Jason Rhode’s Dissertation Digest

I received the following information from Capella on publication information and final steps prior to graduation:

Congratulations on the successful completion of your dissertation! The following information will assist you in uploading your dissertation for publication.

Please use the URL below to begin the electronic submission process.
http://dissertations.umi.com/capella/

The site will guide you through the completion of your Doctoral Dissertation Agreement and dissertation upload. Dissertations must be uploaded in PDF form; however, if you do not have that format available, the site will also help you convert your Word file to publication format.

Learners may not publish a Capella dissertation using an “embargo” or “restriction” option.

After you upload your dissertation and we are notified of the Dean’s final approval, we will submit your manuscript electronically for publication and request a final graduation audit. You will receive a confirmation email approximately 2 - 3 weeks from the date that you upload your dissertation.

What to expect over the coming weeks:

As a learner, your main responsibilities during these last stages are:
- To apply for graduation
- To upload your dissertation to UMI for publication

If you have already completed these steps, congratulations! Your dissertation work is done!

Comp/Diss Support will finalize the following graduation requirements. This will take approximately 2-3 weeks. Comp/Diss will:
- Secure the Dean’s final approval
- Submit your dissertation for final publication
- Request a final graduation audit to confirm that all coursework for your program has been completed

Your degree will be conferred on the last day of the month in which you complete all of the requirements for graduation. These steps include submission of the application to graduate, completion of all coursework, residency requirements for your degree, uploading your dissertation and Dean’s final approval. Due to Capella’s processing time, your graduation date will not appear on your transcript immediately. We cannot expedite the final steps.

- For those learners who are still completing an Internship, conferral date will be based on the completion of your final program requirements
- Your graduation date will appear on your record near the middle of the next month following conferment. You will receive a congratulatory email from the Registrar’s Office
- Your diploma will arrive approximately 6-8 weeks after your graduation date

Chandra Olsen
Academic Assistant
Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Support

Capella University
Toll Free: 1-888-227-3552
Fax: 612-977-5060
E-mail: CapellaUniversity@Capella.edu

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Today I received the following comments from a form & style reviewer of my final draft as approved by my committee. 

Form & Style Comments: 1.25.2008 [PDF] 

In particular, these were the particular APA suggestions and reminders from the reviewer that I found to be of most interest.  For those preparing your dissertation manuscript using APA 5th edition, you may find these formatting suggestions of value.

• List of Figures
• APA capitalizes just the first word and any proper nouns in figure captions.
• –ly words do not require hyphens.
• Headings
• Although it is optional according to APA, Capella dissertations include an extra return above the level 1 headings. This extra white space improves readability and enhances the professional appearance of the manuscript.
• However, this extra return is not needed above the level 3 heading. Be sure to check the spacing above your level 3 headings for any spacing corrections.
• You must have at least two lines of text after a heading and before a page break. Once you have adjusted your spacing above the level 1 headings, check for widows/orphans (use a page break to keep a heading or one line of a paragraph from hanging at the bottom of a page).
• Spelling/Typographical
• The abbreviations e.g. and i.e. both require commas after them.
• APA hyphenates the word e-mail, like so.
• APA capitalizes the word Web when it refers to the World Wide Web. (Note: Spell Weblog like so.)
• When referring to specific chapters of your own dissertation, capitalize the word chapter only when it begins a sentence. Refer to all chapters by numeral; do not write the numbers out (e.g., refer to “chapter 1″ and “chapter 2,” not “Chapter One” or “Chapter Two”).
• Similarly, refer to all research questions by numeral, as in “Research Question 1″ and “Research Question 2,” even in headings.
• Anchors of scales take italics, such as most important and least important.
• APA does not capitalize the names of laws, theories, models, or hypotheses.
• Many statistical symbols, including n, N, t test, and SD, take italics. Please see APA 3.58. Table 9, in particular, is quite helpful on which statistical symbols need italics.
• Tables

APA is quite specific about table formatting. See APA 3.62 through 3.74 for detailed discussion of tables. You can use the list below as a cross-check for your final proofread and revision (note that not all items may apply to you):

