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Dissertations and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the student is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar. 

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation, and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.  

Document Preparation

PhD and master’s students are responsible for meeting all requirements for preparing theses and dissertations. They are expected to confer with their advisors about disciplinary and program expectations and to follow Graduate School procedure requirements.

The Graduate School’s format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master’s theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense. 

Access and Distribution

Ohio State has agreements with two organizations— OhioLINK   and   ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing —that store and provide access to Ohio State theses and dissertations.  

Examinations

Graduate degree examinations are a major milestone in all graduate students’ pursuit of their graduate degree. Much hinges on the successful completion of these examinations, including the ability to continue in a graduate program. 

The rules and processes set by the Graduate School ensure the integrity of these examinations for graduate students, the graduate faculty, and for Ohio State. 

Final Semester

During your final semester as a graduate student there are many activities that lead up to commencement and receiving your degree. Complete the final semester checklist and learn more about commencement activities.

Graduation Calendar

Select your expected graduation term below to see specific dates concerning when to apply for graduation, complete your examinations and reports, submit approved thesis and dissertation, commencement, and the end-of semester deadline.

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : September 6, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : November 22, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : November 27, 2024

Commencement 4  : December 15, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : January 3, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : January 24, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : April 11, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : April 18, 2025

Commencement 4  : May 4, 2025

End of Semester Deadline 5  : May 5, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : May 23, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : July 11, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : July 18, 2025

Commencement 4  : August 3, 2025

End of Semester Deadline 5  : August 25, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : September 12, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : November 26, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : December 5, 2025

Commencement 4  : December 21, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : January 9, 2025

1  Applications to graduate include current semester or End-of-Semester deadline. Applications must be received by close of business.

2 Format reviews may occur electronically or in person at the Graduate School during announced business hours.  Both options require submitting a digital version of the dissertation or DMA document draft in a PDF format to  [email protected] .  

3  Approved documents must be submitted via OhioLINK and accepted by the Graduate School by the close of business before the Report on Final Document will be processed.

4  Students not attending commencement must complete the commencement section on the Application to Graduate to indicate how their diploma should be disbursed.

5  A degree applicant who does not meet published graduation deadlines but who does complete all degree requirements by the last business day prior to the first day of classes for the following semester or summer term will graduate the following semester or summer term without registering or paying fees

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

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• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples

Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.

It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation . One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer’s block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.

This article collects a list of undergraduate, master’s, and PhD theses and dissertations that have won prizes for their high-quality research.

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Table of contents

Award-winning undergraduate theses, award-winning master’s theses, award-winning ph.d. dissertations, other interesting articles.

University : University of Pennsylvania Faculty : History Author : Suchait Kahlon Award : 2021 Hilary Conroy Prize for Best Honors Thesis in World History Title : “Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the “Noble Savage” on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807”

University : Columbia University Faculty : History Author : Julien Saint Reiman Award : 2018 Charles A. Beard Senior Thesis Prize Title : “A Starving Man Helping Another Starving Man”: UNRRA, India, and the Genesis of Global Relief, 1943-1947

University: University College London Faculty: Geography Author: Anna Knowles-Smith Award:  2017 Royal Geographical Society Undergraduate Dissertation Prize Title:  Refugees and theatre: an exploration of the basis of self-representation

University: University of Washington Faculty:  Computer Science & Engineering Author: Nick J. Martindell Award: 2014 Best Senior Thesis Award Title:  DCDN: Distributed content delivery for the modern web

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University:  University of Edinburgh Faculty:  Informatics Author:  Christopher Sipola Award:  2018 Social Responsibility & Sustainability Dissertation Prize Title:  Summarizing electricity usage with a neural network

University:  University of Ottawa Faculty:  Education Author:  Matthew Brillinger Award:  2017 Commission on Graduate Studies in the Humanities Prize Title:  Educational Park Planning in Berkeley, California, 1965-1968

University:  University of Ottawa Faculty: Social Sciences Author:  Heather Martin Award:  2015 Joseph De Koninck Prize Title:  An Analysis of Sexual Assault Support Services for Women who have a Developmental Disability

University : University of Ottawa Faculty : Physics Author : Guillaume Thekkadath Award : 2017 Commission on Graduate Studies in the Sciences Prize Title : Joint measurements of complementary properties of quantum systems

University:  London School of Economics Faculty: International Development Author: Lajos Kossuth Award:  2016 Winner of the Prize for Best Overall Performance Title:  Shiny Happy People: A study of the effects income relative to a reference group exerts on life satisfaction

University : Stanford University Faculty : English Author : Nathan Wainstein Award : 2021 Alden Prize Title : “Unformed Art: Bad Writing in the Modernist Novel”

University : University of Massachusetts at Amherst Faculty : Molecular and Cellular Biology Author : Nils Pilotte Award : 2021 Byron Prize for Best Ph.D. Dissertation Title : “Improved Molecular Diagnostics for Soil-Transmitted Molecular Diagnostics for Soil-Transmitted Helminths”

University:  Utrecht University Faculty:  Linguistics Author:  Hans Rutger Bosker Award: 2014 AVT/Anéla Dissertation Prize Title:  The processing and evaluation of fluency in native and non-native speech

University: California Institute of Technology Faculty: Physics Author: Michael P. Mendenhall Award: 2015 Dissertation Award in Nuclear Physics Title: Measurement of the neutron beta decay asymmetry using ultracold neutrons

University:  Stanford University Faculty: Management Science and Engineering Author:  Shayan O. Gharan Award:  Doctoral Dissertation Award 2013 Title:   New Rounding Techniques for the Design and Analysis of Approximation Algorithms

University: University of Minnesota Faculty: Chemical Engineering Author: Eric A. Vandre Award:  2014 Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics Title: Onset of Dynamics Wetting Failure: The Mechanics of High-speed Fluid Displacement

University: Erasmus University Rotterdam Faculty: Marketing Author: Ezgi Akpinar Award: McKinsey Marketing Dissertation Award 2014 Title: Consumer Information Sharing: Understanding Psychological Drivers of Social Transmission

University: University of Washington Faculty: Computer Science & Engineering Author: Keith N. Snavely Award:  2009 Doctoral Dissertation Award Title: Scene Reconstruction and Visualization from Internet Photo Collections

University:  University of Ottawa Faculty:  Social Work Author:  Susannah Taylor Award: 2018 Joseph De Koninck Prize Title:  Effacing and Obscuring Autonomy: the Effects of Structural Violence on the Transition to Adulthood of Street Involved Youth

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Thesis & dissertation.

  Understanding Deadlines and Requirements

The final requirement in earning a graduate degree is the completion and defense of the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Understanding the steps and associated deadlines in the thesis/dissertation submission and degree conferral process is necessary to establish a successful plan and realistic timeframe.

2024 Thesis/Dissertation Submission to the Graduate School Deadlines:

• For May 26, 2024 conferral, deadline is May 1.
• For August 31, 2024 conferral, deadline is August 1.
• December 31, 2024 conferral, deadline is December 1.

See our  Planning Timeline  for more detailed information.

  Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation

The Graduate School offers several writing resources to help you get started, meet your goals, and complete your thesis/dissertation on time. 

Before You Begin:

• Guide to Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation
• Fields Permitting the Use of Papers Option
• Required Sections, Guidelines, and Suggestions
• Formatting Requirements
• Fair Use, Copyright, Patent, and Publishing Options

Resources for Writing:

• Thesis & Dissertation Templates
• Writing from A to B

  Scheduling and Taking Your Final Exam

Once you have submitted your draft thesis/dissertation to your committee you are ready to defend. This involves scheduling and taking your final exam (“B” exam), an oral exam/dissertation defense for Ph.D. candidates, or (“M” exam), an oral exam/thesis defense for Master’s candidates.

