grad_com
	grad_com is an electronic newsletter from the BSU School of Graduate Studies. If you have ideas, send them to Grad@bemidjistate.edu, with Attn: Anne in the subject line.
	Vol. 2, No. 7		March 2006
The Process Registration: Grad classes Starting the count of seven years to complete a degree Form 1: Applying for admission to graduate studies Completing 13-16 graduate credits after admission Form 2: Applying for candidacy in a graduate degree program Taking the written exam at the end of course work Form 3: Proposing a research paper or thesis Doing the work and writing the results Form 4: Applying for graduation Submitting the research paper or thesis for review Form 5: Scheduling the oral examination Defending your graduate work Diploma	This month . . . · Navigating the Library – Getting Connected · Research with Human Subjects · Q&A: Centering text vertically? · The Process: The ABCs of Defending Your Work
	Navigating the Library – Getting Connected
	Definitions Electronic location: Onsite – in the library Offsite – outside the library, but on campus Off-campus – across the street or across the world Ready Reference: not a database, but a collection of subscription databases indexing and frequently featuring full-text material in a variety of disciplines and specific subjects Catalog: indicates ownership – only what’s owned by, and catalogued in, the library		Access. Go to http://www.bemidjistate.edu/library/. Off-campus, log in for some services (e.g. in Ready Reference, use the right column to log in for access to indexes, abstracts, and full-text periodicals). All users: Off-campus log-in consists of the 14-digit barcode on your student ID and a password (your last name). These provide access to all MnPALS library services. Catalog search. Elements of a basic search: · location and format of the items wanted (e.g. electronic books through the BSU Library) · search type (e.g. title, author, or subject) · key word(s) After receiving a list of results, click on Location (to find if an item is available: On shelf) or Title (for bibliographic information). Electronic books. After clicking on the title and receiving bibliographic information, click on the Electronic Resource link to go to the NetLibrary. View the item or check it out for four hours using the free account that you create once through the BSU library and e-book menu.
Q&A: Centering text vertically?
Q: How do I center text on a page vertically? A: Two ways: the manual way and the automated way.
	For more information, contact the reference desk, 755-3342; or Bill Shaman, Instruction Librarian, wshaman@bemidjistate.edu
The manual way: 1. Insert blank lines before your text. 2. Measure the margins above and below your text. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the margins are equal. The automated way: To center only one page, at the end of the previous page and the beginning of the next page, go to Insert, Break, Section break types, Next page. 1. Delete any blank lines before your text. 2. In Microsoft® Word, go to the File menu and select Page Setup. 3. Go to the Layout tab. In the Page section, select Vertical alignment: Center. 4. If needed, Apply to, This section.	Research with Human Subjects
	Researching with human subjects? Federal regulations specify guidelines for the subjects’ protection.		Before performing data collection, (a) notify the School of Graduate Studies, (b) pick up a copy of the Policies and Procedures for the Use of Human Subjects in Research. Also available on the Graduate Studies website, the document details the following: Research Activities: risk, confidentiality, definition, activities included and excluded, discussion of clinical training and research training, and categories of human research. Review Process: the three forms of review (exemption, expedited, full) and instructions. The document also provides the Human Research Approval Form, Ethical Compliance Questionnaire, Informed Consent Form, and Debriefing instructions.
	For an electronic copy of Policies and Procedures for the Use of Human Subjects in Research, go to http://www.bemidjistate.edu/graduatestudies/html/gradForms/gradForms.html
The Process: The ABCs of Defending Your Work
The following is adapted and condensed from the School of Graduate Studies webpage, Requirements for Graduation link. Scroll down to The Oral Examination.		Approval by your committee: · readiness for defense of your graduate work · oral exam date (not during last week of classes or final exams) Before the defense: · written exam satisfactorily completed · curriculum vita sheet to committee at least three weeks before oral exam Committee members: · your advisor (committee chair) · two or more graduate faculty members (one from outside your program or department) · one graduate faculty representative (procedural observer and non-voting participant)		Defense features and events: · open to the university community · focused on the research project (chair decides if visitors may ask questions on the topic) · at least one and not more than two hours Evaluation: · closed to the public · grade of pass, condition, or fail · changes in the final manuscript may be requested
For current forms and information, go to www.bemidjistate.edu/graduatestudies/ and select the Graduate Forms link.
We want to make grad_com useful for you. Let us know what you would like to see on these pages by contacting the School of Graduate Studies, Decker Hall 110, 218-755-2027 (toll-free: 1-888-386-8464), Grad@bemidjistate.edu