THESIS WORKSHOP

Sponsored by the CSUF Department of Graduate StudiesDebra Stewart

University Thesis/Dissertation ReaderMH-112; dstewart@fullerton.edu

August 2014

THESIS WORKSHOP

1. INTRODUCTION: Why this workshop? (What is expected of you/why you should come.)

2. REQUIREMENTS: How do you meet them? (How/where to get assistance.)

3. THESIS READER and YOU: What do I do? (What my role is and isn’t.)

PSST! 4 Most Important Things!

1. Print out the Thesis Manual for yourself.

2.Download and SAVE the thesis template as a Word file. Name, date (i.e., Stewart thesis draft 8.12.14).

3.Style is a big deal. Know your citation/reference style (APA, Chicago, JAMA, MLA, ACS, AAA, etc. Print it. Own it.

4. Trial run. Send me a first draft in the template, no matter how awful. Include title page, front matter, a few references. Even if it is a semester early.

Submission deadline. Four weeks before due date for all coursework.

Bookstore deposit: Due date for all coursework.

For Students Planning to Graduate this Fall (January 2015):Deadline to Submit to Graduate Studies Office Friday, Nov. 25, 2014Deadline to Deposit in CSUF Bookstore Friday, Dec. 23, 2014

For Students Planning to Graduate in Spring 2015 (May 2015)Deadline to Submit to Graduate Studies Office Friday, April 24, 2015Deadline to Deposit in CSUF Bookstore Friday, May 22, 2015

Schedule your thesis defense before the submission date!

THESIS “DEADLINES” FOR OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT

Thesis: Order of Operations

Draft Manuscript 1. Research draft refined into separate chapters.2. Chapters given titles and headings.3. Tables and figures created and inserted.4. Citations checked.5. References/bibliography completed.6. Appendices added.

Formatted Manuscript7. Manuscript pasted into the thesis template.8. Front matter entered; page numbers added.9. File ready for thesis reader preliminary check.10. Draft refined/proofed for defense.11. Manuscript approved/signed by thesis committee.12. Manuscript printed out for thesis submission.

INTRODUCTION

Why this workshop?To save YOU time/$.

GET IT OVER WITH!

FEES (0-6 units) $ 2, 312

GRAD CHECK $ 115

GS700 * $ 350

MOVE GRAD DATE $ 10

And save MY time.

Four weeks. So little time. So many pages.

WHAT IS A MASTER’S THESIS?

From the Thesis Manual:• The “culminating experience of your

graduate program.”• A “demonstration of your ability to

develop and present a clear and scholarly work within your chosen field of study.”

Reviewer’s role: Ensure that each thesis is a credit to this university and its author.

REQUIREMENTS

CSUF Thesis Information &

Manuscript Guidelinesare retrieved from

http://fullerton.edu/graduate/

Look under “Theses and Dissertations”

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A THESIS HAS A “FIXED FORM”

It is not a journal article.It is not a research paper.It is not a grant.

It exists for one purpose only:TO FULFILL CSUF GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS.

A THESIS IS

THE MOST

IMPORTANT

PAPER

OF

YOUR ACADEMIC LIFE(UP TO THIS POINT)

IT MUST MEET CSU STANDARDS and be

ACADEMICALLY PERFECT*

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FORMAT: Why the big deal?

This is a unique “book.” It has publishing guidelines set by

1. UMI/Proquest (microfilm restrictions)

2. California State University (policies)

3. CSUF (binding, margins, page numbering, figures/tables; campus uniformity)

4. Departmental choices (i.e., documentation sourcing, footnotes, headings)

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REQUIREMENTS

Follow your:

• THESIS ADVISOR for content.

• Academic unit for style guide.

• CSUF Thesis Manual for format.

THESIS REQUIREMENTS

HOW do I know what they

are?

WHERE do I find them?

WHAT do I do with them?

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FORMAT: How a thesis looks

Follow the:

THESIS MANUAL for formatfullerton.edu/graduate

FORMAT: The way in which something is arranged or set out.

THE THESIS MANUAL (TM)

• 19 pages. •Download. Print. Refer to it.

•Answers (ALMOST) ALL F.A.Qs.

http://fullerton.edu/graduate/

Thesis Manual: What’s in it?

• Font (TNR, Arial, Tahoma)

• Margins (1.5, 1, 1, 1)

• Spacing (double w/exceptions)

• Page numbering • Headings/Subheadings• Figures and Tables• Approval/Review info

• Paper stock• Order of “parts”• Front matter • Back matter• Cautions • TEMPLATES• Dates

FORMATTING INSTRUCTIONS

Use the online materials

* * * * *

A perfectly formatted thesis

can be written without any editorial

changes IF a student uses the

Thesis Template and Manual correctly.