1. Ensure that table titles in the List of Tables match the table titles in the manuscript.
2. Double-check that tables do not contain any vertical lines.
3. Be sure all tables fit within the allowable margins of the page.
4. Set off tables with an extra return before the table number and title and after the table itself.
5. Tables that run longer than one page must be identified with the word continued after the table number on the second page. Repeat the table title and column headings as well. However, strive to set short tables within the manuscript in such a way as to avoid having the table run from the bottom of one page to the top of another
• Figures

Figures differ from tables in their nature of presentation. APA 3.75 through 3.86 provides a through overview of figures. You can use the list below as a cross-check for your final proofread and revision (note that not all items may apply to you):

1. Ensure that captions in the List of Figures match the captions in the manuscript.
2. Figure number and caption go below the figure, flush left or centered.
3. Capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns in figure captions.
4. Set off figures with an extra return before the figure and an extra return after the figure number and caption.
5. Colors will appear black or gray; ensure that figures containing color are legible when copied.
6. Set figures within the manuscript in such a way as to avoid excessive gaps of white space or half-filled pages of text or figure. Each page should be as filled with content as possible.
7. Set any Notes to figures in 10-point type.
8. The minimum font size for manuscript text is 10 points. At a minimum, be sure that any font in your figures is large enough to be readable when the manuscript is printed or viewed at 100%.
• References
1. References should be single-spaced, but double-spaced between entries. APA explains on p. 239, “In a manuscript submitted for publication, all references are to be double-spaced; when typeset, they will be converted to a single-spaced page.” However, the dissertation will be published as is; thus, single-spacing is required.
2. For publisher names for all nonperiodicals, see APA 4.14: Give the name of the publisher in as brief a form as is intelligible. Write out the names of associations, corporations, and university presses, but omit superfluous terms, such as Publishers, Co., or Inc., which are not required to identify the publisher. Retain the words Books and Press.
3. Delete the underlining for the hyperlinks in your reference list. APA does not allow the use of underlining as a font style. Both UMI and Capella discourage the use of live inks to addresses outside the document.
4. For all electronic sources, run the URL all the way to the end of the line of text. Insert a hard return or a space, if needed, to bring the rest of the address to the next line. This will avoid an unnecessarily short line of text and will thus enhance readability.
5. The reference list is not a comprehensive bibliography; therefore, every reference should be cited in text and every text citation should be correctly referenced. If you haven’t already done so, cross-check citations with references and vice versa.
• Appendixes
1. There is a general tendency for learners to include unnecessary and superfluous items in appendixes. Be sure that all appendix items are truly necessary. IRB-related materials support a supplementary administrative process separate from the dissertation itself and has no place in the final manuscript. Similarly, omit sample copies of permissions, consent forms, and other documents relevant to the administration of the study from the final manuscript, unless they are unique in some fashion as to warrant their inclusion. Should you choose to keep this material, be sure to black out any addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses to protect confidentiality.
2. Before uploading your dissertation, be sure that all appendix material fits within the allowable margins of the document.

I’ll be working on making the suggested format and style updates and then will look to do one final proof on hardcopy before uploading to UMI.

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I received the following details via email from Capella’s Commencement Team regarding the upcoming commencement ceremony that I’ll be participating in on Saturday, March 1st. For anyone interested in viewing the ceremony either live online or the recording, details are provided below.

Commencement ceremony time
This year’s spring commencement ceremony has received great response, and hundreds of people are scheduled to attend the celebration. To better accommodate all of our graduates and their families, Capella will now be hosting two commencement ceremonies on Saturday, March 1.

Your ceremony time is 3:30 p.m. and you must be checked in by 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 1.

Please visit the Atlanta commencement ceremony Web center for complete schedule information. If you have questions about your ceremony time, please contact commencement@capella.edu.

Please verify your commencement program listing
Unless we receive corrections from you by noon on January 30, 2008, the commencement program will include this listing for you:
Name: Jason F. Rhode*
School: Education
Degree: PHD
Dissertation Title: Interaction Equivalency in Self-Paced Online Learning Environments: An Exploration of Learner Preferences

Find more details about your commencement ceremony
Visit the Web center for the Atlanta commencement ceremony for useful information, including:

• Housing and transportation
• A link to visitor information to help you plan your stay
• Details about the schedule for the weekend

View the public webcast
Those who cannot join you in person can watch the ceremony via our public webcast of the event. Invite your friends and family to view the webcast at www.capella.edu/commencement. The webcast will be available on the public web site for a few days, and then archived on iGuide for a longer period of time.

