PhD Academic and Scholarly Guidelines

Students admitted to the PreDoc or Ph.D. Program at Indiana University School of Social Work have already demonstrated in their undergraduate or other graduate studies their capacity for superior academic work.  Most Ph.D. and PreDoc students are, therefore, very familiar and comfortable with high academic and scholarly standards.  Obviously, students are expected to attend the classroom regularly and meet all expectations associated with research internships and other assistantship requirements.  Regular attendance is viewed as the personal and professional responsibility of each Ph.D. and PreDoc student.  Active participation in course activities is the expected norm.  In participating, it is expected that students reflect interest in and respect for their colleagues in a manner that is congruent with the values, ethics, and skills of the profession.

Students are expected to prepare written assignment documents in a scholarly and professional manner.  Submissions should be typewritten in double-space format and carefully edited for spelling and grammar.  All direct quotations, paraphrases, empirical research findings, and other restatements of the research, scholarship, or creative work of others must be appropriately annotated using the standard bibliographic citation methods set forth in the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.  The APA Manual serves as the guide for style and format of all papers submitted in the Ph.D. Program.

Competent and effective social work practice requires well-developed and refined communication skills, including the use of the written word.  Writing well helps social workers communicate information accurately and concisely.  For this reason, formal writing assignments in social work courses will be evaluated on both the quality of presentation as well as the quality of the scholarly content.