Grants and Writing Resources for National University

National University's 2025 Dissertation of the Year went to a randomized controlled trial on how lutein affects eye and brain health in children exposed to screen time. The 2024 award went to a study of how quantum machine learning can bring full-stack quantum computing designs to quantum speed and scale. The library keeps the list of winners going back to 2009.

Dissertation Support

The library runs a Doctoral Center site for NU doctoral students. It sorts dissertation and applied doctoral project components by stage, from the problem statement through the manuscript and defense. Templates are filed by program, and the library's recorded workshops for doctoral students sit on the same site.

The Dissertation Boot Camps are in-person, two-and-a-half-day sessions for NU doctoral students in one-to-one programs, at any point from coursework to completion. Each day mixes structured writing time with individualized faculty support. Participants leave with a personalized action plan. Between boot camps, the Educational Services & Assessment Support office runs an online Virtual Dissertation Preparedness Series for doctoral students.

Writing Coaching

The Academic Success Center coaches students in writing and in quantitative reasoning. Scheduled coaching comes in several forms: a live 45-minute session with one coach, a weekly group session with up to eight students, or recorded coaching, where you upload one document and get written and video feedback within two days. The center's Writing Resources guide covers everything from paraphrasing and synthesis to an APA 7th edition student paper template.

For a closer read of APA style, the ASC's Proofreading Service sells sessions from $20.00 for 30 minutes to $100.00 for three hours. Students with an approved final dissertation manuscript draft can request Sprint to the Finish, a one-time complimentary three-hour review.

Awards and Recognition

The ESAS office gives Research Awards to current students and alumni whose completed research has been published or presented at a conference or poster session. It also oversees Dissertation of the Year and Poster of the Year, and it helps doctoral students eligible for graduation submit a poster to the session held during commencement. Through the President's Circle, one student per degree program in each school is nominated for academic excellence and leadership; those selected receive a certificate and wear President's Circle cords at commencement.

Where Dissertations Are Published

The library's publishing FAQ explains two routes for publishing a dissertation or applied doctoral project: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, which typically takes 10 to 12 weeks, or the open-access National University System Repository, where work appears about five business days after deposit. Graduates can use both.

The Advanced Research Center helps students and alumni turn research into articles and presentations, through one-on-one consultations and online scholarly mixers. Its Dissertation to Publication Toolkit walks through choosing one to three target journals and cutting a dissertation down to article length.

When a paper, thesis, or dissertation is ready for a final edit, our editors can help. See our National University dissertation and thesis editing and National University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• The Dissertation Conclusion: Closing the Logical Loop
• ProQuest Readiness: The Final Mechanical Audit
• Escaping the Revision Pile: Strategies for First-Round Approval