Thesis and Dissertation Services: Resources

Thesis and Dissertation Services (TDS) is a unit of the Graduate School that develops supportive services for graduate students completing a thesis or dissertation. TDS processes, reviews, and approves proposals and completed theses and dissertations by reviewing adherence to the Graduate School’s formatting requirements.

Reviewing Theses and Dissertations

The Graduate School/TDS conducts a format-only review of all proposal, dissertation, and thesis documents submitted to TDS for Graduate School approval. The department or the advisor, based on the field of study and/or type of study being conducted, will determine what style guide a student should follow when drafting the thesis or dissertation. Students, with the help of their advisors, will be responsible for adherence to their chosen style guide.

Students should begin drafting their document using the applicable Graduate School template. Templates can be found on the TDS/Resources for Writing web page under the Graduate School Templates and Guides bar. The Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide provides additional instructions and details for formatting the document.

Please note, whenever there are differences in format and layout between the template and/or the Thesis and Dissertation Guide and your chosen style guide, the Graduate School formatting guidelines overrule.

Graduation Reminders

Graduating dissertation and thesis students must complete all dissertation- and thesis-related requirements by the Friday before commencement to remain eligible for graduation. The dissertation- and thesis-related requirements include:

  • Receive dissertation or thesis approval from the Graduate School (students and advisors will be notified via an email from TDS)
  • Pay all student fees (including the TDS processing fee of $63 for thesis students, $73 for dissertation students)
  • Upload the final document to ProQuest

Students who do not complete the above requirements by the deadline may be removed from the graduation list.

Research Requirements

Review the Research Integrity and Compliance requirements before beginning to collect data.

Students conducting studies that do not require research compliance approval (IRB, IACUC or IBC) may begin data collection after:

  • Successfully defending their proposal
  • Completing RCR training (completed through CITI)
  • Receiving approval from their advisor and committee to do so

Students conducting studies that do require research compliance approval (IRB, IACUC or IBC) may begin data collection after:

  • Successfully defending their proposal
  • Receiving approval from the appropriate compliance committee
  • Completing RCR (completed through CITI)
  • Receiving approval from their advisor and committee to do so

Commonly Used Style Guides

Below is a list of style guides (with edition, if available) TDS consults when there is a question about style in a proposal, thesis, or dissertation. This is not a complete list of style guides, so if your department/program uses a different style guide, you may submit a copy along with your submission. The style guide you use will depend on your subject matter, field of study, and, most importantly, what you and your advisor decide is most appropriate for your document. The guides are offered as a resource for you to review and edit your own paper. The responsibility for making the document comply with your style’s guidelines and formatting lies with you, the student.

APA Style (7th edition)

MLA Style (9th edition)

Chicago Style (17th edition)

Turabian Style

AAS/ApJ Style

ACS Style (2020)

IEEE Style (2020)

AIP/APS (4th edition)

American Mathematical Society (AMS)

Journal of Wildlife Management (2011)

Journal of Animal Science

TDS Resources

Writing Resources

  • Scribendi – This is a website providing proofreading and editing services. The Graduate School does not recommend the editing services Scribendi provides; we do not have any experience with this company in that regard. However, the site provides many wonderful articles and podcasts on writing, including articles and podcasts specifically for ESL students.
  • Grammarly
  • Formatting in Word 2010 – A hyperlink to 2010 Word tutorial
  • Formatting in Word (prior to 2007) – A resource for articles on various Word tips and techniques. Most of the articles were written for Word versions before Word 2007 was released but some articles are newer. It is maintained by volunteers.
  • Word formatting for a Mac – A resource devoted to the Mac user who wishes to learn how to use or troubleshoot Mac Word.

Student Video Resources

Thesis

The videos help students understand the formatting and template requirements of the Graduate School and the submission process that must be followed.

Dissertation

The videos help students understand the formatting and template requirements of the Graduate School and the submission process that must be followed.

Faculty Video Resource

The video helps faculty understand how the submission process must be completed.

Copyright and Plagiarism Videos

Below are YouTube videos being provided by permission from Dr. Brad Swanson, Director of Graduate Studies at Central Michigan University.

Copyright Explained

Plagiarism Explained

Graduate School Research Librarian

The Graduate School provides students access to a university librarian who is available to provide specialized one-on-one research assistance tailored to your advanced academic needs. For research guidance and research resources a research guide is available on the Waters Library website under Research Guides. The name of the guide is Research Resources for Graduate Students.

Fatemeh (Mahta) Kholoosi Raftar, Research and Instruction Librarian, can help with the following topics:

  • Resource Exploration
    • Learn about the university library’s collections and databases using advanced search techniques to locate the most pertinent scholarly materials for your topic.
  • Database Mastery
    • How to navigate complex databases effectively, ensuring you are accessing the most current and relevant research available.
  • Citation Management
    • Understand and master citation styles such as APA, MLA, or Chicago by utilizing citation management tools to effortlessly organize your references.
  • Research Organization
    • How to organize your research materials and data, making it easier for you to manage and reference as you write.

You may contact Fatemeh at email: [email protected] or by phone: 903.468.6047.

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