English Doctorate Dissertation Chapter Meeting

No later than eight months after the approval of the dissertation prospectus, the student must have a group meeting with the dissertation adviser and committee members to discuss a draft of a dissertation chapter. Meetings that happen well before the eighth month are permitted and encouraged.
 
The exact parameters of the meeting are up to the adviser and committee members, but, in most cases, the meeting need not extend beyond an hour. Meetings may take place in person, via Skype, on the phone, or in any other format that the adviser and committee members determine to be appropriate.
 
The adviser and committee members will not issue a formal evaluation or grade as a result of the meeting (i.e., the meeting is not an exam). Rather, the point of the meeting is to promote timely completion of a chapter draft and to provide concerted, coordinated feedback at an early stage in the dissertation writing process. Because the goal is to facilitate the writing process, the adviser and student also have flexibility in deciding what constitutes a chapter draft and what will be presented to the committee.
 
If a dissertation chapter meeting is not held within eight months of the approval of the prospectus, the student must send the DGS a plan for completion of the chapter draft and holding of the meeting endorsed by his or her adviser.
 
If the eight-month deadline for the meeting falls during a period when school is not in session (i.e., winter break, spring break, Easter break, or summer break), the chapter draft is still due within eight months. The meeting, however, can be postponed to the next available opportunity (for example, if the eight-month deadline falls in July, the chapter draft would still be due in July, but the meeting could be held in September).