New to Graduate Writing?

Demystifying Grad School Terms: an introduction

A common anxiety that incoming graduate students face is a lack of experience with graduate-level writing. You may not be familiar with graduate school jargon, making it difficult to articulate your needs when seeking help from the Writing Center. When incoming graduate students are excluded from their own discourse community, they may "pursue their graduate programs as if on an isolated island, only attending their classes and meeting their major professor as go-to support" (Salgado, 2021). This glossary is meant to help you navigate the expectations of your curriculum by supplying a resource that defines the common terms and genres of graduate writing. 

Terms to Aid in Glossary Navigation

The following terms are frequently used throughout the glossary. To fully comprehend the glossary, familiarize yourself with these terms first.  

A piece of original scholarship written throughout the course of a doctoral degree and regarding the subject of that degree. Typically, 100-300 pages, a dissertation takes a minimum of one year to complete and is subject to publication

An expert in the formatting of theses and dissertations available for questions and communications; a formatting advisor is available from the graduate school to approve the formatting prior to publication, typically during the last semester of writing.  

A group of professors chosen by a graduate student to act as advisors. The committee aids in thesis research, writing, and overall mentorship. Advisors are added to the committee in order of importance, with the last advisor being the least involved. 

A standard formatting style for theses and dissertations including one-inch margins, a title page, table of contents, and abstract before the body begins; Standar Option is consistent throughout the paper.

A piece of original scholarship relating to a master’s program and written under the direction of a faculty advisor and/or committee. Typically40-80 pages, a thesis is written over the course of one to two semesters and is subject to publication. 

Glossary of Graduate Writing Terms

A brief statement designed to highlight the most important aspects of a piece of research that is being conducted and written about. An abstract is typically immediately followed by the paper it was derived from. 

Software used to help format citations, create bibliographies, import citations from databases and websites, store and organize PDFs, screenshots, and other files. Can be integrated into MS Word. The most common citation managers used at MSU are EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley.

A 15+ minute presentation given to an audience and followed by a questioning session by professionals in the field of inquiry. 

A written and oral exam covering 2-3 days completed by all PhD candidates (and some master’s students) that must be completed before dissertation writing begins. 

The point in a graduate student’s career in which all coursework has been completed and only dissertation credits are left. 

Similar to a resume, the goal of a CV is to reflect academic pursuits, publications, and presentations within a discipline of study. Many graduate students submit CVs in conjunction with grant applications, scholarship applications, lab- or STEM-specific jobs, and any forms of continuing education. 

Funding and/or mentoring given to students who are within six months of completing a dissertation, allowing them to focus exclusively on writing because they are being paid to write.  

The chairperson of your committee who provides proofreading, article and book recommendations, and intellectual feedback throughout the dissertation writing process.

In order to be actively enrolled in school, graduate students must take a minimum number of supervised dissertations credits. The credits account for the time in which a graduate student writes their dissertation. 

A person hired for formatting and line editing of theses or dissertations, usually paid directly by the student. A peer writing tutor, by contrast, provides collaborative writing support and feedback from a generalist perspective, but will not go line-by-line and make changes for you. Peer tutoring services at the MSU Writing Center are completely free of charge. 

A professor or associate professor available to serve as a graduate student’s mentor; they are most often chosen by the student prior to applying to graduate school. 

The most involved advisor on a graduate committee; they may act as co-chair.  

Graduate students employed by the university and supported through grants or funding allowing them to lecture students, run laboratories, or even teach independently.  

Graduate students employed by the university and supported through grants or funding allowing for research opportunities within their area of study. 

A software system for simplifying or automating formatting tasks; primarily used in the fields of math, statistics, engineering, and computer science.

Often the first step in the graduate writing process, a literature review allows for research into what is already known about or studied within the topic of choice. It demonstrates why the student’s research is important to fill a gap in current knowledge. 

If a chapter or chapters of a thesis or dissertation will be published or have already been published in a journal, this option allows for those chapters to be left in the format of that journal rather than the Standard Option format. However, all pages that will not be formally published must be formatted as the Standard Option. 

Allows students to continue their studies past their date of graduation, up to the beginning of the following term. Reasons for this extension include needing to complete all coursework and examinations, pending approval of thesis or dissertation, or fulfilling other necessary degree requirements.

All PhD students (and most master’s students) must orally defend their thesis, professional paper, or dissertation after the paper in question has been completed. The defense includes a short talk about the paper followed by committee questioning. Students must be able to defend their paper or topic of research to experts in the same field. These defenses may be open to the public.

Peer-reviewed journal articles have gone through an evaluation process to critically assess the quality and scientific merit of the article and its research.  

A paragraph-to-page-long discussion of one’s personal history, accomplishments, and opportunities, allowing a board to gain insight into their applicants. Often required as part of fellowship, grant, and other applications.

After graduation, a PhD student may find a position as a post-doc (post-doctoral researcher) and continue working in a specialized, research-focused job in their field. A post-doc position is often a bridge between their student experience and a full-time job in industry or academia.  

A paper prepared in lieu of a thesis, most often approved by a committee, culminating in a written presentation that demonstrates understanding of research completed and the significance of that research. Graduate students looking to achieve a Master of Arts may choose between a professional paper and thesis Option. Both have their merits and end with an oral defense of the paper in question

An original document explaining the purpose of, and plan for, a future thesis. It explains the significance and limitations of the thesis and includes a bibliography of the resources that are being used. 

An outline of the ideas for a dissertation/thesis/professional paper, including a bibliography, that is given to a student’s graduate committee. 

A shorter introduction to a proposed research question to be studied further. A research prospectus is detailed in its design, hypothesis, current data, and purpose.

An open access repository for accessing, collecting, and sharing scholarly work, usually specific to a program or university. 

Often submitted in conjunction with a personal statement as part of an application, the statement of purpose addresses exactly why a student is a good candidate for a fellowship, grant, or program and how that fellowship, grant, or program fits into their academic and professional goals.  

A funded opportunity to pursue studies and research while in graduate school. They are generally merit-basedand require both an application and acceptance.