Discussion forum for Master's, MBA and Ph.D. dissertations

The forums are for anyone doing – or considering doing – a Master's, MBA or Ph.D. degree, mainly in South Africa and neighbouring countries.

The forums can be used to support you and your work in many ways: It can provide practical information, contacts, new ideas, and psychological support – in short, whatever you need from others who are in the same boat as you.

What follows is not a complete instruction manual, but it will get you up and running. The forum software also has its own FAQ. An extensive user guide (by the software authors) can be found here. Use the system, and you should get the hang of it pretty quickly. The forums are divided into three main categories: Master's, MBA, and PhD. When you make a post, please try to put it in where it fits best. That makes it easier for everyone to find what they need.

When you go to the Forums page, one of the options on the top will say 'Register'. Don't be intimidated by the many input boxes on the registration page. You can edit it later, as your 'Profile'. Only the following minimum information is required:

Your name (a nickname or pseudonym is preferable, as it protects your anonymity)
A password of your choice
Your email address (where your account activation will be sent)

Exactica will never sell, trade or distribute any personal information you submit. See our privacy policy for more. Your password is encrypted by the software and not shared with Exactica.

Once you've registered, your account will need to be activated. You will receive an email when this has been done. You will then be able to use both the forums and the study groups. You will be able to post messages, reply to other users' posts, edit your own posts, create new topics for discussion, quote others' posts in your replies, and create and vote in polls. You can select to receive automatic notification whenever a topic attracts postings from other users. There are also search functions to quickly find what you need.

There is also a private messaging feature, which will allow you to communicate with other registered users out of the public eye. Yet another feature is to email each other via the forums. Note in your 'Profile' that there is an option 'Always show my email address'. This will add a button through which other registered users can email you, but only via the forums. Remember though, when you use this feature to email others, it will reveal the registered email address of the sender to the email receiver.

With the interests of our preferred and typical users in mind, there are a number of basic terms and conditions that apply to the online study groups, the discussion forums, the private messaging and email features.

When you register for the discussion forums, you will automatically be able to use the online study groups. The online study groups offer several advantages over conventional study groups: You don't need to meet at the same place or time, they stick to the point better, and you have a very large potential group of people to choose your study group members from. They can be anywhere in the world, allowing you to focus your study group all the more tightly on what you are interested in.

A few suggestions on how to most effectively use the study groups:

Try to keep your study group relatively small. That way you can concentrate on what you need from the group.
If you need to cast your net wider on a specific question or issue, rather use the discussion forums.
Keep your study group membership focused. Focus either by your field, area of concern, where you are in the writing process, or anything else that is relevant to your completing your degree. If you need or want to, you can create or join two study groups – for example, one focusing on research and the other on writing the dissertation.
Make your study group stick to the subject: Don't let the conversation drift off into peripherally relevant areas. It can help to set agendas or lists of points to be discussed.
Stay polite, even if you really feel strongly about something.
Don't be afraid to leave a study group if it no longer serves your needs.

As with the forums, if you are new to online user groups it may initially take a bit of effort on your part to learn how to use them. Once you've got the basics though, you will find that it becomes second nature, and that the benefits are there for the reaping.

There are three kinds of study group – open, closed and hidden. With open study groups, all registered members of Exactica's forums can see the group name and the members' usernames and request to join. Closed study groups will allow you to see the group name and the members' usernames, but you cannot request to join. The group moderator can, however, invite you to join. Neither the group name nor the members' usernames are visible in a hidden study group; joining is only by invitation. The group moderator decides the form of the study group.

There are several ways to join or form a study group. You can apply to join an existing group by clicking on the 'Study Groups' icon. When you choose a group to join from the dropdown box, you will be taken to the Group Control Panel. When you click 'Join Group', its moderator will be sent an email with your request to join. He or she will decide whether or not you can join that particular group. If the answer is No, don't take it personally. There are all kinds of reasons why a group may not want to expand its membership. The group may, for example, be limited to a certain geographical region or university, or it may simply be getting too big to function effectively. You can request to join another group, or you can create your own group to your specifications.

If you want to create a new study group, you need to send an email to with the proposed study group's name, and the group will be set up for you. You will be the group moderator and be able to add new members, remove members and to decide whether the group will be open, closed or hidden. If you later want to nominate a different moderator for the group, just send another email to with the name of the group member who is to become the new moderator. You will then become a normal member of the group.

Using the forums is good way to get yourself invited to join a study group or to find members who will want to join a study group that you have created with a particular focus in mind. There is a dedicated place in the forums for this, so feel free to use it.

Another way to use the study groups is to invite members from your program to form an online study group. You all register, and form the group. This works particularly well for those doing distance-learning degrees, who seldom or never see their fellow students.

Determining what is unacceptable in our study forums is entirely up to Exactica. If we were to take issue with something you do, we will usually first talk to you about it, but we reserve the right to terminate any given discussion at any time, delete posts, and to ban any offending user at any time. Please don't respond to offensive topics yourself; let us handle it. If any illegal activities are attempted on the site, the relevant authorities will be informed.

Here are some house rules and tips:

No offensive language, sexism, racism, religious slurs, personal attacks, and spamming.
Advertising is forbidden without prior approval from us.
It is forbidden to use image tags to display graphics stored on third party servers. You are welcome to display graphics, but you have to submit them to Exactica via email. Then be patient, and you will receive a link to use in your post.
Should you wish to complain to us about a private message, or about email received via the forums, do not delete it. Contact us for instructions, as we will require access to the original private message, or the offending email with its full 'headers'.
Please read the forum descriptions before posting, so as to post in the relevant forum. Use an appropriate, descriptive title when posting a new topic.

The views expressed on the online study services are those of the contributors and are not necessarily those of Exactica. Exactica cannot verify or attest to the truth of what is submitted. Use of whatever you read is at your own risk.

By registering, you agree that Exactica has the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time should we see fit. You further agree that any information you have entered may be stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent, and while we do have precautions in place, Exactica shall not be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to data being compromised.

The Exactica Forums