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Publishing a Master’s Thesis: A Guide for Novice Authors

Robert g. resta.

1 Swedish Cancer Institute, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA USA

Patricia McCarthy Veach

2 Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA

Sarah Charles

3 Jefferson Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA USA

Kristen Vogel

4 Center for Medical Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL USA

Terri Blase

5 Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, IL USA

Christina G. S. Palmer

6 Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA USA

7 Department of Human Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA USA

8 UCLA Semel Institute, 760 Westwood Plaza, Room 47-422, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA

Publication of original research, clinical experiences, and critical reviews of literature are vital to the growth of the genetic counseling field, delivery of genetic counseling services, and professional development of genetic counselors. Busy clinical schedules, lack of time and funding, and training that emphasizes clinical skills over research skills may make it difficult for new genetic counselors to turn their thesis projects into publications. This paper summarizes and elaborates upon a presentation aimed at de-mystifying the publishing process given at the 2008 National Society of Genetic Counselors Annual Education Conference. Specific topics include familiarizing prospective authors, particularly genetic counseling students, with the basics of the publication process and related ethical considerations. Former students’ experiences with publishing master’s theses also are described in hopes of encouraging new genetic counselors to submit for publication papers based on their thesis projects.

Introduction

Scholarship is important for growth of a profession and for clinical care. For these reasons, the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) endorses scholarly activities through Practice Based Competency IV.5 (American Board of Genetic Counseling 2009 ). Boyer ( 1990 ) describes four types of scholarship (Scholarship of Discovery, Scholarship of Integration, Scholarship of Application, and Scholarship of Teaching), all of which are endorsed by ABGC and required of accredited genetic counseling training programs. The first three types of scholarship, which involve generating new knowledge or applying existing knowledge to an important problem, are the basis of the ABGC’s requirement that students in accredited programs engage in scholarship and complete a scholarly product. The ABGC defines a scholarly product to include: a master’s thesis, an independent research project, a literature review/case report, a formal needs assessment, design and implementation of an innovative patient, professional, or community educational program, and/or preparation of a grant proposal.

The purpose of this article is to encourage students to disseminate their scholarly work (except grant proposals) through a journal publication. This article was developed from an Educational Breakout Session (EBS) at the 2008 National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Annual Education Conference and draws upon the experiences of a past editor and current assistant editor of the Journal of Genetic Counseling ( JOGC ), a student mentor, and recent genetic counseling graduates who successfully turned their student thesis projects into peer-reviewed publications.

Engaging in scholarship is important for increasing genetic counselors’ self-knowledge, but dissemination of scholarship is essential for the growth of the genetic counseling field. McGaghie and Webster ( 2009 ) identify a wide range of types of scholarly products that promote broad dissemination of information, including peer-reviewed journal articles (e.g., original research, case reports, review articles), book chapters, books or monographs, edited books, essays, editorials, book reviews, letters, conference reports, educational materials, reports of teaching practices, curriculum description, videos, simulations, simulators, and web-based tutorials. As evidence of the importance of disseminating scholarship to the field of genetic counseling, dissemination of scholarly products is actively promoted by the NSGC, the major professional organization for the genetic counseling profession. A prominent example of NSGC’s commitment to dissemination is the JOGC , a professional journal devoted to disseminating peer-reviewed information relevant to the practice of genetic counseling. The success of this journal over nearly two decades is a strong indicator of the value genetic counselors place on publishing journal articles as an essential product of scholarship.

Individuals who have completed a master’s thesis or equivalent should consider publication. This “call to publish” student work is based on evidence that a large proportion of students engage in a scholarly activity with publication potential. A recent survey of 531 genetic counselors suggests that 75% of respondents fulfilled their scholarly activity requirement via a master’s thesis (Clark et al. 2006 ). Among this group, 21% classified their thesis as “hypothesis driven” and 20% classified it as a “descriptive study.” Although the research may be relatively small scale given the time and resource constraints of short training programs (≤2 years), it nonetheless offers a rich and varied source of information about the practice of genetic counseling that could be shared with the broader community through publication. Yet Clark et al. ( 2006 ) found that only 21.6% of respondents who completed a master’s thesis had submitted a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. It appears that many students do not submit their research for professional publication, perhaps due to a combination of time constraints, lack of mentoring and support, unfamiliarity with the publication process, lack of professional confidence, and fear of rejection (Clark et al. 2006 ; Cohen et al. 2008 ; Driscoll and Driscoll 2002 ; Keen 2006 ). Because this is one aspect of scholarship that has received limited attention, guidance regarding the details and vicissitudes of the publication process, and acknowledgement that master’s theses can be successfully published, are needed.

Of course, one might question why students should or would publish the results of their graduate work. The answer is complex, without a “one size fits all,” because scholarship can be intrinsically and/or extrinsically motivated. McGaghie and Webster ( 2009 ) describe intrinsic motives as including sharing knowledge, career advancement, status improvement, collegial approval, personal pleasure, and response to challenge; extrinsic motives include academic pressure, commitment to patient care, practice improvement, and promoting the use of new technologies. Although the reasons genetic counselors publish articles have not been empirically evaluated, Clark et al. ( 2006 ) (i) concluded that a substantial number of genetic counselors consider active involvement in research (a form of scholarship and precursor to publication) to be a core role, and (ii) found that respondents endorsed a range of intrinsic and extrinsic motives for their involvement in research. These reasons included interest in the subject, contributing to the field, personal development/satisfaction, diversifying job responsibilities, job requirements, lack of existing research on a particular topic, and career advancement. It is reasonable to infer that these reasons would extend to publication as well.

The work that culminates in a master’s thesis provides the basis for a professional journal article. However, writing a professional journal article differs from writing a master’s thesis. This article, therefore, provides practical ideas and considerations about the process for developing a master’s thesis into a peer-reviewed journal article and describes successful case examples. Research and publication occur in stages and include many important topics. Previous genetic counseling professional development articles have partially or comprehensively addressed the topics of developing and conducting a research project (Beeson 1997 ), writing a manuscript (Bowen 2003 ), and the peer-review process (Weil 2004 ). This paper expands on previous articles by describing the publication process and discussing publication ethics, with emphasis on aspects pertinent to publishing a master’s thesis. It is hoped that this article will encourage genetic counselors to publish their research.

The primary audience for this article is genetic counselors who are conducting a master’s thesis or equivalent or who completed a thesis in the last few years which remains unpublished. The secondary audience is other novice authors and affiliated faculty of genetic counseling training programs. Although the focus of this paper is on journal publications which are subject to a peer-review process (e.g., original research, clinical reports, and reviews), some of the basic information applies to a variety of publishing forms.

The Publication Process

Publish before it perishes.

Like produce and dairy products, data have a limited shelf life. Research results may be rendered marginal by new research, social changes, and shifts in research trends. For example, a study of patient reluctance to undergo genetic testing due to concerns about health insurance discrimination conducted in December 2007 would have been obsolete when the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (Pub.L. 110–233, 122 Stat. 881, enacted May 21, 2008) was enacted 5 months later. Or studies of whether patients think they might undergo testing if a gene for a particular condition were identified become less relevant once the gene is actually mapped and sequenced.

The hardest part about writing is actually writing. Making the time to sit down and compose a report of research findings is a very difficult first step. As noted in the three case examples, this is particularly true for a recent graduate whose time is occupied with searching for a new job, moving to a new city, and learning the details of a new job. However, the longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes, and the greater the risk that your data will grow stale. If you do not write it, the paper will likely not get written. The three case examples identify strong mentorship, ongoing communication with co-authors, constructive criticism, and commitment to publication by every author as key elements for successfully preparing a manuscript. The following sections describe basic processes for preparing a paper. See also Table  1 for helpful references about technical aspects of manuscript preparation.

Table 1

Selected Resources For Manuscript Preparation

Choosing a Journal

Research delivered to an inappropriate audience is ignored. Many journals publish genetic counseling research—as demonstrated by the three case examples—and therefore, choosing the right journal is critical (Thompson 2007 ). The first step is to decide who the audience should be. Is it important to reach genetic counselors? Medical geneticists? Or is the audience outside of the genetic counseling community? Some genetic counseling research is of interest to researchers in patient education, decision-making, or the social sciences. Clinicians such as surgeons, radiology technicians, psychologists, and family practice physicians might benefit from a greater understanding of genetic counseling and how it interfaces with their specialties.

The next step is to decide whether the journal is interested in the type of research conducted. For example, does the journal publish articles mostly on medical and clinical issues? Does it publish qualitative research? A description of the scope, aims, and types of research that are published is located in the “Instructions to Contributors” section on the web page of most journals. A look at the journal’s editorial board might also provide a good idea of a journal’s theoretical approaches, philosophical orientation, and research interests. Another strategy is to contact the journal’s editor or a member of the editorial board prior to submitting a manuscript to discuss the appropriateness of the manuscript for the journal. Many editors welcome such pre-submission contact since it reduces their workload of reading inappropriate manuscripts.

A journal’s “impact factor” may be important to some authors when considering where to publish a manuscript. The impact factor is a—perhaps imperfect—statistical measure of a journal’s importance. The impact factor was developed in the early 1960s by Eugene Garfield and Irving Sher and is technically defined as A/B, where A = the number of times articles published in that journal were cited and B = the number of citable articles published by the journal (letters and editorials are not usually citable articles) (Garfield 1994 ). An impact factor of one indicates that on average, articles published in the journal were cited once by other authors.

