Doctoral Thesis
According to the Carleton Graduate Calendar, the Doctoral Thesis must report the results of original research in an organized and scholarly fashion. The thesis must be a contribution to the advance of knowledge. It must demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, design, and implement research for the generation of new knowledge, applications, or understanding at the forefront of the discipline and adjust the research design or methodology considering unforeseen problems. All contributions must be identified in the initial chapter of the thesis (summarized in the abstract and conclusions of the thesis). All claims, particularly those about the originality, significance, correctness, and validation of the results, must be supported (through proper argumentation, formal proofs, references, empirical evidence, simulation, experimentation etc.). Scholarship and an in-depth understanding of the published state-of-the-art in the relevant research field must also be demonstrated. For this purpose, a section or chapter summarizing and discussing the state-of-the-art and detailed bibliography is recommended.
Throughout the thesis, all writings and works of others must be properly identified and referenced. Plagiarism (e.g., unreferenced paraphrasing or quoting) constitutes a serious academic offense. The Supervisor(s) have the right to refuse a thesis that does not meet the standard of quality discussed above or is poorly written (i.e., formatting or English grammar and spelling). It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that a well-written and grammatically correct thesis is submitted on time.
A thesis must be submitted and successfully defended at an oral examination within the program’s time limits. The expected completion time for the doctoral program is twelve terms from the initial registration. A thesis can only be submitted after all the other program requirements are satisfied (including courses, proposal, and comprehensive). Each student ensures they have satisfied all the other program requirements. Once registered in DATA 6909, a student must maintain continuous registration until completion. Failure to do so may result in losing status as a graduate student.
There are numerous links to follow to grasp various aspects of a Doctoral Thesis. The DSAAI program follows the rules, guidelines, procedures, requirements, deadlines, academic integrity, and formatting instructions of theses, including citations, illustrations, title page, abstract, summary, etc., as specified by Graduate Studies. These can be easily found by following the appropriate links on the Graduate Studies website under Thesis Requirements. There are some additional sets of procedures followed in the DSAAI program, and they will be detailed here. There are many relevant workshops that Graduate Studies organizes to assist you in writing and presenting research. Please make use of these workshops.
For details on the Thesis Examination, it is best to consult the Thesis Examination Policy and Thesis Policy Forms on the Graduate Studies website.
Note that it is often the case that the Thesis will include some published articles by the student, and there may be co-authors associated with these publications. Carleton University has an Integrated Thesis Policy. If your Thesis may have such content, it is best to refer to Section 12.4 of the General Regulations of the Graduate Calendar.
Constitution of the Thesis Examination Board
Membership of the Examination Board includes:
- An External Examiner from outside of Carleton University who is a recognized authority in the subject of the thesis and who has no conflict of interest with the candidate and the supervisor(s).
- An Internal Examiner from a department other than that of the candidate and who has been at arm’s length from the thesis research.
- Two members, one of which should a DSAAI Faculty member.
- Supervisor(s).
- Chair.
The Supervisor initiates the process of the formation of the Examination Board. After identifying the Board Members, the Supervisor informs the Graduate Administrator and the DSAAI Program Director about the possible composition of the Board. After consultation with the Supervisor(s), the DSAAI Director recommends membership of the Thesis Examination Board to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The DSAAI Director is also provided the abbreviated CV and justification for the appropriateness of the nominated external examiner in terms of expertise and conflict of interest.
Logistics
Formation of the Board and scheduling of the defence is an elaborate process, and several administrative bodies are involved. The Supervisor(s) initiates the whole process by submitting the PhD Thesis Defence Committee Specification form. Note that this form is due to the Graduate Administrator at least six weeks before the defence can take place. Graduate Studies has automated aspects of thesis submission via Carleton Central. It is important to follow those steps as well. Please consult the Electronic Thesis Deposit, where the student uploads the examination copy of the thesis and some relevant forms. The Supervisor, DSAAI Program Director, and Dean of Graduate Studies are asked to sign off electronically.
Thesis Submission Process
The student is expected to submit an electronic copy (and hard copies depending on the requirements of the Examination Board members) of the Thesis at least six weeks before the actual date of the thesis examination. Students must also submit a signed copy of the Academic Integrity Statement- Thesis Submission with the Thesis. Student submits the thesis to their Supervisor(s). The Supervisor(s) forwards the approved copy of the Thesis to the Graduate Administrator. Only after receiving all these documents does the Graduate Administrator forward the Thesis to all the members of the Examination Board. In addition to this, please also consult Electronic Thesis Deposit. The student uploads the examination copy of the thesis and some relevant forms via Carleton Central.
Scheduling of the Examination
The Supervisor(s) coordinates with all the members of the Examination Board (except the Chair) to arrive at a date for the Examination. The Supervisor communicates this to the Graduate Administrator through the Ph.D. Thesis Defence Committee Specification Form. Upon receipt of this form and all other documents (Thesis, Thesis Defence Authorization form, Academic Integrity Statement, etc.), the Graduate Administrator prepares a Notice of Thesis Examination.
The Dean of Graduate Studies writes to the external examiner to review procedures followed in the defence, to outline judgments to be made, and to ask that any major concerns be communicated in the report to be submitted at least one week in advance of the examination. Note that only after receiving all the relevant documents from the Dean of Graduate Studies does the Dean announce the examination date, time, and place. Any special arrangements for the participation of the examiners (telephone, videoconferencing, etc.) are included in the examination notice. As directed by the Dean Graduate Studies, the date of this announcement must be at least four weeks in advance of the date of the examination. Please respect all these deadlines.
The Examination
Please consult the Thesis Examination Policy document for a detailed overview of how the whole examination runs. This includes an in-camera session, the oral presentation, two rounds of questioning on the thesis, closing statements by the student, deliberations on the grades for the Thesis and Oral Examination, and the outcome. Note that the outcome of this examination is whether the Oral Defence is Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory; whether the Thesis is Accepted, Acceptable after minor revisions, Acceptable after major modifications, or Rejected; and whether the Thesis grade is Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Please consult the Thesis Examination Policy document to understand what these grades mean.
Final Submission
Thesis and Oral grades have further implications regarding submitting the final copy of the Thesis. Eventually, when the Thesis is ready after addressing all the minor and major changes, as required by the Examination Board, the student uploads the Thesis to Carleton Central for approval by the Supervisor(s). Once the Supervisor(s) approves the Thesis, it is forwarded to Graduate Studies. If Graduate Studies determines that the student has fulfilled all the requirements of the Ph.D., Graduate Studies transfers the Thesis to the Carleton Library and recommends to the Senate through the Faculty Board of Graduate Studies that the degree be awarded to the student. Please refer to the document on Thesis Examination Policy for all the logistics.