• About Exams
• Defending Your Thesis or Dissertation
• Taking Exams

 Submitting Your Thesis/Dissertation

Policy requires the thesis/dissertation be submitted within 60 days of the final exam. The Graduate School uses a service called ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process. Once you have made any necessary revisions and the thesis/dissertation is final, you are ready to begin the approval and submission process.

Before initiating the submission process, students are required to complete an ORCID iD and complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates.

• Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID iD)
• Survey of Earned Doctorates 
• Thesis & Dissertation Submission Process
• Submission Fees
• Graduation Requirements 

• Boston University Libraries

Theses & Dissertations: Resources for Locating

Proquest dissertations & theses, ethos: electronic theses online service.

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

Theses Canada

Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation to the Library

Proquest Dissertations & Theses

The world’s most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. PQDT — Full Text includes millions of searchable citations to dissertation and theses from around the world from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Over 2.1 million titles are available for purchase as printed copies. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full text coverage for older graduate works.  All materials in full text are available to currently-registered students, faculty and staff for free.

More than 70,000 new full text dissertations and theses are added to the database each year through dissertations publishing partnerships with 700 leading academic institutions worldwide and collaborative retrospective digitization of dissertations through UMI’s Digital Archiving and Access Program.

Each dissertation published since July 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master’s theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts. Simple bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1637. Where available, PQDT — Full Text provides 24-page previews of dissertations and theses.

EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service)

The aim of EThOS is to offer a ‘single point of access’ where researchers the world over can access ALL theses produced by UK Higher Education

Many UK institutions support Open Access to their theses, so download of their digital and digitized theses is free to the researcher. A small number of participating institutions may not be able to offer Open Access and in this case the researcher may have to pay for the digitization.

EThOS can only offer the theses of participating institutions. While we expect a large number of institutions to take part, we cannot supply from an institution which chooses not to. In this case, you should approach the institution’s library directly to gain access to a thesis. http://ethos.bl.uk/

The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization that promotes the adoption, creation, use, dissemination and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations. The NDLTD Union Catalog contains more than one million records. http://www.ndltd.org/resources/find-etds

The mission of Theses Canada is to acquire and preserve a comprehensive collection of Canadian theses at Library and Archives Canada (LAC), to provide access to this valuable research within Canada and throughout the world. Its mission to preserve this portion of Canada’s bibliographic heritage is achieved through collaboration with the many Canadian universities who participate in the program. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/thesescanada

Please consult the Research Guide:   Guide for Writers of Theses & Dissertations  for information about how to submit your thesis or dissertation to Boston University Libraries.

[email protected]

• Last Updated: Mar 29, 2023 4:05 PM
• URL: https://library.bu.edu/dissertations

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Information For

Theses & Dissertations

The graduate thesis or dissertation is a key component of a research based graduate degree. This page summarizes some important steps in the process, however the Office of Graduate Studies Guidelines for Preparing Theses and Dissertations (PDF) is the official authority on all aspects of the undertaking. 

Timeline of Thesis/Dissertation Completion*

*Students are encouraged to submit their work earlier, as these dates reflect final deadlines for submission. Program or department guidelines supersede these dates if they require earlier deadlines than those published in the Office of Graduate Studies Guidelines for Preparing Theses and Dissertations (PDF).

Formation of Committee 

Your thesis or dissertation chairperson will be responsible for guiding you through the process. Once you have identified this individual, then in consultation with them you should identify two or more (depending on program requirements) additional faculty members who will add value to the development of the research and be part of the group evaluating it when you are ready to defend your research.  

Forms for the establishment of your thesis/dissertation committee need to be completed in DocuSign . 

Forms for the establishment of your thesis/dissertation committee.

Proposal and initiation of scholarship .

The student is to maintain ongoing contact with the thesis/dissertation chairperson and the committee members during the development of the proposal and to abide by the academic program or department guidelines for its content and scope. Some programs and departments require a formal oral defense of a thesis proposal, though this is not a requirement of the Office of Graduate Studies . Doctoral dissertation proposals require a formal oral defense. Approval of the thesis or dissertation proposal by the chairperson and committee members is necessary for the student to proceed with the thesis or dissertation research. The student is to confer with and receive approval from the chairperson and the committee members for a proposed timeframe for completing the thesis or dissertation. The Dean of Graduate Studies does not need to approve the thesis or dissertation proposal. 

The student must seek and obtain written approval from the Towson University Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects prior to conducting research that involves the use of human subjects. Students must seek and obtain approval from the Towson University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) prior to conducting research that involves the use of animals. Students can contact the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research for assistance at 410-704‐2236 or at ospr AT_TOWSON .

Defense and Graduation 

Students are to abide by all deadlines established by the Office of Graduate Studies for review and submission of the final thesis/dissertation and by the Registrar’s Office for formal submission of an intention to graduate. Students are to abide by department and program deadlines for review and submission of the thesis/dissertation, if these deadlines are earlier than those stated by the Office of Graduate Studies.  

Once it is approved by the committee chairperson, the student is to distribute the final draft of the thesis or dissertation to the committee members for review. At the time of distribution, the student is to meet with the committee chairperson to establish a date and time for the oral defense of the thesis/dissertation. The oral defense should occur at least four weeks before the end of the academic term. The student may announce the date and time of the defense to the university community at least one week prior to the event. The administrative assistant to the student’s program or college can assist in posting defense announcements. Thesis and dissertation defenses are open to all members of the Towson University academic community, and to guests invited by the student. Upon successful completion of your thesis/dissertation defense and making all corrections required by your committee you should submit your thesis to the Office of Graduate Studies and circulate the appropriate final thesis approval form to your committee members for signature. 

Doctoral students should complete the doctoral student info form to ensure correct bio information is included in the commencement program. 

Forms for final approval of your thesis/dissertation.

Submission to graduate studies .

The student is to submit the final approved thesis/dissertation, signed approval form, and the Internet release page in electronic form to the Office of Graduate Studies at gradformat AT_TOWSON at least 10 working days prior to the official end of the term in which the student intends to graduate.

The electronic copy of the thesis/dissertation is to be in a version compatible with Microsoft Word; the electronic copy should not be a PDF at this time. The Office of Graduate Studies evaluates an electronic copy of thesis/dissertation, after it has been approved by the committee, to ensure compliance with the procedural and formatting requirements stipulated in this manual. Theses or dissertations that do not follow the guidelines will need to be corrected by the student before receiving final approval from the Office of Graduate Studies.

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• Thesis and Dissertation Format and Submission Guidelines

Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines

A guide through the entire thesis/dissertation process, from getting started to submitting.

As part of the graduation requirements for students completing theses, dissertations, or doctoral projects, once final documents are accepted by the Graduate College as complete, approved, and properly formatted, students must then submit their final approved document electronically to ProQuest and Digital Scholarship@UNLV by the appropriate deadline each semester.

Theses and dissertations must be properly formatted according to both the style guidelines used in your discipline and the format required by UNLV.

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1. Tools to Help with Research

• UNLV Research Librarians UNLV Libraries have many resources to help with the research process prior to writing your thesis or dissertation. The most important resource the library offers is your college’s research librarian. You can find contact information and helpful research tips
• UNLV Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) A good starting place for research is seeing what has been done by students in your department. Open access to e-theses and e-dissertations (ETDs) benefit graduate students, as research can be shared with prospective or current employers, a valuable career tool. Open access makes research accessible to a global audience and has potential for increased use and higher impact of your work. Students can incorporate interactive features such as multimedia, hyperlinks, and supplemental files by using various forms of creative scholarship.