ORDER OF THESIS PARTS

FRONT MATTER (page numbers: Roman numerals, lower casing, bottom center)

1. TITLE/SIGNATURE PAGE2. ABSTRACT3. TABLE OF CONTENTS 4. LIST OF TABLES5. LIST OF FIGURES6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CHAPTERS (Main Body)(page numbers: Arabic numbers, top right corner)

BACK MATTER

1. APPENDIX OR APPENDICES

2. BIBLIOGRAPHY OR REFERENCES

Title/Signature Page

• MOST problematic of all.

• Must be 100% PERFECT!

• RIGHT paper stock

• RIGHT spacing.

• RIGHT spelling.

• All faculty “wet” signatures black ink.

• Horror stories....

THE “TITLE/SIGNATURE

PAGE”HAS the most STRICT

FORM.

IT HAS TO BE PERFECT THE FIRST

TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Abstract

• Top margin of 2”.• 250 words (best).• Include “keywords.”• Prose style (no outlines)

TABLE OF CONTENTS TEMPLATE

“dot leaders”

“page column”

““alignment”

WHICH ONE IS YOURS?

OTHER

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STYLE FORMATS CAN DIFFER

Lots.

Google them. http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/contents.html

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/19/

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STYLE IS A BIG DEAL

• Headings. Underline or bold?

• Tables and Figures. Italicize or not?

• Citations and References. Big!

• Spacing.

READ/UNDERSTAND YOUR STYLE MANUALS

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STYLE INCLUDES . . . LITTLE THINGS

• ORDINALS: Is it first, 1st, or 1st place?

• ELLIPSIS: Those funny dots . . . are like that,

not…this or … that. A period adds a fourth

dot. . . . That is, if it’s in between sentences.

• NUMBERS: fifteen or 15? Two hundred or 300?

• BLOCK QUOTES: Double or single space?

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• Landscape orientation: Where does the page number go? (in portrait orientation, like others)

• “Commas and periods,” go inside the quotation marks.

• Single quotes “stay ‘inside’ quotations.”

• Serial commas: X, Y, and Z. (Not x, y and z.)

• Dashes come-in—different sizes. Why?

WHY “STYLE”?

Test: Which is correct?

a) It’s a “convention.”b)It is a “convention”. c)It is a “convention.”

Long Quotes: in APA

According to Cox (2000), “there are three ways to structure the introduction to a

questionnaire” (p. 3).

At the end of a block quote of 40+ words, the period goes at the end

of the last word in the quote and then the citation is given. Block

quotes are double spaced and indented ½ inch from the left margin.

ORSet off five or more lines as an indented block, without quotation marks. Block quotes are single spaced and indented ½ inch from the left margin. The period goes after the citation page number is given, unless the source is cited in the introductory sentence introducing the quote. (p. 298)

BLOCK QUOTES

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STYLE includes References

• A very strict formal section.

• Includes capitalization, initials, punctuation, spacing, etc. (Lots of etc.)

• Most citations must be “converted” into your “style.”

• Proofing is time-consuming. Very.

Which is the correct “REFERENCE STYLE” for APA?

Fisher, C. (2003). Decoding the ethics code. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Fisher, Celia. Decoding the Ethics Code. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003.

Fisher, C.J. Decoding the Ethics Code. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2003.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

APA Citation Issues

Parenthetical format, first citation in text:

(Cherry, 2007)(Cherry & Chang, 2004)(Cherry, Chang, & Jones, 2011)(Cherry, Chang, Jones, & Shimizu, 2012)(Cherry, Chang, Jones, Shimizu, & Rutledge, 2013)(Cherry et al., 2006)

Etc. Etc. Etc.

When you list more than one source within a text citation:

• Alphabetize the list by author.

(Adler, 2003; Guillaume & Yopp, 2001; Randall, Ames, & Smith, 2010)

• Place a semi-colon between research groups.

APA: More than one author

ETC., ETC., ETC.:

READ/UNDERSTAND YOUR STYLE MANUALS

APA HEADINGSCHAPTER THREE

double spaceTHIS IS THE CHAPTER TITLE

double spaceThis is a Level 1 APA Heading

This is how the first page of your thesis will look, using a chapter name

and number (in Arabic numbers or spelled out).

This is a Level 2 APA Heading

At least two headings. that go with each section. Text and tables are

double-spaced throughout the entire thesis.

Non-APA HEADINGSCHAPTER THREE

xTHIS IS THE CHAPTER TITLE

xx

This is a Primary Heading

This is how the first page of your thesis will look, using a chapter name

and number (in Arabic numbers or spelled out) and Turabian-style headings

that go with each section. After each chapter title or section title (i.e.,

Abstract) text begins on the third single space from the title.

