It is expected that a student will have submitted for publication, or published, a first-author, peer–reviewed paper of original research before defending his/her thesis, as well as participated as co-author on other papers and chapters or reviews, but there is no absolute requirement to do so before defending the thesis; this is a decision that is made by the student’s Special Committee (Thesis Advisory Committee) in consultation with the student and the student's major advisor. If a research article is not yet submitted at the time of the thesis defense, it is required that the student's PhD thesis research, as judged by the Special Committee and the thesis advisor, is of high enough quality that it would merit publication in a high quality, peer-reviewed scientific journal.