Format of MPH and MS dissertations at the University of Iceland
Regulations on the Master's programmes in Public Health Sciences
as approved at a meeting of the Public Health Sciences programme board, 29 January 2009.
The regulations below were crafter for the MPH program but are interchangable with the MS in Biostatistics and the MS in Epidemiology, taught within the Public Health Sciences department.
A master's dissertation shall be submitted in triplicate to the individual Master's student committee and the examiner no less than three weeks prior to the intended date of examination. The format of final projects and handling of references shall be in accordance with the faculty from which the student is graduating. It shall be clearly stated that the project is carried out in the field of Public Health Sciences, and at the faculty from which the student is graduating. Information regarding project funding and grants shall be included, if applicable. The dissertation shall be in English or Icelandic, but an abstract in both languages shall be included. The dissertation should preferably have been submitted for publication in a recognised scientific journal.
Master's students should familiarise themselves with the rules on the format of Master's dissertations that apply at the faculty from which the student is graduating.
Traditional Disposition of Dissertation
Title page, flyleaf, abstract in Icelandic, abstract in English, acknowledgements, table of contents, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, theoretical introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, references, appendices (e.g. published journal articles or list of questions).
In Case of a Published Article
A student that has submitted an article for publication can apply for an exemption from the disposition shown (subject to supervisor's and graduation faculty's approval) and use the article as the main component of the dissertation. The disposition of the dissertation shall in that case be:
Title page, flyleaf, abstract in Icelandic, abstract in English, acknowledgements, table of contents, list of figures and tables, theoretical introduction, article (materials and methods, results, discussion), conclusion/findings, appendices (e.g. a list of questions), references.
Title Page
The title shall be incisive: precise, informative and as comprehensive as possible, while short. The title page shall state the names of the University of Iceland and the faculty from which the student is graduating; the exit degree in Public Health Sciences (MPH); names of tutor, supervisor and members of individual Master's student committee.
Abstract
Brief description of research objectives, methods, results and conclusions (max. 250 words).
Table of Contents
The table of contents shall list all pages except the title page.
List of Figures and Tables
List of figures and tables by number and page, including caption. Example: Figure, caption, page no.
Introduction
The introduction shall be thorough. It shall detail the status of research in the field, the background for the project and relation to earlier research. Students can make use of the systematic critical review they have prepared for The Scientific Process module (alternatively this can be published as a whole in the appendix). The introduction shall conclude with the research questions or objectives of the project.
Methods
Methods shall be described in such detail that external parties can repeat the investigation, providing details on the type of investigation, population, period, measurements of variables and statistical analyses (which software is used). Permissions from the Data Protection Authority and ethical committees shall be listed, if applicable.
Results
A structured discussion of results. Only facts shall be discussed in this section. Results shall not be discussed in this section, nor shall conclusions be drawn; references to findings from other authors should be avoided. Results shall be presented in text, tables, graphs or figures. Each figure/table shall be explained in the text, pointing out its main features.
Discussion/Conclusions
It is advisable to open the discussion with a very brief summary of the results. Then follows a structured discussion of the results, they are interpreted and put in context with other research findings. The results shall be discussed in view of the research questions and objectives that we stated in the introduction: Have the questions been answered and have the objectives been achieved? The strengths and weaknesses of the investigation and the reasons for these shall be discussed. The investigation shall be compared with and discussed in light of the results and conclusions of other similar research that is quoted. Conclusions shall be drawn and particular emphasis shall be placed on the value of the results for health promotion and prevention. Further research can be discussed: which problems are still unsolved and possible solutions. The discussion shall close with conclusions and, if applicable, ideas for next steps.
Appendix
Material which does not belong in the body text of the dissertation, e.g. journal articles or list of questions, can be included in the appendix.
Acknowledgements
The contribution of all that have provided assistance with the investigation shall be acknowledged. Information on the supervisors shall be provided, as well as the institutional affiliation of the research project. The foundations that provided financial support shall be mentioned.
References/List of References
References shall comply with the Vancouver Style or the style of referencing preferred at the faculty from which the Master's student will graduate.