2. Before You Start Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation

If you have concerns about how to start writing the thesis or dissertation so that it complies with the Graduate College policies or if you have concerns about what forms need to be submitted prior to and after your master’s and/ or doctoral defense, this section should help alleviate these concerns. The “Things to Think About Before Writing the Thesis or Dissertation” provides helpful suggestions about how to start the formatting before you start writing. Presetting your formatting will ease formatting-induced frustrations in the long-term. The “Paperwork to Complete Your Master’s Defense and Degree Program” and “Paperwork to Complete Your Master’s Defense and Degree Program” help with concerns about making sure all paperwork has been turned in when it should be. Finally, check the graduation and submission deadlines for the semester you wish to graduate. Make sure you submit your graduation application, defend, submit, and upload your thesis or dissertation on or before the listed deadline.

• Things to Think About Before Writing the Thesis or Dissertation
• Graduation & Submission Deadlines

3. General Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations

This section just provides some general guidelines for the theses and dissertations. Reading it will help to answer questions about whether the theses or dissertation is collaborative (it is not), how to choose a style guide, who is responsible for judging the acceptability of the thesis or dissertation, and so forth.

• General Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations
• Thesis/Dissertation Document Order
• Most Common Formatting Issues
• Announcing your Thesis or Dissertation Defense
• Novice Webex Users Simple Tips for Virtual Defense
• Advanced Webex Users: Preparing for Oral Thesis/Dissertation Defenses using Webex

4. Use of Previously Published Material

This section discusses the nature of using previously published material. Please read if you are planning on incorporating such material into your theses or dissertation.

• Use of Previously Published Material

5. Organization of the Thesis and Dissertation

This section includes guidelines, tips and examples for each section of the thesis or dissertation. Simply click on the hyperlink and it will lead to a pdf. The sections are presented in the order of how the material must be presented in your document.

• YouTube Instructional Video - Graduate College TD Series: Cover Page.
• YouTube Instructional Video - Graduate College TD Series: Copyright Page
• YouTube Instructional Video - Graduate College TD Series: Abstract
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication (optional)
• Preface (optional)
• Table of Contents
• Tables and List of Tables
• Figures and List of Figures
• Any other lists, including: List of Definitions, List of Algorithms, List of Equations
• Headings and Subheadings Manual
• Manual for Formatting Requirements for Font Size, Style, and Type and Spacing: Changing the Default Paragraph Styles
• Manual for Format Requirements for Margins and Page Numbers
• Appendix or appendices
• Bibliography/ References
• Curriculum Vitae

6. Thesis & Dissertation Checklist

All theses, dissertations, and doctoral projects are checked by reviewers using this checklist. We recommend that students compare their document to this checklist prior to Graduate College format review.

• Thesis and Dissertation Format Review Checklist

7. Copyright Information

Thesis or dissertation authors automatically own the copyright to their documents since it represents the author’s original work, fixed in any tangible medium.

Registering a copyright on a thesis or dissertation is optional. Students may consider it because they want the public record to show they own the work’s copyright; they want a certificate of registration; or because in successful litigation, works that are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office may be eligible for attorney’s fees and statutory damage.

Students can register a copyright on their thesis or dissertation with the U.S. Copyright Office by:

• Working through ProQuest, which collects a fee for its service
• Filing a registration of copyright themselves by sending an application form, a nonrefundable filing fee, and a non-returnable copy of their thesis or dissertation to the U.S. Copyright Office

More information on copyright is available on the U.S. Copyright Office’s website . Answers to frequently asked copyright questions on the FAQs page .

If students choose to register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, they must indicate it with a copyright page in their thesis or dissertation. This page is optional, but encouraged, for students who do not register a copyright.

Please follow the guidelines below if including a copyright page:

• The copyright page is inserted after the title page
• This page is not numbered 
• This page does not have headers or footers in the margins 
• First line: Copyright by Name (First then Last), YEAR
• Second line: All Rights Reserved
• If submitting in December, date for January of the following year. 

8. Creating a PDF

This document discusses how to create a pdf. This is the format required for when you submit your document (thesis or dissertation) to the Graduate College for review.

• Creating a PDF

9. iThenticate

All theses and dissertations must be submitted to iThenticate for a similarity check prior to submission of the final document to the Graduate College. A copy of the similarity report must be submitted to the student’s advisory committee at the time of the final defense, and it will be taken into account when determining the outcome of the defense. If the student passes their defense, the report shall be attached to the Culminating Experience Results form before submission to the Graduate College.

• More information on iThenticate
• Generating a Similarity Report

10. Format Review

Please submit your committee-approved thesis, dissertation or doctoral project through our  submission website .  Note : You can only submit your document using your Rebelmail account. If you are simultaneously logged into other Gmail accounts, you will need to sign out of them and log in to your Rebelmail account only.

Please note that Professional Papers should not be submitted for Graduate College format review. Please work with your respective department if you have any format-related questions.

Theses, dissertations, and doctoral projects must be submitted to the Graduate College for format check through the online submission form. If you have any difficulty with your online submission process please email  [email protected]  so we can assist you as soon as possible.

11. Thesis and Dissertation Submission Process

Once the formatting of your thesis, dissertation, or doctoral project is approved by the Graduate College, you will receive your final document and instructions on how to submit it to ProQuest and Digital Scholarship@UNLV . Students must submit their final document electronically to ProQuest and Digital Scholarship@UNLV by the appropriate deadline each semester as part of their graduation requirements.

Thesis & Dissertation Assistance

Students with questions about their thesis or dissertation can take advantage of the Graduate College's thesis and dissertation office hours every Tuesday and Thursday from 12-2 p.m. Email [email protected] at least 48 hours in advance to schedule a virtual appointment (via Google Meets or WebEx).

Option to Embargo

Some students may have a compelling reason to embargo their thesis or dissertation for a period of time to protect intellectual property rights or due to other publication restrictions.

PhD Thesis Guide

This phd thesis guide will guide you step-by-step through the thesis process, from your initial letter of intent to submission of the final document..

All associated forms are conveniently consolidated in the section at the end.

Deadlines & Requirements

Students should register for HST.ThG during any term in which they are conducting research towards their thesis. Regardless of year in program students registered for HST.ThG in a regular term (fall or spring) must meet with their research advisor and complete the  Semi-Annual PhD Student Progress Review Form to receive credit.

Years 1 - 2

• Students participating in lab rotations during year 1, may use the optional MEMP Rotation Registration Form , to formalize the arrangement and can earn academic credit by enrolling in HST.599. 
• A first letter of intent ( LOI-1 ) proposing a general area of thesis research and research advisor is required by April 30th of the second year of registration.
• A second letter of intent ( LOI-2 ) proposing a thesis committee membership and providing a more detailed description of the thesis research is required by April 30th of the third year of registration for approval by the HST-IMES Committee on Academic Programs (HICAP).

Year 4 

• Beginning in year 4, (or after the LOI-2 is approved) the student must meet with their thesis committee at least once per semester.
• Students must formally defend their proposal before the approved thesis committee, and submit their committee approved proposal to HICAP  by April 30 of the forth year of registration.
• Meetings with the thesis committee must be held at least once per semester. 

HST has developed these policies to help keep students on track as they progress through their PhD program. Experience shows that students make more rapid progress towards graduation when they interact regularly with a faculty committee and complete their thesis proposal by the deadline.

Getting Started

Check out these resources  for finding a research lab.

