Before starting your graduate research, take some time to familiarize yourself with the forms and guidelines that directly impact all graduate students.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unsure of how to start? Visit the frequently asked questions for answers to the most common questions students have pertaining to research and the thesis/dissertation process.
Required Forms
No student research can begin before a Research Topic Approval Form has been approved by the Graduate Studies office.
Access the Electronic RTAF
In the current MyIUP portal, my.iup.edu:
- Sign in to MyIUP and log in with your username and network password.
- Select the Academics page and find the Graduate Student Resources section.
- Click on Research Topic Approval Form.
In the new MyIUP portal:
- Log in to MyIUP and go to Discover.
- Search for "graduate" and click on Graduate Student Resources.
- Click on Research Topic Approval Form.
Continue in either portal and follow the on-screen instructions. Note: This form is not compatible with Internet Explorer.
If you intend to have an outside reader on your doctoral dissertation committee, be sure to have this request approved as early as possible.
Protection of Human Participants and Animals
Plan ahead and assume your research will require approval from the Institutional Review Board or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Do not assume that you will not need approval if you are not conducting research directly involving live human participants or vertebrate animals.
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects
- Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Copyright and Plagiarism Information
Issues of copyright infringement and/or plagiarism are serious matters. Review the information provided on U.S. Copyright Law and the university's policy regarding plagiarism before you start to write.
- Copyright Information
- IUP Plagiarism Policy - See the Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures section of the Graduate Catalog.
More detailed information on committee selection and the research topic approval process can be found in the Thesis-Dissertation Manual.