What are the guidelines of a Public Abstract?

Public Abstract in Thesis or Dissertation:

Beginning 29 August 2011 (i.e., fall 2011 semester), all theses/dissertations must include a PUBLIC ABSTRACT in theses/dissertations . This is a mandate from Graduate Council.

Guidelines for Public Abstracts

-Must be included in ALL theses/dissertations submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies beginning 29 August 2011 (papers already in the cycle are not included);

-Length of the abstract is to be determined by the student (no length restriction) in consultation with committee members;

-The public abstract is to convey the purpose of the research to the PUBLIC, so the language of the abstract should be “street language” or layman’s terms;

-Placement in the thesis or dissertation: immediately after the regular abstract (be sure to include PUBLIC ABSTRACT and its page number in Contents).