Submission of the Major Research Paper (MRP) topic and supervisor for first year students: Thursday, February 1^st, 2024 at 4:30pm to the GSPIA's secretariat (this deadline does not apply to students admitted to the part-time program who must submit this document at the latest, at the beginning of the last semester of their program).

MRP deadline for second year students

Submission of the Research Paper topic and appointment of research supervisor

Students should begin consulting with faculty in the fall semester of their first year on possible major research paper topics.

They will be provided with a form named Registration of Research Paper Topic and Appointment of Research Supervisor in the middle of the winter semester of the first year on which they must indicate their chosen topic and their supervisor of choice and whether they expect their research requires approval from the Research Ethics Board. They must then obtain the signature of the supervisor, indicating that s/he agrees to take on that role, and return the completed form to the School’s office.

Students may ask regular faculty members from any department within all the Faculties of the University of Ottawa to act as their supervisor; part time professors and senior fellows can’t act as supervisor nor second reader.

Should the student change either his/her supervisor or the topic of the Major Research Paper, s/he must inform the School’s office immediately by submitting the completed form named Change of Major Research Paper topic and/or research supervisor. This form needs to be signed by the previous and the new supervisor.

Important Message

Students must submit the registration form before February 1^st at 4:30 p.m. Those who do not submit the form, a severe condition will be added to their file blocking online registration for the next semester until they’ve submitted this form to the GSPIA’s secretariat.

Registration to the Major Research Paper (MRP 6999)

Students may register for the MRP for one term only, and they must submit their major research paper within that term of enrolment.  

Starting in the winter 2024 semester: To register for the semester in which students will write and complete the MRP, students must first submit the form “Authorization to Register for MRP course”, signed by their supervisor. This form is not required for registration in fall 2023.

It is expected that before the beginning the semester in which the student is registered to write and complete the MRP, the student and the supervisor will establish the following points:

1. Research paper topic, including the research question to be answered. (Note: With the supervisor’s approval, the topic may be developed from a student’s previous academic work or a special project, but it must advance substantially beyond the original work.)
2. List of at least 15 relevant and substantive readings that will be used as research sources for the MRP. This list represents a starting point for the research.
3. A work schedule to meet the deadlines identified below.

Draft

Before the final submission of the MRP (see Table deadlines); the student must submit a first complete electronic version of the MRP (draft) to the supervisor by email ensuring that a copy of the email is sent to the GSPIA’s secretariat ([email protected]) to certify compliance with the deadline. No extension will be granted.

Late submissions—even being a few minutes late—will not be accepted and signify failure of the MRP submission process.  

The draft of the major research paper will usually be about 50 pages in length, double-spaced, including footnotes, endnotes, tables and figures, but excluding bibliography and appendices. The structure and content should follow prior discussions between the student and supervisor, and should closely reflect the structure and content of the final copy.

Final copy

A student may not submit their MRP until all program requirements have been completed before or during the session of the final submission.  The MRP must be submitted during the student's last term.  Once the final version is ready to be evaluated, an electronic copy (PDF or Word documents are accepted, no separate appendices) is to be sent to the supervisor by email ensuring that a copy of the email is sent to the GSPIA’s secretariat ([email protected]).

The final version of the Major research papers should include, in addition to the criteria required for the draft, a title page, a table of contents, a one-page abstract, and a complete bibliography. The format of papers may vary according to the academic discipline in question. It is expected that most papers, including theoretical papers, will consist of policy relevant research or policy analysis.

Please note that late submissions will not be accepted and signify failure of the MRP submission process.

Furthermore, no extension will be granted. The only possible exception is a one week extension only under valid extenuating circumstances occurring shortly before a deadline (serious illness, death of a family member or medical emergency involving a close family member with a valid medical or death certificate).  

Otherwise, the penalties associated with late submissions are strictly enforced. This policy aims to reinforce the essential employability skill of time management, while ensuring that all students are treated equitably and do not gain an unfair advantage by choosing to submit their work late.

Evaluation

At the time of registration of the MRP topic and appointment of research supervisor, the student and the supervisor can suggest up to three potential second readers on the appropriate form.

The supervisor and one other reader assigned by the program coordinator mark the major research paper. The second reader receives the MRP without any student’s identification, and the identity of the second reader remains anonymous.

Students will be assessed on the quality, accuracy, and originality of the analysis, the logic of their organization, the extent of the research conducted for the paper and the relevance of the material used, and the clarity and correctness of expression.

Both professors have 3 weeks after the submission of the final copy to submit their grades.

1. There is no possibility of modifying the major research paper, as is the case for theses. A grade of S or NS will be issued on the student's transcript.
2. In the case of programs requiring two evaluations, if the supervisor and the second reader have not reached a unanimous verdict, a meeting will be held between the dean (or delegate), the supervisor, and the second reader to discuss points of disagreement. Following this discussion, the dean  (or delegate) will determine the grade of S or NS. 
3. The grade is issued by two professors (supervisor and second reader) and is final. The dean (or delegate) of the faculty offering the program will hear appeals only on procedural grounds.

• Guidelines for writing papers at GSPIA
• Registration of Major Research Paper topic
• Change of Major Research Paper topic and/or research supervisor
• Authorization to register to the MRP (MRP 6999)

• Registration of Major Research Paper topic
• Change of Major Research Paper topic and/or research supervisor
• Modification/Cancellation of Registration
• Authorization to register to the MRP (MRP 6999)
• Graduate Registration

• Student Hub - Useful links
• uOttawa card
• Payment of fees
• Grading Criteria
• General Regulations