Guidelines for Preparing a Doctoral Dissertation
Students who intend to submit the doctoral dissertation must prepare the documents inaccordance with these guidelines.
If there are any deficiencies in the documents, they will not be accepted, so be sure to havethem checked by your supervisor and the Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences Academic
Affairs Section before submitting them.
I.

About the Dissertation
1.

The dissertation should be written in either Japanese or English.

2.

Given that the full text of the doctoral dissertation will be published on the internet within
one year from the day the degree is awarded according to the Degree Regulations (Ministryof Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ordinance No. 9 of Showa 28), thedissertation should be submitted in electronic file format. The specifications are as perAppendix 1.

3.

Once submitted, the content of the dissertation cannot be altered or replaced. However,minor errors, typos, and omissions that do not significantly change the content of thedissertation can be corrected before the dissertation review is completed, with thepermission of the Dean of the Graduate School.

4.

Co-authored papers that meet the following conditions can be used as a dissertation.
The person submitting the dissertation must be the main contributor to the research andthe creation of the paper. (The criteria for judgment include whether the person submitting
the dissertation is a so-called senior author and whether it is clearly stated that the paper
is a dissertation.)

II. About the Dissertation Abstract
1.

The format should be A4 size, and it should be written in portrait orientation. (Create it
according to Appendix 1.)

2.

The title of the paper (including the subtitle) should be written as it appears in the submitteddissertation.

3.

The main text should be summarized in 2,000 to 4,000 characters. (In the case of English,summarize it in 1,200 to 2,400 words.)

4.

If the paper is divided into several chapters, describe each chapter in sequence.

5.

When describing, adhere to the procedures in I.1, I.2, and I.3.

III. About the Request for Dissertation Review
Regardless of the number of review committee members, one review request should bewritten for both the dissertation and the table of contents for dissertation.
IV. About the Table of Contents for Dissertation1.

About the title
1)

The title (including the subtitle) should be written exactly as it appears in the submitteddissertation.

2)

In the case of English, the Japanese translation of the title should be written below thetitle, enclosed in parentheses.

2.

About the method and timing of publication
1)

Publication should be done by listing in a single book or academic journal (hereinafterreferred to as “publication”).

2)

Publication should, in principle, include the entire dissertation. However, it isacceptable to make minor modifications or to exclude parts that do not directly affectthe research content. Also, if the content of the dissertation is published under adifferent title, it can be considered as published.

3)

The dissertation can be published in sections according to its structural divisions suchas chapters or according to research items in terms of content.

4)

The publication should be a document that is stored in universities and other academic
institutions and can be viewed at any time by the general public.

5)

Even if it is a publication that is limited to subscribers due to self-publication, etc., it
can be treated as a publication if it has been distributed to universities and otheracademic institutions. However, in this case, attach a list of distribution destinations.

6)

For those who have published the entire dissertation at once, write down the year andmonth of publication, the name of the publication (volume and issue in the case of ajournal), or the name of the published book, etc. Also, for those who have published thedissertation in sections such as chapters, write down the method and timing ofpublication for each section.

7)

For a dissertation (chapter), if a paper published under a different title is considered as
published, write down the title of the published paper.

8)

For unpublished items, refer to the following examples and write down the method andtiming of publication. If the schedule is not decided at the time of dissertation
submission, write “undecided”.

［Example］
A. For those who have already submitted and have a scheduled date of publication but
have not yet published in print at the time of dissertation submission.
Title○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Journal Volume ○Issue Scheduled for publication on “Month”“Day”, “Year”B. If you are currently submitting
Title○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Journal Submission in progress(Scheduled for publication on Month”“Day”, “Year”
C. If you plan to submit soon
Title○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Journal Submission planned(Scheduled for publication on Month”“Day”, “Year”)
In the case of A and B above, if there is proof of scheduled publication or acceptance, attach
two copies. Note that the publication of the dissertation is stipulated in Article 19 of the Kobe
University Degree Regulations as follows.
Excerpt from Kobe University Degree Regulations(Publication of Doctoral Theses)
Article 19 A person to whom a Doctorate has been conferred must publicize the text of
his/her entire thesis related to the said Doctorate within one (1) year from the dateof the conferment. This shall not apply when this publication has already takenplace prior to the conferment of the Doctorate.
2

Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, where

there are compelling

circumstances, and if the Faculty council so agrees, a summary of the Doctoral thesis
may be published in place of its full text. In this case, the university shall provide
access to the full text of the thesis for public reading upon request.
3 The publication by a person who has been conferred a Doctorate of his/her thesis inaccordance with the two preceding paragraphs shall be made, as a general rule,through Kobe University Repository.
3.

About the Number of Volumes
1)

Record the number of volumes for a single dissertation.

2)

If diagrams, etc. are attached as separate volumes, count them as the number ofvolumes including the separate volumes.
However, if diagrams, etc. that are not in booklet form are attached, write “○ volumes(with diagrams attached)”.
*Please note that you should not write down the number of dissertations you submit,
but the number of volumes of the dissertation you have created.
(Example) If the dissertation is composed of one volume and diagrams, etc., write down
two volumes.

V.

About the Curriculum Vitae
1.

About the nameRecord your name as it appears in your passport, and do not use any aliases or pen names.
(The same applies to other documents)

2.

About the current address
1)

Record the address (public place name and house number) as it is listed on thecertificate of residence.

2)

To avoid communication problems, also write down the name of the apartment,dormitory, number, etc.

3.

About academic background1)

Record your academic background in chronological order, starting from high school
graduation.

2)

Record all changes during enrollment, such as admission, leave of absence, return toschool, withdrawal, graduation, and completion.

3)

Also write down any changes in the name of the school, etc. during enrollment.

4)

Record your academic background in this graduate school as follows.
○○○○ April 1st Admission (or advancement) to the Doctoral Program in ○○○○
Major, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kobe University○○○○ March 25th

Expected to complete the Doctoral Program in ○○○○ Major,Graduate School of Agriculture, Kobe University
4.

About work history
1)

For full-time jobs, record the place of work, type of job, etc. in chronological order.
However, even for part-time jobs, write down those that are particularly related toeducation and research.

2)

For the current job, clearly indicate [to the present] in the place where you recorded thejob.

5.

About activities in academic societies and society1)Record your academic society activities and research history that you think will be areference for the degree review, in chronological order or by item.

2)

The items to be written as academic research history are roughly as follows.
A)

About research projects (including joint research)

B)

About trainingC)

About academic surveys

D) About academic encouragement money
3)

Do not duplicate entries in this column for items that should be entered as academic orwork history.

6.

About rewards and punishments
Record what you think should be noted.

VI. About Reference Papers
If necessary for the degree review, you can submit other papers as references. In that case,submit the same number of excerpts, etc. of the paper as the dissertation.

Appendix 1
The specifications for the electronic file to be submitted as a doctoral dissertation are as follows.
1)

The electronic file format to be submitted is PDF. (Recommend “PDF/A (ISO-19005)”)2)

It should be A4 size and written in portrait orientation.

3)

The cover should include information such as the doctoral dissertation, dissertation title,dissertation submission year and month, graduate school name, and name.

4)If the cover and the main text are separated, or if they are separated by chapters, integrate them
all into one electronic file.

5)

Do not refer to external information sources (external fonts, etc.).

6)

Do not encrypt, set passwords, or restrict printing on the electronic file to be submitted.

【Cover Creation Example】

Doctoral Dissertation

Enter the dissertation title.
If the dissertation title is in English,
be sure to include a Japanesetranslation.

◯◯◯◯◯◯◯◯◯◯◯◯(△△△△△△△△△△)
January 200X
Graduate School of Agricultural Science,
Kobe University○○○○○Thedateofdissertation
submission should be the sameas the date of submission during
the main examination.
Example: Graduation in March January 20XX,
Graduation in September- July 200XX