APA SUBHEADINGS

This is a Level 2 Heading This represents a sub-section of the primary heading.

All headings should be worded in the Table of Contents exactly as they are in

the text. The text starts in the line one double space below the secondary

heading and is indented. It is not underlined; it is bolded.

This is a Level 3 Heading. This level of sub-heading is a sub-section of a

secondary heading, but the tertiary heading does not need to be included in

the TOC. Both secondary and tertiary sub-headings are subparts of the primary

heading, just like in an outline. A tertiary heading does not go in the Table of

Contents. It is not underlined; it is bolded.

NON-APA SUBHEADINGS

This is a Secondary Heading or a Sub-Heading

This represents a sub-section of the primary heading. All headings should be worded in

the Table of Contents exactly as they are in the text. The text starts in the line one double

space below the secondary heading and is indented .5 inches. Notice that it is underlined.

This is a Tertiary Heading. This level of sub-heading is a sub-section of a secondary

heading, but the Tertiary heading does not need to be included in the TOC. Both secondary

and tertiary sub-headings are subparts of the primary heading, just like in an outline. It does

not go in the Table of Contents.

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Content and Style

• TABLES: Titles above table– What do they look like? (Answer: consistent!)– How are they spaced? (Answer: consistent!)– “Runover” lines are indent three spaces – Notes are added under the table.– Terms: stub column, data head, spanner.

• FIGURES: Title below figure

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FIGURES

APA TURABIAN

Figure X. Illustration of thesis writing. Figure X. Illustration of thesis writing.

• Italics? No italics?• Title ALWAYS below graphic.• No matter what style, PLACE IT FLUSH LEFT!!!

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APA TABLES

The APA manual has mistakes!

General rules:

• BE CONSISTENT!

• Stub column is flush left.

• Data cells are centered to decimal point.

• Totals are indented by three spaces.

• For subordination within a stub, indent for clarity.

• For runover lines, indent OR double space between entries.

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Non-APA TABLES

Table 1. Smoking Among American Adults, By Age____________________________________________ Smoke Don’t Smoke Age N (%) (%)

18-32 1,722 30.6 69.433-47 2,012 37.1 62.948-62 1,928 35.2 64.863+ 646 30.5 69.5 Total 7,308________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source: Adapted from Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 2005.

MARGINS, SPACING: LEFT JUSTIFICATION AND DOUBLE-SPACING

This is a Secondary Heading or a Sub-Heading

This represents a sub-section of the primary heading. All headings should be worded in the Table of

Contents exactly as they are in the text. The text starts in the line one double space below the secondary heading

and is indented. APA headings are formatted much differently than Turabian headings.

This is a Tertiary Heading. This level of sub-heading is a sub-section of a secondary heading, but the

tertiary heading does not need to be included in the TOC. Both secondary and tertiary sub-headings are subparts

of the primary heading, just like in an outline. A tertiary heading does not go in the Table of Contents.

NO extra space between paragraphs.NO full justification.

MARGINS, SPACING: LEFT JUSTIFICATION AND DOUBLE-SPACING

This is a Secondary Heading or a Sub-Heading

This represents a sub-section of the primary heading. All headings should be worded in the Table of Contents

exactly as they are in the text. The text starts in the line one double space below the secondary heading and is indented.

APA headings are formatted much differently than Turabian headings.

This is a Tertiary Heading. This level of sub-heading is a sub-section of a secondary heading, but the tertiary

heading does not need to be included in the TOC. Both secondary and tertiary sub-headings are subparts of the

primary heading, just like in an outline. A tertiary heading does not go in the Table of Contents.

This is correct.

HOW DO I LEARN ALL THIS?

(

Pssst: OPEN THE THESIS MANUAL!

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CONTENT, STYLE, FORMAT

Follow your:

• THESIS ADVISOR for content.

• Academic unit for style guide.

• CSUF Thesis Manual for format.

BEFORE YOUR DEFENSE

SEND ME A SAMPLE of your work EARLY in the semester you plan on graduating:

• A DRAFT OF YOUR TITLE/SIGNATURE PAGE • (I can check your margins, paper, font, spacing)

• YOUR FRONT MATTER (PRELIMINARY PAGES)

• A SAMPLE CHAPTER

• YOUR REFERENCES

I Have Flexible OFFICE HOURS

I do not have set Office Hours AFTER the

deadline.BEFORE the deadline, sort of.All year: contact learningspecialists@fullerton.edu

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BEFORE Thesis Submission

PROOF-READ

CORRECT PAPER STOCK “Fancy Paper” FOR THE FINAL COPY (and Title/Signature pages)

Must be printed by a good printer, with consistent ink, on white, 8 ½ by 11, 20- to 24-pound weight, and 25% to 100% cotton rag paper. Has a watermark. Southworth 25% is fine.

