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Introduction

Developing a thesis proposal and then researching, writing, and submitting the thesis are challenging mandatory components of your PhD degree. In order to assist you in the successful completion of these tasks, the procedures and guidelines as required by the Institute of Islamic Studies and Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) are presented below.

The overall process: A summary

The process of completing a thesis moves from selecting a topic in consultation with your supervisor(s) to then developing a suitable proposal, which in turn must be submitted to and approved by the Institute Faculty at one of the scheduled staff meetings during the academic year. Once approved, research and writing commences. When the final draft of the thesis is ready, the thesis is submitted to GPS, which forwards a copy to the External Examiner. Once the ExternalÌýExaminer has submitted his/her report with a ‘Pass’, the oral defense examination is organized by the Institute. Following the successful pass of the oral defense, the candidate is required to make any stylistic and/or other minor corrections indicated by the External’s report and the Oral Defense Committee for the final electronic submission.

The overall process: The details

1. PhD Dissertation
2. Thesis Proposal
3. Language of the Thesis
4. Preparation of the Thesis
5. Initial Thesis Submission
6. Oral Defense
7. Final Submission
8. Thesis Examination Failures

PhD Dissertation

Students must begin their dissertation research as early as possible. Having completed all the course and language requirements and passed the Comprehensive Examinations, the PhD candidate may proceed to the writing of the dissertation proposal. The PhD dissertation is expected to consist in original research that is based on the relevant primary and secondary sources.

The dissertation for the PhD must display original scholarship expressed in satisfactory literary form and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. Its originality may lie in the discovery of new facts or the reaching of new conclusions by the exercise of independent critical power. Its content must reflect complete understanding and control of the subject based on the latest data, and must show skill in orderly exposition and ability to marshal and organize evidence and draw logical conclusions.

The average length of a doctoral dissertation accepted at the Institute is 250 double-spaced typewritten pages (inclusive of footnotes and appendices, but exclusive of bibliography). The length, however, may vary with the nature of the topic.

Thesis Proposal

The Institute of Islamic Studies maintains specific procedures for the development and submission of thesis proposals prior to research and writing. The thesis proposal should be defended no later than the end of the student’s third year of study.

The procedures involve the following:

1. Selection of topic

PhD students should begin considering possible thesis topics early in their programmes, in consultation with their supervisor(s). Ideas can be tested by writing papers in your courses to explore the potential of your topic(s). PhD students are expected to develop ideas during their course work and while preparing for their comprehensive examinations.

2. Writing a Thesis Proposal approved by your supervisor(s)

The purpose of your proposal is to demonstrate the viability of your research topic to the Faculty of the Institute. This entails developing (a) specific research question(s), along with the reasons and importance of the proposed research, suitable methodologies to answer your question(s), an outline and a detailed bibliography.

The dissertation proposal should state the title of the dissertation, the problem to be discussed, the value or importance of the problem and the method that will be used to bring the research to its logical conclusions. The proposal must also mention what materials will be used and whether they are available at McGill or elsewhere and are accessible to the student. A sample outline is provided below for your guidance, but please consult with your supervisor(s) as to the format they prefer.

Sample outline

• Thesis Title
• Thesis Question(s)
• Reasons and Importance of the Research
• Literature Survey
• Historical Context/Introductory Material in support of thesis
• Methodology
• Outline
• Bibliography

Format: The maximum length accepted is 6 pages, excluding bibliography. The proposal must be double spaced, with 1-inch margins, in size-12 font. In addition, all proposals must be typographically, grammatically and diacritically correct. Submissions that fail to comply with these requirements will be rejected.

Please keep in mind that many funding agencies require concise, well thought out research proposals, and that the writing of research proposals will therefore become an integral part of your academic career.

3. Completing the Thesis Proposal Form

In addition to your written Thesis Proposal, you need to complete theÌý Thesis Proposal Form , in which you offer a timetable for the completion of your thesis.

4. Submission of the Thesis Proposal and the Thesis Proposal Form to the IIS Office

Please ensure that your written Thesis Proposal and bibliography are completed properly, and that your Thesis Proposal Form is approved and signed. It is preferable to submit the documents electronically to the Student Affairs Coordinator one week prior to the monthly staff meeting. Late submissions will be held over for the next staff meeting.Ìý

5. Defense of Thesis Proposal at a Staff Meeting

Students must be present at the staff meeting when the proposal is discussed to defend their proposals. Once final approval is granted by the faculty, the student may proceed to work toward the completion of the dissertation.

6. Faculty approval of Thesis and Recommendation ofÌýthe External ThesisÌýExaminer

The Faculty will communicate approval of your thesis proposal in writing. You will then work closely with your supervisor on the completion of your thesis. When you have completed writing the thesis, you and your supervisor will decide on the names of possible external examiners who are specialists in your field and whose services would present no conflicts of interest.

Language of the Thesis

The doctoral dissertation may be submitted in either English or French. Grammatical correctness is requisite, and felicity of expression is among the criteria involved in judging the dissertation.

Preparation of the Thesis

All thesis submissions must adhere to the guidelines set by GPS. For more information, please consult the GPS Thesis Guidelines.Ìý

Submission to Supervisor

Please be aware that Professors need a reasonable amount of time to read and provide comments on your thesis. This process of submission and feedback should be an on-going activity based on the thesis timeline that was agreed upon by you and your supervisor(s). If you fail to submit chapters or others sections of your thesis by the agreed upon timeline, he/she may not be able to ensure that your thesis can be submitted by a certain deadline. You must consult your supervisor well in advance about dates and availability.

Initial Thesis Submission

Once the thesis has been written, corrected by your supervisor, revised as appropriate and approved for submission, the candidate may submit the thesis to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in myThesis. Please note:

1. Thesis submission deadlines:

Ìý

2. Accompanying document to be submitted with the copies of your thesis: Thesis Checklist.

See the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' webpage for the form and information.

IfÌýthe research for the thesis involved human participants, you should have obtained Research Compliance Certificates fromÌýthe Research Ethics Board.ÌýA copy of the certificatesÌýmust be provided together with the Thesis forms.

3. PhD candidates submit their thesis and the form in myThesis.ÌýThe thesis is forwarded by the GPS to the external and internal examiners, who will in due course send a reader's report (approximately one month). Based on these reports, there may be additional corrections or changes to be made to the thesis before final submission.

Examination of the Thesis

Theses are read byÌý. Following discussions with the student, the supervisor will submit 2-3 names of external examiners for approval to theÌýGPD and Director. Once approved by theÌýGPD and Director, the student submits the contact informationÌýin myThesisÌýfor GPS to contact them. If theÌýGPD is the supervisor of the student, the final approval of the externals will be made by the Director; if the Director is the supervisor of the student, the final approval of the externals will be made by the GPD.

It is advisable that the process in myThesis be initiated 2 months before the intended date of submission.

Failures

If a dissertation is judged unsatisfactory by either of the examiners, the student has the option to either revise & resubmit or request a new examiner to a Hearing Committee for bias, error or misrepresentation or both. Graduate and Postdoctoral studies details the procedure and process on its website.Ìý

Oral Defense

If the dissertation has been passed by the Examiners, a final oral examination is held on the subject of the dissertation and subjects intimately related to it. For more detailed information, please see the Oral Defense section of the left sidebar.

Final Submission

For the PhD thesis, once all corrections are completed based on the oral defense and the External and the Internal Examiners' reports, you submit your final copy electronically on Minerva. For more information on this, see the GPS’ Final Thesis Submission Instructions.ÌýÌý