A journal’s impact factor can vary greatly from year to year, and its practical utility is widely debated (Andersen et al. 2006 ; Chew et al. 2006 ; Greenwood 2007 ; Ha et al. 2006 ; The PLoS Medicine Editors 2006 ). Genetic counselors often publish small studies and case reports. The journals that might publish such papers usually have impact factors of ten or less. Thus the impact factor may be a less important consideration for many genetic counselors when deciding where to publish.

A publisher’s copyright policy may also influence the choice of where to publish. The majority of publishers own the copyright (United States Copyright Office 2008 ) and authors do not have the right to copy, re-use, or distribute their own publications without buying reprints, which can be a significant source of income for publishers. Some journals, like the Public Library of Science (PLoS), are completely Open Access and make all articles fully available online. Other journals have Delayed Open Access, which makes articles publicly available after a specified period of time, often a year or two. Many journals, such as the JOGC , promote Hybrid Open Access in which authors, for a fee, can make their articles publicly available. Some journals will make select articles publicly available, usually those that attract media attention. For grant-funded research, consider the requirements of the funding source; some granting agencies require that the research results be made publicly available at some point.

Peer Review

Peer review is the process in which two or three experts evaluate a manuscript to determine whether it is worthy of publication. Peer review is the backbone of scholarly publishing; no research manuscript gets published until a team of reviewers and journal editors vets it. Ideally, reviewers are objective, constructively critical, open-minded, fair, and insightful. Some journals blind the reviewer to the author’s identity, in hopes that the authors’ reputations or professional relationships will not influence the review. Some journals will let authors suggest reviewers or request that certain people not review a manuscript. A journal’s peer review policies may be another important consideration in choosing where to submit a manuscript.

In practice, peer review is not always ideal (Benose et al. 2007 ; Curfman et al. 2008 ; Hames 2007 ; Wager et al. 2006 ). Nonetheless, no better or viable alternative has been proposed. Reviews may sometimes appear to be arbitrary, unfair, and poorly performed. Reading such reviews can be very difficult and frustrating, even for experienced authors. However, it is a reviewer’s job to be critical, and there may be elements of truth in even the most negative reviews. Some editors may be willing to send a manuscript to another reviewer if an original reviewer produces a harshly critical or poorly thought out critique. Some journals have a formal appeals process if a manuscript is rejected or an author feels a review is inaccurate, inappropriate, or biased. However, sometimes it is simply easier to submit the manuscript to a different journal. Case # 2 describes a successful example where submitting a manuscript to a different journal led to publication.

The manuscript rejection rate varies widely across journals, but about half of all manuscripts are rejected or require significant revisions (Armstrong et al. 2008 ; Hall and Wilcox 2007 ; Liesegang et al. 2007 ). About half of rejected manuscripts are published in other journals (Armstrong et al. 2008 ; Hall and Wilcox 2007 ; Liesegang et al. 2007 ). Even among articles that are accepted for publication, the vast majority will require significant revisions. All three case examples describe manuscripts that underwent significant revision. Thus, prospective authors should not be disheartened if a manuscript is rejected or needs extensive re-writing; this is the rule rather than the exception . Many editors are willing to work with authors who have questions about specific comments or how best to incorporate the reviewers’ suggestions. Busy journal editors would rather answer questions up front than have to laboriously edit a revised manuscript and send it back for further revisions.

Peer review, and the subsequent manuscript revisions, along with the number of manuscripts submitted to the journal, are probably the most critical bottlenecks in determining how long it takes before a manuscript appears in print. Typically, a year or more may pass from the time of submission to the publication date. The three case examples include their timeframes to highlight the need for perseverance and patience with the publication process.

The clearest way for authors to respond to editors’ and reviewers’ comments is to prepare a table that lists each comment and how the authors addressed them, item by item. Some reviewers’ comments may be inaccurate or simply unrealistic (e.g. “The authors should re-do the entire research study...”); these can be discussed in the table or in the cover letter that accompanies the table. Additional information about the peer-review process can be found in Weil ( 2004 ).

Acceptance!

Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, the publisher or the journal editor will send a copyright transfer statement that spells out ownership of the article. This statement must be signed and returned in short order before the manuscript will be published. The corresponding author will receive page proofs, usually electronically, which must be read by the author for accuracy and returned fairly quickly (usually 2–3 days). Many publishers are reluctant to make significant changes in the page proofs, and they may charge for substantial revisions. Thus, the version of the manuscript that is submitted to the journal before the page proofs are generated should be very close to what the author wishes to see in print. Usually at this time publishers will offer the author the option to purchase reprints to allow the author to share the publication with other researchers, co-authors, and colleagues. Some journals will provide a limited number of free reprints or a complimentary copy of the issue of the journal in which the paper appears. The steps in the publication process are summarized in Table  2 .

Table 2

Steps in the Publication Process

a ∼50% of manuscripts are rejected or require significant revision before being accepted for publication

Ethics of Publishing

“Scholarship (like life) is not always fair or precise.” (Thompson 1994 )

Manuscript preparation and submission for publication can be complicated by ethical issues. Many authors may not be aware of these ethical conundrums, let alone have a plan for addressing them. Ethics is not a stagnant concept. As research methodologies and research questions evolve, new ethical issues in publishing arise. This section contains a description of several issues broadly relevant to the publishing practice of genetic counselors, particularly as students or recent graduates. However, it is important for genetic counselors-as-authors to keep abreast of ethical issues relevant to their own work.

“Ethics” are principles that govern the behavior of individuals or groups (Merriam-Webster 1974 ). Ethical codes of conduct exist in order to preserve the integrity of a profession, ensure the public’s welfare, and protect scholars. Ethical issues particularly relevant to writing for publication, include: (1) authorship determination, (2) disclosure and conflicts of interest, (3) plagiarism, (4) subject confidentiality, (5) accuracy of information, and (6) publishing in multiple sources.

Authorship Determination

Consider the following situation: A student conducted an excellent study for her master’s thesis project. At the beginning of the project, her supervisor promised her that she would have first authorship on any manuscripts based on the project. However, when the time came to write the paper, the student procrastinated. Finally, after the supervisor repeatedly “nagged” her, she submitted a draft to her, but it was very poorly written. The supervisor decided the only way to salvage the paper was to totally rewrite it herself. Now the supervisor thinks that she deserves to be the first author. Is this ethical? Does it matter if the project was the student’s master’s thesis rather than a project in which she was voluntarily involved? Are there guidelines that might be implemented in advance to handle this kind of situation?

This complex situation may be all too familiar for many supervisors and students. It raises issues about valuing contributions to the publication process, the power differential between supervisors and students, determining when renegotiation of authorship is warranted, and setting expectations and priorities up front. Whenever manuscripts are authored by more than one individual, order of authorship should be negotiated as early in the process as possible. Only individuals who have actually contributed to the work should be listed as authors. Their order should indicate “...the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status” (Shadish 1994 ) (p. 1096). In the sciences, the first and last authors typically are the individuals that made the greatest contributions to the project (Laflin et al. 2005 ). Many journals require a listing of each author’s contribution to the manuscript in order to make sure each person meets the journal’s requirements to be listed as an author.

Student authors pose a special situation. Doctoral students usually are the first authors of papers based on their dissertation research (Nguyen and Nguyen 2006 ). Authorship order is less clear for masters’ projects because masters’ students may lack sufficient knowledge and skills to conduct a project and prepare a manuscript of publishable quality without considerable input from their supervisor (Shadish 1994 ). Thompson ( 1994 ) recommends that when there is any question as to who made the primary contribution, the student should receive higher authorship. His recommendation helps to protect the person who has less power in the situation. Often students are involved in studies that are not based on their own master’s or doctoral research, but rather are connected to an existing research program, such as case examples 1 and 2. In those situations, some authors contend that their involvement should be creative and intellectual in order to warrant authorship; otherwise, student input can be credited in an acknowledgement section (Fine and Kurdek 1993 ; Holaday and Yost 1995 ; Thompson 1994 ).

Negotiating authorship is an important step that should begin in the initial stages of a project. This step usually involves assessing and agreeing upon each person’s tasks, contributions, and efforts. The amount of supervision required for an individual’s contributions is usually considered as well (Fine and Kurdek 1993 ). Sometimes renegotiation of authorship order is necessary due to unexpected changes and/or substantial revision of the manuscript. The key is to remember that authorship is negotiated. Questions to consider throughout this negotiation process include: Who had the original idea for the basis of the publication? Who designed and conducted the study that generated the data? Who will write most of the first draft of the paper? Is the study part of someone’s research lab? Students should maintain early and on-going communication with their co-authors about their investment of time and efforts and the outcomes of those efforts (Sandler and Russell 2005 ). However, scholarly contribution is more important than actual time and effort expended when determining authorship. For more information regarding authorship determination, it may be useful to review guidelines for discussing and clarifying authorship order (Gibelman and Gelman 1999 ) or developing individualized contracts for research collaboration (Stith et al. 1992 ). These guidelines also may be useful for initiating discussion of authorship as part of the curriculum in genetic counseling training programs.