The Thesis Committee: Roles and Responsibilities

Students perform doctoral thesis work under the guidance of a thesis committee consisting of at least three faculty members from Harvard and MIT (including a chair and a research advisor) who will help guide the research. Students are encouraged to form their thesis committee early in the course of the research and in any case by the end of the third year of registration. The HST IMES Committee on Academic Programs (HICAP) approves the composition of the thesis committee via the letter of intent and the thesis proposal (described below). 

Research Advisor

The research advisor is responsible for overseeing the student's thesis project. The research advisor is expected to:

• oversee the research and mentor the student;
• provide a supportive research environment, facilities, and financial support;
• discuss expectations, progress, and milestones with the student and complete the  Semi-Annual PhD Student Progress Review Form each semester;
• assist the student to prepare for the oral qualifying exam;
• guide the student in selecting the other members of the thesis committee;
• help the student prepare for, and attend, meetings of the full thesis committee, to be held at least once per semester;
• help the student prepare for, and attend, the thesis defense;
• evaluate the final thesis document.

The research advisor is chosen by the student and must be a faculty member of MIT* or Harvard University and needs no further approval.  HICAP may approve other individuals as research advisor on a student-by-student basis. Students are advised to request approval of non-faculty research advisors as soon as possible.  In order to avoid conflicts of interest, the research advisor may not also be the student's academic advisor. In the event that an academic advisor becomes the research advisor, a new academic advisor will be assigned.

The student and their research advisor must complete the Semi-Annual PhD Student Progress Review during each regular term in order to receive academic credit for research.  Download Semi Annual Review Form

*MIT Senior Research Staff are considered equivalent to faculty members for the purposes of research advising. No additional approval is required.

Thesis Committee Chair

Each HST PhD thesis committee is headed administratively by a chair, chosen by the student in consultation with the research advisor. The thesis committee chair is expected to:

• provide advice and guidance concerning the thesis research; 
• oversee meetings of the full thesis committee, to be held at least once per semester;
• preside at the thesis defense; 
• review and evaluate the final thesis document.

The thesis committee chair must be well acquainted with the academic policies and procedures of the institution granting the student's degree and be familiar with the student's area of research. The research advisor may not simultaneously serve as thesis committee chair.

For HST PhD students earning degrees through MIT, the thesis committee chair must be an MIT faculty member. A select group of HST program faculty without primary appointments at MIT have been pre-approved by HICAP to chair PhD theses awarded by HST at MIT in cases where the MIT research advisor is an MIT faculty member.**

HST PhD students earning their degree through Harvard follow thesis committee requirements set by the unit granting their degree - either the Biophysics Program or the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

** List of non-MIT HST faculty approved to chair MIT thesis proposals when the research advisor is an MIT faculty member.

In addition to the research advisor and the thesis committee chair, the thesis committee must include one or more readers. Readers are expected to:

• attend meetings of the full thesis committee, to be held at least once per semester;
• attend the thesis defense; 

Faculty members with relevant expertise from outside of Harvard/MIT may serve as readers, but they may only be counted toward the required three if approved by HICAP.

The members of the thesis committee should have complementary expertise that collectively covers the areas needed to advise a student's thesis research. The committee should also be diverse, so that members are able to offer different perspectives on the student's research. When forming a thesis committee, it is helpful to consider the following questions: 

• Do the individuals on the committee collectively have the appropriate expertise for the project?
• Does the committee include at least one individual who can offer different perspectives on the student's research?  The committee should include at least one person who is not closely affiliated with the student's primary lab. Frequent collaborators are acceptable in this capacity if their work exhibits intellectual independence from the research advisor.
• If the research has a near-term clinical application, does the committee include someone who can add a translational or clinical perspective?  
• Does the committee conform to HST policies in terms of number, academic appointments, and affiliations of the committee members, research advisor, and thesis committee chair as described elsewhere on this page?

[Friendly advice: Although there is no maximum committee size, three or four is considered optimal. Committees of five members are possible, but more than five is unwieldy.]

Thesis Committee Meetings

Students must meet with their thesis committee at least once each semester beginning in the fourth year of registration. It is the student's responsibility to schedule these meetings; students who encounter difficulties in arranging regular committee meetings can contact Julie Greenberg at jgreenbe [at] mit.edu (jgreenbe[at]mit[dot]edu) .

The format of the thesis committee meeting is at the discretion of the thesis committee chair. In some cases, the following sequence may be helpful:

• The thesis committee chair, research advisor, and readers meet briefly without the student in the room;
• The thesis committee chair and readers meet briefly with the student, without the advisor in the room;
• The student presents their research progress, answers questions, and seeks guidance from the members of the thesis committee;

Please note that thesis committee meetings provide an important opportunity for students to present their research and respond to questions. Therefore, it is in the student's best interest for the research advisor to refrain from defending the research in this setting.

Letters of Intent

Students must submit two letters of intent ( LOI-1 and LOI-2 ) with applicable signatures. 

In LOI-1, students identify a research advisor and a general area of thesis research, described in 100 words or less. It should include the area of expertise of the research advisor and indicate whether IRB approval (Institutional Review Board; for research involving human subjects) and/or IACUC approval (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; for research involving vertebrate animals) will be required and, if so, from which institutions. LOI-1 is due by April 30 of the second year of registration and and should be submitted to HICAP, c/o Traci Anderson in E25-518. 

In LOI-2, students provide a description of the thesis research, describing the Background and Significance of the research and making a preliminary statement of Specific Aims (up to 400 words total). In LOI-2, a student also proposes the membership of their thesis committee. In addition to the research advisor, the proposed thesis committee must include a chair and one or more readers, all selected to meet the specified criteria . LOI-2 is due by April 30th of the third year of registration and should be submitted to HICAP, c/o Traci Anderson in E25-518.

LOI-2 is reviewed by the HST-IMES Committee on Academic Programs (HICAP) to determine if the proposed committee meets the specified criteria and if the committee members collectively have the complementary expertise needed to advise the student in executing the proposed research. If HICAP requests any changes to the proposed committee, the student must submit a revised LOI-2 for HICAP review by September 30th of the fourth year of registration. HICAP must approve LOI-2 before the student can proceed to presenting and submitting their thesis proposal. Any changes to the thesis committee membership following HICAP approval of LOI-2 and prior to defense of the thesis proposal must be reported by submitting a revised LOI-2 form to HICAP, c/o tanderso [at] mit.edu (Traci Anderson) . After final HICAP approval of LOI-2, which confirms the thesis committee membership, the student may proceed to present their thesis proposal to the approved thesis committee, as described in the next section.

Students are strongly encouraged to identify tentative thesis committee members and begin meeting with them as early as possible to inform the direction of their research. Following submission of LOI-2, students are required to hold at least one thesis committee meeting per semester. Students must document these meetings via the Semi- Annual PhD Student Progress Review form in order to receive a grade reflecting satisfactory progress in HST.ThG.

Thesis Proposal and Proposal Presentation

For MEMP students receiving their degrees through MIT, successful completion of the Oral Qualifying Exam is a prerequisite for the thesis proposal presentation. For MEMP students receiving their degrees through Harvard, the oral qualifying exam satisfies the proposal presentation requirement.

Proposal Document

Each student must present a thesis proposal to a thesis committee that has been approved by HICAP via the LOI-2 and then submit a full proposal package to HICAP by April 30th of the fourth year of registration. The only exception is for students who substantially change their research focus after the fall term of their third year; in those cases the thesis proposal must be submitted within three semesters of joining a new lab. Students registering for thesis research (HST.THG) who have not met this deadline may be administratively assigned a grade of "U" (unsatisfactory) and receive an academic warning.

