In the years I have spent as a doctoral chair, I have read many excellent proposals and final dissertations. Writing a dissertation takes a great deal of patience and time. Some students may become frustrated if he or she believes that the process takes longer than anticipated. To avoid a lengthy proposal approval process, the student should spend time going over some common mistakes. Although each school may have different requirements, the following checklist may be helpful to the doctoral learner prior to submitting his or her proposal for review.
| Common Errors | Place X to Signify Compliance |
| All Required Forms Are Included | |
| Note That Data Will Be Saved 3 Years Then Destroyed | |
| Paragraphs Must Contain At Least 3 Sentences | |
| Any Defined Words Must Include A Citation | |
| 85% Of References Must Be Less Than 5 Years From Proposal Date | |
| All Sections Are Listed In Proposal | |
| References Are In APA Format | |
| Submit to TurnItIn Or Plagiarism Checker | |
| Submit To Editing Software Or Editor | |
| Submit To Statistician If Necessary | |
| Two Spaces Are Required After Periods | |
| Design Is Carefully Described | |
| Clarity – Person Reading Proposal Could Perform Study If Necessary | |
| No Personal Opinions – All Conclusions Substantiated | |
| The Word “Proposed” Is Listed Before Referring To Proposed Study | |
| No Use Of The Wording “The Researcher” To Refer To Writer Of Proposal | |
| No First Person References | |
| No Fluff Words Including: However, In Addition, Therefore, Etc. | |
| Proposal In Future Tense; Will Change To Past Tense After Study | |
| What Others Have Written In Past Tense | |
| Long Tables Should Be In Appendix | |
| Long Citations Cannot Be On Two Separate Pages – Must Be On One | |
| No Slang Is Included | |
| Use Words “Which and That” Correctly | |
| There Should Not Be Any Tracking Changes Left In Document | |
| Headings Must Be In APA 6th Format | |
| Chapter 1 Must Start On Page 1 | |
| Proposal Author’s Name Must Be Listed And Current Month/Year | |
| Watch Use Of The Word Randomly (Be Specific) | |
| No Anthropomorphisms Should Be Used | |
| Watch Implying Causal Relationship If None Exists | |
| Do Not Make Predictions | |
| Multiple Studies In Parentheses Require Names In Alphabetical Order | |
| Avoid Vague Statements Like Something Was “Poor” | |
| Articulate How Participants Were Selected | |
| Articulate What Was Done To Reduce Researcher Bias | |
| Do Not Use Vague Terminology Like “Others” | |
| United States Is U.S. And Not US | |
| 1980s Should Be 1980s And Not 1980’s | |
| Stick To One Subject Per Paragraph | |
| Do Not Write In Contractions (Do Not Is Correct – Don’t Is Not) | |
| Do Not Have Back to Back Charts With No Explanation | |
| Use He or She Rather Than They To Define Subject | |
| Be Sure All Chapters Include A Summary | |
| Target Population And Sample Is Clearly Described | |
| Hypotheses May Be Numbered And Supported By Narrative | |
| Choice Of Method Is Clear And Substantive | |
| Punctuation Should Be Inside Of Quotation Marks | |
| Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Is Completed | |
| Checklist Should Be Provided To Doctoral Chair | |
| Application Should State If Exempt and Why |
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