Take another look at the authorship scenario. At the time of the original negotiation of authorship, it is likely that the supervisor (and other parties) believed the student warranted first authorship due to her creative contributions and time allotted to the study. In most authors’ minds, first authorship is equated with substantial contribution to writing the manuscript, usually the first draft, so it is important the student understand this is part of the responsibilities of being first author. Typically students have no experience writing a journal article, and so some procrastination is likely. In this scenario, the authorship dilemma may have been averted by having in place a plan to mentor the student, providing support, and delineating a specific process for writing the first draft of the manuscript.

Manuscripts invariably undergo substantial revision as co-authors and reviewers weigh in, so it is not unusual that the supervisor would revise the student’s first draft. This activity does not prima facie warrant a change in authorship order. However, by developing a specific plan to support the student’s writing, it may minimize the extent of the supervisor’s revisions. It is possible, though, that the student’s procrastination and poor writing should initiate a renegotiation of authorship order because the level and nature of her contributions to the work may be changing. The supervisor and student should discuss the reasons for changing authorship order; the supervisor should not unilaterally make this change without discussion. Keep in mind that the bar for changing authorship should be much higher if the paper is based on the student’s master’s thesis than if it is based on a project in which she was voluntarily involved. It is also important to inform students early in the process that most research is a collaborative effort, requiring time, energy, and sometimes funding, and therefore their collaborators have expectations that their contributions will be rewarded through publication. Developing an a priori policy for renegotiation may often reduce misunderstandings and minimize conflict.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Consider the following situation: A student conducted a study to evaluate a new program that her clinic is offering to its patients. She interviewed ten patients who participated in the program about their experience. Nine of these patients were in general agreement about the value of the program, while the 10th patient was quite negative about her experience. The student’s impression of this patient is that she is a generally negative person. The student believes that the patient came into the program expecting not to like it. Furthermore, the student is concerned her clinic will lose funding for this program if she reports this patient’s responses. The student decides to exclude her data from the paper. Is this decision ethical? Why or why not?

One ethical issue raised in this scenario involves determining when it is appropriate to exclude data points. Data collected from research can be messy, and it is not unusual for some data points to be excluded from analyses. However, there must be an explicit methodology for excluding data points or subjects, and this information usually is reported in the manuscript. Examples for exclusions include: missing data (e.g., a participant did not complete a majority of the items on a questionnaire); measurement error (e.g., the recorded measurement of a biological process or part of the anatomy is simply impossible); small sample sizes (e.g., an insufficient number of individuals from a minority group participated in the research resulting in numbers too small for meaningful analysis). In the scenario described above, the rationale provided for excluding the 10th patient’s experience is not sufficient to warrant exclusion. Instead, it appears that exclusion of this individual is based on a desire to promote the new program in the student’s clinic. In order to eliminate this form of conflict of interest, one could consider involving a clinic outsider in the analysis and interpretation of the data. By including a clinic outsider in the project, editor and reviewer concerns about the integrity of the data, analyses, and conclusions will be allayed.

Most journals provide another “safeguard,” by requiring a statement about possible conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest statement requires the author to acknowledge in writing the nature of any circumstances that might bias the process and/or outcome of their work. For example, any project and published report that might result in direct financial gains for an author(s) should be disclosed to a journal’s editor and to the readership. Examples of possible conflicts of interest include conducting a study of the effectiveness of a genetic test funded by the company that developed and is marketing the test, or a program evaluation study whose outcome would determine the continuation of the investigators/authors’ jobs.

Plagiarism is a familiar concept to most people. Everyone generally understands the importance of “giving credit where credit is due.” Yet, the National Science Foundation estimates that the prevalence of plagiarism may be as high as 50% (Roig 2001 ). Probably many of these incidents are unintentional and/or occur because the authors were unaware of some of the nuances regarding plagiarism. Although there is some variability within and across disciplines about the specific behaviors that constitute plagiarism, there is general agreement about two broad types (Roig 2001 ): cryptamnesia -an individual thinks their idea is original when it actually was presented by someone else previously; and inappropriate paraphrasing —an individual uses another person’s published text without properly citing that use, and/or using their statements with little or no modification. Specific examples of inappropriate paraphrasing include: (1) publishing another person’s work as one’s own; (2) copying part of another author’s paper and claiming it as one’s own; (3) copying text from another source without using quotations marks and without citing that source in the text; (4) paraphrasing text from another source without providing an in-text citation; (5) summarizing material from another source without clearly connecting the summary to that source; and (6) using copyrighted materials without author/publisher permission (East 2006 ; Lester and Lester Jr. 1992 ).

Additional types of plagiarism include ambiguous use of citations. For instance, an individual includes a citation in a paragraph but does not clearly indicate which content in the paragraph is from the cited work. Another type of plagiarism is self-plagiarism . Self-plagiarism occurs when an individual includes published work of their own for which they do not own the copyright (e.g., reprinting a table from one of their previously published papers); repeating verbatim text from a previously published article. Permission to reprint material from the publisher must be obtained.

Plagiarism is a serious ethical breach which can result in a legal penalty. Strategies for avoiding plagiarism include limiting the use of direct quotes; avoiding the use of secondary sources—it is always better to read and cite an original source when available; and restating ideas in one’s own words while providing in-text citation of the work that contains the original ideas (East 2006 ; Lambie et al. 2008 ; Lester and Lester Jr. 1992 ). When in doubt regarding the originality of one’s words, it is best to cite the source(s) on which they are based. In this regard, it may help to bear in mind that readers will assume all words in the paper are the author’s unless the source(s) are cited.

Subject Confidentiality

Published papers must be written in a way that no subjects can be recognized by others without their written consent (Gavey and Braun 1997 ). Given the unique nature of genetics, family members may also need to provide written consent (McCarthy Veach et al. 2001 ). When possible, identifying information should be removed or disguised (e.g., use of pseudonyms) and data based on multiple subjects should be reported in aggregate (group) form. Institutional review boards (IRBs) play a critical role in assuring protection of subject confidentiality. Many journals require authors to indicate either in the paper or a cover letter that they have obtained institutional review board approval to conduct their animal or human subjects study. In some cases, an ethics board may have been consulted regarding ethical dilemmas reported in a clinical paper and this should be acknowledged in the paper.

Accuracy of Information

Authors are responsible for rigorously checking the accuracy of their facts, data, and conclusions. However, despite one’s best efforts, substantial errors sometimes are not discovered until after a paper is published. In that case, the corresponding author should contact the journal immediately and ask that an erratum be published. On a related note, authors have a professional responsibility to make data sets reported in published papers available to other professionals. This practice allows for verification of the findings and conclusions, and it also makes possible research replications and extensions of the original study. The length of time for retaining research records depends on institutional policy and sponsor policy, so it is important to be aware of how these policies apply to the research generated by a master’s thesis. Often institutional review boards require researchers to state how long they will maintain a data set, and the researchers must adhere to that time frame.

Another accuracy issue concerns modifying and reporting the use of published material (e.g., an interview protocol, psychological instrument, curriculum) without clearly describing the precise nature of the modifications. Interpretation of findings and their comparison to other studies using the “same” instrumentation may be severely compromised when an author fails to report modifications. Further, professional courtesy suggests that permission be sought from the author before changing her or his material. Also, use of published material requires crediting the author(s) of that material by including relevant citations.

Publishing in Multiple Sources

In the sciences, a manuscript should not be under review by more than one journal at a time. It is, however, acceptable to submit material for presentation at a conference prior to its actual publication in a journal, as the authors in case examples 1 and 3 did. Some conferences publish proceedings , and some journals will not publish work that is already published in a Proceedings unless the two papers differ substantially. When in doubt, it is good practice to contact a journal’s editor to determine the journal’s policy. Journals typically only publish original work, but on occasion there may be interest in reprinting an article. Reprinting a previously published paper requires written permission from the owner of the publication copyright. As a matter of courtesy, one should also seek the corresponding author’s permission, even if the author does not own the copyright.

Examples of Success

The benefits of sharing knowledge within the medical community and with the public via publication have been delineated. The publication of original work contributes to the advancement of the genetic counseling field overall, and at the individual level, authorship establishes a level of professional credibility, enhancing opportunities for future employability, funding and job satisfaction. The opportunity to develop a genetic counseling master’s thesis into a manuscript should therefore not be overlooked. Below are the personal accounts of three recent graduates who successfully transformed their individual master’s theses into published manuscripts. These examples were not systematically ascertained, and as such, do not necessarily represent all experiences with trying to publish a master’s thesis. These stories provide “first-hand accounts” of the authors’ experiences and, while acknowledging the challenges, demonstrate commitment to publishing their own projects throughout their careers. Table  3 contains a list of helpful hints gleaned from these cases.

Table 3

Helpful Hints for First Time Authors

Case 1: Consider Writing Your Thesis and Journal Article Concurrently

As a result of personal determination, and above all, strong mentorship, I was able to turn my master’s thesis work into a manuscript published in Patient Education and Counseling , titled “Satisfaction with genetic counseling for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations among African American women” (Charles et al. 2006 ). My work was a small component of an existing research project being conducted within a university academically affiliated with my genetic counseling training program. The project was an evaluation of the overall effects of “Culturally Tailored vs. Standard Genetic Counseling Protocol” among African American women.

