The Dissertation Requirement
Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin
Completing the dissertation is the final requirement for the Ph.D. In the Department of
Sociology, the dissertation can take one of two forms:
 The Book format follows the traditional dissertation style, with a single study or set of
studies presented as a single narrative in a monograph. The ultimate goal of this format
is to eventually submit the dissertation to a press as a book manuscript.
 The Articles format includes a minimum of three related but separate articles that can
stand alone but are presented together with a single introduction and conclusion. The
ultimate goal of this format is to eventually submit each of the dissertation articles,
individually, to journals.
The dissertation proposal must specify that the dissertation is to follow the Book format or the
Articles format. After the proposal defense, changing from one format to the other requires the
consent of the full dissertation committee. Regardless of format, the dissertation is expected to
follow three basic principles:
First, the dissertation should represent a program of research. A Book format dissertation is
supposed to have a unifying narrative, and the three-plus articles in the Articles format
dissertation must be linked around a theme that can be expressed in the introduction to the
dissertation and summarized in the conclusion.
Second, the dissertation should be independent scholarship. For both formats, co-authored work
should not be included as part of the dissertation, unless approved by the entire dissertation
committee prior to the proposal defense.
Third, the dissertation should represent new and original work. No chapter of the Book format
dissertation nor any article in the Articles format dissertation can be submitted to a journal or
press, accepted for publication, or published prior to the proposal defense. Students may submit
parts of their dissertation, in both formats, for review during the dissertation process but only
after the proposal defense and only with the approval of their committee. In the case that a
journal or press requests revisions before the dissertation defense, the dissertation committee
must be kept informed. Reviewers’ comments, suggested changes, and the student’s plan for
revisions should be shared with committee members and approved before revisions are enacted.
For any chapters or articles accepted during the dissertation process, regardless of format, the
student is solely responsible for securing necessary permissions from the copyright holder1.
1
In contacting the journal, the student must notify them that the dissertation will be made available on-line.
“Currently, electronic copies of dissertations are made globally available for research to scholars through
BePress/UMI and the University of Texas Digital Libraries. Access to dissertations is unrestricted unless the
Graduate Dean has approved a petition requesting restrictions.” (see Format Guidelines For Doctoral Dissertations
And Dissertation Abstracts from the UT Graduate School at: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/pdn/pdf/dissformat.pdf.)