The doctoral candidate is responsible for preparing a complete draft of the dissertation in compliance with the Graduate College Guidelines for Preparation of the Masters Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation, as well as guidelines within their graduate program. The Reading Copy should be in an acceptable dissertation format and must include all figures and tables, numbered pages, and a complete bibliography.
With the approval of the primary mentor, the student distributes the Reading Copy to each committee member. The student must submit the Report of Reading Copy Submission to inform the Graduate College that the Reading Copy was sent to the committee. The committee reviews the Reading Copy in detail and requests revisions. The doctoral candidate is responsible for making major revisions and seeking the committee’s approval for major revisions before submitting the dissertation to the Graduate College. When the following criteria are satisfied, the primary mentor and committee members sign the defense request to demonstrate their initial approval of the dissertation reading copy:
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No further research is required for the degree
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The dissertation is complete, and the student has made all necessary major changes
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The dissertation makes a significant contribution to existing knowledge
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The dissertation demonstrates the candidate’s mastery of research methods and tools of the field, and the ability to address a significant intellectual problem
The student must provide enough time for committee members to review the dissertation draft in detail, request major revisions, and review major revisions if needed, before the dissertation reading copy is submitted to the Graduate College. The student must submit the defense request and approved reading copy to the Graduate College at least 10 business days before the defense.
