College of doctoral studies
Dissertation services
Dissertation Services is a team of CDS Operations staff that serves students regarding their proposal and dissertation processes and systems. The first resource for a student is their committee and academic counselor, but this team provides various support that those members may be unable to help with. This team handles issues and questions regarding the following:
• TK20 binder creation
• Tk20 submission questions
• Teams 365 portfolio creation
• Signature page processing and routing
• Publishing instructions/questions for ProQuest
• Documentation of Phase 3 (Concept Review), Phase 4 (QRM), and Phase 5 (IRB, QRF, and
oral defense) approvals
TK20 binders are created for students when they enter the appropriate phase course. Tk20 is the system students use to submit their final approved document (Precis, Prospectus, Proposal, or Dissertation) for each milestone. Committee members will evaluate documents in Tk20 (if they were approved to submit) at the end of each phase. Teams 365 portfolios are created for students when they enter DOC/715. Teams 365 is the system students use that houses the dissertation document, all previous revisions, and the place students will communicate with their committee members.
Students can reach the team at DissertationServices@phoenix.edu. Students can also submit a request via Contact the College (login required).
Resources include:
• TK20 user guides for students and faculty
• Teams 365 user guides for students and faculty
• FAQs for TK20 and Teams 365
IRB is a separate process that follows Phase 4 and is the start of Phase 5. This is submitted via IRBNet. Guidance documents to assist with the IRB submission are found within IRBNet Forms and Templates. Log in to IRBNet is required.
IRB can be reached at IRB@phoenix.edu. Students can also submit a request via Contact the College (login required).
The resources below are broken down by resource type and audience.
Watch: Dissertation Resources and Support
What resource do you need assistance with?
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
University of Phoenix IRB is guided by The Belmont Report and focuses on respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. The University holds Federal Wide Assurance filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (FWA: 00004202). Students should register for the UOPX IRB at IRBNet.org and access the forms and templates within the IRBNet library. Please read the READ ME FIRST document under forms on IRBNet.org.
IRB maintains a Human Research Protection Program to protect the rights and welfare of those persons who volunteer to participate in the research activities of our faculty, students, and staff. While the definitive responsibility for the ethical treatment of all human participants rests with the individual researcher who has secured the privilege to conduct research through University of Phoenix. The IRB acts as a regulatory oversight group committed to promoting the ethical and responsible treatment of volunteer human participants in a research study. The IRB performs ethical reviews of research studies to ensure research compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations as well as all institutional policies and procedures in addition to offering education and guidance related to human subject research for the University community. Chairs are listed as co-researchers on the IRB application.
Please note for DBA 004, EDD 004, DM 005, and DHA 004: Within DOC/719S, you’ll have an opportunity to discuss, ask questions, and prepare for IRB. A Central Administrator from the College of Doctoral Studies will facilitate this class.
This video walks through how to complete your initial submission in IRB and covers some of the common pitfalls students run into. IRB Walkthrough
This video walks chairs through the IRB process. Chair IRB Walkthrough
For Students: TK20 and Teams 365 Guides and FAQs
The student should complete FDE and have changes confirmed by the committee within Teams 365.
No. The student can submit to FDE for review in Teams 365.
All binders will become available for students and faculty to see on the Friday following the start of the DOC course. This is for all 8-week, 3-week, and 1-week DOC courses. If your Tk20 Binder is not available by Friday at 1:00 PM Phoenix time, please reach out to DissertationServices@phoenix.edu.
Although students will see both the QRF and Oral Defense in Tk20, students and faculty members should adhere to the following process:
- Student receives permission from entire committee to submit to Tk20 for final approval of the dissertation.
- Student can/should schedule Oral Defense once the student has received approval to submit to Tk20.
- Student should not submit to both QRF and Oral Defense.
- Student uploads dissertation to Tk20 – Phase 5 Submission, which is for QRF review, and notifies the committee. The Dissertation Committee will receive an email notification when student uploads to binder.
- Committee has six days to review and approve the submission.
- Committee should only review the Dissertation submission and click Save/Complete at end of rubric.
- Student should submit Oral Defense PowerPoint to Tk20 before the Oral Defense takes place.
- Committee holds Oral Defense. *Students MUST record Oral Defense and Oral Defense recording in the classroom.
- Student submits the Oral Defense PowerPoint to the Tk20-Oral Defense tab. Failing Oral Defense requires the student to schedule another Oral Defense. Students have three Oral Defense attempts.
- Committee should score the Oral Defense within 24 hours following the defense. Committee members need to click Save & Close then Submit after completing the Oral Defense rubric.
- Student works on Final Dissertation Edits with Committee (as recommended from Phase 5/QRF and the Oral Defense) within Teams.
- Once all changes are approved, the student emails final Dissertation to Dissertation Services.
Guidance provide at Doctoral Journey Phase 5
Please reach out to DissertationServices@phoenix.edu
Students should submit a change Matrix as part of the submission during file upload. For additional support please see the Quick Guide video located at: https://player.vimeo.com/video/343485749.
