Once one has passed the Preliminary Examination (see
§8.4.1.4 or §8.4.2.3 as
appropriate), one becomes technically a
candidate for the PhD. This means that most of one's time
should be given to specific preparation for, and writing of
a doctoral thesis. The manner in which this is done must be left up
to the student and the Doctoral Committee, especially the thesis advisor.
In general, however, the thesis should include work, which, in originality,
importance, and correctness, is good enough to appear in a research journal.
A paper will be prepared by the PhD candidate and submitted to a refereed journal, approved by the student's Doctoral Committee. The paper should ordinarily be based on portions of the candidate's PhD thesis. Acceptance of the paper is not a precondition for the completion of the degree work. A 2/3 majority of the candidate's Doctoral Committee can waive the requirement of a journal submission of a paper based on the thesis.