The Dissertation & Research Lab Series
Support for writing and finishing your dissertation & research
The Office of Graduate Student Affairs' Dissertation & Research Lab Series is designed to help doctoral students and research scholars navigate their dissertation or research writing process, with workshops, writing retreats, and panels, from research proposal and defense to publication. Come to the sessions that fit where you are in the process. You'll find the Zoom link to register for each session in your email.
WORKSHOPS · WRITING RETREATS · FACULTY & ALUMNI PANELS
Upcoming Events
| Semester | Session Date | Session Time (ET) | Session | Track | Format | Stage | Session Resource |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Mon, Aug 31 | 12–1 PM | Demystifying the Dissertation | Foundations | Online | Cross-cutting | |
| Fall 2026 | Mon, Sep 14 | 12–1:30 PM | From Coursework to Candidacy: What a Dissertation Looks Like in Your Field | Foundations | Online | Launching | |
| Fall 2026 | Mon, Oct 5 | 12–1:30 PM | 5-Min Dissertation and Feedback Groups | Community | Online | Launching | |
| Fall 2026 | Tue, Oct 13 | 12–1:30 PM | Anatomy of an Effective Dissertation Proposal | Foundations | Hybrid | Proposal | |
| Fall 2026 | Wed, Oct 21 | 3–4:30 PM | Framing the Problem & Research Questions | Foundations | Online | Proposal | |
| Fall 2026 | Wed, Oct 28 | 12–1:30 PM | Setting Up Your Systems: Project & Data Management for Your Research | Foundations | Online | Drafting | |
| Fall 2026 | Tue, Nov 10 | 12–1:30 PM | Writing the Literature Review | Foundations | Online | Drafting | |
| Fall 2026 | Mon, Nov 16 | 12–1:30 PM | Writing the Methodology (Panel) | Foundations | Online | Proposal | |
| Fall 2026 | Mon, Nov 23 | 12–1:30 PM | Wellbeing: Managing Writing Anxiety, Perfectionism, & Advisor Relationships | Wellbeing | Online | Cross-cutting | |
| Fall 2026 | Tue, Dec 1 | 2–4 PM | Disciplinary Breakouts: Humanities / Social Science / STEM | Foundations | Hybrid | Cross-cutting | |
| Fall 2026 | Mon, Dec 7 - Wed, Dec 9 | 12–4 PM | Winter Break Writing Retreat (3 days) | Intensive | In-Person | Protected writing time | |
| Spr 2027 | Thu, Jan 21 | 12–1:30 PM | The Introduction Chapter | Foundations | Online | Drafting | |
| Spr 2027 | Wed, Feb 3 | 12–1:30 PM | Presenting Results & Analysis | Foundations | Hybrid | Drafting | |
| Spr 2027 | Wed, Feb 17 | 12–1:30 PM | The Discussion & Conclusion | Foundations | Online | Drafting | |
| Spr 2027 | Thu, Feb 25 | 1–3 PM | Revision Strategies for Long Texts (bring a draft) | Foundations | In-Person | Revising | |
| Spr 2027 | Mon, Mar 1 | 12–1:30 PM | From Chapters to a Whole: Creating Consistency Across Drafts | Foundations | Online | Revising | |
| Spr 2027 | Mon, Mar 15 - Wed, Mar 17 | 12–4 PM | Spring Writing Retreat (3 days) | Intensive | In-Person | Protected writing time | |
| Spr 2027 | Wed, Apr 7 | 12–1:30 PM | Faculty Panel: Demystifying the Defense | Foundations | Hybrid | Defending | |
| Sum 2027 | Wed, Jun 2 | 12–1:30 PM | From Dissertation to Journal Articles (Sciences) | Foundations | Online | Beyond | |
| Sum 2027 | Thu, Jun 10 | 12–1:30 PM | From Dissertation to Journal Articles (Humanities & Qualitative) | Foundations | Online | Beyond | |
| Sum 2027 | Wed, Jul 7 | 12–1:30 PM | Alumni Panel: Building a Scholarly Pipeline | Foundations | Online | Beyond | |
| Sum 2027 | Thu, Jul 15 | 12–1:30 PM | Faculty & Editor Publication Panel | Foundations | Online | Beyond |