The completion date of the dissertation is contingent on the student meeting the project's academic and scholarship criteria rather than job opportunities or other external factors. It also includes meeting editorial standards.
Finished dissertations will be uploaded to the NLU Digital Commons in electronic format and become publicly available documents.
Acceptable Dissertation Formats
Empirical Dissertations Empirical dissertations include an original evaluation of quantitative or qualitative data. Empirical studies include, but are not limited to, clinical outcome studies, group designs, case studies, single- subject designs, program development and program evaluation, programmatic needs assessment, measurement development, and correlational research. While most empirical studies will likely involve collecting original data, an original evaluation of existing data sources is also permissible (e.g., analysis of archival data, meta-analyses). Data is not limited to quantitative measures and qualitative reviews and can include clinically relevant sources of information such as therapy transcripts, recordings, and case notes. Qualitative Research Designs These dissertations utilize qualitative/pilot/descriptive/field/exploratory approaches. These studies employ a systematic collection of data and use qualitative analysis methods. Qualitative research is often based on interviews or observational data and involves descriptive coding of audio and video recorded material or transcripts. •
• Experimental and Quasi-experimental Research Designs
Experimental or quasi-experimental group designs are appropriate for dissertations. Studies involving clinical populations that examine test protocols or the effects of interventions are examples of the kinds of experimental designs that might be developed. Correlational Research Designs Correlational designs, commonly known as observational studies, are frequently employed in dissertations. These studies investigate relationships between variables without the researcher controlling or manipulating them. Examples include examining exposure and risk factors or comparing clinical and non-clinical samples on relevant variables. Surveys and archival data are frequently used data sources for these studies. •
• Quantitative Single Case Research Designs
Quantitative single-case research designs require repeated observations of some performance(s) over time within a single participant (or a small group of participants). Baseline data are collected on the performance under study before the intervention is made and compared with performance
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