I started by reviewing previous publications this group of researchers had produced and using these as a guide for my first draft, followed by multiple revisions. Approximately 17 months elapsed between first submission and publication. We submitted the manuscript in its original form in May 2005. We received the reviewers’ comments later that summer, and submitted revisions five months later. The article was accepted in that same month, published online five months later and in print seven months after the online version appeared. Shortly after graduating from my program I submitted an abstract of the work to NSGC for presentation at the 2005 Annual Education Conference, and subsequently learned that it was selected for the NSGC Beth Fine Student Abstract award.

My experience may be unusual because I worked on the manuscript and thesis project concurrently. Composing separate but related documents while still juggling second year genetic counseling student responsibilities was certainly a challenge. Preparing a comprehensive thesis project is a very different task than manuscript composition, the latter of which is more focused and narrow in scope. Challenges posed by this concurrent approach included ensuring that text requirements and deadlines specific to each document were met, as well as incorporating and addressing the reviews of both the training program and peer-reviewers. The main benefits of this approach were that I was still in school and therefore geographically close to my mentors, which facilitated ongoing communication throughout the process, and that the manuscript was under review by a journal before I started my new job.

Factors contributing to the successful publication of this project include mentorship, accountability, and commitment to publication by every author. Supportive, constructively critical, and well published, my mentors had high standards and knew the process. Frankly, I did not want to disappoint them. I found setting deadlines and meeting them, along with the accountability of in-person meetings (as opposed to email), to be effective approaches. Finally, publishing the project was a stated goal of the authors at the initiation of the project. I will not claim that the process was easy, but the goal is certainly attainable and worthwhile.

Case 2: You Need Not Publish Every Thesis Finding—Pick The Most Interesting and Relevant

As is the case for many graduate students, the first time I attempted to publish was after I completed my thesis. My thesis concerned the development of a minority research recruitment database and was the result of my graduate research on underserved populations.

Following graduation, I started my first job as a genetic counselor in a new city. During the overwhelming process of adjusting to “my new life,” my thesis advisor asked me to submit a manuscript to the American Journal of Public Health in response to a call for abstracts on genetics topics. Unfortunately, the deadline was only one week away. I scrambled to cut down my lengthy thesis to a reasonable length and submitted it, knowing that it was not my best work given the time constraint. Needless to say, it was rejected.

I decided that before resubmitting the manuscript to a different journal, I would need to take a different approach to the paper, more or less starting over. While my research results were interesting, they were limited in their application. I decided to publish instead on the success of our research initiative, as other researchers could learn from our process. Since I was changing the focus of the manuscript, I had to do an additional literature search and produce much of the writing from scratch. Most of this work had to be completed in my free time. While it was difficult to stay motivated, working on my manuscript when first starting a job was manageable as my caseload was lightest in the beginning. After several weeks of hard work, I submitted the manuscript to Health Promotion Practice .

About one month later, the editor contacted me and asked me to resubmit my manuscript with revisions. Three different reviewers provided feedback. Initially, it was overwhelming to read through their comments and frustrating, particularly when the reviewers contradicted each other. Despite my frustration, with my co-authors’ guidance I forged ahead and resubmitted, only to have the editor and reviewers ask for additional revisions. There were comments from the same three reviewers, however, far fewer in number. Still, I was beginning to think they would never accept the manuscript. I once again called upon my co-authors for guidance and was able to address the reviewers’ comments and resubmit the manuscript once again.

This time when I heard from the editor, the manuscript was finally accepted. What started out as a 120 page thesis ended up being published as an eight page paper (Vogel et al. 2007 ). It took approximately 8 months of writing and revising before the manuscript was finally accepted and an additional year before it came out in print. While the entire process was a true test of patience and determination, it was ultimately worth it. The experience gave me the foundation to carry on my research career and continue to publish successfully.

Case 3: Expectations and Mentorship are Crucial

I defended my thesis, received my Master’s degree, and was about to move back to the Midwest to start my new job as a genetic counselor, but my long “To-Do” list had one remaining item: Publish master’s thesis. I started the initial master’s thesis process with the expectation from one of my thesis advisors, and now a co-author, that research is not “put down and set aside” until published. I never questioned the process; if I was going to work with this advisor, I would be publishing. I was excited to undertake this challenge and impressed by my thesis advisor’s dedication, mentorship, and desire to see our hard work recognized. Nearly two years later, I could proudly say that this expectation, held by all of my thesis advisors and me, was accomplished. The manuscript, published in the JOGC , describes qualitative research regarding communication of genetic test results within a family (Blase et al. 2007 ).

In the beginning, I was unfamiliar with the publication process, but because of the support and guidance of my advisors, I began to learn the process, and so the frustrations and uncertainties were minimal. I also had a great working relationship with my co-authors that included communicating regularly and setting and meeting deadlines. After deciding the JOGC was the most appropriate venue for my research, I spent a good deal of time reducing and reformatting the 80 page thesis to a 20–25 page manuscript to meet the journal’s guidelines. Given the page constraints, this process necessitated determining which data to focus on and re-framing some information to appropriately fit the readers of my selected journal. Conversations with my advisors were instrumental in this phase.

There was nothing quick about publishing my master’s thesis. I graduated in June 2005, received an email shortly thereafter from one of my advisors about how to begin constructing a first draft of a manuscript, and began working on the manuscript in July 2005. I submitted the manuscript to JOGC in May 2006 and subsequently was informed by the editor that based on the reviews, revisions were required before the manuscript could be considered for publication. In September 2006, after two rounds of revisions, my manuscript was accepted, and by June 2007 it was published in the journal.

Although ultimately I was successful in publishing my master’s thesis, the process had its moments of frustration. I remember getting my first round of comments from the reviewers; I thought I was never going to get to the point of publication. My co-authors supported and encouraged me by explaining that revisions are truly part of the process. I was overwhelmed by the reviewers’ list of questions and changes after my initial submission, followed by additional reviews and revisions. Not only did I have to figure out how to keep the manuscript a priority in light of my new job, but I had to weed through and address the reviewers’ comments, and the suggestions of each co-author. The guidance of my thesis advisors, now co-authors, helped me navigate this process.

I have gained much through this experience. The process has opened doors for me including opportunities to work with other professionals with impressive publishing experiences, as well as speaking and poster presentation opportunities at national conferences. I also have greater confidence about the publishing process. What seemed like such a daunting and impossible task is now an attainable outcome. Although my master’s thesis was my most recent publication, the thought of taking on the publication process again is not nearly as intimidating as I once thought.

Publication of original research, clinical experience, and literature reviews are vital to the growth of the genetic counseling field and to the delivery of genetic counseling services. Publishing also promotes personal growth by counting toward maintenance of ABGC-certification as well as establishing the author as a credible and respected authority both within and outside the genetic counseling field. This professional recognition in turn can lead to employment opportunities, speaking engagements, research funding, and career advancement.

Submitting a manuscript for publication also can be an intellectually challenging, emotionally trying, and time-consuming task. But similar to life’s other difficult tasks, the rewards and satisfaction are commensurately great—to see your name in print, have your work cited by other authors, and know that you have contributed in a meaningful way to the practice and understanding of genetic counseling. Transforming a master’s thesis into a journal article is an obvious first step in developing and sustaining a commitment to publishing for our genetic counseling profession. Common themes in the three success experiences include the importance of mentorship and clear expectations for publishing, recognition of the length of the process and concomitant need for perseverance in the face of revisions, awareness of personal and professional benefits in terms of presentations at national meetings, awards, and motivation to continue publishing. Hopefully the information provided in this article will help to de-mystify the publishing process, promote consideration of ethical issues in publishing, and stimulate genetic counseling students and new graduates to embrace a “Publish for Success” philosophy.

Acknowledgments

This paper was developed from an Educational Breakout Session (EBS) sponsored by the Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship Advisory Group at the 2008 NSGC Annual Education Conference.

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

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Finding Dissertations and Theses

• IU Dissertations
• Bibliographies
• Other Resources

Ask a Librarian

Kristina Bradley-Khan, Nickoal Eichmann, Emily Okada, Keila DuBois, Alyssa Denneler.

Based on a document created by Sarah Mitchell in 2010

Created: February 2013

A Guide to Finding Dissertations

Dissertations are book-length works based on a PhD candidate's original research that are written as requirements for the doctoral degree. Theses are similar but shorter texts that are written by students working towards Master's and sometimes Bachelor's degrees.  Both dissertations and theses offer researchers valuable insights and analysis of all subjects. They can also be useful in leading to other resources as part of your own research.

Click on the tabs at the top of this page for information about specific resources and useful search techniques for finding dissertations. You can also navigate using the "Guide Contents" links on the left side of the page.

If you encounter difficulties in obtaining full-texts of dissertations or theses, consult a librarian. The "Ask A Librarian" instant message widget is located on the left of every page underneath the tabs.

Getting Started

Know what you're looking for (mostly)?

When looking for a specific dissertation, you need some or all of the following:

Just looking for a certain subject area?

When looking for dissertations in a specific subject area, you may need a variety of search terms and limiters. For example:

Where to Search

In general, start your search in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. If you are looking for an IU dissertation and cannot find it in ProQuest, search ScholarWorks. If it is not in ScholarWorks, search IUCAT.

Comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, including millions of works from thousands of universities. Each dissertation published since July, 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts. Simple bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1637.

Includes the following: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: UK & Ireland ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: A & I ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: CIC Institutions

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So you have to write a thesis...

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The number one rule for writing your thesis is  be organized .  This may be different for everyone, but here is the basic structure (see red slides below) on what your masters thesis or dissertation should include. Also included are videos, books, writing tips, websites, and articles that may assist you.  

Your specific discipline may have specific requirements for you to follow. Please consult with your thesis advisor whenever you have questions.

If you are having trouble with research please do not hesitate to reach out to a librarian (see the Stuck? page for contact information).

This video was created by Lund University in Sweden and is a great resource.  Please keep in mind that they use slightly different words for their sections such as "summary" instead of "conclusion", but the content that should be included is the same and the way they explain it is succinct and accurate. 

This video by Massey University (New Zealand) is a recorded lecture on how to write a thesis with several examples and good advice throughout. Please keep in mind that here too, some of the vocabulary is different but the content is useful. 

• Basic Thesis Guide by Dr. Kendra Gaines, University of Arizona
• Guidelines for Writing a Thesis or Dissertaion
• If you're in the humanities this would be the heart of your research. For example if you were comparing Game of Thrones  to Shakespeare, instead of beginning with an introduction, you would jump into where you are comparing them. 
• Instead of sitting in front of your computer every day for 2 hours with writer's block, try to write daily with well defined writing goals - I'm going to write 2 pages, or create a table, etc. 
• If you miss a day, do not try to make up for it the next day. Just keep going and don't burn yourself out. Keep yourself to reasonable, realistic goals and make sure to keep a work-life balance.
• Don't worry about perfect grammar when you're doing your first draft(s).  That's easy to edit, generating new content with perfect style? Not as easy. 
• Try to keep some kind of memo pad with you at all times - on your phone, on paper, however works for you for those flashes of brilliance when you're not near your document.
• Make sure you communicate with your supervisor - do not be afraid to reach out!  Make sure you're on the right track.
• If you're research based make sure you have a clearly defined question your thesis will answer, including milestones. 
• Make and outline, including bullet points for your data/arguments in each section. This may change over time but it will help you keep track of what data needs to be collected and what information needs to be included in each chapters .
• Include all your results, not just the results that support your hypothesis - this is called cherry picking.  Be transparent. 
• Read and look at other theses in your field - this can help inspire you and answer questions as you go along. You can do this in the library, or online by visiting our dissertation databases . You can also check out Google Scholar to see what's available there. 
• How to Write a Thesis Without Losing Your Mind - Risto Sarvas

There are several places to find dissertations. Here are a few:

• V isiting our dissertation databases
• Google Scholar  
• PQDT Open  - theses and dissertations freely available on the web
• EBSCO Open Dissertations

We all hit times when we need support, especially with long and large projects like theses and dissertations. Here are some places you can go to get help:

"Your Dissertation Supervisor: Yes, your supervisor is incredibly busy, but that does not mean zhe does not want to provide you with all the encouragement and support you need to get to the dissertation finish line. Always make your supervisor your first line of defense when you are struggling. To make the best of an appointment, write down your concerns or questions beforehand and be ready to ask for specific, actionable forms of support.

Dissertation Support Group : Social media and Facebook groups are a fantastic source of motivation for anyone involved in graduate studies (especially if you are learning virtually and cannot benefit from the support of classmates in person). This one is a good platform for sharing survey/interview requests, asking questions about research, commiserating and celebrating success and challenges with other grad students, and even sourcing books and article. It is a private group with students from all disciplines participating.

Phinished : Intended for both masters and doctoral students (despite the title), this online forum is a discussion and support group for students who cannot seem to finish their dissertations or theses. It is free to join and offers a fantastic connection to other students around the world.

@AcademicChatter on Twitter : By joining this Twitter community, you get to connect with grad students, ECRs, & senior academics, all of whom are ready and willing to swap stories, offer advice, participate in research, share opportunities, and just be generally supportive.

ReadWritePerfect : If you need more help than your supervisor, friends, and social media can provide, you might want to consider dissertation coaching. A coach can help with everything from writing and career advice to motivation and time management. This particular coach taught grad students at ESU for 5 years, and is a reliable, trustworthy option."

-- resources and words from Dr. Jennifer Harrison at   ReadWritePerfect

University's Admissions and Financial Aid Team : If you need assistance with financial aid questions or concerns, the University's Admissions and Financial Aid Team should definitely be your first port of call. They can help you calculate costs, create a budget, and identify and apply for scholarships, grants, and other forms of aid.

Edvisors : Edvisors is a loan comparison site, but in this 2020 article, they also provide a comprehensive overview of all of the different forms of graduate school funding available, from federal student aid to military aid and graduate assistantships. It’s a good place to start as you compile your personal funding plan.

Financial Aid for Graduate or Professional Students : Federal Student Aid is obviously one of the top sources of graduate funding. This official brochure helps you understand how this form of aid works. It also contains a ton of additional links and resources.

Inside Higher Ed : This online higher-education-focused magazine is fantastic browsing for anyone thinking of entering (or already nvolved with) graduate studies. This article provides practical advice on personal investments during graduate studies, to help you plan for the future.

-- resources and words from Dr. Jennifer Harrison at  ReadWritePerfect

Career and Workforce Development : Here at ESU, we know that your degree is just the start of your professional journey, so we have invested in a dedicated team to help you shape and meet your career goals. Make an appointment for help with everything from deciding on a career path to completing job applications and writing resumes.

CollegeXpress : When you have graduate-student level qualifications and expectations, job searching becomes both more complex and more rewarding. Learn some top tips on a successful grad student job search in this article from CollegeXpress.

Inside HigherEd : If you are a first-generation grad student, you may not be able to turn to family members for advice on moving from degree to job. This article from Insider HigherEd offers six key pieces of advice and is written by a first-generation grad student who knows what she is talking about.

Professional Organizations: As well as relying on generic job-search boards (like Indeed or Glassdoor), remember that as a graduate student, there is a professional field you can turn to when job hunting. Professional Organizations (such as the American Nurses Association for nursing students or the National Association of Police Organizations for criminal justice students) offer a community of others in your field who can (and frequently do) share news about upcoming positions. You might also want to consider reaching out to other professionals through Linkedin and advertising your availability for work in your field.

ESU Writing Studio : The writing studio isn’t just for undergraduates! If you need help with your grammar or formatting, drop in and see if we can help you out.

Grammarly : There’s no shame in needing some help with grammar and expression. Grammarly is a free tool that is more powerful than many in-built word-processor grammar checks. It will help you catch most obvious mistakes before you share your work with the world.

Purdue OWL : This online writing lab offered by Purdue University has become well-known for it’s free, online writing guides and how-to articles. Their free guides to MLA, APA, and CMS style are regularly updated, free, and comprehensive – and using them is much more accurate than relying on a citation tool that might make mistakes.

Scribendi : If you need comprehensive help with proofreading or a professional eye on your organization, expression, research paper structure, and so on, you could try this paid online editing service. The editors are all carefully vetted, highly qualified, and well-trained. They specialize in specific academic writing support, including ESL editing.

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Reference management. Clean and simple.

The top list of academic search engines

1. Google Scholar

4. science.gov, 5. semantic scholar, 6. baidu scholar, get the most out of academic search engines, frequently asked questions about academic search engines, related articles.

Academic search engines have become the number one resource to turn to in order to find research papers and other scholarly sources. While classic academic databases like Web of Science and Scopus are locked behind paywalls, Google Scholar and others can be accessed free of charge. In order to help you get your research done fast, we have compiled the top list of free academic search engines.

Google Scholar is the clear number one when it comes to academic search engines. It's the power of Google searches applied to research papers and patents. It not only lets you find research papers for all academic disciplines for free but also often provides links to full-text PDF files.

• Coverage: approx. 200 million articles
• Abstracts: only a snippet of the abstract is available
• Related articles: ✔
• References: ✔
• Cited by: ✔
• Links to full text: ✔
• Export formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver, RIS, BibTeX

BASE is hosted at Bielefeld University in Germany. That is also where its name stems from (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine).

• Coverage: approx. 136 million articles (contains duplicates)
• Abstracts: ✔
• Related articles: ✘
• References: ✘
• Cited by: ✘
• Export formats: RIS, BibTeX

CORE is an academic search engine dedicated to open-access research papers. For each search result, a link to the full-text PDF or full-text web page is provided.

• Coverage: approx. 136 million articles
• Links to full text: ✔ (all articles in CORE are open access)
• Export formats: BibTeX

Science.gov is a fantastic resource as it bundles and offers free access to search results from more than 15 U.S. federal agencies. There is no need anymore to query all those resources separately!

• Coverage: approx. 200 million articles and reports
• Links to full text: ✔ (available for some databases)
• Export formats: APA, MLA, RIS, BibTeX (available for some databases)

Semantic Scholar is the new kid on the block. Its mission is to provide more relevant and impactful search results using AI-powered algorithms that find hidden connections and links between research topics.

