The Dissertation Secretary

and the Dissertation Process

Hi! My name is Bonnie Proctor, and I am the Dissertation Secretary (DS) for Andrews University. I am part of the School of Graduate Studies, and, before you go to defense, I will read your dissertation from cover to cover. After graduation, I send a copy of your dissertation to ProQuest/UMI for digitizing and placement in their catalog. I send the other copies to the James White Library, where they will be library-bound and processed for Library use.

▪ When to See the Dissertation Secretary

After you have passed through a pre-defense of your dissertation, I do what is called a "final copyedit" of the document, checking for correct Andrews format and correct use of style (i.e., APA, Turabian, BASOR, SBL, etc.). I do not "edit" your paper. If English is not your first language, you might need to hire an editor.

Because it is so much better to catch potential problems early on, it is good if we have a format and style "consultation" in the early stages of the writing process. This can be done in two ways: You can visit me in my office or you can e-mail me part of what you have written, and I will give you feedback. At anytime during the writing process, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about format and your school's style.

There are many aids available to help you in the writing process: Andrews University Standards for Written Work (can be purchased from AU Bookstore, or downloaded at: http://www.andrews.edu/GRAD/style.html); the APA Publication Manual; my handouts, which are available at the same website (above); and documents posted to each school's Web site.

I cannot recommend the templates that are posted at various places. I do recommend the book Writing Your Dissertation with Microsoft Word, by Vincent Kiernan, which is available from Amazon.com. This will help you to set up a "style" that conforms to Andrews University's format rules.

▪ The Writing Time-line of the Dissertation

1. Work with your committee on a chapter-by-chapter basis until the document is cleared by the committee chair/adviser for pre-defense.

2. After pre-defense of your dissertation, submit a "hard" copy to the Dissertation Secretary.

3. After making the indicated changes, submit a new, corrected copy, as well as the "marked" copy, for a final check.

4. When no further corrections are indicated, submit this new document to the coordinator for dissertations/theses for your school (e.g., Anna Piskozub at the School of Education, and Mabel Bowen, at the SDA Theological Seminary). This step should take place no later than 4 weeks before the oral defense and 8 weeks before graduation weekend. Until this step has been completed, no defense date will be set.

5. The Dean of your school will appoint an external examiner and set a defense date (no later than 4 weeks before graduation).

▪ After-Defense Procedures

1. After defense, you need to submit a complete, corrected copy of the dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies (via the Dissertation Secretary). At this time any changes recommended by your committee at the defense and implemented thereafter should be pointed out, so that I can check for typographical errors or other problems.

2. No later than 10 days before graduation, submit the completed dissertation along with the signed approval page.

3. The DS then arranges for duplicating with Andrews University's LithoTech and submits the Notification of Thesis/Dissertation Completion form to the Records Office. This is the final step of the long dissertation process! You are done! LithoTech will bill your account for duplicating 4 copies of the dissertation—all of which stay with the University: 2 for the Library and 2 for the Seminary or School of Education.

4. If you would like a personal copy of your dissertation library-bound exactly as those housed in the James White Library, you must indicate this to the DS and provide a forwarding address. If you will be living overseas, a filled-out customs form should also be left with the DS. Students may also purchase bound copies of their dissertation from University Microfilms.

5. Turn in your filled-out form for ProQuest/UMI at this time. All AU dissertations are automatically sent to University Microfilms (immediately after your graduation), which distributes the dissertation abstract to its worldwide network of information resources. It also digitizes the dissertation, places your dissertation in its catalog, and provides a microfiche copy of your dissertation for our James White Library.

6. After your dissertation has been duplicated, the DS mails your master copy to you. It is recommended that this copy not be bound as it is likely that in the future you will need to make additional photocopies for personal use.

Your personal library-bound copy will be mailed to you directly from the James White Library (insured) about 1 to 2 months after it was duplicated by LithoTech. The time varies because dissertations are picked up only everything 3 weeks by the bindery company, and if your dissertation has just missed the pickup date, your delivery date will be extended. If you feel that you have waited sufficient time and your dissertation still has not arrived, please feel free to call the DS or Bernard Helms (269-471-3208) at the James White Library.

▪ Charges from the Dissertation Secretary

At the completion of your dissertation, these charges will be placed on your school account:

$200 for copyediting of dissertation by Dissertation Secretary

$70 for microfiche of dissertation (UMI/ProQuest)

$11.40 ea. for binding 4 copies of your dissertation (which remain with AU—$44)

$17.40 for binding each personal copy of dissertation (optional)

$65 for copyrighting dissertation (optional, but recommended)

Therefore, a "typical" student—who elects to purchase 1 personal copy and does not copyright—can expect a final bill of $331, plus tax, just before or immediately after graduation. This is in addition to the LithoTech bill for the final copies duplicated. Also, if the dissertation is thicker than 2 inches, binding charges are a little more.

LithoTech charges 8 cents per page to duplicate the dissertation on dissertation paper (25% cotton rag, acid free). Therefore, if your dissertation is 200 pages long, and you have 5 copies made (4 for the University and 1 personal copy), you can expect a bill of approximately $80 for duplicating.

▪ Contacting the Dissertation Secretary

Please feel free to contact the Dissertation Secretary at any stage during the dissertation process: e-mail (proctorb@andrews.edu); telephone (269-471-3276), or in person (Room 209, Administration Building). Getting things correct from the very beginning saves precious time in making tedious corrections later on—just when you are short on time!

Andrews University

School of Graduate Studies

Bonnie Proctor, Dissertation Secretary

Administration Building 209

Berrien Springs, MI 49104

Telephone: 269-471-3276

E-mail: proctorb@andrews.edu