Does the Ph.D. research proposal and the final dissertation have to be the exact match?

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Yes, they should. Do they? Problably not as much as they should, but they should.

Here’s why. Many universities require that the proposal (typically, chapters 1–3) receive approval from the Chair/Advisor, Committee, and School (some including a methodology review) - plus, approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Once approved, especially from the IRB, this in essence reflects a “contract” between the student and university that the proposed research is what will be conducted. While there may be minor variations, in most instances, any substantive changes require re-approval. For IRB, this is to ensure that there are no harm to human participants. For the university, this is to ensure that the research conducted aligns with the proposed, and approved, method and design. To confirm, the alignment between the proposal and dissertation are often check during the final school approval (prior to the oral defense). If not aligned, then the student risks having to repeat data collection, analysis, etc.

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