• Coverage: approx. 40 million articles
• Export formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX

Although Baidu Scholar's interface is in Chinese, its index contains research papers in English as well as Chinese.

• Coverage: no detailed statistics available, approx. 100 million articles
• Abstracts: only snippets of the abstract are available
• Export formats: APA, MLA, RIS, BibTeX

RefSeek searches more than one billion documents from academic and organizational websites. Its clean interface makes it especially easy to use for students and new researchers.

• Coverage: no detailed statistics available, approx. 1 billion documents
• Abstracts: only snippets of the article are available
• Export formats: not available

Consider using a reference manager like Paperpile to save, organize, and cite your references. Paperpile integrates with Google Scholar and many popular databases, so you can save references and PDFs directly to your library using the Paperpile buttons:

Google Scholar is an academic search engine, and it is the clear number one when it comes to academic search engines. It's the power of Google searches applied to research papers and patents. It not only let's you find research papers for all academic disciplines for free, but also often provides links to full text PDF file.

Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature developed at the Allen Institute for AI. Sematic Scholar was publicly released in 2015 and uses advances in natural language processing to provide summaries for scholarly papers.

BASE , as its name suggest is an academic search engine. It is hosted at Bielefeld University in Germany and that's where it name stems from (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine).

CORE is an academic search engine dedicated to open access research papers. For each search result a link to the full text PDF or full text web page is provided.

Science.gov is a fantastic resource as it bundles and offers free access to search results from more than 15 U.S. federal agencies. There is no need any more to query all those resources separately!

• Find Dissertations & Theses

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University of Colorado Boulder

Per the University of Colorado Boulder Records Retention Schedule , departments are to retain thesis and dissertation records indefinitely; you may wish to contact the relevant department directly. Questions about changing or taking down a thesis or dissertation should be directed to the Graduate School and/or the degree-granting department.

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• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Collection of dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day, with simple bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1637. Contains both full-text and abstract only. Some indexing of Dissertations and Theses content included in Web of Science. Includes ProQuest Dissertations and Theses at The University of Colorado System and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses at University of Colorado Boulder (full text 1997 to present.)
• CU Scholar CU Scholar contains CU Boulder theses and dissertations that authors have opted in to making publicly available from 2012 to present. CU Scholar is a collaborative service of the University Libraries that provides free and worldwide access to research and scholarship created by the University of Colorado Boulder community.
• CU Scholar Collection: Digitized Theses from the 1890s to the present
• Library Catalog Thesis & Dissertation Search The Library Catalog treats theses and dissertations like books. This link will limit your search to theses and dissertations, and allow you to search by author, title, or keyword. The call number for CU Boulder theses and dissertations begin with the letter "T," followed by the year of the thesis and then a code matching the author's last name.

Archival copies and reproductions

Scanned copies of archival copies in RaD are only available when circulating copies are not available and the patron does not have access to Proquest copies, or Proquest does not have a copy. In such cases, the request for a copy falls under the protocol for scanning onto CU Scholar. RaD does not make PDF copies of dissertations or theses outside of the CU Scholar process.

Formats and Locations

CU dissertations published prior to 1955 were retained as physical copies. Find materials by searching OneSearch . Use the ‘all filter’ option to limit to ‘source type: dissertation/ thesis.’Copies of print dissertations may be located in various libraries and collections on campus. Some items are available for use in the Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD) Reading Room only and may require delivery from offsite storage facility, PASCAL ( information about visiting and using RaD materials ). 

1954 – 2008

CU dissertations published between 1954-2008 may be available as physical or digital copies. Find materials by searching OneSearch . Use the ‘all filter’ option to limit to ‘source type: dissertation/ thesis.’ Copies of print dissertations may be located in various libraries and collections on campus. There are no archival copies in RaD.

For items available digitally, search ProQuest Dissertations or CU Scholar .

2008 - present

All dissertations produced at CU Boulder from 2008 to present are available digitally through ProQuest Dissertations . Authors may opt for an embargo period which may delay availability. Since 2012, authors may opt to deposit in CU Scholar in addition to ProQuest Dissertations . There are no archival copies of dissertations in RaD for this time-span.

*Doctor of Musical Arts dissertations do not have a circulating copy. Typically, they are available for use in the Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD) Reading Room only and may require delivery from offsite storage facility, PASCAL ( information about visiting and using RaD materials ). They may be eligible for digitization and deposit in CU Scholar .

Masters Theses

CU thesis published prior to 2008 were retained as physical copies. Find materials by searching OneSearch . Use the ‘all filter’ option to limit to ‘source type: dissertation/ thesis.’ Copies of print theses and dissertations may be located in various libraries and collections on campus. Some items are available for use in the Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD) Reading Room only and may require delivery from offsite storage facility, PASCAL ( information about visiting and using RaD materials ). Except in cases of loss, there should be circulating copies in the stacks and archival copies in RaD.

Dissertations produced at CU Boulder from 2008 to present are available digitally through ProQuest Dissertations . Authors may opt for an embargo period which may delay availability. Since 2012, authors may opt to deposit in CU Scholar. CU theses published since 2008 are not available from the archives.

Digitized theses in CU Scholar

Some theses prior to 2008 have been digitized when circulating copies are not available and are available in CU Scholar.

Undergraduate Theses

College of arts and sciences honors theses.

Theses published between 1959-2012 are available from the archives. Titles may be identified through the Finding Aid . These theses must be viewed in the RaD reading room.

Theses published between 2012-present are available through CU Scholar .

Digitized Thesis in CU Scholar

Some theses prior to 2012 have been digitized when circulating copies are not available. Honors theses are eligible for scanning and deposit to CU Scholar upon request.

College of Media, Communications & Information (CMCI) Honors Program

Available through CU Scholar .

Questions and information email [email protected]    

Specifications for Preparation of Master’s Theses & Doctoral Dissertations ProQuest ETD Administrator Proquest publishing guide

CU Scholar The University of Colorado Boulder Libraries host an Institutional Repository, CU Scholar.  When submitting your thesis, you will have the option to include your work in this open access repository. If you agree to inclusion, your thesis will be publicly available via the CU Scholar website as soon as possible or at the end of the specified embargo period (if applicable).

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Theses: Get started

Find griffith university theses in gro.

• Online Griffith University theses via GRO (Griffith Research Online) Griffith Research Online (GRO) is the institutional repository for Griffith Research publications, including Griffith Higher Degree by Research theses.

Find Australian theses in Trove

Trove, from the National Library of Australia, provides a quick way to access online and print theses from Australian and New Zealand universities.

• Available Online

Access help on finding theses in Trove .

International theses

Search these databases to access theses from international institutions:

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses-Full Text (ProQuest) Access a multidisciplinary collection of dissertations and theses, both full text and citations, from 1861 to current. more... less... The ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database is the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. It is the database of record for graduate research, with citations for over 2.4 million dissertations and theses produced since 1861 included from around the world. More than 900,000 theses authored since 1997 can be downloaded in fulltext as PDFs. MOBILE ACCESS: Optimised for use on mobile devices
• EBSCO Open Dissertations Open-access database providing citation information for historic and contemporary dissertations and theses, with contributions by select colleges and universities from around the world from 1933 to present.
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Provides links to full-text where available for theses and dissertations from across the globe.

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Enter your topic keywords in quotes, e.g. "vitamin d" theses site:edu . This searches for theses specifically on the .edu domain.

Google Scholar searches scholarly information including journal articles, conference papers, theses, technical reports and books. Google Scholar's coverage of Open Access journal articles and papers is more comprehensive than the Library catalogue or Library databases.

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You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses:

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• NDLTD , the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not.
• Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published electronically or in print, and mostly available for purchase. Access to PQDT may be limited; consult your local library for access information.

Identifying Factors for Master Thesis Completion and Non-completion Through Learning Analytics and Machine Learning

• Conference paper
• Open Access
• First Online: 09 September 2019
• Cite this conference paper

You have full access to this open access conference paper

• Jalal Nouri   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9942-8730 13 ,
• Ken Larsson   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4308-916X 13 &
• Mohammed Saqr   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5881-3109 14  

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 11722))

Included in the following conference series:

• European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning

13k Accesses

8 Citations

The master thesis is the last formal step in most universities around the world. However, all students do not finish their master thesis. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the non-completion of the master thesis should be viewed as a substantial problem that requires serious attention and proactive planning. This learning analytics study aims to understand better factors that influence completion and non-completion of master thesis projects. More specifically, we ask: which student and supervisor factors influence completion and non-completion of master thesis? Can we predict completion and non-completion of master thesis using such variables in order to optimise the matching of supervisors and students? To answer the research questions, we extracted data about supervisors and students from two thesis management systems which record large amounts of data related to the thesis process. The sample used was 755 master thesis projects supervised by 109 teachers. By applying traditional statistical methods (descriptive statistics, correlation tests and independent sample t-tests), as well as machine learning algorithms, we identify five central factors that can accurately predict master thesis completion and non-completion. Besides the identified predictors that explain master thesis completion and non-completion, this study contributes to demonstrating how educational data and learning analytics can produce actionable data-driven insights. In this case, insights that can be utilised to inform and optimise how supervisors and students are matched and to stimulate targeted training and capacity building of supervisors.