The written proposal should be no longer than 4500 words, excluding references. This is intended to help students develop their proposal-writing skills by gaining experience composing a practical proposal; the length is comparable to that required for proposals to the NIH R03 Small Research Grant Program. The proposal should clearly define the research problem, describe the proposed research plan, and defend the significance of the work. Preliminary results are not required. If the proposal consists of multiple aims, with the accomplishment of later aims based on the success of earlier ones, then the proposal should describe a contingency plan in case the early results are not as expected.

Proposal Presentation

The student must formally defend the thesis proposal before the full thesis committee that has been approved by HICAP.

Students should schedule the meeting and reserve a conference room and any audio visual equipment they may require for their presentation. To book a conference room in E25, please contact Joseph Stein ( jrstein [at] mit.edu (jrstein[at]mit[dot]edu) ).

Following the proposal presentation, students should make any requested modifications to the proposal for the committee members to review. Once the committee approves the proposal, the student should obtain the signatures of the committee members on the forms described below as part of the proposal submission package.

[Friendly advice: As a professional courtesy, be sure your committee members have a complete version of your thesis proposal at least one week in advance of the proposal presentation.]

Submission of Proposal Package

When the thesis committee has approved the proposal, the student submits the proposal package to HICAP, c/o Traci Anderson in E25-518, for final approval. HICAP may reject a thesis proposal if it has been defended before a committee that was not previously approved via the LOI-2.

The proposal package includes the following: 

• the proposal document
• a brief description of the project background and significance that explains why the work is important;
• the specific aims of the proposal, including a contingency plan if needed; and
• an indication of the methods to be used to accomplish the specific aims.
• signed research advisor agreement form(s);
• signed chair agreement form (which confirms a successful proposal defense);
• signed reader agreement form(s).

Thesis Proposal Forms

• SAMPLE Title Page (doc)
• Research Advisor Agreement Form (pdf)
• Chair Agreement Form (pdf)
• Reader Agreement Form (pdf)

Thesis Defense and Final Thesis Document

When the thesis is substantially complete and fully acceptable to the thesis committee, a public thesis defense is scheduled for the student to present his/her work to the thesis committee and other members of the community. The thesis defense is the last formal examination required for receipt of a doctoral degree. To be considered "public", a defense must be announced to the community at least five working days in advance. At the defense, the thesis committee determines if the research presented is sufficient for granting a doctoral degree. Following a satisfactory thesis defense, the student submits the final thesis document, approved by the research advisor, to Traci Anderson via email (see instructions below).

[Friendly advice: Contact jrstein [at] mit.edu (Joseph Stein) at least two weeks before your scheduled date to arrange for advertising via email and posters. A defense can be canceled for insufficient public notice.]

Before the Thesis Defense 

Committee Approves Student to Defend: The thesis committee, working with the student and reviewing thesis drafts, concludes that the doctoral work is complete. The student should discuss the structure of the defense (general guidelines below) with the thesis committee chair and the research advisor. 

Schedule the Defense: The student schedules a defense at a time when all members of the thesis committee will be physical present. Any exceptions must be approved in advance by the IMES/HST Academic Office.

Reserve Room: It is the student's responsibility to reserve a room and any necessary equipment. Please contact imes-reservation [at] mit.edu (subject: E25%20Room%20Reservation) (IMES Reservation) to  reserve rooms E25-140, E25-141, E25-119/121, E25-521. 

Final Draft: A complete draft of the thesis document is due to the thesis committee two weeks prior to the thesis defense to allow time for review.  The thesis should be written as a single cohesive document; it may include content from published papers (see libraries website on " Use of Previously Published Material in a Thesis ") but it may not be a simple compilation of previously published materials.

Publicize the Defense:   The IMES/HST Academic Office invites the community to attend the defense via email and a notice on the HST website. This requires that the student email a thesis abstract and supplemental information to  jrstein [at] mit.edu (Joseph Stein)  two weeks prior to the thesis defense. The following information should be included: Date and time, Location, (Zoom invitation with password, if offering a hybrid option), Thesis Title, Names of committee members, with academic and professional titles and institutional affiliations. The abstract is limited to 250 words for the poster, but students may optionally submit a second, longer abstract for the email announcement.

Thesis Defense Guidelines

Public Defense: The student should prepare a presentation of 45-60 minutes in length, to be followed by a public question and answer period of 15–30 minutes at discretion of the chair.

Committee Discussion:  Immediately following the public thesis presentation, the student meets privately with the thesis committee and any other faculty members present to explore additional questions at the discretion of the faculty. Then the thesis committee meets in executive session and determines whether the thesis defense was satisfactory. The committee may suggest additions or editorial changes to the thesis document at this point.

Chair Confirms Pass: After the defense, the thesis committee chair should inform Traci Anderson of the outcome via email to tanderso [at] mit.edu (tanderso[at]mit[dot]edu) .

Submitting the Final Thesis Document

Please refer to the MIT libraries  thesis formatting guidelines .

Title page notes. Sample title page  from the MIT Libraries.

Program line : should read, "Submitted to the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, in partial fulfillment of the the requirements for the degree of ... "

Copyright : Starting with the June 2023 degree period and as reflected in the  MIT Thesis Specifications , all students retain the copyright of their thesis.  Please review this section for how to list on your title page Signature Page: On the "signed" version, only the student and research advisor should sign. Thesis committee members are not required to sign. On the " Accepted by " line, please list: Collin M. Stultz, MD, PhD/Director, Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology/ Nina T. and Robert H. Rubin Professor in Medical Engineering and Science/Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The Academic Office will obtain Professor Stultz's signature.

Thesis Submission Components.  As of 4/2021, the MIT libraries have changed their thesis submissions guidelines and are no longer accepting hard copy theses submissions. For most recent guidance from the libraries:  https://libguides.mit.edu/mit-thesis-faq/instructions  

Submit to the Academic Office, via email ( tanderso [at] mit.edu (tanderso[at]mit[dot]edu) )

pdf/A-1 of the final thesis should include an UNSIGNED title page

A separate file with a SIGNED title page by the student and advisor, the Academic Office will get Dr. Collin Stultz's signature.

For the MIT Library thesis processing, fill out the "Thesis Information" here:  https://thesis-submit.mit.edu/

File Naming Information:  https://libguides.mit.edu/

Survey of Earned Doctorates.  The University Provost’s Office will contact all doctoral candidates via email with instructions for completing this survey.

Links to All Forms in This Guide

• MEMP Rotation Form (optional)
• Semi-Annual Progress Review Form
• Letter of Intent One
• Letter of Intent Two

Final Thesis

• HST Sample thesis title page  (signed and unsigned)
• Sample thesis title page  (MIT Libraries)

Dissertation and Thesis Information

Contains information on submission requirements, checklist guides, accessibility, timelines and more.

For more information, visit UC’s Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Information webpage.

The Academic Writing Center offers free workshops to graduate students on important writing concepts.

Contact Information:

• Location: Learning Commons 2510B French Hall West
• Phone: 513-556-3244
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Learning Commons Graduate Student Support

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) Dissertation Success Curriculum is designed to provide the skills, strategies, and support that advanced graduate students need to overcome the three biggest obstacles to finishing their dissertation: perfectionism, procrastination, and isolation. The program is built on the assumption that there is only one way to complete a dissertation: WRITE IT!

For more information, create a FREE (through UC) NCFDD account and view the Dissertation Success Curriculum webpage.

Utilize ProQuest to read other dissertations or theses from your school or field to help guide your process.

To view submitted theses and dissertations, visit ProQuest .

