ERIC Number: EJ1047589
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0260-2938
EISSN: N/A
Assessing the Doctoral Thesis When It Includes Published Work
Sharmini, Sharon; Spronken-Smith, Rachel; Golding, Clinton; Harland, Tony
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, v40 n1 p89-102 2015
In this article we explore how examiners assess a thesis that includes published work. An online survey was used to gather data on approaches to assessing publication-based theses (PBTs). The respondents were 62 supervisors who had experience examining PBTs across a range of disciplines at a research-intensive university in New Zealand. Nearly half of the respondents had examined 'hybrid' theses with papers inserted as chapters, 41% had examined theses with publications appended and 14% had examined PhDs by publication (i.e. papers alone). Twenty-nine per cent of examiners used their own extended set of criteria to assess PBTs, 48% found them easier to assess but 26% wanted more guidance. Our analysis also indicated that 86% of the examiners were highly influenced by publications in top-ranked journals and international peer-reviewed journals. Among the concerns of the examiners was the intellectual input of the candidate in any multi-authored publication, as well as the coherence of the thesis. We recommend the need for clearer guidelines for doctoral candidates, supervisors and examiners managing PBTs.
Descriptors: Doctoral Degrees, Doctoral Dissertations, Doctoral Programs, Online Surveys, Writing for Publication, Supervisors, College Faculty, Experienced Teachers, Student Publications, Opinions, Examiners, Performance Factors, Educational Quality, Evaluation Criteria, Theses, Teacher Surveys, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Practices, Foreign Countries, Case Studies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A