You have full access to this open access chapter,  Download conference paper PDF

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Utilising learning analytics to support study success in higher education: a systematic review

• Learning analytics
• Machine learning

1 Introduction

The master thesis is the last formal step in most universities around the world. However, all students do not finish their master thesis. A considerable number of students struggle with the thesis process, resulting in delays, disruptions, and non-completion of their degrees [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Such outcomes are devastating for individual students and academic institutions that waste time, money and energy, and for societies that are not strengthened with high-skilled workers [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]. Therefore, ensuring that students enrolled in graduate programs obtain their degrees in a timely fashion is in the best interest of students, higher education institutions and societies [ 4 , 6 ].

However, the thesis is a challenging endeavour that requires skills, aptitude, and determination for successful, timely completion [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that non-completion of higher education degrees should be viewed as a substantial problem that requires serious attention and proactive planning [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].

Previous research related to thesis projects has identified some variables that influence the performance of students undertaking thesis projects; variables that, in particular, point out the relation between the student candidate and the supervisor [ 2 , 5 , 14 ]. The specific student variables that have been indicated as influencing thesis completion are students’ attitudes and motivation [ 10 ], the students’ average entry grade [ 12 ], and the students’ communication and language skills [ 13 ]. Among the supervisor variables, it has been shown that the supervisor’s experience, research output and workload constitute factors of thesis success [ 13 , 15 ]. However, the review of the literature leads to the conclusion that there are few studies explicitly focusing on master thesis projects. Studies on completion of thesis projects mostly concern the doctorate thesis [ 16 , 17 ] while studies on master thesis completion tend to focus on the whole program, not the thesis specifically [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Furthermore, most studies have used a qualitative approach to investigate factors for thesis completion; single factors have been looked at in an isolated way with a primary focus on student variables and on completion factors (and not on non-completion and supervisor variables) [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Furthermore, there are few contemporary studies that look at factors for success and failure related to thesis work.

Today, the introduction of thesis management systems, such as SciPro from Stockholm University [ 24 ] and Thesis Writer (TW) from Zurich University of Applied Sciences [ 25 ], generate a lot of data concerning many aspects of the thesis process. This paves the ground for using learning analytics techniques in order to gain data-driven insights about thesis management and the factors that affect thesis retention [ 26 ]. Learning analytics have been used successfully to early map the indicators of successful course completion, inform course design, provide insights and feedback to teachers and students, as well as improve education outcome [ 27 ].

This study takes as a departure point to better understand factors that influence completion – and in particular – non-completion of master thesis projects. More specifically, we ask: which student and supervisor variables influence completion and non-completion of master thesis? Can we predict completion and non-completion of master thesis using such variables in order to optimize the matching of supervisors and students?

To answer these research questions, we extracted data about supervisors and students from two thesis management systems, Daisy and SciPro from the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University, which record large amounts of data related to the thesis process. The sample used was 755 master thesis projects supervised by 109 teachers. By applying traditional statistical methods (descriptive statistics, correlation tests and independent sample t-tests), as well as machine learning algorithms, we identify five central factors that can accurately predict master thesis completion and non-completion. Besides the identified factors and predictors that explain master thesis completion and non-completion, this study contributes to demonstrating how educational data and learning analytics can produce actionable data-driven insights. In this case, insights that can be utilised to, on the one hand, inform and optimise how supervisors and students are matched, and on the other hand, stimulate targeted training and capacity building of supervisors.

2 Identified Factors in the Literature Explaining Thesis Completion and Non-completion

Our literature review has led to the identification of two groups of factors that influence thesis outcomes: related to the student candidate and the supervisor. Below we give an account of what is known about these two groups of factors.

Rennie and Brewer [ 10 ] using a grounded theory approach to investigate the problem of thesis delay proposed the term ‘thesis-blocking’. They propose that thesis blocking factors are more numerous than factors leading to completing it in a timely fashion. Successful thesis completion is dependent on the candidate’s conformity and acceptance of the process. Failure of the supervisor to handle a candidate’s negative feelings is the reason why many candidates to be stuck in the middle of the path [ 10 ]. House and Johnson’s findings point to the applicants’ average entry grade as a decisive predictive factor of successful, timely completion [ 12 ], a finding that was corroborated by Jiranek [ 13 ] and Wright and Cochrane [ 28 ].

On the other hand, studies have shown that entry grade is not a significant predictor of completion [ 28 , 29 ]. In a study by Pascarella and Terenzini [ 30 ], it was shown that the background characteristics, including entry grades, only explain a small part of retention, while academic and social integration explain more.

Other student factors affecting the completion or non-completion include communication skills and language proficiency skills [ 13 ], self-reliance and independence [ 31 ]. However, a right balance and proactive planning along with institutional support could mitigate the impact and assist the candidates [ 2 , 5 , 13 , 15 , 31 , 32 ]. Contrary to what is a common belief, part-time older candidates appear to be better than their counterparts in their approach to research, other duties and being independent [ 28 ].

It has also been shown that supervisors behaviours are crucial in every stage of the thesis work, in supporting the thesis writing process, rectifying errors, suggesting directions and being responsible for arranging the defence [ 33 ]. Rennie and Brewer compare the supervisor’s role in these cases to the writer’s block phenomenon [ 10 ]. They suggested that both share essential features, the main problem being the writer’s internalisation of the critical feedback by the supervisor and poor management of duties and time constraints.

A healthy relationship between student and supervisor is helpful for the success of the thesis. The thesis is an embedded social exercise more than most of the other educational projects, therefore collaborating with the supervisor, regular productive meetings and the ability to reach a shared understanding are central to the success of the project [ 2 , 5 , 14 , 34 , 35 ]. A relationship where the supervisor exerts a moderate control of the process and more significant affiliation was found to influence the successful outcome in terms of time to completion and completion rates [ 36 ]. Supervisor experience and research production is a factor that might affect positively [ 13 ].

In general, the supervisors support through all the stages of the thesis process is an indispensable factor [ 5 , 13 , 32 , 34 , 37 ]. On the contrary, supervisors that are overwhelmed by research work, teaching or multiple students have less time for students who have negative results on the thesis work [ 2 , 15 ]. Furthermore, students report that its central that supervisors provide constructive, on-time feedback, as well as encouragement [ 38 ].

3.1 Sample and Context

The sample for this study consisted of master students’ thesis projects (n = 755) during the period between 2010 and 2017 at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden. Since it takes approximately 350 days for students to complete a thesis project (from course registration to grade registration), data from the year, 2018 were excluded as they contained many projects likely to be completed after the data extraction. The dropout rate for the thesis project at the department is approximately 43% for the period studied. We have included all master thesis projects that adhere to the present curriculum for thesis projects.

3.2 Data Collection

A challenge in data collection for learning analytics is to avoid amplifying errors from different standards in data sources, especially if some sources are external and out of control. In this study, to minimise this risk for all data sources, we used data that are under the control of the university.

Data collection was performed in several iterative steps. Using SQL (structured query language) queries, we extracted data from two different data systems used by the department to record data about the thesis projects. From these systems, we collected thesis project data concerning both students and supervisors. Informed by factors identified by previous research [ 12 , 13 ], and taking into account additional variables that were available in the systems that record thesis data. We focused in general on three groups of factors that influence the academic thesis process, namely: (1) student’s previous performance in the master program; (2) supervisor’s thesis project performance and experience; and (3) supervisor’s research output.

More specifically, we extracted the following variables:

Thesis project: start and completion date. From this, the number of days to completion was calculated.

The students (n = 755): the grade of the thesis, the average grade in the study before the master thesis, and the number of course credits received within the educational program.

The supervisors (n = 105): number of scientific publications, the average number of scientific publications per year, number of complete/incomplete thesis projects, the average grade of thesis projects, number of started thesis projects, and average days of supervisors to complete thesis projects were calculated from the projects.

All data was anonymised by converting personal identifiers to fictive IDs. The researchers who did the analysis did not know the identity of the subjects. The data was subsequently prepared for statistical and predictive analytics by removal of extreme- and null values and through the computation of relevant variables.

Ethical approval for this study was obtained through the Regional Board of Ethical Vetting in Stockholm. Consent for participating in this research was also obtained from the selected supervisors in the sample. Six supervisors and their associated thesis projects were excluded due to no consent for using their data were received.

3.3 Data Analysis

The analysis was performed using SPSS, and R. Spearman correlation test was conducted to investigate the correlation between incomplete thesis projects (dropouts) and student and supervisor variables. Multiple independent sample t-tests were performed in order to explore differences between completers and non-completers with regards to student and supervisor variables. The Shapiro–Wilk test of normality was employed and confirmed that the assumptions for the t-tests were satisfied.

For the predictive analytics, seven supervised machine learning classifiers were applied: Naive Bayes, Logistic Regression, Gradient Boosted Trees, Neural Network, Deep Learning, Decision Tree, and Random Forest in order to predict completers and non-completers of thesis projects. These classifiers were chosen because they are frequently used for predicting dropout, and each has demonstrated good and comparable performance in predicting at-risk students and dropout [ 39 , 40 ]. The data set was split into a training and testing set. The training set consisted of 70% of the total data set, and the testing set the remaining 30%. After the implementation of the predictive models, features were ranked using the information gain ratio. To prevent overfitting and increase robustness, 10-fold cross-validation was performed, where performances were measured from multiple iterations of cross-validation and averaged over iterations. To measure the prediction performance of the different models, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was obtained, along with measures for precision and recall.