Resources for Dissertators lists helpful books and chapters that can inform your writing process and links to guides for thesis and dissertations, grant writing support, and more.

To view these dissertation resources, visit the The University of Wisconsin - Madison Writing Center website.

Joan Bolker, Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day.  Available for loan through DAAP’s library .

Scott Rank, How to Finish Your Dissertation in Six Months, Even if You­ Don’t Know What to Write .

Paul J. Silvia, How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing . Available for loan through Langsam Library .

The University Library

Library item label woz ere --> study study study spaces referencing research skills and critical thinking inclusive learning workshops researchers researchers research data management open access our research publications our research data our doctoral theses services services a-z list guide to borrowing donations interlibrary request service supplying to other libraries walk-in access to university eresources requesting items limited access stock on starplus digital preservation about about the library contact us library accessibility statement membership options department five year plan buildings and facilities opening hours western bank library information commons the diamond health sciences library collections special collections, heritage and archives discover our collections use our collections exhibitions and engagement special collections and archives national fairground and circus archive (nfca) university heritage collections the university of sheffield records and archives  the university of sheffield archive university records centre records management policy and guidance library resources and collections library comprehensive content strategy news starplus   your thesis.

As you write your thesis you will need to consider issues which arise as a result of making the content available to others, via White Rose eTheses Online. We try to address some of those below.

Making your thesis Open Access (uploading to WReO)

All postgraduate research students must submit their thesis electronically and make the full text of the thesis available via the University’s eTheses repository, White Rose eTheses Online (WReO).

Find out more (University login required)

Copyright considerations

Before making your thesis available online you will need to obtain permission if you are using substantial extracts of material owned by another person, This also includes figures, tables and illustrations. Follow our guidance about how to get permission and what to do if permission is not granted.

Read more about copyright

Embargo periods

There are some instances when you may have to delay making your thesis openly available through WReO, for example for commercial reasons or where you have included sensitive data. In such cases, an embargo may be necessary.

See guidance about embargoing a thesis  

Publishers’ policies on prior publication

You may have concerns about Open Access and whether putting your thesis in WReO jeopardises future publications. Many publishers understand that your thesis has to be made publicly available to satisfy the requirements of the University and have developed policies with this in mind.

Read policies and guidance (University login required)

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What is a final undergraduate paper called in English?

Here in Croatia, when students are finishing their 3rd year of undergraduate courses, they usually write a paper called "Završni rad" (eng. Final Work/Project). I'm trying to communicate some things with foreign colleagues and I'm wondering what that would be called in English

• undergraduate
• terminology

• In Australia, they have Honours thesis. Might be similar! –  Emilie Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 13:34
• 2 This is very country- and even university-dependent, as the answers make clear. –  David Richerby Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 23:25
• 3 Bachelor thesis? –  gerrit Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 10:30

7 Answers 7

Thanks to the Bologna Declaration , the degree system is standardized between European countries, among which Croatia. In this system, the 'undergraduate' degree is called a Bachelor degree. Anyone familiar with European education will not confuse this term with any other degrees, and is likely reminded that you are talking about European education, which may have different requirements for various degrees depending on each country.

As such, the following terms will describe what you mean, without confusing your peers (other than those simply unaware of differences between educational systems). Pick the one that closest resembles what your project actually encompasses - for example, mine was called the Bachelor Final Project because it did not require an extensive report.

• Bachelor thesis
• Bachelor end/final project/paper
• Bachelor dissertation

Note that native BrE or AmE speakers may not agree, but I would like to stress that this may be a cultural difference, not a lingual difference: above phraseology might be quite uncommon because the concept of a bachelor thesis is unfamiliar to academics in the UK or US; I have however seen numerous terms like the above at various continental European universities.

In my experience, in Mathematics, in the U.S., (where "senior year" is typically the last year of an undergraduate degree), things done beyond literal coursework can be called "senior project", "senior thesis", "honors thesis", "senior writing project", or nearly anything similar, with no precise sense from university to university or even from student to student. That is, sometimes "honors thesis" has some actual requirement beyond "senior thesis", but not reliably so...

• 2 +1 Came here to say just this. At least at my department (philosophy, US institution) "senior thesis" would be the correct term. Pace the other answer, I think "dissertation" sounds more like the PhD work and "thesis" sounds more appropriate for a long undergraduate paper. –  user10636 Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 14:12
• 10 In engineering departments it can also be called a 'capstone project', with the final report of the project not given a separate name. At Princeton, there were 'junior papers' (2, one each semester), and a 'senior thesis' (1 done through the whole year). Seems very institution-dependent.. –  Jon Custer Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 15:10
• 2 @shane conversely, in the UK it's normal to hear about an undergrad (or masters) dissertation, and a PhD thesis :-) –  Flyto Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 8:02
• @SimonW +1 I learned something today. –  user10636 Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 17:07

The term undergraduate dissertation, or Final Year Project Dissertation is also used. The word Thesis is usually reserved for a PHd or research degree.

As already mentioned this is very dependent on local terminology and will vary from country to country, discipline to disciple and institution to institution.

• 12 This usage must be UK-specific. In the US, I've never heard the word "dissertation" used for undergraduate work, but "senior/honors thesis" is quite common. –  JeffE Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 14:53
• 4 @JeffE I think it is. Here in the UK (science), "Thesis" is ~never used at less than Masters level. For a Masters, "Thesis" and "Dissertation" are both common, for Bachelors degrees, "Dissertation" or "(final) Project (report)". "Paper" (as in the US "Term Paper") isn't used for internal work,only for reaserch papers. –  Chris H Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 15:45
• Oddly enough that's switched from how it is in the US, where "dissertation" is typically reserved for a PhD-level work, and even then mostly in formal contexts. (Informally, people usually say "thesis") –  David Z Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 8:32
• In Switzerland (very international research groups in CS though), the project in question would have been called bachelor thesis . The final project of the master studies: master thesis . The term dissertation , however, is actually reserved for the PHd level/doctorate degree. –  fgysin Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 10:34

There is no one phrase, since different schools call such projects different things, so I would recommend just trying to a clear translation. The phrase "final project" is frequently used to refer to the final project for a class, so "undergraduate final project" is likely to be more simply understood as what you mean.

• 1 Not just translation, add a short explanation. And make sure to use consistent naming. –  vonbrand Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 14:27

From the previous answers, you could see a lot of different names for essentially the same thing. IMO, any suggested name fits, the key here is that you are going to communicate the impact and the results of your work whatever the title you give it.

It is safe to use <original_name>(<English_translation>), <brief_explanation_of_the_project>.

I second the comment by @vonbrand, its advisable to give an explanation , but keep it brief unless stated otherwise.

Degree project or Final project is how some other Slavic-speaking places translate their local notion for the thing you write and defend to get a degree. Since it well describes what it is and it's quite a straight translation of the original notion, I would go with it.

Unless, of course, there's an official translation in your transcript. If this is the case, using the official translation is another option.

My final undergraduate project/paper was called the capstone project.

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Dissertation/Thesis Template

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What’s Covered In The Template?

This dissertation template is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your document has a smooth, logical flow. Here’s how it’s structured:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results 
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

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FAQs: Dissertation & Thesis Template

Faqs: dissertation template, what format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

Additional Resources

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• Thesis Guidelines
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The final thesis submission deadline is August 15 th . Your final thesis should be approved by your supervisor(s) by midnight on August 15 th.

Final Thesis Regulations and Instructions

Final Thesis submission is required for the final, corrected copy of the thesis to GPS.

