Ph.D. Dissertation Milestones

Ph.D. students’ dissertations must meet the University’s standards for doctoral dissertations. Your dissertation is expected to be of the highest possible calibre, potentially publishable, and should be 250-350 pages (excluding abstract, notes, bibliography, and appendices).

The following milestones are useful in developing your dissertation:

• Prepare your proposal.
  Your Ph.D. application should have included a basic, five-page proposal. You should revise and expand that proposal over the course of your first months in the program, in close communication with your supervisory committee. By the end of the second term it should be finalized, approved by your supervisors, and lodged with the Graduate Assistant.
  
  
• If necessary, apply to the Human Research Ethics Board for approval.
  All research involving human participants must receive approval in advance from the Human Research Ethics Board (HREB). It is wise to apply early in your program, for approval can take up to six weeks even if modifications are not required. Again, this should be done in close consultation with your supervisory committee.
  
  
• Develop your proposal and begin your dissertation research in the framework of LAW501 and LAW502.
  These two courses are designed to help you formulate and commence your research, to start writing, and to obtain feedback from your colleagues.
  
  
• Research and write in earnest.
  Students normally begin to work on their dissertation in earnest during the second term. The dissertation will dominate your work from then until completion. The earlier you begin to write the better. Writing helps to clarify ideas, identify issues, and direct your research. Draft chapters are essential to enable your supervisory committee to give effective feedback.
  
  For formatting, see Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines and UVic Thesis Template. You must use a consistent citation style. In Law, students normally use the most recent edition of Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation ("the McGill guide").
  
  You must scrupulously avoid any form of academic dishonesty.
  

• Candidacy Examination.
  Approximately one year into your program (or on transfer into the Ph.D. program from the LL.M. program) you will be required to undergo a Candidacy Examination. This is a structured defence of your research program and any completed segments of your dissertation.
  
  The examining committee will consist of at least two members of your supervisory committee, plus a member who is external to that committee. Completing the candidacy examination successfully is a pre-condition of proceeding further with the program and must be completed within two years of entering your Ph.D. program.
  
  Access the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination Guidelines.
  
  

• Oral Examination.
  Ph.D. dissertations are examined during an oral examination. Please carefully read the oral examination procedures, dissertation submission procedures, and submission deadlines early in your program.
  
  
• Final submission.
  The last step is the final submission of the completed, examined, and corrected dissertation. Review the dissertation submission procedures and/or contact the Graduate Assistant for additional instructions.
  
  There are strict submission deadlines by which you must submit in order to avoid a subsequent term's fees and graduate at a specfic convocation ceremony. You are responsible for informing yourself of these deadlines and meeting them. You must allow a reasonable time for supervisors to review, comment on, and approve drafts and to complete the oral examination. Communicate closely with your supervisors about their availability as you approach the oral examination and final submission deadlines.
  
  The oral examination committee will often approve your dissertation subject to corrections. If these are minor, and if you meet the deadline for final submission, you will not be required to pay fees for a subsequent semester. If they are significant, you will have to register and pay the fees.