In Table  1 the full descriptive statistics are presented. Among the 755 thesis projects studied, 57% were completed, and 43 remained non-completed (see Fig.  1 ).

Histogram over completed and non-completed thesis projects

After performing the descriptive analysis presented in Table  1 , a correlations tests (Spearman’s) was performed in order to study the correlation between completion of thesis projects and all student and supervisor variables presented in the above table. This analysis revealed that completion is significantly correlated with the ratio of incomplete thesis projects of supervisors (r = −0.36, p < 0.01), students’ average grade in their study program at the university (r = 0.28, p < 0.01), supervisors total number of incomplete thesis projects (r = −0.17, p < 0.01), the average time it takes for supervisors to complete thesis projects (r = −0.14, p < 0.01), the ratio of supervisor thesis ideas (r = 0.10, p < 0.05), and supervisors average thesis grade (r = 0.09, p < 0.04). As can be noted, the ratio and total amount of unfinished thesis projects by supervisors presented the strongest correlations with thesis dropout, together with students’ average grade during the educational program.

Multiple independent t-tests were also performed in order to explore differences between completers and dropouts with regards to many student and supervisor variables. See Table  3 for a full presentation of the t-test results. Based on these tests, the following can be concluded:

there is a significant difference between completers (M = 3.73, SD = 0.85) and non-completers (M = 3.26, SD = 0.74) regarding their average grade during their studies in the program they are seeking to graduate in, t(−8.26) = 1.07, p < 0.01;

there is a significant difference between completers (M = 399.99, SD = 166.02) and non-completers (M = 440.92, SD = 203.33) in terms of their supervisors’ average days to complete thesis projects, t(3.08) = 5.57, p < 0.01;

there is significant difference between completers (M = 3.76, SD = 0.49) and non-completers (M = 3.66, SD = 0.53) in terms of their supervisors average thesis grade, t(−2.51) = 0.32, p < 0.05;

there is a significant difference between completers (M = 9.98, SD = 7.45) and non-completers (M = 12.63, SD = 8.01) in terms of their supervisors’ total number of incomplete thesis projects t(4.75) = 2.28, p < 0.01;

there is a significant difference between completers (M = 32.71, SD = 15.90) and non-completers (M = 45.65, SD = 17.17) in terms of their supervisors’ ratio of incomplete thesis projects, t(4.75) = 2.28, p < 0.01, and

Significant differences were, however, not revealed concerning the total number of scientific publications published by supervisors, the total number of thesis projects supervised by the supervisors, or the total course credits received by students within the educational program prior the master thesis (Table  2 ).

4.1 Predicting Completion and Non-completion

Then predictive analytics was performed using several machine learning models (Naive Bayes, Logistic Regression, Deep Learning, Decision Tree, Random Forest and Gradient Boosted Trees) in order to predict the completion/non-completion variable using the features described in Table  1 . The performance across the models showed AUC values between 0.74 and 0.83 (see Table  3 ).

The Gradient Boosted Trees model proved to perform best concerning accuracy and AUC, with almost 72% accuracy in predicting completers and non-completers. The actual non-completers could be predicted with a 66% precision and 67% class recall; while the completers could be predicted with 76% precision and 75% class recall (see Table  4 ).

As can be seen from Table  5 , the features with most weight were the ratio of unfinished thesis projects of supervisors, students’ average grade during university studies, supervisors’ total number of incomplete projects and the average time it takes for supervisors to complete a thesis project.

5 Discussion

Not finishing a master thesis is a devastating personal experience for students that costs precious time, loss of money and energy. Non-completion also results in a vast waste of faculty time and institutional resources, and a societal loss of high skilled workers [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]. This study took as a departure point to address this problem by using large amounts of thesis-related data generated in thesis management systems in order to create data-driven insights about the factors that influence completion and non-completion of master thesis projects. Such a learning analytics approach led us to identify factors that have not been reported on in the research literature.

The analysis of the data resulted in the identification of five central factors that influence students’ completion and non-completion of master thesis projects. The strongest factor and predictor for non-completion, not reported on before, showed to be supervisors’ history of incomplete thesis projects. This factor correlated more with incomplete thesis projects than student’s academic performance before starting the thesis (which was the second strongest predictor) and was the factor/feature that had most information gain (weight) in the predictive models produced by the employed machine learning algorithms. Three additional factors/predictors were identified related to the supervisor, namely: (1) the average days it takes for supervisors to complete thesis projects; (2) the average grade of thesis works supervised, and (3) the average number of scientific publications produced by the supervisor per year.

Thus, the supervisor’s historical thesis supervision performance and their performance as researchers, together with students’ academic performance prior to the thesis, to a high extent determine success and failure of master thesis projects. While previous research mainly through qualitative studies has demonstrated that supervisors indeed play a significant role in the thesis process, by in particular pointing out how successful teachers supervise, this quantitative study identify actual predictors related to the supervisor and demonstrate the significant effect of supervisor historical performance on master thesis completion and non-completion, which constitute a central contribution of this study. However, the finding that students’ academic performance prior to the thesis is a significant predictor has been reported on before and corroborate previous research [ 12 , 13 , 28 ].

Besides the identified factors and predictors that explain master thesis completion and non-completion, this study contributes to demonstrating how educational data and learning analytics can produce actionable data-driven insights. In this case, gained insights can be utilized to, on the one hand, inform and optimize how supervisors and students are matched, and on the other hand, stimulate targeted training and capacity building of supervisors.

Future research work can build upon this study and bridge its limitations by adding more contextual factors to the analysis, such as students’ internal conditions and dispositions [ 41 , 42 , 43 ]. By dispositions, we mean behavioral and cognitive factors such as motivation (to write a master thesis, for instance), engagement, self-regulation skills, strategies and attitudes [ 43 , 44 ]. Such an approach would most likely increase the probability of finding additional factors that influence the master thesis process and increase accuracy, replicability and transferability of prediction models [ 27 , 45 , 46 ].

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Nouri, J., Larsson, K., Saqr, M. (2019). Identifying Factors for Master Thesis Completion and Non-completion Through Learning Analytics and Machine Learning. In: Scheffel, M., Broisin, J., Pammer-Schindler, V., Ioannou, A., Schneider, J. (eds) Transforming Learning with Meaningful Technologies. EC-TEL 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11722. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29736-7_3

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Quantum Physics

Title: master thesis: high-rate multipartite quantum secret sharing with continuous variables.

Abstract: Quantum cryptography has undergone substantial growth and development within the multi-disciplinary field of quantum information in recent years. The field is constantly advancing with new protocols being developed, security measures being improved, and the first practical applications of these technologies being deployed in optical fibers and free space optical beams. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of a cutting-edge metropolitan-scale protocol for continuous-variable quantum cryptography. The protocol allows an arbitrary number of users to send modulated coherent states to a relay, where a generalised Bell detection creates secure multipartite correlations. These correlations are then distilled into a shared secret key, providing a secure method for quantum secret-sharing. This novel approach to quantum cryptography has the potential to offer high-rate secure multipartite communication using readily available optical components, making it a promising advancement in the field.

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New faculty member Yupeng Zhang named 2024 Google Research Scholar

5/9/2024 Bruce Adams

New faculty member Yupeng Zhang , an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering with an affiliation in computer science, has been named a 2024 Google Research Scholar in the category of Privacy. 

Written by Bruce Adams

New faculty member Yupeng Zhang , an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering with an affiliation in computer science, has been named a 2024 Google Research Scholar in the category of Privacy.

Yupeng Zhang  was selected for the proposal   “Proof of Training and its Applications in Machine Unlearning and Differential Privacy.” Zhang described the paper’s subject matter: “Machine learning has seen prominent developments in recent years and is widely used in many applications. However, machine learning models are usually trained on large volumes of data, and data privacy is a rising concern. Users have no control over how their data is used in the training process. There is no mechanism to enforce any privacy protections, especially when the machine learning models are kept private.” Zhang suggests the use of “the cryptographic tool zero-knowledge proof, scaled to match the size of large language models (LLMs) via co-designed cryptography and machine learning training algorithms. Machine Unlearning is the concept advanced to remove private data from LLMs as required by recent regulations.” Zhang noted that “currently, there is no way to enforce this machine unlearning technique without monitoring the training process and learning the machine learning model. An important application of the proof of training in this proposal is to ensure that the data has been deleted without disclosing the machine learning model itself.”

As for his award, Zhang said, “It is a great recognition of my research. The award shows the importance of data privacy in machine learning technology to Google. It encourages this project and more research from the field to address the issues with cryptographic techniques.”

The Google Research Scholar Program aims to support early-career professors who are pursuing research in fields relevant to Google. It provides unrestricted gifts to support research at institutions worldwide and is focused on funding world-class research conducted by early-career professors. Awards are disbursed as unrestricted gifts of up to $60,000 USD to the university. They are intended for use during the academic year in which the award is provided to support the professor’s research efforts.

Yupeng Zhang is one of three computer science professors named 2024 Google Research Scholars. Read about the other professors here.

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This story was published May 9, 2024.