Theses, Doctoral Projects and Dissertations

Deadlines and Reminders

Students in programs that require completion of a culminating project, to include a thesis, dissertation or project, must meet these deadlines for submitting such work for format review:

  • Spring Degree Conferral - March 1
  • Summer Degree Conferral - July 1
  • Fall Degree Conferral - Oct. 1

If the due date falls on a weekend, the submission is due the next regular weekday. Format review may take up to three weeks depending on the volume of submissions. Student work submitted after the deadlines may not be reviewed in time to meet the degree conferral deadlines established by the UIW Registrar.

Review these steps before you submit your thesis, doctoral project or dissertation for format review.

Format review verifies that a document has been prepared according to UIW style requirements and the editorial style standards of the student's academic discipline. Prior to submitting for format review, ensure all writing issues are resolved in consultation with writing professionals at the Graduate Writing Center.

  • Writing support for graduate students: Experienced writing development specialists are available to help with all aspects of the writing process. In-person and online assistance is available to UIW master's, doctoral and professional students, and to UIW faculty members. To schedule an appointment with a writing specialist, visit WCOnline or email the Graduate Writing Center.

  • View the Preparing and Submitting Documents instructions below and visit the Copyright, Publication and Licensing page for more information on preparing and submitting your document.

If you wish to hire a professional editor for help with final manuscript preparation, discuss this with your dissertation or thesis chair. Your mentors can help clarify which areas of your writing would benefit from expert help. Reminder: You are solely responsible for the contract and all contract details you make with an editor. Any information provided by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies about editors is neither an endorsement of an editor nor a guarantee of any level of service to the student.

Best Practice for Talking to an Editor: Before you contact an editor, decide on the scope of work needed and make a flexible timeline. To help the editor perform efficiently and quickly, It is best to be as precise as possible about your area or areas of need. You must provide the editor with the most recent document formatting guidelines for your discipline and the relevant UIW format guides.

Have questions or concerns about any aspect of the document formatting and publication process? Select this link to get help: Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

Format review cannot begin until the project is submitted into The Athenaeum.To send your document for format review, create an account at The Athenaeum.  After account creation, following the screen prompts to complete your publication order, finishing by uploading your document. This will initiate the process of format review. Dissertation writers must also create an order for the ProQuest repository using UIW's ProQuest ETD Administrator tool.

Go to the Guide to the UIW IRB Process page and look under the "AfterApproval" section for instructions on closing your research protocol. Research protocols must be closed before any degree can be granted.

Students completing a research dissertation in a PhD degree program should complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates available here: National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates. After completing the survey, email a copy of the completion certificate to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

 

Preparing and Submitting Documents

Theses, doctoral projects and dissertations must be submitted to UIW's repository of scholarly works, The Athenaeum. These documents must be carefully and completely formatted according to UIW and discipline style requirements. Select the appropriate category below for more detailed instructions on the document formatting and submitting process.

All students who write a thesis, doctoral project or dissertation as partial fulfillment of their degree requirements must submit an electronic copy into The Athenaeum. The Athenaeum is the University repository of scholarly work, supported and maintained by the Mabee Library. Dissertation writers, in addition, must use UIW's ProQuest ETD Administrator tool to deposit a copy of their dissertation into the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global database.

The policies governing theses, doctoral projects, and dissertations are presented in the Culminating Projects Policies and Procedures section of the Graduate Catalog. These policies include:

  • Enrollment requirements
  • The formation and composition of committees
  • Student and faculty member responsibilities
  • Deadlines for format review submission
  • The document submission and review process
  • The clearance process
  • Student rights and responsibilities as owners of the copyrighted material
  • University distribution, reproduction and archival rights to these materials

Students format their thesis, doctoral project or dissertation according to style guide recommended for their subject area. Adherence to the appropriate style guide ensures that a student's work is prepared correctly and ready for deposit into UIW's institutional repository, The Athenaeum, and in the case of dissertations also deposited into UIW's ProQuest ETD Administrator.

Enrolled UIW students may view and download document style guidelines, template pages, and other helpful items in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies Canvas page.

Summary of Document Submission Requirements

Students must prepare electronic documents for review and publication; do not make print copies. When ready for review, submit documents to The Athenaeum.

University of the Incarnate Word requires all student scholarly work to be completely and correctly formatted prior to deposit into The Athenaeum and, for dissertations, into UIW's ProQuest ETD Administrator. The student document must be formatted according to discipline publication standards and all additional UIW formatting requirements.

Format review is precisely that and not a content or grammar review. The student and committee are entirely responsible for the document content, citation integrity, writing mechanics, and adherence to IRB protocol.

When your document is ready, visit The Athenaeum to create an account and begin the process of submitting your document.

Log into the Office of Research and Graduate Studies Canvas page for detailed instructions about submitting your document into The Athenaeum.

Deadlines for submitting finished theses, doctoral projects and dissertations to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies for format review:

  • March 1 for degree conferral in May
  • July 1 for degree conferral in August
  • Oct. 1 for degree conferral in December

If a submission due date falls on a weekend, the submission is due the following Monday. Allow at least three weeks for format review to be completed. Student work submitted after the deadlines may not be reviewed in time to meet the graduation deadlines set by the UIW Registrar. View the Academic Calendar for deadlines and other important information.

Reminder: All research protocols must be closed before a student can graduate. For information on the IRB closure process, visit the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Human Subjects Research Institutional Review Board page.