Use a basic 20-pound, 25% cotton paper, or your thesis will be large

and unwieldy and result in additional fees for binding.

Has a watermark!

AVERAGE THESIS (up to 150 pp) LONG THESIS

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Printing it out on The Fancy Paper

1. Can be problematic, so watch carefully for printing malfunctions. (I do.)

2. Buy the paper box. Do NOT borrow from a friend or faculty (because you may not be able to match it when do the final printing).

3. Before you print out anything, be sure I’ve given you an online approval.

4. Print from “final” version in “track changes” box.5. If printing from a PDF, click the “actual size” box. 6. If printing from Word, be sure the margins are correct in

your version.

AFTER DEFENSE SIGNATURES

• You go to MH-112, Grad Studies Office– Bring one signed TITLE/SIGNATURE PAGE

on “thesis” fancy paper. – Bring THESIS (on cheapo paper).– Complete “Thesis Approval Form” (online).– *Send me your file IF you want easy edits

or remote correspondence.• Wait for me to contact you.

The grad office receptionist will check for paper, signatures, style.

If incorrect, she will give it right

back to you, even if it is the deadline date.

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BEFORE thesis submission

PROOF-READ

CONTENT: NO spelling or grammatical errors. Set F7. PROOFREAD!

STYLE: FULL citation source and reference agreement. PROOFREAD!

FORMAT: REGULATION Headings, margins, spacing, order. PROOFREAD!

PROOFREAD. PROOFREAD. PROOFREAD.

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Download and review the

THESIS SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

from the website.

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AFTER YOUR BEST EFFORTS

PROOF-READ

4. THE THESIS READER

Who am I? I READ your thesis, highlight format errors, and

VERIFY, and APPROVE IT.

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I REVIEW YOUR WORK for adherence to the thesis manual

I AM Not YORE PRUF REEDER.I will send back your thesis.

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I READ IT ALL

“You read every single word”? “Yes.”

“You’re kidding.”“No, I’m serious. I do. ”

“Really?”“Yes. I really do.“

“I don’t believe you.”

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WHAT I DO

Content: Look for glaring grammatical errors.

Style: Do you follow your style consistently?

Format: Margins, headings, spacing perfect?***

There will always be errors….

HOWEVER, IF I FIND “TOO MANY” ERRORS, I SEND IT BACK TO YOU, “refer to thesis manual.”

THE THESIS READER

When do first you contact me?

The semester of the deadline.

For most thesis-related questions, your thesis committee chair can answer.

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WHAT I DO NOT DO

I DO NOT answer every question.

I DO NOT reply to questions found in the Thesis Manual.

I DO NOT proofread (very much). ***

GENERAL ERRORS? I SEND IT BACK. YOU MAY NOT GRADUATE WHEN YOU WANT.

THEN WHAT

• I read in order of submission . 75+.– First in; first back. Last in; last back. – Can take a week.

• I email my comments/list to you.• You revise . . . until all requirements met.

*****

Tip: About vacations….• Do not leave on “vacation” until my first review comments. • Submit your thesis at least one week early: Early manuscripts

usually have a turnaround of three days.

IT. SEEMS. LIKE. IT. WILL. NEVER END.

A Master’s Thesis Requires:

perseverance, dedication,

late nights, strained relationships,

endless revisions,

countless library and internet research hours,

computer hardware and software problems,

and ALL manner of stresses!

YOU.WILL.WANT.TO.GIVE.UP, or PANIC.AND.FREAK.OUT. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. AND….

(fill in the blank): academically scintillating, boring, challenging, bewildering, relaxing,

stressful, social, or lonely

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IT DOES END!

AND, IT STILL PAYS OFF!

PSST! 4 Most Important Things!

1. Print out the Thesis Manual for yourself.

2. Download and SAVE the thesis template Lastname, date (i.e., Stewart draft 8.12.14). Tonight.

3. Style is a big deal. Know your citation/reference style (APA, Chicago, JAMA, MLA, ACS, AAA, etc. Print it. Own it.

4. Trial run. Send me a first draft in the template, no matter how awful. Include title page, front matter, a few references. Even if it is a semester early.

The End

Thank you for attending.Please fill out the evaluation form.

An outline is available on the grad studies website.PPT slide PDF is available on the grad studies website.

The Thesis Manual is available on the grad studies website.