University Master Program Master of Science in Dermoscopy and Preventive Dermato-Oncology

Transcription

1 University Master Program Master of Science in Dermoscopy and Preventive Dermato-Oncology General information The admission to a master degree program is granted on the basis of the successful completion of the Academic Expert in Dermoscpy and Preventivie Dermato-Oncology. Areas/Modules of study are laid down in curricula. A main emphasis is the composition of a master s thesis. This degree program concludes with a master s examination and approval of the master s thesis. These following guidelines are based on the memorandum, which has been established by the course directors of the University Master Programs. The guidelines have been adopted to meet the best uniformity to the formal requirements for the thesis/dissertation in the studies in human medicine, dentistry and health care and nursing science of the Medical University of Graz. Some text parts of the formal requirements have been included unmodified in the following preparation guidelines for the thesis of the Master of Science in Dermoscopy and Preventive Dermato-Oncology. Evaluation of performance and grading system According to the modalities for examinations outlined in the curricula, achievement may be evaluated upon the basis of a public defense of the oral and written thesis related work. The public defense can be done in person or via a videoconference. Thesis requirements: The thesis, composed in writing and defended in public, provides the final evidence that the candidate has acquired knowledge and skills to achieve scientific work independently and competently. The candidate produces evidence with her/his thesis of her/his capability of solving an essential scientific problem successfully and increasingly independently as well as of her/his understanding of integrating new results into the frame of the current state of knowledge. Topics: The topic of the thesis shall be extracted from one of the thematic programs, or shall have a meaningful relation with one of them. If a topic is composed in teamwork, the intellectual and experimental contribution of the candidate must be clearly evident for individual evaluation. When writing the thesis proposal the following issues have to be considered: The originality of the scientific problem 1

2 Adequate and up-to date methods and technology In the course of the compilation of the master thesis the candidates have to consider the guidelines of Good Scientific Practice Ethics in Science and Research (Mitteilungsblatt der MUG, 7. Stk., Juni 2005) The master thesis has to be constructed in conformity with the Vancouver- Guidelines Please contact the program coordinators for your thematic proposals and/or choice. Supervision: The candidate is engaged to apply for a supervisor although it is not obligatory. Please ask the course directors for approval prior to contact a potential supervisor. As formal criteria, the supervisor has to be a member of the staff of the Medical University of Graz holding a venia docendi or members of the staff of the Master program holding an equivalent international qualification, who is familiar with the thesis work and able to survey the thesis progress. The supervisor should be acknowledged at the end of the thesis document. The supervisors of thesis projects must: Pursue scientific academic research work themselves actively (documented by a number of high-quality publications during the last 6 years) Have been involved in the acquisition of third-party funds within the last 6 years Have experience and engagement in the supervision of doctoral candidates Provide evidence of the education of doctoral candidates within the last 6 years and of publications with doctoral candidates/postdocs as first authors Members of the thesis committee are not permitted to be supervisors, as this could affect the objectivity of committee evaluation. The regulations of the copyright law have to be observed for the composition of the topic and the supervision of the candidates. In collaboration with the supervisor, the candidate has to compose a thesis plan, which he/she has to defend in front of the thesis committee. It is recommended to engage supervisors prior to begin any work related to the thesis. Types of manuscripts Original research: Before conducting an original research project it is mandatory to request an approval of the local ethics committee. Ethics committee or institutional review board approval should be stated. This manuscript category typically includes randomized trials, intervention studies, cohort studies, case-control studies, epidemiologic assessments, other observational studies, surveys, 2

3 cost-effectiveness analyses and decision analyses), and studies of screening and diagnostic tests. Each manuscript should be subdivided into an introduction, methods, results and discussion. The addition of figures and tables is welcome. The discussion should place the results in the context with the published literature. Data included in research reports must be original and should be as timely and current as possible. References should be placed at the end of the manuscript on a separate page. Number references in the order they appear in the text; do not alphabetize. In text, tables, and legends, identify references with superscript arabic numerals. When listing references, follow Vancouver- style. Other citations (e.g., personal observation) must be avoided. Reviews: This type of manuscript aims to publish concise, high-quality review articles of recent advances in the thematic programs. Copying or including extensive sections of previously published text or book chapters should be avoided or kept to an absolute minimum as this might negatively influence the validation of the thesis. The manuscript should contain subheadings, which summarize the most salient literature for each heading. Other types: Single case reports or small case series are not suitable for a master thesis. It is however possible to report on particular diagnostic or therapeutic challenges of a case series, whereby the discussion should be prepared as a review manuscript. Literature: The citation of international, peer-reviewed literature in English language is engaged. Referring to German language literature is allowed as far as there is no according similar international literature. References in other languages are allowed only exceptionally and if no according international literature (neither in English or German language) is available. Do and Don ts in the preparation Don t exaggerate, manuscripts over 200 pages and 500 references are too much. A thesis should be in the range of 30 to 60 pages (exclusive title page, table of content, acknowledgement, references, tables or figures) Don t prepare an arbitrary collection of Google citations or copy and paste extensive sections of previously published literature or book chapters; the originality of the manuscript and data must be recognizable Don t rely the work on a single reference book; a thesis should place data in context with the current published literature Don t replicate an already existing work; plagiarism is prohibited 3

4 Formal thesis requirements: Manuscript: Manuscript formats: DINA4, Word, WordPerfect, PDF Text: Times New Roman or Arial 12 pt, black, 1.5 spacing, justified margins of at least 2.5 cm (1 in) Headings: Times New Roman or Arial pt, black, 1.5 spacing, justified margins of at least 2.5 cm (1 in) Citations: Vancouver style. Cover page: Thesis (Masterarbeit*) Name of the candidate Title (optional subtitle) of the thesis Affiliation (name and location) of the university Department/Institute/Division Date of submission Please contact the course directors before using graphics (university logos, drawings) as their use should be in accordance with the Corporate Identity of the Medical University of Graz. 4

5 Gestaltungsvorschlag Musterdeckblatt: Declaration I declare that the submitted manuscript was carried out and written by me without the help of others, that I did not use other than the cited references and that I any copied text is highlighted as such. Place and Date: Signature: 5

6 Thesis outline The outline of the thesis should meet the EMED criteria (Introduction Methods Results Discussion; for more details see: Vancouver Style) 1. Cover page (see example) 2. Declaration 3. Prologue (optional) 4. Declaration regarding where the work (Institutes, laboratories) was done and what part of the work was carried out by people other than the candiate (contributions of collaborators, technicians, and supervisors) (optional) 5. Table of contents 6. Abbreviations 7. List of figures (if necessary) 8. List of tables (if necessary) 9. Abtract in German (max. 1 page) 10. Abstract in English (max. 1 page) 11. General Introduction (Rational, Aims und limitations) 12. Material and Methods 13. Results 14. Discussion (general discussion, conclusion, future aspects) 15. References 16. Appendix (documentation of technical procedures, questionnaires, project plans, etc..) Points apply only for original research (see above). Reviews should be organized using subheadings. Univ.-Prof.Dr.M.Zach Februar 2013 Leiter des ULG 6