Table of contents

• Introduction

What are the two types of dissertations?

Skills you need to show, how long is a dissertation, oral examinations (vivas), don’t cheat.

The majority of degrees end with this assignment, but just what is a dissertation?  

Sometimes known as a thesis (in some countries, this term is used only for the final assignments of PhD degrees, while in other countries ‘thesis’ and ‘dissertation’ are interchangeable), a dissertation is a research project completed as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. Typically, a dissertation allows students present their findings in response to a question or proposition that they choose themselves. The aim of the project is to test the independent research skills students have acquired during their time at university, with the assessment used to help determine their final grade. Although there is usually some guidance from your tutors, the dissertation project is largely independent.

For most students this will be the longest, most difficult and most important assignment completed at university, requiring months of preparation and hard work (the library might become a second home). However, it can also be very rewarding, particularly if you’re passionate about your choice of topic. It’s therefore definitely a good idea to make sure you choose a subject you’re genuinely interested in.

The type of dissertation you complete will vary depending on your course of study. One of the main differences is between empirical and non-empirical dissertations.

Empirical dissertation s are dissertations which involve collecting data, for example in a psychology degree. This may mean putting into practice professional and ethical guidelines when collecting data from members of the public. Empirical dissertations in natural and life science subjects may involve or be entirely centered on laboratory work.

Non-empirical dissertations are based on existing data and arguments in the work of others. This is likely to mean spending a lot of time with your head in a book! In this type of dissertation, you need to make sure you don’t just describe what others are saying, but critically analyze the work and explore its practical applications.

No matter what type of dissertation you write, and what topic you choose, you’ll need to demonstrate the following skills:

• Defining and outlining a research area with a clear question
• Identifying the leading issues
• Sourcing the relevant information
• Assessing its reliability and legitimacy
• Evaluating the evidence on all sides of a debate
• Coming to a well-argued conclusion
• Organizing and presenting the outcomes of your work critically, convincingly, and articulately, following all the guidelines on how to format your essay

The length of a dissertation varies between study level and country, but is generally around 10,000-12,000 words at undergraduate level, 15,000-25,000 words at master’s level and up to 50,000 words or more at PhD level.

For some advanced degrees (particularly PhDs) you may need to attend an oral examination, which is known as a viva in some countries (short for viva voce, which is Latin for ‘live voice’). The viva will usually start with you giving a short presentation of your work to two or three professors, which is then followed by a questioning/answering period which could last up to two hours.  

Finally, it pretty much goes without saying, but it’s definitely not advisable to pay someone to write your dissertation for you or otherwise cheat in any way. It’s not worth the risk, and the dissertation is meant to be your chance to let your skills shine through. However, asking a supervisor, friend or family member to take a look at your dissertation is fine. Your supervisor is on hand to guide you, so don’t worry if you need to ask for help.

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The former Assistant Editor of TopUniversities.com, Sabrina wrote and edited articles to guide students from around the world on a wide range of topics. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University and grew up in Staffordshire, UK. 

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