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Submitting the Dissertation

After successfully completing the revisions recommended during the oral exam and obtaining the signatures of all reading committee members, which are not necessarily the same people from the oral exam committee, the dissertation is ready for submission to the Office of the University Registrar.

The American Psychological Association (APA) publication guidelines normally apply to GSE doctoral dissertations, but is not required if the advisor and relevant committees determine that an alternative, and academically acceptable, protocol is more appropriate.

General formatting, submission directions and deadlines are published by the Stanford University Registrar. All doctoral students should read these instructions thoroughly and contact the appropriate Registrar’s Office staff or the GSE Doctoral Programs Officer with any questions. Students should read the supplemental materials required for submission closely as it can be confusing. Dissertation submission information is available at: https://registrar.stanford.edu/students/dissertation-and-thesis-submission.

The Registrar's Office offers students the option to submit their dissertation/thesis in electronic format. This electronic submission process is free of charge and allows students the ability to log into Axess and check their pre-submission requirements in the eDissertation/eThesis Center under the academics tab. Once these requirements have been met the "Proceed to Dissertation/Thesis Submission page" button will open up in the student eDissertation/eThesis center and this will allow the student to proceed and upload a soft copy of their dissertation/thesis.


Prior to online submission:

All dissertation submissions must be completed in their entirety before 12 noon on the deadline day for the applicable quarter. When a student misses the submission deadline, she or he must register and submit their dissertation the following quarter, or take an approved leave of absence and register upon her or his return. Students must be registered for the quarter in which they submit their dissertation and graduate.

Students in their final quarter who have completed all milestones aside from the oral exam and/or dissertation submission can apply for a one-time, $150, Graduation Quarter. This is a special registration status in the final quarter at Stanford with the same status as TGR but with a tuition charge of $150, instead of the full TGR rate. See the Graduation Quarter section for more details.


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PhD students, please contact

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Jeremy Edwards
Associate Director of Degree Programs

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Wesley Horng
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EDS, ICE/IEPA, Individually Designed, LDT, MA/JD, MA/MBA students, please contact

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Caroline Stasulat
Associate Director of Degree Programs
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