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I successfully completed the final major milestone of the dissertation process…the final defense call. The final defense for Capella doctoral students is conducted in the form of a conference call with the mentor and committee members. I prepared a PowerPoint outline of the study that I sent to my committee members along with my final draft for their review prior to the call.

The call went very well…much more of a discussion than a “grilling” as some might fear. My mentor advised me in advance of the call that he wanted me to plan to present my findings for no more than 15 minutes so that further discussion could ensue. Therefore, after initial greetings at the beginning of the call, my mentor turned things over to me and I presented my findings, focusing on slides 18-29.

My committee members then each had a few questions for me to answer. Their questions were either seeking clarification on a particular aspect of my study or inquiring as to my experience in general with the dissertation phase. My committee members were impressed with the quality of my work and intrigued by the “Interaction Matrix” that I developed. They strongly urged me to move forward with publishing my work ASAP and offered to collaborate with me to further refine and publish the findings from my study. I gladly accepted their offer and look forward to writing and publishing after this dissertation phase.

It was a exhilarating feeling to reach the end of the call and hear, “Congratulations, Dr. Rhode!”

My advice for any doctoral learner preparing for the final defense…

1. Check with your mentor to see what are his/her expectations of you for the defense
2. Relax. The defense is an opportunity for your committee to celebrate your study with you and not a “grilling”
3. Focus on your results and conclusions rather than getting bogged down by presenting your research design
4. Prepare an outline and/or PowerPoint outlining your findings
5. Enjoy the experience

I’m happy to provide further details of my defense call experience for anyone who may be interested.

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I received the following email confirmation that my final draft has been received by Form & Style and is under review:

——————————————–

Jason:

I have received and downloaded your dissertation. Thank you. The maximum turnaround for editing is five working days, so I will return your manuscript to you on January 24, 2008.

Allow me to outline the editing process. After I review your dissertation, I will send you a document of notes. In general, these notes cover more global issues writers might need to address, such as margins, table formatting, and so on. The notes will also include specific corrections within the manuscript, corrections to the reference list–for formatting and for specific entries–and any notes on your appendixes.

Once you receive my notes, you will enter the changes before submitting your manuscript for publication. The time required to make the changes seems to range from a few hours to a few days, depending on the nature of the changes, the writer’s familiarity with word processing, and the amount of uninterrupted time the writer is able to
put in. Of course, I’m available for any questions that come up as you do that. I rarely need to see the manuscript again, unless there are major and significant formatting issues.

I look forward to working with you.

Johannah

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After several rounds of editing, I have my final, approved draft of my dissertation prepared and ready to send off to Form & Style for final review before sending in for publication.

Final Draft : 1.16.2008

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I’ve scheduled the final defense call with my committee members after confirming their availability…the call is scheduled for Thursday, 1/17 at 5:30pm CDT. This will ensure that I complete the final defense before the end of the week (1/18) which happens to be the deadline in order to receive a 75% tuition refund for Winter Quarter which just began.

By the end of the day Wednesday, I plan to have the final draft to my mentor and committee members as well as call instructions and a PowerPoint summary of the dissertation that I will use for my presentation during the defense.

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My mentor forwarded onto me an email from my department chair in which she approved my dissertation with revisions. My department chair noted at the end of her email to my mentor, “This is a fine dissertation. Kudos to you and Jason for this excellent work.”

My department chair used the track changes feature in Word to make a few suggestions and my mentor has requested that I use the track changes feature in the at document to note my revisions and then return to him prior to the defense call.

Therefore, I’m working now to do just that. I plan to send to my mentor the commented manuscript along with a clean finalized manuscript document that we can then send on to Form & Style.

I’m at the end of the tunnel!

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One of my committee members shared these links with hints for things to avoid saying during your dissertation defense:

• http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/physics/Dont-say/
• http://www.theologywebsite.com/humor/150things.shtml

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