All students will complete two qualifying research papers (QRPs). The following requirements apply:
Within one year of completion of coursework, students must pass their Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Examination consists of two qualifying research papers in two separate areas. The expectation is that these papers are of publishable quality.
At least three months prior to submission of each QRP, each student will select two readers from within the SLS core faculty (any exceptions are to be cleared through the program director). At that time, submit to the program secretary the QRP intent form (See Appendix B1). The Faculty listed on the QRP intent form are responsible for ensuring that the student is sufficiently prepared to write the QRP.
QRPs will be accepted on three dates each year: January 15th, April 15th, and September 15th. If these dates fall on a weekend, the papers are due the following Monday. All papers are to be submitted by 5:00 PM on the date due or they will not be considered in that round.
Students should check with the readers to determine if the submission should be a paper or an electronic submission (or both). Please submit your QRP directly to each reader and provide a hard copy to the Graduate Secretary.
The paper should follow APA formatting guidelines and should be of a length appropriate for a journal submission.
Faculty members will provide no feedback on the written versions of the QRP before the first submission. Assistance with data analysis or general assistance with a literature review is acceptable.
All students are encouraged to proofread their work carefully; proofreading by someone other than a faculty member is acceptable.
At least one paper has to be publicly presented at an approved, appropriate venue (e.g., colloquium, refereed conference). This can take place before the actual submission. A student's advisors, in consultation with the two readers, will determine the acceptability of a venue.
One paper must be defended in the presence of the full dissertation committee, with the possibility of making it a public forum on campus. This will take place after the student has fully satisfied the requirements of that QRP.
Within three weeks of submission, readers are to determine if the paper receives a pass, a resubmit, or an unsatisfactory. In the case of a resubmit, readers will make suggestions for revision. Two resubmissions will be allowed. All revisions are to be completed within four months of the original submission (i.e., May 15 for the January 15 submission, August 15 for the April 15 submission, and January 15 for the September 15 submission).
If either QRP is found unsatisfactory by the readers following the two allowable resubmits, a new paper may be written, submitted, and defended following the same process as outlined above. If this second attempt also proves to be unsatisfactory, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program.
Dissertation
The SLS Ph.D. is a research degree. Students are expected to conduct significant and original research. The culmination of this major project is a dissertation. The format of the dissertation is standardized and a packet containing this information can be requested from the Graduate School (118 Linton Hall) or is available online at http://grad.msu.edu/format.htm. Please refer to Appendix I for a statement on integrity in research.
Before a student can begin writing a dissertation, a proposal must be written, submitted to their Dissertation/Guidance Committee, and successfully defended. The proposal (approximately 15-20 pages in length) includes:
A statement of the theoretical problem to be investigated (including the research questions and hypotheses
A literature review in which the questions are situated
A statement of the predicted results and the theoretical significance
Academic Program