PhD students unable to include completed research in their thesis due to advisor/committee restrictions

PhD candidates invest years of research effort only to be told by advisors or committees that their completed work cannot be included in their final thesis, forcing them to either abandon research or start over. This creates a devastating loss of time and effort with no recourse, as students have limited power to challenge authority figures who control their degree completion. Current academic structures lack transparent appeals processes or protections for student research ownership.