Thesis Examination

Editorial Assistance for Thesis

11.1 The Thesis Examiner

The Thesis Examiner is part of Academic Affairs. The office provides a guide for preparing theses and dissertations to assist graduate students in the preparation of their manuscripts and offers suggestions and advice on such matters as the preparation and reproduction of illustrative materials, the treatment of special problems, the use of copyrighted material, and how to secure a copyright for the dissertation. Additional information is provided in the Thesis Manual, which may be found at bulletin.iit.edu/graduate-thesis-manual. The following procedures apply to the Academic Affairs editorial services for students:

  • The Academic Affairs editorial staff acts only in an advisory capacity but will answer questions regarding correct grammar, sentence structure, and acceptable forms of presentation.
  • At least two weeks prior to the scheduled oral defense examination, the student must submit the final thesis/dissertation to each committee member for review and comment. The committee's review and comments are discussed at the defense.
  • Upon final submission of the thesis/dissertation to the thesis examiner, the title page is checked for the committee chair's signature, and the Final Thesis Approval Form (G501) is checked for the signatures of the committee chair, committee members, and the academic unit head. The examiner then reviews the final uploaded thesis/dissertation copy for format and pagination and reads portions of the text for general usage, references, and bibliographic form. The signatures on the Final Thesis Approval Form indicate that committee members are satisfied with the content of the dissertation and no additional changes are to be made before its final submission to the Editorial Office. It is the responsibility of the student and the committee chair to notify the Office of Academic Affairs of any changes to be made to the membership of the examining committee according to graduate studies committee membership policy. The Thesis Examiner approves the form when the final thesis examination is satisfactory.
  • The Editorial Office offers a thesis/dissertation preparation seminar once each semester.
  • Templates for preparing the theses/dissertations are available at the website: web.iit.edu/gaa/thesis, for Microsoft Word and LaTeX formats.

11.2 Deadline Dates

At the beginning of each semester, the Graduate College publishes the Sequence of Events with deadline dates that include the dates for initial and final submission of theses and dissertations. These deadlines must be adhered to. Responsibility for abiding by all applicable deadlines rests with the student. Detailed information on deadline dates for meetings with the Thesis Examiner and the submission of the final copy of the thesis/dissertation is given in the following section on Graduation.

11.3 Guidelines on Restriction of Release of Dissertations

Research performed at Illinois Institute of Technology can effectively contribute to the education of our students and to the body of knowledge that is our heritage only if the results of the research are published freely and openly. Conflicts can develop when it is in the interests of sponsors of university research to restrict such publication. When such conflicts arise, faculty must consult the following guidelines adopted by the Graduate Studies Committee:

  • The recommendations of sponsors based on the pre-publication reviews of research results and recommendations that affect subsequent publications of the results, should be considered advisory rather than mandatory.
  • The maximum delay in publication allowed for pre-reviews is three months.
  • No additional delays in publication should occur beyond the pre-review. Timely submission of any patent or copyright applications should be the result of effective communication between investigators and sponsors throughout the course of the project.
  • There should be no restriction on participation in non-classified sponsored research programs based on citizenship.
  • Students should not be delayed in the final defense of the dissertation by agreements involving publication delays.