Getting Started
Note: You do not need to be registered in order to participate. We require you to begin these Pre-General Field Updates ahead of starting the General Field. Do not wait until the first day of the semester.
Onboarding
- Watch the Exam-Dissertation Sequence (EDS) Onboarding video (see next section
- Attend the Live Exam-Dissertation Sequence Onboarding Follow-Up Session. This is an office hours / Question and Answer session. Refer to our Happening Now page for the upcoming dates.
- Schedule a brief advising session with Dr. Francis
EDS Onboarding Video
Please watch this video prior to the live session
Community Updates
Admin Updates with a prefix of 0
Follow the prompts in each admin update with a prefix of 0
| Admin Updates | Action Item(s) (specific instructions are found within each admin update) |
|---|---|
| 0.0 Exam-Dissertation Resources see also Process Resources | Review the linked resources |
| 0.1 Introduction to the Exam-Dissertation Sequence see also our EDS Overview PDF | Comment: Review the linked resources and share any that were particularly useful Comment: Share additional resources with your peers |
| 0.3 On the Work of a Dissertation, and Scholarly Work Generally | Comment: Share something you have heard about the challenges or suggestions regarding the traditional dissertation experience |
| 0.4 Looking Ahead: Dissertation Genres and Methodologies | |
| 0.4 The Formal Peer Review Process see also Work Submission and Review Process | Comment: Share tips and excerpts of effective peer reviews as well as your perception of the peer review process |
| 0.5 Dissertation Genres – Looking Ahead | |
| 0.6 Research Methodologies – Looking Ahead | |
| 0.7 The Classic Five Chapter Dissertation – Looking Ahead | |
| 0.8 Reuse of Previous Work |
Manuscript Milestones
The Exam-Dissertation Sequence (EDS) involves a series of seminars and incremental and cumulative milestones to help you build towards your final dissertation. Each seminar has one or more milestones.
These milestones serve a dual purpose. The primary purpose is to achieve your qualifying and preliminary examinations. Once you pass your examinations, you can adjust the work to repurpose it to serve as chapters in your dissertation. Learn more about each milestone by referring to the related web page and admin updates
For each milestone, we require that you follow the Graduate College’s approved format and indicate placeholders for anything that you have not yet worked on.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
- General Field Literature Review (temporarily Chapter 2.1)
- Special Field Literature Review (temporarily Chapter 2.2)
- Chapter 2 Dissertation Literature Review (a repurposed, streamlined literature review based on your General and Special field literature reviews)
Chapter 3: Theory and Methodology
- Chapter 3 Part 1: Theoretical Foundation and Research Questions
- Chapter 3 Part 2: Methodology Design
- Chapter 3 Part 3: Methodology Implementation
Chapters 1-3: Preliminary Exam Manuscript
- Preliminary Examination
- Preliminary Exam Manuscript: Chapters 1 to 3 (Introduction, Literature Review, and Theory and Methodology), References, and Appendix
- Preliminary Exam Presentation
Chapters 1-5: Final Exam Manuscript
- Final Exam Manuscript: Chapters 1 to 5, References, and Appendix
Dissertation Formatting Tip
Become familiar with the Graduate College’s approved dissertation format. While you will use CGScholar to go through the peer review process, all work should be submitted to advisors and committee members in the approved dissertation format with placeholders. See also our Dissertation Structure and Formatting FAQs.