• You can submit your final thesis in myThesis at any point, as long as you are registered and your myThesis status says “Pass awaiting finals”. It may take a few days after your oral defence to reflect this status.
• Your final thesis is generally expected within a few weeks after the report(s) is/are received. Students must not delay final thesis submission beyond the term following initial thesis submission, at the very latest.
• A final thesis is considered submitted to GPS after it has been approved online by the supervisor(s). Once the myThesis status is at “Final Thesis Authorized by Sup.”, there is no need to contact GPS to approve the final thesis- GPS approval is not required by this deadline and may occur a couple of weeks after the student thesis deadline. This does not impact students. When GPS approves, the status changes to: “Final Thesis Authorized by GPS”.
• Students are strongly encouraged to upload their final theses for online supervisor approval well in advance of the term deadline for final thesis submission ; the final thesis should be at “Final Thesis Authorized by Sup.” by the thesis deadline.
• Students who submit their final thesis do not apply for graduation. For more information about graduation and convocation, see the Graduation and Convocation website.

To produce confirmation letters (“expected graduation”, “confirmation letters for Post-Graduate Work Permit applications”), your myThesis status must be at “Final Thesis Authorized by Sup.” GPS approval of the final thesis is not required. Instructions on producing letters are below.  

Final thesis submission guidelines for students and supervisors

Please review these guidelines in their entirety before submitting your final thesis. These guidelines are for students and supervisors, providing steps for submitting and approving final theses in myThesis. You should also consult the FAQs below.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i produce letters confirming my expected graduation or for my post-graduate work permit application.

See instructions on this webpage on how to produce letters of completion or for the PGWP.

Can I change my name?

Students can make minor changes (e.g. accents) to their name using the Minerva Name Change Form. In order to legally change their name, they must contact Enrolment Services .

Can I withhold my thesis from publication?

Yes. Theses are commonly published on eScholarship a couple of months after each thesis submission deadline. This means, if you submit your thesis in July, your thesis will be published around November. If you do not want to have the thesis electronically published shortly after your submission, for reasons such as a concern about the disclosure of patentable rights, then you should check off yes when prompted about withholding the thesis in myThesis. GPS may permit the thesis to be withheld from electronic publication for a period of up to one year.

Keep in mind:

• You must provide a solid reason to withhold the thesis (e.g., a patent pending) and your supervisor must be in agreement.
• Your request to withhold the thesis cannot come after your final thesis submission is approved by GPS.
• You will be asked to provide a “release date”. The latest date you can indicate is a year from your submission date. Your thesis will be released to the McGill Library shortly afterwards, and your thesis will be published within a couple of months of the release date (based on the McGill final thesis publication timelines). Once a final thesis is released by the McGill Library, it will feature on eScholarship and be available online.

Where do I get information about convocation?

Convocation is the ceremony where diplomas are distributed to graduating students. McGill has two convocations a year, one in the Spring (May/June) and one in the Fall (October/November). You will see information about your convocation in Minerva, under Graduation Approval Query, about a month prior to the convocation ceremonies.

For more information, please visit the Graduation and Convocation website and consult the Convocation FAQs .

Questions? Contact your graduation program coordinator. If they are unable to answer, you may also reach out to the Convocation Office.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License . Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, McGill University .

Department and University Information

Graduate and postdoctoral studies.

Developing a Thesis Statement

Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section you’ll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.

Keep in mind that not all papers require thesis statements . If in doubt, please consult your instructor for assistance.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement . . .

• Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
• Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
• Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
• Is generally located near the end of the introduction ; sometimes, in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or in an entire paragraph.
• Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.

Not all papers require thesis statements! Ask your instructor if you’re in doubt whether you need one.

Identify a topic

Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.

Consider what your assignment asks you to do

Inform yourself about your topic, focus on one aspect of your topic, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts, generate a topic from an assignment.

Below are some possible topics based on sample assignments.

Sample assignment 1

Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II.

Identified topic

Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis

This topic avoids generalities such as “Spain” and “World War II,” addressing instead on Franco’s role (a specific aspect of “Spain”) and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II).

Sample assignment 2

Analyze one of Homer’s epic similes in the Iliad.

The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64.

This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad ( warfare being a major theme in that work).

Developing a Thesis Statement–Additional information

Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic, or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper. You’ll want to read your assignment carefully, looking for key terms that you can use to focus your topic.

Sample assignment: Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II Key terms: analyze, Spain’s neutrality, World War II

After you’ve identified the key words in your topic, the next step is to read about them in several sources, or generate as much information as possible through an analysis of your topic. Obviously, the more material or knowledge you have, the more possibilities will be available for a strong argument. For the sample assignment above, you’ll want to look at books and articles on World War II in general, and Spain’s neutrality in particular.

As you consider your options, you must decide to focus on one aspect of your topic. This means that you cannot include everything you’ve learned about your topic, nor should you go off in several directions. If you end up covering too many different aspects of a topic, your paper will sprawl and be unconvincing in its argument, and it most likely will not fulfull the assignment requirements.

For the sample assignment above, both Spain’s neutrality and World War II are topics far too broad to explore in a paper. You may instead decide to focus on Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis , which narrows down what aspects of Spain’s neutrality and World War II you want to discuss, as well as establishes a specific link between those two aspects.

Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i.e., “eating disorders and body image among adolescent women”) or that simply are not important (i.e. “why I like ice cream”). These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times . Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Derive a main point from topic

Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the “controlling idea,” becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this “controlling idea” into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper.

Look for patterns in your evidence

Compose a purpose statement.

Consult the examples below for suggestions on how to look for patterns in your evidence and construct a purpose statement.

• Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis
• Franco turned to the Allies when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from the Axis

Possible conclusion:

Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: Franco’s desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power.

Purpose statement

This paper will analyze Franco’s diplomacy during World War II to see how it contributed to Spain’s neutrality.

• The simile compares Simoisius to a tree, which is a peaceful, natural image.
• The tree in the simile is chopped down to make wheels for a chariot, which is an object used in warfare.

At first, the simile seems to take the reader away from the world of warfare, but we end up back in that world by the end.

This paper will analyze the way the simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64 moves in and out of the world of warfare.

Derive purpose statement from topic

To find out what your “controlling idea” is, you have to examine and evaluate your evidence . As you consider your evidence, you may notice patterns emerging, data repeated in more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. These patterns or data may then lead you to some conclusions about your topic and suggest that you can successfully argue for one idea better than another.

For instance, you might find out that Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis, but when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from them, he turned to the Allies. As you read more about Franco’s decisions, you may conclude that Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: his desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power. Based on this conclusion, you can then write a trial thesis statement to help you decide what material belongs in your paper.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a focus or identify your “spin” or specific argument immediately. Like some writers, you might begin with a purpose statement just to get yourself going. A purpose statement is one or more sentences that announce your topic and indicate the structure of the paper but do not state the conclusions you have drawn . Thus, you might begin with something like this:

• This paper will look at modern language to see if it reflects male dominance or female oppression.
• I plan to analyze anger and derision in offensive language to see if they represent a challenge of society’s authority.

At some point, you can turn a purpose statement into a thesis statement. As you think and write about your topic, you can restrict, clarify, and refine your argument, crafting your thesis statement to reflect your thinking.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Compose a draft thesis statement

If you are writing a paper that will have an argumentative thesis and are having trouble getting started, the techniques in the table below may help you develop a temporary or “working” thesis statement.

Begin with a purpose statement that you will later turn into a thesis statement.

Assignment: Discuss the history of the Reform Party and explain its influence on the 1990 presidential and Congressional election.

Purpose Statement: This paper briefly sketches the history of the grassroots, conservative, Perot-led Reform Party and analyzes how it influenced the economic and social ideologies of the two mainstream parties.

