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Dissertations and Theses

A guide to help with searching for dissertations or theses, resources for writing and submitting a dissertation or thesis, and using dissertations and theses as research tools.

Dissertation and Writing Services at Saybrook

The Dissertation Services Office at Saybrook supports doctoral students and dissertation faculty with administrative functions around the dissertation process including:

  • Mentor petitions
  • Dissertation timeline and milestones diagrams
  • Dissertation preparation guides and assessment rubrics
  • Dissertation finalization guidelines
  • Dissertation policies and procedures
  • Dissertation office hours and peer support

Saybrook's Writing Services department provides students direct access to individualized writing support through its writing coaches and online resources for APA and other writing support including:

  • Writing coach schedule
  • Writing resources
  • Drop-in hours
  • Faculty & staff resources
  • Plagiarism, AI use, and Turnitin resources
  • Grammarly support
  • PAS Tool

Saybrook Graduates and Publishing in ProQuest

One task Saybrook doctoral students must complete prior to degree conferral is publishing your dissertation with ProQuest. To begin the process, go to the ProQuest ETD Administrator.

Upload a draft version of your dissertation. The Registrar will update your submission later with the finalized, proofread document it receives from your editor. 

For more information, refer to the following resources:

Publishing Your Dissertation as a Book

Publishing your dissertation as a book is not without its challenges, however, if you are willing to put in a lot of hard work and revisions, it is a possibility. Keep in mind that academic book publishing is highly competitive, even for established scholars. If you decide you are up for the challenge, be aware of the following:

Dissertations and academic books have different purposes.

  • The purpose of a dissertation is conducting primary research.
  • The purpose of a book is to share your findings with a larger audience.

Converting a dissertation into a book will take A LOT of revision. For example, those detailed methodological descriptions you spent countless hours on as a primary focus may only end up in a book appendix, if they are included at all.

Academic publishers typically require a book proposal or prospectus rather than a full-length manuscript. Your book proposal will likely include:

  • summary of your research
  • summary of your findings
  • concise statement of your central argument
  • survey of other already published books on your topic
  • summary of the expected audience for your book 

Advice from publishers:

Other Resources: