Dissertations: The Process
Welcome to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology's Dissertation site, the institution's central dissertation resource. Here faculty and students can find  information about how to prepare the dissertation, access copyediting services, plus other dissertation processing tools and guidelines. 

Doctoral students and faculty will also find the TCS Institutional Dissertation Manual here. All doctoral level students who begin their dissertation research are to use this manual to guide their work. The first three chapters apply to all dissertations across the institution and there is a specific section, Your Program's Dissertation Guidelines, that addresses the unique requirements of the individual programs. (Students completing master’s level theses are to consult their program for their thesis manual.)

From Proposal to Post Defense, students will find information here to guide them on the path toward fulfilling the dissertation requirement. 

Step 1: Form the Dissertation Committee and begin working on the dissertation.

Selecting a dissertation committee is an important milestone in your academic career. It is the point at which you move from the master’s level in your graduate training to a more advanced stage of professional development. You are no longer “writing papers”; you are conducting original research and, under the guidance of the Dissertation Chair, you begin defining and developing your own area of expertise and unique contribution to the field.

Besides institutional TCS requirements for selecting a committee, as described in chapter 1 of the Institutional Dissertation Manual, each program has its own unique guidelines for committee formation. Please click here to learn more about your programs committee formation process.

Required Forms for Doctoral Students 
Administrative forms can be found in Appendix F — Forms. As you complete certain milestones, your program will require you to demonstrate progress through timely submission of all required administrative forms to your dissertation designee. Check Your Program Guidelines for your specific requirements. The following forms are contained in Appendix F:

1. Form A-Committee Request:
    Please use this form to request Dissertation Committee members

2. Form B-Dissertation Project Goals:
  This form must be submitted to your Chair by the end of the registration drop/add period for the semester listed 

3. Form C-Proposal Review:
    This form documents the status of  your proposal and your readiness to proceed to your next course

4. Form D-Dissertation Review:
    This form documents the status of your dissertation and your readiness to proceed to your next course

5. Form E-Oral Defense:
    This forms documents the status of your oral defense and your readiness to proceed to final copyediting


Required Elements of Research Information

Empirical Research Dissertation

Empirical research can be quantitative or qualitative, inductive or deductive. Empirical research is defined as original data-driven evidence that answers a question or demonstrates results of an outcome.



For more information about the required elements of an Empirical Research Dissertation, see Appendix A.

Applied Research Dissertation
TCS approves other research projects when, albeit they contain an empirical-based dimension, their primary focus is on application.

Exceptions to the five-chapter dissertation model abound in the Applied Dissertation. For more information about the Applied Research Dissertation, see Appendix B.

Dissertation Rubric
All TCS dissertations are measured against the TCS Basic Dissertation Elements using the rigor of the dissertation rubric. 

For quality consistency, the academic programs are expected to use these rubrics since the results will be part of the school-wide Academic Review Process. Departments may add other rubrics to measure discipline-specific or methodology-based approaches. Please check Your Programs Dissertation Guidelines or contact your dissertation designee for this department specific information.


For help with your document

Writing Consultation-
The National Center for Teaching and Learning has writing consultants available during the dissertation writing process. Students who seek to improve personal writing skills can contact the National Center for Teaching and Learning at TeachingLearning@thechicagoschool.edu or 312-467-2173.

Statistical Consultation-
You may receive up to 90 minutes of statistical consultation provided by The Chicago School. Students have found it helpful to use a consultant to break up the consultation in 30-minute cycles: preparing the methodology, analyzing the results, and presenting the findings. You can obtain contact information for the Statistics Consultant through by emailing TeachingLearning@thechicagoschool.edu.

If you wish to work with the Statistics Consultant beyond these 90 minutes, you may contract for additional time at your own expense at the same cost per hour paid by the School.

Formatting Resources-
Before a dissertation is submitted for processing, please make sure the document is ready for review. Below are some resources and guides for preparing the dissertation for copy editing.

Appendix D-Style and Format Manual

Dissertation Format Checklist

Style and Format Model Pages

How to Format Reference List Video-Presented by Purdue OWL


Research Resources-

Appendix E-Sample Problem Statements
This document contains sample research questions, problem statements, hypotheses/objectives, and rationales to help support your and guide you through the writing and research process.

Appendix G-Bibliography 
This listing groups books and other resources into several topics of interest.  It names works cited and not cited within the Institutional Dissertation Manual, and are recommended for background and further reading.The works listed are suggestions which have been valuable to other students, and are offered in the spirit of utility and helpfulness.

TCSPP Libraries
The TCSPP Libraries provide access to information and materials that support the teaching, research, and public service programs of the school. The libraries support these programs by acquiring and managing scholarly information related to the theory, teaching, and practice of professional psychology, providing access to information only available elsewhere, providing reference and instruction, and exchanging information resources with other libraries around the world.

ProQuest
Offers doctoral dissertations and master’s theses published by students at the Chicago School and around the world. 

Step 2: Defend the Dissertation

Each department and program determines how your oral defense will happen. Please check Your Program Guidelines.

TurnItIn.com Plagiarism Check
Before oral defense, Dissertation Committee Chairs should conduct the plagiarism check through Turnitin.com. There are no percentage requirements. Instead, committee members should examine the similarity report. To learn more about this tool, please review the instructor guide . To access account information, login to eGo and go to the Your Program's Dissertation Guidelines. 



Step 3: Submission and Format Review

Before Beginning Dissertation Format Review
The department dissertation designee must submit the Dissertation Processing Tracking form as evidence of the student's successful defense. Before transitioning to the copyediting phase, students and the department must ensure the dissertation fulfills all committee required edits, changes, and revisions. 

Under the guidance of the departmental dissertation designee, the department can send the Dissertation Processing Tracking form to dissertationprocessing@tcsedsystem.org. The tracking form can be found here.

Once the department has completed these steps, Dissertation Processing will notify the student to proceed with copy editing. The TCS team of copy editors only review the document for APA style and grammar issues. Dissertation content will not be reviewed.The copy editing process takes up to three months if the student plans accordingly and promptly makes all suggested edits and revisions. Along with the hard copy dissertation, students must submit a completed signature page and publishing forms. 

Formatting Resources
Before a dissertation is submitted for processing, please make sure the document is ready for review. Below are some resources and guides for preparing the dissertation for copy editing.

Appendix D-Style and Format Manual

Dissertation Format Checklist

Style and Format Model Pages

How to Format Reference List Video-Presented by Purdue OWL



The Filing Process:

Electronic Processing- Students who follow the electronic submission process must upload the document in full text on the ProQuest website. Dissertations are also viewable through the ProQuest website. Please click here to learn more about the electronic submission process.

For more information, please contact your program’s dissertation designee or:



Ericka Sanders
Manager of Dissertations and Theses
Academic Affairs
Email: dissertationprocessing@thechicagoschool.edu
Phone: 312-379-1611