THESIS WORKSHOP

Sponsored by the CSUF Department of Graduate StudiesMrs. Debra L. Stewart

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

Revised for Fall 2013

THESIS WORKSHOP INTRODUCTION

What I want YOU to know:• What is expected of YOU.• How/where to get assistance.• What MY role is and is not.

THESIS WORKSHOP INTRODUCTION

Why this workshop?Basically, to save YOU time/$.

THESIS WORKSHOP

1. INTRODUCTION

2. OVERVIEW: Why this workshop? (What is expected of you.)

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

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

And save MY time.

Four weeks. So little time. So many pages.

MY OFFICE HOURS

I do not have any set OFFICE HOURS

AFTER the deadline.BEFORE the deadline, yes!

Submission deadline:four weeks before the last day of classes.

Bookstore deposit: Last day of examinations.

For Students Planning to Graduate in January 2014 (Fall 2013)Deadline to Submit to Graduate Studies Office Friday, November 22, 2013Deadline to Deposit in CSUF Bookstore Friday, December 20, 2013

For Students Planning to Graduate in August 2014 (Summer 2014):

Deadline to Submit to Graduate Studies Office Friday, April 11, 2014 Deadline to Deposit in CSUF Bookstore Friday, May 9, 2013

When is your thesis defense scheduled?

- THESIS DEADLINES - FOR OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT

GET IT OVER WITH!

FEES (0-6 units) $ 2, 310

GRAD CHECK $ 115

GS700 * $ 335

MOVE GRAD DATE $ 10

WHAT IS A MASTER’S THESIS?

“The master’s thesis is the culminating experience of your graduate program, and a demonstration of your ability to develop and present a clear and scholarly work within your chosen field of study.

Our goal in this final editorial process is to ensure that your thesis is a credit to this university,and ultimately a lifelong source of pride for you.” THUS,

A THESIS IS

THE MOST

IMPORTANT

PAPER

OF

YOUR ACADEMIC LIFE(UP TO THIS POINT)

IT MUST MEET CSU STANDARDS and be

ACADEMICALLY PERFECT*

And your thesis WILL require:

perseverance, dedication,

late nights, strained relationships,

endless revisions,

countless library 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

Your Thesisincludes MORE than research and writing

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A THESIS IS 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.

THESIS REQUIREMENTS

HOW do I know what they

are?

WHERE do I find them?

WHAT do I do with them?

15

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)

16

FORMAT: How a thesis looks

Follow the:

THESIS MANUAL for format fullerton.edu/graduate

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

17

REQUIREMENTS

Follow your:

• THESIS ADVISOR for content.

• Academic unit for style guide.

• CSUF Thesis Manual for format.

REQUIREMENTS

CSUF THESIS INFORMATION&

MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES

http://fullerton.edu/graduate/

THE THESIS MANUAL (TM)

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

•Answers (ALMOST) ALL F.A.Qs.

http://fullerton.edu/graduate/

TM: What’s in it?

• Font • Margins• Spacing • Page numbering • Headings/Subheadings• Figures and Tables• Approval info

• Paper • Order of parts• Front matter • Back matter• Cautions • TEMPLATES• Dates

FORMATTING INSTRUCTIONS

Use the materials

A perfectly formatted thesis

can be turned in without ever consulting me by using

the Thesis Template and

Manual.

ORDER OF PARTS

• TITLE/SIGNATURE PAGE • ABSTRACT• TABLE OF CONTENTS

• LIST OF FIGURES FRONT MATTER

• LIST OF TABLES• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Chapters (main body)• APPENDIX OR APPENDICES

BACK• BIBLIOGRAPHY OR REFERENCES

MATTER

THE TITLE/SIGNATURE PAGEIS the most STRICT FORM.

IT HAS TO BE PERFECT THE FIRST TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Title/Signature Page

• MOST problematic.

• Must be 100% PERFECT.

• The RIGHT paper.

• The RIGHT spacing.

• The RIGHT spelling.

• ALL faculty signatures.

• Horror stories....

Abstract

• Top margin of 2”.• 250 words (best).• Include “keywords.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS TEMPLATE

WHICH ONE IS YOURS?

OTHER

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CONTENT, STYLE, FORMAT

Follow your:

• THESIS ADVISOR for content.

• Academic unit for style guide.

• CSUF Thesis Manual for format.

WHY “STYLE”?

Test: Which is correct?

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

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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?

YOUR REFERENCE SECTIONIS A STRICT FORM (and usually the most difficult).

IT HAS TO BE PERFECT.

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

APA Reference Issues

JournalsBooksBook chaptersConference reportsMultivolume worksEdited works

Etc. Etc. Etc.Remember I’m trying to help you!

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

37

STYLE FORMATS CAN DIFFER

APA Style

orCMOS

(Chicago Manual of Style)

ETC., ETC., ETC.:

CMA, APA, MLA, ACS, AAA, AAG, SAA, GSA?

Don’t know? Use:

A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations,

by Kate L. Turabian

or The Chicago Manual of Style.

Other? Send me a copy.

WHAT IS YOURS?

40

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. ???

• Spacing.

READ THE MANUALS!

CMA/TURABIAN 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 HEADINGS

CHAPTER THREE

THIS IS THE CHAPTER TITLE

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. Text and tables are double-spaced

throughout the entire thesis.

CMA/TURABIAN 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.

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. It is not underlined; it is bolded.

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. It is not underlined; it is bolded.

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Content and Style

• TABLES: – What do they look like? – How are they spaced? – What about “runover” lines? – Can I add notes?– What is a stub column? Spanner?

• FIGURES: Where are they placed on a page?

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TURABIAN 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.

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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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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!!!

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.

53

• 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.

• Dashes come-in—different sizes. Why?

HOW DO I LEARN ALL THIS?

(

Pssst: OPEN THE THESIS MANUAL!

BEFORE YOUR DEFENSE

SEND ME A SAMPLE of your work:

• 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

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BEFORE thesis submission!

PROOF-READ

CORRECT PAPER STOCK FOR THE FINAL COPY (and Title/Signature pages)

Must be printed by laser printer on white, 8 ½ by 11, 20- to 24-pound weight, and 25% to 100% cotton rag paper.

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

and unwieldy and result in additional fees for binding.

AVERAGE THESIS LONG THESIS

AFTER DEFENSE SIGNATURES

YOU• Go to MH-112, Grad Studies Office

–Bring one signed TITLE/SIGNATURE PAGE on “thesis” paper

–Bring THESIS (on cheapo paper)–Fill out “Thesis Approval Form.”

• 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 the HANDY

THESIS SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

from the website.

62

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.

64

I CHECK YOUR WORK

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

65

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 exactly?

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

IF I FIND MISTAKES, I SEND IT BACK.

THE THESIS READER

When do first you contact me?

Weeks before the deadline.

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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 chronological order. 75+First in; first back. Last in; last back.

I email my comments to you.You revise . . . until requirements met.

IT SEEMS LIKE IT WILL NEVER END.

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

stressful, social, or lonely

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AND YOU PRINT iT AND IT’S

OVER!

AND, IT STILL PAYS OFF!

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.