The following illustrates an ideal timeline for the preparation and submission of theses and dissertations. The steps apply to both doctoral and master's candidates, but the schedule is written from the perspective of master's candidates intending to defend their thesis at the end of the Spring term of their second year.

Degree candidates may download this graphic as an A4 PDF file.

Each step is elaborated upon below the graphic.

1. Identify Research Area and Academic Advisor

   In the Spring term a year before they intend to graduate, master's candidates should begin narrowing their research interests and find an amenable academic advisor. In the rare case a student is unable to find an advisor, one will be assigned by the Institutes's executive committee.

2. Compile Thesis Proposal, Bibliography, and Research Plan

   In consultation with their intended advisor, master's candidates should prepare a two-to-five-page thesis proposal, as well as a preliminary bibliography and summer research plan.

3. Approval to Proceed

   Once master's candidates have obtained consent from their tentative advisor to move forward, they must formally submit their thesis proposal, bibliography, and research plan to the Institute's Secretariat Office. The proposal must make mention of their intended academic advisor.

   This submission should be made by the end of the Spring term.

4. Library, Archival, and Field Research

   Research for master's candidates should be conducted in the summer and may continue in the Autumn term, as necessary.

5. Discuss Progress with Academic Advisor

   At the beginning of the Autumn term, master's candidates should meet with their academic advisor to discuss their summer research, get suggestions for additional sources, refine their topic, and broadly prepare a plan for the coming year.

6. Review Formatting and Usage Requirements

   Before beginning their initial drafts, master's and doctoral candidates alike should download and familiarize themselves with the Institute’s formatting requirements and Usage Manual.

7. Initial Drafts

   During the Autumn term, master's candidates should be formulating the outline and content of their thesis chapters and composing initial drafts, all in frequent consultation with their academic advisor. Authors are encouraged to use the appropriate manuscript template from the time they start writing.

8. Final Draft

   By the beginning of the Spring term, master's candidates should be starting to revise early drafts of their chapters into a final manuscript.

9. Polishing

   The final weeks before submitting a thesis or dissertation are ideally devoted to polishing the argumentation and language of the final manuscript. Candidates are encouraged to pay close attention to the Institute’s Usage Manual

10. Submit for Editing

    Authors should make note of the conditions and submission procedures for master's theses and doctoral dissertations, respectively.

    Authors must obtain the explicit approval of their academic advisor before submitting their work for editing.

11. In-house Editing

    The work of degree candidates is generally edited on a first come, first serve basis. Authors may check the editing queue to see information about manuscripts currently in the queue.

12. Editing Revisions

    The time frame for editing in the Spring semester is tight, so master’s candidates intending to defend their thesis at the end of the Spring term should be prepared to make editing revisions as soon as the work is returned to them.

13. Submit to Advisor and Committee

    Authors should submit hard copies of the edited version of the manuscript to their academic advisor and each committee member at least one week before the defense ― ten (10) days for doctoral dissertations. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the Form of Theses and Dissertations.

14. Defense

    In the case where some or all committee members will not be available to sign bound copies of the manuscript at a later date, authors may make copies of the approval page available at the defense for the purpose of obtaining the necessary signatures. The decision to sign at the time of the defense is at the discretion of the committee members.

15. Final Revisions to Content

    Depending on the outcome of the defense, authors may need to make corrections, revisions, and/or additions to their manuscripts.

16. Final Academic Approval

    The method of obtaining final academic approval will depend on the outcome of the initial defense:

    • Authors asked to make minor revisions may only need the approval of their academic advisor, who will act on behalf of the full committee.
    • Authors asked to make substantial revisions may need the approval of their academic advisor, as well as each member of their committee.
    • In some cases a second defense may be required for approval.

    In the case where some or all committee members will not be available to sign bound copies of the manuscript at a later date, authors may make copies of the approval page available in advance. The decision to sign at this time is at the discretion of the committee members.

17. Formatting and Assembly

    Once academic approval is obtained, authors should double-check that all requirements of the Form of Theses and Dissertations are met.

18. Final Format Approval

    Authors must submit their final manuscript to the editor for a final format check before printing and binding. If there are issues that need to be resolved, authors will need to revise and resubmit.

19. Printing and Binding

    Authors should have their manuscripts printed and bound in accordance with the specifications in the Form of Theses and Dissertations. If the approval pages were not signed in advance of binding, authors must obtain the signatures of all committee members.

20. Final Submission

    Final submission is made to the Atatürk Institute secretary.

    • The Thesis Entry Form from the Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK). Degree candidates must register with YÖK to obtain this form. At the same time, they will be provided with a reference number.
    • Two bound, signed copies—one for the Boğaziçi University library and one for the Institute’s library. Degree candidates nominated for certain awards may be required to submit additional bound copies. Joint-degree candidates or candidates with committee members outside the Institute may be obliged to provide bound copies for those faculty, as well; the faculty of the Institute prefer to have their copies of the manuscripts in digital format.
    • CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs of the thesis or dissertation.
      • Each disk will contain 3 PDF files: the full manuscript, as well as the English and Turkish abstracts as an independent files.
      • The full thesis file will be titled with the author's YÖK reference number (e.g., "123456.pdf"). The abstracts will be titled "English Abstract.pdf" and "Türkçe Özet.pdf", respectively.
      • Disks will be labeled with indelible ink with 1) the degree candidate's full, legal name as is appears with the university registrar, 2) "Atatürk Institute, Boğaziçi University", 3) the degree, i.e., "M.A." or "Ph.D.", and 4) the year.
      • Doctoral candidates and master's candidates will submit two copies.
      • To protect the data, rewritable media should be avoided.
      • Author's should review the YÖK Thesis Submission Guide to be sure all current requirements are met.
    • Permission form to allow the manuscript to be made available on the Atatürk Institute website. This form is available from the Institute's Secretariat Office.

    Note: Degree candidates cannot graduate until the final submission is received in full by the Atatürk Institute's Secretariat Office.