User talk:Patrick Capriola, Ed.D

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Hello, Patrick Capriola, Ed.D, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few links to pages you might find helpful:


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Please remember to sign your messages on talk pages by typing four tildes ( ~ ); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Questions, ask me on my talk page, or, and a volunteer should respond shortly. Again, welcome! WikiDan61 ChatMe!ReadMe!! 14:22, 1 October 2019 (UTC)

Patrick Capriola, Ed.D (talk) 15:10, 1 October 2019 (UTC)== Your thesis == Citing your own thesis as a source at Wikipedia is a bit of a questionable practice for several reasons: Instead, since you have done some extensive research on your subject area, I would recommend that you cite the sources you relied on for your thesis, rather than citing your own thesis itself. But please do continue to work to improve Wikipedia! WikiDan61 ChatMe!ReadMe!! 14:22, 1 October 2019 (UTC)
 * 1) Theses in general are not considered the best reliable source because they often do not undergo the same review rigor as a journal publication. Theses that have been often cited might be an exception to this rule, but yours does not appear to fall into this category.
 * 2) Citing your own thesis can be seen as a means of promoting your own work.

Thank you for the feedback. I am excited to be a part of the community and I look forward to contributing more in the future.Patrick Capriola, Ed.D (talk) 15:10, 1 October 2019 (UTC)

Hi I just want to loop back on this. I checked out the reliable source link and see your points, but do want to clarify that this was a dissertation and not a thesis. Further, my doctorate was awarded from a Research I University and was supervised by recognized specialists in the field, thereby meeting the review requirement noted in the link and your comment. Patrick Capriola, Ed.D (talk) 23:10, 1 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Dissertation or thesis, WP:SCHOLARSHIP cautions against using either. The guidelines do not speak to the nature of the university granting the award (although I suppose that might indirectly affect the assumption of a rigorous review process), but do give weight to dissertations supervised by recognized experts. Not being in the education field myself, I'll have to take your word for the fact that your doctoral advisors are such recognized experts. I think the main criterion listed under this guideline is whether a dissertation has been recognized as "significant" by having been cited by other researchers, and I find no evidence that yours has. Further, the second point I made above (about self-promotion) still stands. Since your dissertation was heavily cited to existing research, it seems that citing those sources rather than your own work would be preferable. WikiDan61 ChatMe!ReadMe!! 11:49, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

I see the issue regarding the main criterion under WP:SCHOLARSHIP a little differently. It states that "dissertations can be used but caution should be exercised. Some of them will have gone through the process of academic peer reviewing with varying levels of rigor, but some will not. If possible, use theses that have been cited in the literature; supervised by recognized specialists in the field; or reviewed by third parties." The keyword here is or, seemingly meaning that as long as one of the three criterion are met the standard is satisfied. Further, I would like to reiterate the significance of a Research I University by referring to the "varying levels of rigor" concern in WP:SCHOLARSHIP. To become an R1 a university must meet the highest academic standards for rigor. A doctorate from an R1 is highly sought after and highly valued because of this distinction. It is much harder to complete a doctoral program and get your dissertation through committee at an R1.