LS New Policies Concerning Graduate Thesis, Dissertation, and Capstone Project

Research is the heart of all graduate studies and the role of advisers is fundamental in achieving the student’s academic and professional goals. For students, the selection of advisers has a significant impact not only during the course of their writing but for many years to come.  As consistently mentioned in the LS Exit Surveys, our students consider their thesis, dissertation and capstone project advisers as their greatest influence during graduate studies.  

In the last five years, numerous efforts have been implemented in partnership with the various offices, schools, departments and programs to build better our graduate research ecosystem, including benchmarking, reviewing policies and procedures as well as support activities that assist our students in their research and creative works endeavor. 

As part of these efforts, the School Council, during its meeting on May 27, 2022, has approved the following policies concerning thesis, dissertation and capstone project (TDCP). This will be appended as an addendum to the 2019 Graduate Student Handbook (2019 GSH). 

A. Eligibility and Duties and Responsibilities of Adviser(s)
 

The following are the eligibility criteria and duties and responsibilities of the Primary Adviser and Co-advisers:

In addition, all advisers are expected to:

1. Review the document and ensure that it is of high quality in content and writing style, and has met ethical requirements prior to the submission of the dissertation (thesis) to the dissertation (thesis) reader and examination panel

2. Guide the student in other dissertation (thesis) related requirements, such as publication.

3. Respond in a timely manner to written work submitted by the student by providing constructive suggestions for improvement of the written work. The turnaround time should normally not exceed three weeks.

4. Conduct themselves in a manner that promotes a research environment that is safe, and free from all forms of discrimination and harassment.

In co-advising, the final decision on matters of the thesis, dissertation or capstone project is left to the primary adviser.

B. Duties and Responsibilities of Candidates*

(*A student is conferred the candidacy status upon enrollment in Thesis 1/Dissertation 1/Capstone Project)

The following are the duties and responsibilities of the candidates during their thesis, dissertation and capstone project stage:

1. Commit to devoting the time, effort, and energy necessary to complete the dissertation, thesis, or capstone project.

2. Take the initiative to gain the knowledge and skills needed for the successful completion of the thesis, dissertation, or capstone project and resulting publication/s

3. Ensure their research work abides with academic integrity and upholds copyright policies.

4. If necessary for the study, work with the adviser/s to ensure that ethics approval is secured prior to the actual conduct of the research.

5. Work with the adviser/s to establish a realistic work plan for the completion of various requirements of the thesis and publication requirements and should adhere to the timetable and meet deadlines.

6. Discuss with the adviser/s any updates or changes in requirements, deadlines, and any other administrative processes that affect the thesis, dissertation, or capstone project.

7. Acknowledge the significant contributions of the adviser/s and other relevant people in publications (or conference presentations), including joint authorship, funding agencies when applicable; and the University, School, and Department where the research was carried out.

8. Conduct themselves in a manner that promotes a research environment that is safe, and free from all forms of discrimination and harassment.

C. Thesis, Dissertation and Capstone Project Panel

1. Composition and Responsibilities of the Examination Panel

Ideally, the examination panel in the final oral defense should be the same members who assessed the proposal.

Type

Minimum No. of Members

Composition

External Member*

Responsibilities

Thesis / Capstone Project

3

1 (optional)

All panel members are expected to:

Dissertation

5

2 (Max)

1 (Required)

* not affiliated with the Ateneo de Manila University

2. The Panel Head

1. The Department Chair and/or Program Director assigns a Panel Head (PH) from one of the examination panel.

2. The PH serves as facilitator during the deliberations and examination of the thesis, dissertation and capstone project during the oral presentation and ensures that all members submit a final grade for the thesis / dissertation / capstone project at the end of the oral defense. If questions arise about the final grade, the PH clarifies the grade.

3. The PH collects the grade sheet from the examination panel and ensures its timely submission to the department chair/program director.

4. The PH should make sure that:

   1. the chosen venue or video conferencing platform is familiar and accessible to both examinees and examiners. A dry run to test both audio and video for a remote defense is conducted on both ends prior to the exam;

   2. contingency plans have been made in case of technical difficulties or emergencies (i.e., medical, natural calamities);

   3. the schedule (taking into account the time difference, if any) and rules during the oral defense are discussed to both the examinee and panelists to ensure that all other issues are addressed prior to the defense

   4. inform both parties if there are any changes in the schedule or rules in a timely manner

5. The primary adviser cannot be designated as Panel Head to avoid any potential conflicts of interest which may arise.  

3. The Reader(s)

Eligibility

Duties & Responsibilities

*A method specialist provides technical advice on the appropriate methodology to be used including the specific research design and specific technique to analyze either quantitative or qualitative data.

The reader(s) are expected to:

The reader must be accessible for consultation from the proposal stage up to the final defense and completion of the final manuscript, in coordination with the thesis adviser.  The reader is expected to provide meaningful and constructive criticisms, suggestions, and recommendations for the improvement of the student’s research work.

D. Publication Requirements

The new policy on publication and dissemination have been aligned with the CMO 15 series 2019 requirement.  However, please be reminded that this will only be applicable to students who are admitted into the Loyola Schools beginning SY 2022-2023. Departments and programs are reminded to check the school year when students are admitted into their programs to ensure proper advising as to the applicable policy concerning publication.

1. Early Dissemination of Dissertation/Thesis

Students sometimes have the opportunity to present or publish their scholarly work or ideas from the thesis, dissertation or capstone project before it  is successfully defended and presented to the examination panelists. 

Acceptance of a part of the dissertation/thesis for presentation or publication does not obligate the dissertation/thesis/capstone examination panel, the dean, or the University to accept the dissertation as fulfilling the degree requirements.

2. Conference Requirement Guidelines (if required by the program)

Papers should be presented in a non-predatory conference. The student must submit a certification from the organizing body. Use the ADGP 21 and submit together with the final manuscript for approval. 

3. Publication Requirement Guidelines

1. Peer reviewed, non-predatory journal article indexed in Scopus, Web of Science or fall under Category C list of publications of the corresponding School

2. Peer-reviewed Book/book chapter by non-predatory publisher indexed in Scopus, Web of Science or falls under Category C list of publishers of the corresponding School

3. For D/Ph.D.: The department/program may specify Scopus / Web of Science

4. The student must only submit to any of the approved list of academic publishers and journals in addition to those indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.

5. The student may submit either of the following using the ADGP 21 together with the final manuscript for approval:

• Email notification of submission and/or acceptance of the paper from the editor of the journal/publication; OR

• Screenshot of the published article.

4. Copyright

1. Attribution-No Derivatives CC-BY-ND: This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, and credit is with the student.

2. Copyright ownership means a student has the exclusive right to print, reprint, copy, sell and prepare derivative works based on his/her work. 

E. Implementation

The policies outlined in this memo shall take effect upon all newly admitted graduate students beginning SY 2022-2023. For all current students who have yet to enroll in 299.1/399.1 and 298/398, the policies in Sections A, B and C shall apply.  These policies do not apply to students whose thesis, dissertation and capstone project proposal has been approved when this memo was issued. 

Departments and programs are advised to check and follow their respective discipline-based PSGs should there be a higher set of requirements, including additional number of panel members and more stringent publication and dissemination requirements, than the ones prescribed in this memo.

OADGP Memo v08162022 New Policies Concerning Graduate Thesis, Dissertation, and Capstone Project