DPDF Frequently Asked Questions for Prospective Students

Eligibility and Selection Criteria
Predissertation Summer Funding
Workshops
Application Documents

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

How and when can I apply for the program? Is it through my institution, through the research directors, or directly to your site? You must apply directly for the program using the online application available on the SSRC website. You do not need an institutional nomination, nor should you contact the research directors.

Is this program open to international students? The DPDF is open to all students, regardless of their nationality, who are currently enrolled full-time in a doctoral degree-granting program at a U.S. institution. Students enrolled in U.S.-accredited institutions outside the United States are not eligible to apply.

I am currently in a Masters program. I have applied and intend to begin a PhD program in the fall. My Masters is in the same, or a similar, field as my expected PhD program and I have already completed some preliminary research toward my anticipated dissertation proposal. Am I eligible for the DPDF? No. To be eligible for the DPDF you must be actively enrolled in a PhD program at a US institution.

I am in my first year of study in a PhD program, but I have already started to think about what I will do for my dissertation. As a very “early-stage” graduate student, am I eligible to apply? Only in exceptional circumstances will the DPDF accept applications from first-year students. One such exception might be if you’ve already completed a Master’s Degree in your field of study or a closely related one.

I am a third year student who intends to start working on a dissertation proposal in the spring semester of the current academic year while I take my last course and my last comprehensive exam. Am I eligible? The program is designed for second and third year students who have not yet submitted and will not submit their dissertation proposals until after the fall workshop. You are eligible to apply for a DPDF fellowship whether or not you will have passed your comprehensive/general/qualifying exams as long as you have not had your dissertation proposal formally approved by your department before the fall workshop.

I have Incompletes remaining on my transcript. Am I eligible to apply? Yes, students may apply with Incompletes. In order to participate in the DPDF program, students must have finished all incomplete course work and have removed any “Incompletes” from their transcripts before the spring workshop in May.

I am in the fourth year of a Ph.D. program. I have passed my comprehensive exams and am currently working on my dissertation proposal. Am I eligible to apply for the Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF)? Do I qualify as an “early-stage graduate student”? Although designed for second and third-year students, the DPDF program will accept applications from fourth year students if a compelling reason can be made about why the student has not yet completed a dissertation proposal for approval by his or her home department.

I have applied for SSRC’s IDRF program, but have not yet heard. Am I eligible to apply for a DPDF? No. If you have applied this year or in previous years for an IDRF, or for any major funding grant for dissertation research, you are not eligible for a DPDF. If your IDRF application has been found ineligible or incomplete you are not eligible for the DPDF.

I received funds from my home institutions to do predissertation research last summer. Am I eligible to apply for a DPDF in the current academic year? No. If you have already received funding and have completed predissertation research at the time of application, you will not be eligible for a DPDF. If you are unsure if your current funding disqualifies you from the DPDF, please contact DPDF program staff.

Does DPDF require a nomination? No. This is an open competition. Students apply directly to the SSRC with no campus nomination required.

Can I use the fellowship to write my dissertation? The Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship does not support dissertation writing. The fellowship is intended to support early-stage, predissertation, doctoral students who are beginning field research for their dissertation proposals.

I am interested in more than one of the five research fields. Can I apply to more than one field? Can I submit multiple applications during the same cycle? No. You may only apply to one research field per application cycle.

I applied to a previous DPDF cycle and was not awarded a fellowship. Can I reapply? Can I reactivate my previous application or do I need to create a new application? Yes, you can reapply to DPDF if your research topic is compatible with one of the five research fields. You must submit a new application, and you must apply to one of the five research fields.

Do I need to complete the application all at one sitting? No. You may return to the application as many times as necessary until the application deadline. Be sure to save your work after you finish each section of the application. Once the application has been submitted, you will no longer be able to alter the information.

Predissertation Summer Funding

If I am selected as a fellow in the DPDF program, will I automatically get funds for summer research? No. The DPDF program awards fellowships that give you an opportunity to work with research directors in your field in two sets of workshops, but such a fellowship does not necessarily entail funding for summer research. As part of the online application, you may request funding for predissertation research expenses.

