Thesis & Dissertation Information

Publication Requirements 

Before beginning work on a thesis, dissertation, or plan B paper, students should review the online Publication Guide for Graduate Students, request the style manual or journal approved by the supervisory committee and/or department, and watch or attend a thesis/dissertation information session. These resources will guide students in the proper preparation of their manuscript.  

Theses and dissertations may be prepared in either monograph or multiple-paper format. One article or an article-manuscript may not be submitted by itself as an entire thesis or dissertation. The content of a thesis or dissertation must be approved by the student’s supervisory committee. Drafts of sections should be submitted periodically to the major professor for critique. Committee members should be consulted, especially on sections that involve their special expertise. 

Preparation of a thesis, plan B paper, or dissertation is the culminating learning experience for a graduate student. The quality of the product, which should represent the student’s own best work, is the responsibility of the student. Monitoring the quality of the thesis, plan B paper, or dissertation and mentoring the student in writing are responsibilities of the major professor, with the assistance of the supervisory committee. Editing by anyone other than the major professor and the supervisory committee should be limited to mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. 

Coauthoring requirements are listed in the Graduate School Catalog (section G2).  

Access the Publication Guide for Graduate Students

Find Thesis/Dissertation Information Sessions

Defense Process and Requirements

Before Semester of Defense

1. Review the School of Graduate Studies Publication Guide and attend a thesis/dissertation review information session.
2. Review the steps to degree completion for your degree.
3. Meet with your GPC
   • Review your official degree and plan type and ensure they are correct in Banner.
   • Review your official committee to make sure it is correct (NO committee changes can be made within 6 weeks of the final defense). 
   • Review your file: are your SCAF, POS, and TPA or ACDD forms approved and accurate?
   • Discuss how many credits you need for the semester of defense.
   • Discuss departmental thesis/dissertation review procedures and timeframe.
4. Determine when you need to have your degree in hand.
   • Work with your major professor and committee to determine a timeline for your thesis/dissertation completion. 

Preparing for Defense

1. Register for at least three credits the semester of your defense unless otherwise approved by your department.
2. Submit a Full Time at 3 Credits form.
   • International students must be registered as a full-time student throughout the duration of their degree and are not eligible to register for 1 credit unless their final semester falls in the summer semester.
3. Meet with your GPC.
   1. Conduct a final review of your official forms to make sure they are correct.
   2. Discuss any departmental requirements.
   3. Discuss how the defense room is reserved.
4. Work with your committee to determine the date and time of your defense.
5. Submit your thesis, plan B paper, or dissertation to each committee member at least one month prior to your defense date.
6. Reserve a room.
7. Submit your Appointment for Examination (AFE) at least 10 business days prior to your defense.
   1. Check on the progress of approvals on your AFE, follow up with GPC and/or committee members to make sure it is approved in a timely manner.
   2. If the Appointment for Examination is not fully approved before the date of defense, the defense is not official, and will need to be rescheduled.
   3. Once an Appointment for Examination has been approved by the committee and the School of Graduate Studies, any changes to the date, time, and/or location require the submission and approval of a new Appointment for Examination. 

After the Defense

1. The student should be informed of the defense results at the conclusion of the defense.
2. The major professor or designated committee member should inform the GPC of the results of the defense as soon as possible.
3. The GPC will then submit the Record of Examination in ServiceNow, and the committee will verify the results of the defense.
4. Discuss the ownership of data and authorship rights with your committee. Review and submit the Format & Style form and Authorship & Copyright form.
5. If desired, submit an embargo request. 

Defense Requirements

1. Any final defense held without following the proper procedures as listed in the graduate catalog may be invalid.
2. All defenses are public.
3. Graduate students must be registered for 3 credits the semester of defense. Students may register for 1 credit, with departmental approval, if all coursework on a Program of Study is complete and there is no need to maintain “full-time” status for any reason.*  
   • *International students must be registered as a full-time student throughout the duration of their degree and are not eligible to register for 1 credit unless their final semester falls in the summer semester.
4. Supervisory committees cannot be changed in the 6 weeks prior to defense.
5. All committee members must attend the defense at the date and time registered with the School of Graduate Studies.
6. While an in-person defense is preferred and recommended, members of the committee may participate remotely with both audio and video interaction. Students should work with their committee members to arrange defense participation and details prior to submitting an Appointment for Examination.
7. No committee member should agree to proceed with a defense until they have carefully read and approved the thesis, dissertation, or plan B paper. 

Submission Process

After your defense, you should submit all of the following documents to your graduate program coordinator/department reviewer: 

(All forms can be found on the Service Now platform)

• Dissertation/Thesis Format and Style/ETD form
• Authorship and Copyright form
• Embargo Request form (if desired)
• Title Page

Students should also review final semester information for other deadlines and requirements.

Once a student’s thesis, dissertation, or plan B paper has been finalized by the School of Graduate Studies and/or the Library, the School of Graduate Studies will verify that all degree requirements have been met. The School of Graduate Studies will contact you to let you know if anything on the Completion Checklist is incomplete. 

Theses & Dissertations

When you’re completely done editing your thesis/dissertation and your committee has approved it by signing your title page, have your GPC or departmental reviewer submit it for review to the School of Graduate Studies. 

Your paper cannot be checked into the School of Graduate Studies queue for review until all of the required forms are submitted and approved, your GPC has uploaded your completed thesis/dissertation to your review file, and your GPC has emailed the reviewer indicating that everything is in your file. All papers in the queue are processed in the order in which they are added. Please allow at least three weeks for the initial review of your thesis or dissertation once it has been added to the queue (time to the initial review will vary based on the number of papers in the queue). 

If you formatted chapters in accordance with a particular journal, please also submit to the School of Graduate Studies a sample(s) of target journal styles in PDF format. 

If you want your thesis/dissertation embargoed, you must submit an Embargo form, and a signed physical copy of your final approved paper to the library along with a binding fee once it has passed the School of Graduate Studies review. 

Once your thesis or dissertation has passed the School of Graduate Studies review, it will be submitted to the Library for publication. No further edits can be made at this point! Library personnel will notify the student and the School of Graduate Studies once the manuscript is accepted. 

Plan B Papers & Projects

Plan B papers and projects are defended but not formally reviewed by the School of Graduate Studies or signed by the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies. Instead, once a student has successfully defended their plan B and their committee has approved the final version of their report/creative project, students will submit their papers or projects directly to the Merrill-Cazier Library and uploaded to DigitalCommons. Library personnel will notify the student and the School of Graduate Studies once the plan B paper or project is accepted.