Question-to-Assertion

If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s) into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your opinion.

Assignment : What do Aylmer and Rappaccini have to be proud of? Why aren’t they satisfied with these things? How does pride, as demonstrated in “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” lead to unexpected problems?

Beginning thesis statement: Alymer and Rappaccinni are proud of their great knowledge; however, they are also very greedy and are driven to use their knowledge to alter some aspect of nature as a test of their ability. Evil results when they try to “play God.”

Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write.

Main idea: The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the consumers’ sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.

Make a list of the ideas that you want to include; consider the ideas and try to group them.

• nature = peaceful
• war matériel = violent (competes with 1?)
• need for time and space to mourn the dead
• war is inescapable (competes with 3?)

Use a formula to arrive at a working thesis statement (you will revise this later).

• although most readers of _______ have argued that _______, closer examination shows that _______.
• _______ uses _______ and _____ to prove that ________.
• phenomenon x is a result of the combination of __________, __________, and _________.

What to keep in mind as you draft an initial thesis statement

Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember they’re not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool.

As you write, you may discover evidence that does not fit your temporary or “working” thesis. Or you may reach deeper insights about your topic as you do more research, and you will find that your thesis statement has to be more complicated to match the evidence that you want to use.

You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement.

Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, “ What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? ” and “ How will I convince the reader that this is true? ” When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement.

Refine and polish the thesis statement

To get to your final thesis, you’ll need to refine your draft thesis so that it’s specific and arguable.

• Ask if your draft thesis addresses the assignment
• Question each part of your draft thesis
• Clarify vague phrases and assertions
• Investigate alternatives to your draft thesis

Consult the example below for suggestions on how to refine your draft thesis statement.

Sample Assignment

Choose an activity and define it as a symbol of American culture. Your essay should cause the reader to think critically about the society which produces and enjoys that activity.

• Ask The phenomenon of drive-in facilities is an interesting symbol of american culture, and these facilities demonstrate significant characteristics of our society.This statement does not fulfill the assignment because it does not require the reader to think critically about society.

Drive-ins are an interesting symbol of American culture because they represent Americans’ significant creativity and business ingenuity.

Among the types of drive-in facilities familiar during the twentieth century, drive-in movie theaters best represent American creativity, not merely because they were the forerunner of later drive-ins and drive-throughs, but because of their impact on our culture: they changed our relationship to the automobile, changed the way people experienced movies, and changed movie-going into a family activity.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast-food establishments, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize America’s economic ingenuity, they also have affected our personal standards.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast- food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize (1) Americans’ business ingenuity, they also have contributed (2) to an increasing homogenization of our culture, (3) a willingness to depersonalize relationships with others, and (4) a tendency to sacrifice quality for convenience.

This statement is now specific and fulfills all parts of the assignment. This version, like any good thesis, is not self-evident; its points, 1-4, will have to be proven with evidence in the body of the paper. The numbers in this statement indicate the order in which the points will be presented. Depending on the length of the paper, there could be one paragraph for each numbered item or there could be blocks of paragraph for even pages for each one.

Complete the final thesis statement

The bottom line.

As you move through the process of crafting a thesis, you’ll need to remember four things:

• Context matters! Think about your course materials and lectures. Try to relate your thesis to the ideas your instructor is discussing.
• As you go through the process described in this section, always keep your assignment in mind . You will be more successful when your thesis (and paper) responds to the assignment than if it argues a semi-related idea.
• Your thesis statement should be precise, focused, and contestable ; it should predict the sub-theses or blocks of information that you will use to prove your argument.
• Make sure that you keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Change your thesis as your paper evolves, because you do not want your thesis to promise more than your paper actually delivers.

In the beginning, the thesis statement was a tool to help you sharpen your focus, limit material and establish the paper’s purpose. When your paper is finished, however, the thesis statement becomes a tool for your reader. It tells the reader what you have learned about your topic and what evidence led you to your conclusion. It keeps the reader on track–well able to understand and appreciate your argument.

Writing Process and Structure

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

• Schools & departments

Useful resources for accessing Theses.

China Doctoral and Masters Dissertations Full-text Database (Simplified Chinese Version )

China Doctoral and Masters Dissertations Full-text Database (Traditional Chinese Version)

China Doctoral and Masters Dissertations Full-text Database (English version)

DART Europe E-Theses

Edinburgh Research Archive (ERA)

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online Service

History Theses 1901-2014: Historical research for higher degrees in the universities of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

Available via British History Online in two parts: 

https://eux.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/theses-1901-70

https://eux.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/theses-1970-2014

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is a key resource

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

Proquest dissertations & theses global via web of science.

UK Research Councils

Related Links

More information about theses

Final Thesis

Here you can find all information on submitting a final thesis (Bachelor’s thesis and Master's thesis).

You will find information on the regulations for the final thesis in specific degree programs on the degree program pages.

Submission to the Examinations Office by Deadline

You must submit your thesis to the Examinations Office by the deadline.

You will be informed of the date for submission when your registration is confirmed. The submission date can also be found in the study planner on HohCampus:

The electronic version of the thesis (pdf) must be sent no later than 2:00 p.m . on the day of submission to  [email protected] . If the submission is not possible within the deadline due to technical problems/due to sending it late, the failure to meet the deadline is usually considered to be your own fault. This means that the thesis will be graded with 5.0.   If it was agreed at the time of registration that printed copies must be submitted, they can still be submitted or sent by post until 11:59 p.m. on the day of submission.

Documents required for submission

Please submit the following documents:

• Each thesis must be submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. on the day of submission as an unencrypted or unprotected digital text document (*.pdf) to   [email protected] . Unencrypted or unprotected means that the document must not be protected by a passcode or password, nor must it have options that prevent copying of content.
• The thesis must be sent from your Hohenheim email address (this email address ends with @uni-hohenheim.de). Final theses from “private email addresses” (such as those ending with @gmail.com or @gmx.de) will not be accepted.
•  The declaration of originality for digital final theses ( English version ) must be signed by hand and then added to the *.pdf file as a photo or scan.
• If the title of the thesis differs from the title in HohCampus, please submit an   application for a change of title at the latest when you submit your thesis.
• If applicable, declaration on the use of generative AI

Printed copies (in addition to the digital document / only if agreed upon at registration):

• Printed and bound version(s) (required number according to the   examination regulations ).
• The   declaration of originality for printed theses ( English version ) must be signed by hand and included in the work.

Submitting printed copies

Only submit printed copies if this was agreed with the examiners when registering the thesis. It is only possible to submit the thesis during office hours. You have the following options for submission:

Submission in person in the Examinations Office

You can hand in your thesis personally during the office hours of the Examinations Office .

Submission in person to the Student Information Center (SIZ)

You can hand in your thesis personally during the office hours of the SIZ .

Put it into the Examinations Office’s mailbox

The central Palace building is usually open until 7:00 pm. Before 7 pm, you can therefore put the thesis into the Examinations Office’s mailbox.

You can find the mailbox here:

Put it into the University of Hohenheim’s mailbox

After 7 pm you can put your thesis in the university's mailbox.

Sending by post

You can also send your thesis by post if you are not in Hohenheim.

You must send the work by the submission deadline at the latest.

Since you must prove when you sent it in cases of doubt, you should select a method that allows you to later prove when you sent the thesis.

Please send the thesis to the visitor’s address of the Examination Office:

Universität Hohenheim Abteilung Studium und Lehre Prüfungsamt Schloss Hohenheim 1 (Mittelbau) 70599 Stuttgart

Please send an email to the Examination Office on the day of submission stating that you have sent the paper.