While writing a dissertation may always be challenging, submitting it to Rackham is becoming easier. As of August 1, all dissertations will go digital. All doctoral students will now submit their dissertations electronically to Deep Blue, the University Library’s permanent digital archive. With paper a thing of the past, no student will be charged a fee for submitting a dissertation. Students also will no longer need to deliver dissertation evaluation forms to committee members just before the defense—committee members will now submit them to Rackham online. In addition, deadlines for completing all dissertation requirements have been pushed back by about a month, so the final weeks will become less of a scramble for students who want to take part in Commencement in the same term that they defend their dissertations.
The dissertation has always served as public evidence that a student has achieved the level of scholarly accomplishment deserving of the doctoral degree. But since the immediate online availability of the dissertation may not always be advantageous, it is now easier for students, in consultation with their dissertation committee, to restrict widespread public access to their work for a limited period of time. New embargo options allow a student to limit availability of the dissertation to the University community or, in special circumstances such as when the dissertation contains patentable research, to fully restrict all online access. For more detailed information about these improvements to the final stages of the doctoral experience, see the Rackham FAQ, Submitting the Dissertation, and the 2012-13 Dissertation Handbook.
Published in: Graduate School News
Keywords: rackham phd library dissertation