18       STANDARD OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Each PhD researcher shall write a doctoral dissertation reflecting relevance, credibility, effectiveness, and legitimacy of the research. The dissertation must be an original and innovative contribution to knowledge that contributes to solving socioeconomic problems. To improve the quality of a doctoral dissertation, some regulations have been suggested in the following areas:
18.1
Selection of Research Area

The research area of the PhD researcher shall:
a.

Correspond to the community needs at regional and local levels and comply with the priority national research agenda
b.

Reflect the basic and pure research.
c.

Signify emerging areas of research that coincide preferably with sustainable development goals (SDGs
18.2

Quality in Reporting

The quality of presentation and reporting in dissertation shall reflect the following characteristics:
a.

The document is well written.
b.

The contents are balanced, well organized, appropriately styled; clearly structured, and well cohered; and
c.

The document is free from grammatical and spelling errors and flawed terminology.
d.
Minor shortcomings such as inaccurate use of acronyms and clumsy looking sentence structure have been addressed.
e.

Quantitative research proposals must include a valid statistical design for data analysis.
f.
Formatting shall be compatible with international standards.
18.3
Methodological Quality

To produce PhD researchers capable of conducting research independently, ensuring the technical soundness of their PhD dissertations is integral. The following guidelines shall be useful in making the PhD research methodologically sound:
A

Guidelines ensuring the quality of Qualitative Research: A PhD research dissertation, based on the Qualitative Research methods should satisfy, at least, the following questions:
a.

“Does the research, as reported, illuminate the subjective meaning, actions and contexts of those being researched?”
b.

“Is there evidence of the adaption and responsiveness of the research design to the circumstances and issues of real-life social settings met during the course of the study?”
c.
  
“Does the sample produce the type of knowledge necessary to understand the structures and processes within which the individuals or situations are located?”
d.

“Is the description provided detailed enough to allow the researcher or reader to interpret the meaning and context of what is being researched?’
e.

 “How are the different sources of knowledge about the same issue compared and contrasted?”
f.
“Are subjective perceptions and experiences treated as knowledge in their own right?”
g.
“How does the research move from a description of the data through quotation or examples to an analysis and interpretation of the meaning and significance of it?”
B
Guidelines ensuring the quality of Quantitative Research: A PhD dissertation with Quantitative Research methods should satisfy, at least, the following questions:
a.
Reliability – are the results repeatable?
b.
Validity – does it measure what it says?
c.

Internal validity – do the research results indicate what they appear to be?
d.

External validity – can the results be generalized to other settings (ecological validity) and to other populations (population validity?
e.

Replicability – are the results of the study reproducible?
18.4
Appropriateness of the Methods to the Aims of the Study

To achieve the research objectives, the alignment of the research approach and methods is necessary. Therefore, a PhD dissertation, at least, shall:
a.
Reflect a fair proportion of latest knowledge of contemporary techniques and methods in relation to study objectives.
b.

Contain detailed and easily comprehensible discussions regarding the applied methods and techniques.
c.

Justify the use of methods and techniques to achieve study objectives.
d.
Show evaluation of obtained results in relation to study objectives. And:
e.
The methods and techniques used should justify the results obtained.
f.
The obtained results should support the study objectives.
18.5
Relevance to the Policy and Practice

The research should have significantly answered questions related to policy and practice in that area, establishing its usefulness and usability. Accordingly, a PhD dissertation, at least, shall:
a.
Reflect judicious evaluation of study results in relation with policy related aims and goals undertaken while starting the research.
b.
Discuss the practical implications of the study results in association with the developing
c.

Establish usefulness of the study results for devising policy as stated in the beginning.
d.

Discuss how the resulting policy would be useful for the organization/society. And:
e.

The study output should be significant enough to be published or patented.
f.
The assessment of the results performed by the author must not be superficial and lacking substance.