What research expenses are eligible for funding? The DPDF may award funds to cover expenses related to airfare, lodging, transportation and other research supplies and expenses. The DPDF will not award funds to cover expenses related to fees, courses, tuition, or living expenses at your home institution.

I have applied for predissertation research funds from my home institution, but I will not hear until May of the current academic year. Should I apply for funding from the DPDF? Yes. You may apply for funding, but you must inform the SSRC if and when you receive other support for your predissertation research. You may be able to keep both awards should you be successful in your applications and SSRC will coordinate with your home institution in sharing the fellowship.

Workshops

If I get a fellowship from the DPDF program, do I have to attend both workshops? I have a longstanding obligation that coincides with the dates of one of the workshops. Yes. If awarded a fellowship, you must attend both workshops in their entirety. If you know that you will be unable to be present at one or another, you should not apply to the DPDF program.

Can I contact the research director in the field to which I am applying to find out more about the workshops? No. You may only contact DPDF staff with all questions about the format and content of the workshops.

Do I have to pay my own way to attend the workshops? No. If awarded a fellowship, your expenses (airfare, hotel, meals, ground transport) will be paid for by the Social Science Research Council. DPDF staff will either make arrangements or offer you a maximum sum with which to arrange your own needs.

Application Documents

Do I need to convert my bibliography into PDF format myself? I do not know how to perform this conversion. Yes. You must convert your bibliography document into PDF format. You may do so by using Adobe Professional, or a similar on line program . If you are unable to perform the conversion, please contact your university IT services for assistance.

What size font and spacing should I use for my bibliography? Please create a one-page, single-spaced, portrait oriented document using size 11 font.

Does my bibliography have to be annotated? Is there a specific bibliographic format that I must use? No. Please provide a standard bibliography not exceeding one page in PDF format. There is no predetermined bibliographic format for the DPDF program. You may use whatever format your prefer as long as it remains consistent throughout the document.

My bibliography document was exactly the correct length in word processing program, but when I convert it to PDF format, it exceeds the page limit. Is that permissible? No. Your bibliography should not exceed one page in total PDF format.

How do I submit transcripts? Order unofficial transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) from the universities you have attended and currently attend. Scan the documents and save them in PDF format. Upload the PDF files to your application. If you are unable to obtain unofficial transcripts you may scan, covert to PDF and upload official transcripts as long as they are legible. You will be able to upload up to five transcripts with a limited file size.

I have taken courses at a Community College, summer courses, study abroad (or something similar) but I did not receive a degree from this institution. Do I need to upload the transcript? No. It is not necessary to upload these transcripts.

I received my BA and/or my MA from an international institution, should I upload the original transcript, the English translation, or both? Please contact the DPDF staff for further instruction.

Can I submit more than two references? If I request more than two references, can I choose which ones to be read with my application? No. You may not submit more than two references. If you request more than two references, only the first two references submitted through the online portal will be reviewed with your application.

I am a student of one of the Research Directors for the field to which I want to apply. Can I ask him/her to write a reference letter on my behalf? No. You may not ask a Research Director of the field to which you are applying to write your reference letter.

The person I want to ask to write my reference letter is on sabbatical and/or has limited internet access. Can I request an extension for this recommendation? No. All application materials are due on the application deadline.

Will the DPDF accept reference letters submitted by facsimile, hard copy or email? No. All reference letters must be submitted through the online application portal before or on the application deadline.

I use Mac OS X™ and I am having difficulty uploading my documents. What should I do? There is a known problem - specific to the Mac OS X™ machines - with uploading files over a secure connection. You may upload files using any of the following options:

1) Use Apple™’s browser, Safari™
2) Upload your file using another computer not running OS X™

I am encountering problems when I try to “View/Print Application” on the application portal. What should I do? Check to make sure that your browsers pop-up blocker is not interfering with the SSRC web site. If you are working in Firefox, try working in Safari or Internet Explorer. If you continue to have difficulty, please fill out the technical support form on the online application portal.