Dissertation Resources - Education

Dissertation Support

A dissertation is an in-depth research project that represents the culmination of your doctoral studies. It demonstrates your ability to identify a problem or question in your field, conduct a thorough review of the literature, design and carry out original research, and contribute new knowledge or insights to the discipline. For EdD and PhD students in education, dissertations often address real-world challenges in teaching, learning, leadership, or policy. The process involves multiple stages—including proposal development, data collection, analysis, and writing—and requires both academic rigor and personal commitment.

IRB (Institutional Review Board)

Pepperdine University Institutional Review Board (IRB) aims to provide a full circle of protection for research participants and researchers by:

• Promoting and facilitating the protection of rights, welfare, and dignity of human research participants;

• Helping ensure compliance with federal regulations, state laws, and University policies and national standards for research involving human research participants;

• Providing timely and directed high quality education, review, and monitoring for human research projects;

• Assist investigators in conducting ethical, sound research of the highest quality that complies with applicable regulations.

When is an application necessary?

When a faculty member, student, and/or employee of Pepperdine University wishes to conduct research, the research proposal must be reviewed by one of the following Graduate and Professional Schools (GPS) IRB

For more information and guidance on AI usage, please see the library's AI Learning and Research Guide here.