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Dissertation Completion

For all students

Prior to scheduling the defense of their Ph.D., students are required to publish a first-author manuscript that describes original research findings. While bioRxiv submissions and first-author literature reviews are welcomed, neither is sufficient to satisfy this requirement. The process of writing, submitting, and revising a research manuscript for publication is a critical component of Ph.D. training and central to the mission of academic research.

In certain instances, students may wish to hold the defense and submit the dissertation in time to meet a deadline, even when their first-author manuscript has not been formally accepted. In this case, a request must be made in writing and signed by the student, the advisor, and the dissertation committee chair, then sent by email to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS; jmcalabr@med.unc.edu).

The DGS will then circulate the request to the Graduate Education Executive Committee (GEEC) for evaluation. If members of the GEEC also serve on the student’s dissertation committee, then those members will recuse themselves from the evaluation process.

In the request, please include the desired time frame for the defense and discuss the rationale for the request along with the status of the first-author manuscript, considering the scenarios below:

  • If the manuscript has been reviewed, include the reviews and the editor’s decision letter in your request, along with a description of the steps being taken to address the reviews and an estimated time frame for resubmission.
  • If the manuscript has been submitted but reviews have not yet been received, provide the date of submission and an estimate of when reviews are expected. Explain why the defense cannot wait until the reviews are received. Also, discuss the strategy to be taken if the decision is negative (e.g., submission to alternative journal X).
  • If a manuscript has not yet been submitted to a journal for peer review, outline the plans to complete the manuscript, including whether any experiments or analyses remain to be completed. Please also specify the target journal and date for submission. Requests to hold a defense when a manuscript has not been submitted will be granted only in special cases.
  • In rare cases, the request may be the result of an unresolved dispute between the student and their advisor or their dissertation committee. In these cases, please articulate both sides of the dispute in the letter. The GEEC will evaluate the dispute and seek to mediate it.

See also: Pre- and Post Defense Steps.