The College has discontinued the QRF 4th reviewer. The rigor of producing a quality dissertation rests with the faculty members and doctoral candidates.
Yes. Students should add their Dissertation Committee members to Teams starting in DOC/715. Reviews of Phase Deliverables should occur in Teams 365. Students can check on access and on how to invite faculty members to their Teams 365 account by reviewing guidance documents at: Teams 365 Student Guide (PDF)
Once you have QRM Chair and URM approval in Tk20, you many submit your IRB application to IRBnet.org. For more on Phase 5, please visit: Doctoral Journey Phase 5
In these rare situations, students would have clicked the submit button without attaching a document and the binder locks. Please recall your binder using the Tk20 Student Recalling a Document guidance (PDF)
For Faculty: TK20 and Teams 365 Guides and FAQs
The student should complete FDE and have changes confirmed by the committee within Teams 365.
No. The student can submit to FDE for review in Teams 365.
All binders will become available for students and faculty to see on the Friday following the start of the DOC course. This is for all 8-week, 3-week, and 1-week DOC courses. If your Tk20 Binder is not available by Friday at 1:00 PM Phoenix time, please reach out to DissertationServices@phoenix.edu.
Although students will see both the QRF and Oral Defense in Tk20, students and faculty members should adhere to the following process:
- Student receives permission from entire committee to submit to Tk20 for final approval of the dissertation.
- Student can/should schedule Oral Defense once the student has received approval to submit to Tk20.
- Student should not submit to both QRF and Oral Defense.
- Student uploads dissertation to Tk20 – Phase 5 Submission, which is for QRF review, and notifies the committee. The Dissertation Committee will receive an email notification when student uploads to binder.
- Committee has six days to review and approve the submission.
- Committee should only review the Dissertation submission and click Save/Complete at end of rubric.
- Student should submit Oral Defense PowerPoint to Tk20 before the Oral Defense takes place.
- Committee holds Oral Defense. *Students MUST record Oral Defense and Oral Defense recording in the classroom.
- Student submits the Oral Defense PowerPoint to the Tk20-Oral Defense tab. Failing Oral Defense requires the student to schedule another Oral Defense. Students have three Oral Defense attempts.
- Committee should score the Oral Defense within 24 hours following the defense. Committee members need to click Save & Close then Submit after completing the Oral Defense rubric.
- Student works on Final Dissertation Edits with Committee (as recommended from Phase 5/QRF and the Oral Defense) within Teams.
- Once all changes are approved, the student emails final Dissertation to Dissertation Services.
Guidance provide at Doctoral Journey Phase 5 (PDF)
Please reach out to DissertationServices@phoenix.edu
Students should submit a change Matrix as part of the submission during file upload. For additional support please see the Quick Guide video located at: https://player.vimeo.com/video/343485749.
The College has discontinued the QRF 4th reviewer. The rigor of producing a quality dissertation rests with the faculty members and doctoral candidates.
Yes. Students should add their Dissertation Committee members to Teams starting in DOC/715. Reviews of Phase Deliverables should occur in Teams 365. Students can check on access and on how to invite faculty members to their Teams 365 account by reviewing guidance documents at: Teams 365 Student Guide (PDF). Faculty can access the Teams 365 Faculty Guide (PDF) for assistance.
A. The faculty reviewers should NOT score the submission. The student should follow the Tk20 Student Recalling a Document guidance PDF
A. You will not see your name as a reviewer in your Tk20 account. As per the Tk20 guides, please look for your Red Flags. Please review: TK20 Faculty Users Guide (PDF)
A. All rubrics are the same for all faculty reviewers. Please score the submission.
A. In this rare occurrence, please contact DissertationServices@phoenix.edu. We will swap the names. Please do not score the document until this has occurred.
A. As per current University Policy faculty have six days in which to grade student’s assignments. Faculty should work to complete reviews within this timeframe. Oral Defense should be scored within 24 hours after being held. As a best practice, the Dissertation Committee may schedule when the student is presenting at the Oral Defense.
A. No. Submission to Tk20 means the student is ready to move forward and should have only submitted to Tk20 with approval from all reviewing parties. Please reach out to DissertationServices@phoenix.edu if you did not approve submission, and a review has already taken place. If appropriate, even though the student may have feedback to integrate, select Approved with Changes, and the student should integrate the feedback in Teams 365 and submit a change matrix to the faculty members as deemed necessary.
Dissertation Criteria Assessment
Dissertation Criteria Assessment (DCA) is a developmental and progression feedback tool that students, faculty members, and committees can use to monitor students in meeting dissertation assessment criteria throughout the Doctoral Journey Life Cycle and Dissertation Phases. For more on the Phases, please visit the Dissertation Journey page.
Doctoral ACCESS, content, and research courses use Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) to assess the degree to which students meet course objectives, while the DCA uses criteria to assess the degree to which students achieve dissertation designing, executing, and reporting on empirical social science research.