Writing the Thesis

A booklet entitled “Formatting the Dissertation and Preparing for Final Defense” is available online at https://www.rochester.edu/Theses/ . This material provides specific information on the format to be followed. It is the student’s (not the mentor’s) responsibility to ascertain that the format of the thesis meets the approval of their Thesis Advisory Committee and follows all rules set forth by the University. The committee for the final examination decides on the acceptability of the quality of the research and the method of presentation (written and oral), following all University guidelines.

The thesis (and all published papers) must explicitly acknowledge all sources of financial support. It is essential that students also acknowledge any individuals who assisted in the work presented and clearly describe their specific roles. All data reported in the thesis that were not generated by the PhD candidate must be explicitly noted along with the source of the particular data.

It will usually take three to four months to prepare the thesis (after all of the laboratory work is complete), and the most common mistake lies in not allowing adequate time for writing and the preparation of figures. The cost of thesis preparation and copying is the responsibility of the student. Students should notify the Program Coordinator before the actual process of preparing the thesis is started. In this manner, the Program Coordinator can assist the student with the complex process of meeting all due dates of this final part of the PhD process.

Students wishing to leave the program (to take a postdoctoral position, for example) before submitting the final version of their thesis must obtain prior approval from their primary mentor and the Program Directors. However, this early departure is strongly discouraged, and thesis advisors are not obligated to support these requests. It is strongly recommended that students complete the writing of all publications derived from the thesis work prior to leaving the program. In the past, some students have left the program to take another position prior to completing these publications. Most often, the responsibilities of the new position have not allowed adequate time to complete the publications in a timely manner. In the long run, this practice is not good for the student’s career, the advisor’s grant, or the training program. Since the publication of research data prior to program completion is typical of most PhD programs, students will then be in a position to compete favorably with other job applicants.